Chapter Six
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NIC WASN’T SURPRISED when he was dragged into the house.
Parrish didn’t even touch him. He had someone else do the dragging, like always.
Doing it wasn’t bloody enough for him. It wouldn’t be fun.
No, Parrish didn’t like to get his hands dirty unless he could kill someone or make them bleed, and that wasn’t what he was planning to do with Nic, not yet anyway.
Parrish yawned. It was ridiculous, but Nic knew what he was doing.
It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Parrish in this kind of situation.
He enjoyed torturing people, and not only physically.
He knew that Nic was scared and that he’d get even more scared as the time passed.
Parrish was going to enjoy himself, which meant that Nic wouldn’t.
“Take him upstairs,” Parrish ordered the two Kudlaks who’d grabbed Nic when Parrish had caught him.
They didn’t hesitate. They pulled Nic toward the stairs, and Nic knew better than to resist. It wouldn’t help.
“Put him in the bedroom next to mine. I’ll take care of him tomorrow.” Parrish grinned at Nic. “In the meantime, have fun.”
Nic already knew he wouldn’t, but he didn’t answer.
He kept his chin high, even though inside, he was shaking in fear.
He was pretty sure that Parrish could tell, but Nic wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing him.
It wouldn’t change anything. It might even make Parrish worse because he enjoyed being feared.
Nic didn’t think much about where he was going until the two Kudlaks, still dragging him, stopped on top of the stairs.
They looked at each other, then down the hallway.
Nic knew where Parrish’s room was, so he wasn’t surprised to be taken in that direction.
He was surprised when the two hesitated again.
“Which one do you think it is?” one of them asked.
Kevin wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, but then, neither of them were.
Maybe Nic could somehow use that to his advantage.
He didn’t think he could escape, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t anything he could do.
The second Kudlak, Patrick, shrugged. “I don’t think it matters.” He reached out and unlocked the closest door. He pushed Nic inside without looking at him, then slammed the door shut. Nic held his breath. Even though he’d never been in this room, he knew who he’d find here.
A woman blinked at him from the bed. The blankets were pulled up to her chin, and her long blond hair framed her thin face. She had blue eyes, like a lot of Vila, and they were wide with fear and anxiousness. It was the same way Nic felt, but he didn’t want her to be afraid of him.
He raised his hands. “I know that you know who I am,” he said, even though he didn’t know if that was true.
He couldn’t help but wonder if Parrish had ever mentioned him to her.
“Parrish killed my parents when I was six. He kept me around and raised me, but I hate him anyway. I want to kill him for what he did to my parents and to prevent him from hurting my Vila mate. I’m not here to hurt you, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to ask you a few questions.
My mate and I are bonded, but we have no idea what it means for a Kudlak and a Vila to be bonded.
I don’t want to do anything that could hurt him.
I’m not like Parrish. I’d rather die than be like him. ”
She continued staring at him for a moment before sitting up. She kept the blankets where they were, as if they were a shield that would protect her.
Nic could only imagine how she felt. She’d been with Parrish for years.
They didn’t know if he’d ever tortured her physically, but even if he hadn’t, her life couldn’t be a good one.
The poor woman didn’t look like she’d deserved to be bonded to Parrish, but Nic told himself to be careful.
Appearance wasn’t everything. Parrish was incredibly handsome, but his heart was black, and the way he looked would never change that.
It made him a formidable predator because people didn’t suspect what he was capable of. His mate might be the same.
“You’re Nic,” the woman said.
He nodded. “I am. He has told you about me, then?”
“Yes,” she confirmed. “Nothing good, which means I like you already.” She finally dropped the blankets. She was wearing a heavy sweater underneath. “My name is Celeste.”
Nic smiled at her. “That’s a beautiful name.”
“Thank you. Have you heard about me?”
“Parrish has kept you a secret.”
“I’m not surprised. He doesn’t want anyone to use me against him.”
“I will if I can,” Nic said because he didn’t want to lie to her. “But using you also means that I’ll free you.”
“You won’t be able to. Parrish forced me to bond with him almost as soon as we met. He wanted to be sure I would never betray him.”
“He’s using your magic, isn’t he?”
Celeste nodded. “As best as he can.”
“Can he use it to get through shields?”
“If they’re Vila shields, yes.”
“My mate lives in a village close to here. His clan leader is Rowan Harper. Parrish destroyed Rowan’s clan in the past, and Rowan was the only one who survived. Parrish wants to change that. He’s obsessed with Rowan and the thought of killing him.”
“Parrish is obsessed with killing everyone.”
Nic supposed that was true. “He’s going to kill Rowan if he can, and destroy the village and everyone who lives there.”
“Including your mate.”
Nic took a step forward. He knew that this wasn’t what Parrish had meant when he’d told his idiot minions to put him in the bedroom next to his.
If Nic was lucky, Parrish wouldn’t realize what had happened until he had enough information from Celeste that he could use it.
Hell, Parrish might go to bed without ever realizing where Nic was.
Nic couldn’t afford to waste time, though.
“Including my mate,” he confirmed. “But with your help, I could save Tamsin. I could save the entire clan.”
“And I could die.”
She was right. If Parrish ever found out she’d betrayed him, he would kill her.
Nic wasn’t sure what that would mean for Parrish and the bond he shared with Celeste, but he didn’t think that Parrish cared.
He certainly didn’t care about his mate.
He only wanted her for her magic so he could hurt people.
“I know you’re bonded to him, but once he’s dead, you can have a new life,” Nic said. “I’m not saying it wouldn’t be difficult. You’d have support, though. My people will come for me, and when they do, they can take you away, too.”
“Why would they? I’m their enemy’s mate.”
“You’re as much a victim of Parrish as I was until I left or as Rowan was.
Hell, your situation is even worse. I don’t know how long you’ve been with Parrish, but I know him.
He would’ve used every single second of that time to hurt you.
I’m not saying that we’ll help you out of the goodness of our hearts.
We’ll want answers to questions and as much help as you can give us.
We might be your only chance to ever escape Parrish, though.
Rowan is planning on killing him, and I believe he can, but not without you. ”
“Those are nice words, but how am I supposed to trust them? How am I supposed to believe that you’ll truly help me?”
“I know better than anyone how cruel Parrish can be, but like I said, I wouldn’t be doing this for you.
I’d be doing it for my mate. He’s nothing like Parrish.
He’s a loving man that I don’t want to lose so soon after meeting him.
He brightens my every day and makes me feel happy in a way I’ve never felt before, or at least I haven’t felt since I was six and I still had my parents.
Tamsin is my home and my future. I would do anything for him. ”
“Including sacrificing yourself?”
“Including that.” Nic would die for Tamsin. He hoped he wouldn’t have to, but he wouldn’t hesitate.
“Would you sacrifice me, too?” Celeste asked.
Nic hesitated, but in the end, he decided to be honest. “I’m sorry to say it, but yes. He’s my mate. I would kill for him as easily as I would die for him.”
Celeste watched him for a moment. Nic had no idea what she was thinking, but he hoped he hadn’t just fucked everything up.
* * * *
TAMSIN WANTED TO SCREAM. They weren’t moving fast enough.
There was no way to know what Parrish was doing to Nic right now, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good, and Tamsin needed to get to his mate as soon as possible.
Instead, they were hanging around doing nothing, and he was losing his patience.
He eyed the Nix who’d just arrived. He knew the man wasn’t a council enforcer, so he was confused.
“You just need to be shimmered there and back, right?” Nysys asked.
Rowan stared at him for a moment before nodding. “That’s correct.”
“I can do that.”
“I’m sure you can, but I was hoping that whoever the council sent would be able to help us fight if the need arises.”
“You think I can’t? I’ve been learning how to fight.”
“I’m sure you have, but this isn’t an easy situation.”
“Right now, all of the council’s teams are busy.”
“Then maybe we should wait.”
“We’re not waiting,” Tamsin snapped. “I don’t care who’s shimmering us. I need to get to my mate.” He didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but Nysys was here of his own free will. If something happened to him, he’d have to deal with it. If he didn’t want anything to happen, he’d just stay away.
Nysys pointed a finger at Tamsin. “I like this guy. We should do what he’s saying.”
Rowan still didn’t look convinced. Tamsin really was about to scream when someone knocked on Rowan’s front door. Since he didn’t want to say something he’d regret, Tamsin left the kitchen and went to open.
Este stood on Rowan’s porch, a tall, blond man standing next to her. From the man’s pointed ears, Tamsin could tell that he was a Nix. He wasn’t wearing the council uniform, though, which might be a problem.
“What?” Tamsin asked Este.