Chapter 5
Ada
“You’re a pretty little thing with these freckles and green eyes.” He leaned in and I felt his humid breath rake across the shell of my ear as he whispered, “I could almost pretend you’re human.”
I was proud of myself for not throwing up all over this piece of shit, but feigning indifference was what kept me sane.
“They said you were kind of feisty, but you seem pretty docile to me. It’s a shame really,” he tsked and grabbed a lock of my hair, tugging on it as he looked over his shoulder toward the open doorway.
We were the only ones in the session room, something I knew he was hoping stayed that way for a bit longer.
I realized upon first being captured they’d gone “easy” on me, as if they wanted to build up my tolerance before making things worse. And the reason for that pain and suffering at their hands? So the viewers on the other side of the window right across from me could get off on watching.
He pulled that strand of hair he was rubbing between his fingers and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. The sound of footsteps had him dropping the lock and taking several steps back faster than I thought humanly possible.
I never asked, but I didn’t need to in order to understand that we were nothing but disgusting specimens to them, attractions for high-paying humans who wanted to see “fantastical creatures” torn apart over and over again.
So any arousal or desire displayed toward an Otherworld would be seen as disgusting, forbidden, and traitorous.
But I’d witnessed enough horrors in this place over the last year to know that it didn’t stop them from taking what wasn’t theirs.
I heard the screams and cries. I’d heard the curses and threats. And I’d wished I’d been able to help the ones who were being hurt in more ways than I could ever imagine.
“Today’s a special day for you,” the guard who entered said and gave me a disgustingly big smile.
It wasn’t one of friendliness and wasn’t even one of happiness. I’d seen these exact grins countless times as they tortured me.
The expression on his face was one of pure sadistic pleasure for whatever they were about to do to me.
“You’re the star attraction tonight,” the new guard said as he came into the room and shut the door, a large black bag slung over his shoulder.
There was a metal exam table sitting in the center of the room, and when he tossed the bag onto it, the clink of metal banging together from whatever was inside the duffel echoed in the room.
Although my heart was starting to race faster and beads of perspiration dotted my brow, I kept my outward appearance stoic.
Because showing fear only excited them more.
I could hear the sound of raised voices and glanced at the large window across from where I was chained up. I curled my hands tightly into fists, my nails cutting into my palms.
The restraints that kept my arms bound at my sides and tethered to the wall made it impossible to move.
My back burned, my skin felt tight, and as I watched the humans on the other side of that window start to take their seats, I felt rising nausea claim me.
Their gazes were locked on me, their grins wide from ear to ear, their eyes alight with horrendous sadistic anticipation.
“V,” the guard addressed the human who’d been touching me just moments before. “Take it down and bring it over here.”
I was nothing but an object to them, not even seen as a living creature.
The one named V came toward me, and I could see he tried not to look at me with anything but indifference or even disgust.
He undid the chains from the wall and yanked me toward him so forcefully I lost my balance and stumbled forward.
There was a round of loud laughter from behind the window as the gawking humans took in my unsteadiness.
I fell against the exam table, the manacles around my wrists clanging against the metal. I could see the waviness of the magic surrounding them, and when I lifted my arms to right myself, my limbs felt like lead, full and heavy as if they weren’t really mine but just extensions of the chains that kept me bound.
The guard grinned at me, and the flash of his white teeth was anything but pleasant. He pulled out a couple of instruments. It was then I noticed an elaborate table with red velvet covering it pressed up against the wall, clearly visible to the spectators.
First, he pulled out a saw, then a machete. He took out a pair of pliers, some garden shears, and finally a dagger. He laid them all out across the velvet cloth, and I could see the human spectators rising up slightly so that they could look at each tool.
Fear was a very real friend inside of me, heavy and suffocating enough that I felt my bravado falter.
The guard who’d brought the bag into the exam room went over to a panel on the wall, pressing a button as he glanced at the spectators.
“Client 523A. You were the highest bidder and get to decide which tool is implemented for this session.”
I could hear the murmurs of the humans on the other side of the glass a second before one of the pressed suit–wearing males got up and disappeared from view.
A moment later he stepped through the doorway and walked into the room, his gaze sliding over me. He had this disturbingly intense gleam in his eye.
Then he turned his focus to the table with the tools and walked over to them, running his fingers along each one. He picked up the dagger first, holding it in his hand before setting it down and going for the saw.
I felt dizzy, like I was going to throw up. I tightened my hands around the exam table. It was the only thing keeping me steady as my knees locked and the breath stalled in my lungs.
He handed the saw to the guard. “No drugs. I want it to really scream from the pain.” The Suit gave me one more smirk before taking his place back on the other side of the window.
The blood left my brain and settled in the soles of my feet as I swayed.
“Put it on the table.”
V grabbed my arm, but I jerked it away, survival instinct rising up in me. I struggled, then backed away, but was yanked toward him again. The other guard grabbed a chunk of hair behind my head and pulled me forward and across the table so I was facedown on it.
My arms were thrust above my head, the manacles secured to a lock, my legs spread, and restraints placed over my ankles.
I felt the icy touch of a blade skating down my spine as the ratty shift I wore was cut off me. The sound of fabric rendering was ominous as it filled the room.
Warm breath skated across the shell of my ear as V whispered, “You’re not gonna be a pretty little thing for me and let me hear you beg?”
I gritted my teeth, turned my head so I could look into his eyes, and said, “Fuck. You.”
The pain took over…
I jolted upright,a cry torn from my throat. Or at least I thought I screamed. I could hear it echoing in my head, felt hot tears track down my cheeks.
I closed my eyes and wiped the tears away, my body achy and sweaty, my mind at war with what was real and what was just a horrible memory.
My heart slammed against my rib cage, and the phantom pain in my back made itself known once again, like scorching-hot nails tearing up my spine.
The nightmares were frequent, and they were so bad it was as if I were living in that moment once again, experiencing the torture, the cruelty, and the absolute horror of what they’d taken from me.
For a moment my mind was discombobulated, confusing my reality.
But when I opened my eyes and inhaled deeply, I took in the dank cave and heard the trickling of water.
I’m not back there. It wasn’t real.
I felt the sensation of being watched.
My gaze darted to the entrance of the cave, where I saw Sebastian standing. His big, tall form was shrouded in shadows, his eyes glowing red.
Despite his somewhat unnerving presence, I couldn’t help but feel myself start to calm with the knowledge that he was here.
But then I took in his stance. His hands were curled into tight fists at his sides, and I could see him flexing and relaxing them over and over again. His chest was pumping up and down, and he emitted a low growl as if he were a wild beast unable to control himself.
“You were dreaming.” His voice was guttural. Frighteningly low.
I scrubbed a hand over my face, my brow dotted with perspiration, my mind still trying to catch up with reality.
“A nightmare,” I corrected. “It was nothing.” The lie came easier than I expected, but I was desperate for him to stop watching me, because his gaze told me he could see right through the facade.
“It didn’t sound like nothing.” His eyes seemed to glow brighter. “You were whimpering, asking them to stop hurting you.”
I bit my tongue and looked away, hating that anyone saw me like that.
“I wanted to go to you.”
I shook my head and reached for the bag, grabbed the canteen, and took a long drink from it, the water tasting stale and warm. “I’m glad you didn’t,” I whispered. “It would have made it so much worse.” Because anyone seeing me broken in that way is a shame I hate feeling.
“I was standing guard at the entrance of the cave when I heard you making noises. You screamed. I was ready to kill whatever was harming you.”
I snapped my gaze back to him, surprised at the warmth I felt at his admission that he would have hurt whatever was causing me pain.
But my default was sarcasm, so I teased, “It’s a good thing you didn’t come to me.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and tossed the almost empty canteen back into the bag. “I probably could’ve done some serious damage to you.”
I eyed his big body, knowing there was no way I could do any kind of damage to a male his size.
He stood there in silence just watching me, and in turn I sat there in uncomfortable tenseness waiting for him to say whatever it was that was on the tip of his tongue.
“Do you want to talk?—”
“No.” I cut him off and closed my eyes tightly, hating that the nightmare stuck with me well after I’d already woken and knew I was no longer trapped in that situation.
But my back still burned, that pain I knew would stay with me forever, a lingering companion. It had taken months for those wounds to heal, for them to scab over and become the scars I now carried as a constant reminder.
I cleared my throat again. “No. It’s fine. I’m fine.” I was trying to convince myself more than him.
I stood and stared at the still-burning fire, realizing he must’ve added more wood and stoked it.
“How long was I out?”
He leaned against the rocky wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “A couple of hours, from what I can gauge anyway. Go back to sleep. Let me protect you. I’ll kill anything that comes close.”
Despite not wanting to, I felt the corner of my mouth lift. It was hard to keep my bitchy attitude in place when he said things that were pretty damn sweet.
“Is that your default?”
He lifted a dark brow.
“To just kill any threat?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
I felt an unexpected warmth bloom between my thighs when hearing him say that, as if the prospect of him being violent to protect me… turned me on.
I’m losing my damn mind.
“I know what it’s like, to have your demons haunt you long after they’ve been killed.”
His voice was low and deep, almost so low I didn’t know if I heard him correctly. But he stared at me as if he knew what I’d dreamed about, as if he’d plucked the images from my mind and saw for himself what they’d done to me.
I opened my mouth, not sure what I was going to say, because the truth was, the prospect of opening up to Sebastian didn’t sound all that… wrong. My heart cried out to share my pain, to let someone hold me and tell me everything was okay. But I was afraid, terrified of losing control, not with him but with myself.
I didn’t want to let what had happened forever define who and what I was now.
So I said nothing because I didn”t know how to convey any of that to him, hell, to anyone. But before that awkward silence could descend further, I felt my eyes widen and shock fill me.
Instantly I felt a change in him. He grew tense, this icy air exploding out of him, a growl reverberating around us.
I got up so quickly that I stumbled forward and caught myself on the wall as I made my way toward the entrance of the cavern.
“What? What’s wrong?” His voice was hard and alert as he stepped in front of me, placing himself between me and whatever invisible threat he sensed.
I wasn’t thinking as I reached out and placed a hand on the center of his chest, bracing myself, or maybe it was to push him back so he wasn’t in the way.
But the feeling of his hard, warm chest against my palm had my body singing. I knew he felt it too because his heart started beating faster under my palm, and I heard his sharp inhale.
I glanced up at him, then looked down at where my hand rested, swallowing roughly at the same time I felt intense heat move through me.
“Let me carry your burden?” he said softly and leaned down, my breath coming out harder and faster, my focus trained on his lips.
I felt that familiar warmth settle between my legs all over again. I couldn’t move. I didn’t want to.
But when he groaned and I watched his lips part, saw the way his fangs started to elongate, I felt like it was a cold splash of water on me as I took a step back and shook my head.
“Look,” I said with a voice that didn’t even sound like my own. He didn’t take his focus off me, but then gave a frustrated sound and glanced out the cave entrance.
Both of us were trying to get ourselves under control. I followed his line of vision. We both just stood there staring out into the abyss of whatever wilderness we’d been thrust into.
“The sun has set.”
And that meant getting the hell out of this cave.