Chapter 31
Shane
My wolf’s power surged through my cells, merging with my vampire side.
I pivoted and ran towards where a tall, brown-haired man in a well-fitting suit had caught Sor.
I could move fast, faster than most ancient vampires, but so could Bal.
I slammed into an open hand that made me stagger backwards and forced air from my lungs.
“She’s not yours, hybrid. She belongs to Nicolai. ”
“What? You’ve actually given her back to him?” Shock rippled through me, freezing my muscles and my mind. I couldn’t even summon my anger. I was numb, trying to comprehend his new level of cruelty. “Mother wolf, Bal. Do you truly feel nothing for us?”
For a moment, red flickered in his irises before it was washed away as if it hadn’t been there.
“Not a damn thing. You were an experiment, and my king wants you. That’s the only reason I helped you through bloodlust. He has plans for you.
Me? I just enjoyed taking you apart. Who wouldn’t?
A strong, powerful alpha on his knees for me, doing everything I asked?
Of course, I used you. But, as with most of my playthings, you started to bore me. ” He shrugged. “So I moved on.”
And there it was, the sum of my worth to him.
Nothing. A tsunami of rage burst through me.
My fist connected with Bal’s jaw before he or any of the guards could react.
I didn’t give a fuck if he killed me. I despised him with ever cell in my body.
Wrath tightened my muscles, and I hit him again before I kicked him right in the chest. I heard bones crack and felt a deep satisfaction that fuelled my anger.
He flew backwards, landing on Dav, who had also sped forward. They both crashed to the ground.
“Shane! Stop! Don’t make me kill you!” yelled Elliott.
I didn’t spare him a glance. He wouldn’t shoot me—I didn’t think… But it didn’t matter. Bullets couldn’t hurt me. I turned to scoop Sor from the arms of that fucking bastard who’d used her so thoroughly. But she was gone. And so was he.
No! I spun on my heel, looking for any trace of them.
My stomach sank. We’d drawn a crowd of scared-looking humans, all with their fucking phones out.
I didn’t give a shit. I was a monster, and I couldn’t care less who knew.
What I cared about was Sor. I inhaled deeply, and my wolf urged me to the right.
I leapt a bench and sprinted down the pathway, the river on my left and office buildings on my right, chasing Sor’s scent.
I couldn’t let Nicolai take her away. She’d suffered enough.
Fuck, I’d lost my temper, and once again I’d fucked up.
After that first punch, I should have gone for Nicolai.
Something stung the back of my neck, but I knocked away the annoyance.
A tiny object fell from my skin, but I kept running.
What I couldn’t ignore was the crossbow bolt that slammed into my back, making me stagger.
Still, I kept my feet moving, ignoring the pain.
Weapons would slow me down, but not stop me; they knew that.
Another hit, this time in my left buttock.
“Fuck!” My steps faltered, but I kept my legs pumping, chasing Sor’s scent.
I reached around and pulled that bolt out.
Another slight sting in my neck. I pulled at it as I ran and threw the small dart aside.
Shit! They were poisoning me again. I snarled.
I really needed to find out what the most dangerous substances were to me and carry the antidotes.
The path tilted, and I stumbled, but I righted myself and kept running.
No one, except Bal, would be able to catch me.
I was faster than any of the guards, Dav included.
But my legs were failing, and pain filtered through my single-minded purpose to reach Sor.
It saturated me, making every step agony.
Another bolt, this one to my kidney, followed by one to my knee. Bone shattered.
I roared.
He couldn’t win. Not after all this! But that bolt was the one that took me down.
As my knee gave way and I fell forward, I saw the sexy as sin Made watching me from the nearest bridge.
He kept his gaze fixed on my face—and winked, right before my cheek scraped along the concrete.
Shit, he’d been here the whole time? Why the fuck hadn’t he helped me?
By the time I lifted my blurry gaze to the bridge that spanned the Thames, he’d disappeared.
My head thumped against the ground, too heavy to hold up, and Bal’s perfectly shiny shoes appeared.
His hand threaded into my hair, and I could almost fool myself that his touch was a gentle stroke—until he wrapped it around his fist and yanked my head up.
“Running from my House without my permission is a crime, fledgling. Especially when you belong to the vampires. After all, you told the Shifter King you were no longer a part of his pack, that you are more vampire than wolf.” He gave a satisfied smirk.
“That makes you mine, and by default King Korlov’s. You will regret running.”
He let my head go. I expected to slam into the hard ground, but he lowered me gently.
I had no further time to contemplate that moment of kindness on his part.
Consciousness was slipping too fast. Whatever they’d shot me full of did its job.
Voices were muffled, and it was hard to know what was a hallucination or my imagination, and what was real.
“Shit, are you certain about this, Bal?”
“Do not question me. This is what has to happen.”
“Says who?”
“The witch. Fate. Destiny. Take your fucking pick.”
I woke up screaming for Sor, images of her being blood raped and used against her will filling my head.
I heard the thump of the bed and her screams as I woke.
I blinked, unsure what was going on or where I was.
Loud music drummed a hard beat, making my head pound.
My mouth was dry and my eyes scratchy, but it wasn’t the realisation that I was at the Gambit that sent ice through my veins.
No, it was the silver cuffs around my wrists and the way my body wouldn’t obey me.
What the actual fuck!
My eyes found Bal, who sat on his raised throne, eyeing the crowd as if they were all beneath him.
Because they were. We all were. I’d been stupid to think otherwise.
I glared up at him, willing the fucker to feel my hatred.
Around me, others who’d earned his wrath gyrated, as naked as I was.
But whereas they stood, waiting for their fate, I was fixed in one position.
On My Knees!
I’d vowed never to break for anyone, and I wasn’t going to now. He’d chosen this position to humiliate and crush my spirit.
The Made was right. I was Bal’s enemy, and he’d manipulated, even learnt to control me, with what I’d needed most. At first, it was my base instinct for sustenance and sex.
Then he’d seen my subconscious need for respect and love.
He’d cleverly turned my emotions into a method of controlling me without the need for chains, drugs, or compulsion.
Maybe he hadn’t known about the connection I’d have with Sor, but he used her just the same when he’d seen how we’d grown closer even before my bloodlust hit.Just as I’d needed his power and dominance, I’d needed kindness and understanding.
And Sor was the epitome of kindness. A woman who’d given me love and compassion, someone I wanted to protect.
Now, he had me on my knees in public for everyone to see. It was his purpose, of course, to subdue me by making me do the one thing that I’d sworn never to do ever again. Not going to happen.
I held his gaze, pouring every bit of the icy hate I had for him into my eyes.
My wolf rose, no longer willing to submit to the vampire who’d broken my heart.
Bal’s eyes widened a fraction, and I could have sworn that respect glinted in his gaze.
It didn’t matter; he was still willing to demean me and ultimately give me to his king.
I shoved my wolf back and started to fight the spell that held me immobile, because I knew Bal’s compulsion couldn’t hold me like this.
It was a witch’s spell, like the one that kept the others imprisoned on the poles.
Bal’s compulsion could control their behaviour and actions, but not mine, which was why I was immobile.
Only Minerva’s spell could hold my body prisoner.
Just thinking about her and the way he’d fucked her so brutally…
I blinked and took a steadying breath. Fuck it hurt.
But I dismissed it. I dismissed him. He was dead to me now—he had to be.
Sor needed me. I’d failed to keep her safe, but I wouldn’t leave her in Nicolai’s clutches.
I took a deep breath, and encased my heart in a shroud of ice so cold that it would keep the broken pieces together and beating until I could find my beautiful little bird, get her to safety, and let her fly again.
I’d find a way out of here. I just hoped I could find Sor in time—before Nicolai broke her completely.
Hold on, baby, I’m coming for you. Survive. Just survive.
To be continued…