Chapter Nine
Caleb
Jay is brave, I’ll give her that. But this only worries me further. Her mouth will surely get her in trouble one day. I could have tossed her around like a twig. She wouldn’t stand a chance.
I need to break her out of that habit now before someone else tries to shut her up for good. She’s my weakness. If someone kills her before I do, I’m a goner. But I guess I’m already a goner when it comes to her.
I’m damned if I do, damned if I don’t.
I hate that she makes me feel so fucking alive, even when she’s causing me to bleed out. Her tears and begging in the dungeon called out the devil inside me like a damn siren. It took every ounce of strength I had to leave her there.
When it comes to intimacy, I’ve always preferred tamer things. Spanking, clawing or calling them my “good little slut” and “dirty little whore,” respectfully, of course. But ever since my father’s death, nothing has been the same.
When I watched Olivia’s pained face as I exacted my revenge, I knew something dark inside of me unlocked. The satisfaction was addicting and promoted my kinks to a deep fetish, turning me into a full-blown sadist.
Now, whenever I fuck, I find their pain is the key ingredient to separating mind-blowing sex from just sex. The more deserving of my pain, the more I get off. And no one deserves my wrath more than Jay.
I need her pain more than I need to breathe.
It’s been a while since my guys went to check on her, and they still hadn’t returned.
After I endured secondary trauma from hearing Alaina moan the words, “my king,” I bargained with a witch to magically soundproof anywhere the king could get a little too excited for my comfort.
From the living room, I keep looking toward the door that leads to the dungeon when Tyler notices.
He checks behind himself. “Why do you keep looking at the door?”
“They’ve been down there awhile, don’t you think?”
I try to disguise my concern as a curious observation, but it’s hard when my mate is alone with other men. Neither my wolf nor I like it.
“Yeah and? She’s like,” he gestures her size and height with his hands. “This big.” He gestures her size and height with his hands.
If she were just anyone, I’d agree. Yet if she can kill an alpha, there’s no telling what else she might be capable of.
My worry must be etched all over my face because Tyler stands and says, “I’ll go check on her.” Always so eager for my approval, Tyler can be annoying, but he is a loyal beta.
I respect his work ethic, but Jay isn’t someone I necessarily want him to be thorough with.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” I stroll casually to the doorway, when everything inside me wants to run.
When I get down there, I’m wishing I had.
Both my guys are wailing in agony on the floor with their pants down.
“What happened?” I demand.
They turn over, sitting upright. At the sight of their bruised, swollen and flaccid appendages, I cover my mouth and junk like a reflex. A penile fracture is a male’s second-worst nightmare. The first is what I’ll do to them if they touched her.
I swear, if I smell her on them . . .
I turn up my nose, and I’m relieved when I don’t smell her honey scent mixed in with theirs. But they’re not out of hot water. Yet.
“Want to tell me why your dicks are out?”
“Oh fuck, I think it’s broken.” He looks down in horror at himself. With great hesitation, he touches it and immediately hisses, drawing his hand back. “Yeah, it’s definitely broken. That fucking bitch—”
“Hey.” I snap my fingers, demanding their attention. “What. Happened. Here?”
“She attacked us, sir,” the other says.
“We were just doing our jobs.”
They nod, verifying each other’s story.
Looking between the two of them, I ask, “How stupid do you think I am?”
No reply.
“I’ll ask you again. What. Happened?”
They glance at each other, communicating with their facial expressions not to tell me.
“Speak!”
“We—We didn’t touch her. I swear.”
But he wanted to.
“And Jay?”
“Only when she bent them.”
My wolf settles.
“We were just trying to have a little fun. She seemed into it.”
“She’s a tease is what she is,” the other snarks.
“Yeah. But then when we got close—”
I wave my hands at them to stop. She played them, and I don’t care to hear what she might have done to convince them. Did she drop to her knees? Did she maintain eye contact as she reached down?
The image of her as a seductress is tainted when I remember she did that to my men and not me. The idea that she touched them, even if it was to break them . . .
“Leave,” I seethe.
It takes them longer than I’d like for them to help each other up and hobble up the stairs.
My blood is still boiling, but I go cold when I see Jay’s cell door is open.
She’s gone, but her scent tells me she isn’t far.
Everything around me slows as I call on my powers. My senses heighten to a supernatural level.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
My ears tickle at the faint footsteps no normal wolf or other species could hear. The displaced air from her movements spread her scent like wildfire.
And I know exactly where she is. I spin on my heel and reach up at the perfect time. I catch her hand, high over her head and clenching a pocketknife, clearly an attempt to stab me.
Jay’s eyes widen. She underestimated me by thinking I wouldn’t hear her coming. If I were any other wolf, I might not have.
With a grin, I chuckle at her surprise. “Found you.” I squeeze, crushing her hand in mine.
She cries out in pain.
I hold out the palm of my hand under hers and catch the blade before it falls. While she’s keeled over at my strength, I inspect the knife, holding it up to the light. It’s pretty dull, but with enough force, it could do some damage.
I laugh, so I don’t scream. “Did you think this would kill me?”
“If I wanted you dead, you would be,” she says with the utmost confidence.
Feisty little thing. I like that in a woman.
“Seems I should’ve stripped search you. “I trace the blade up to her chin. “Do you have any more weapons on you?”
“Uh—no,” she stammers.
Mate is a terrible liar, my wolf says.
Dammit. I like that, too.
“I don’t believe you. “I use the knife to slice her clothes, tearing away the fabric.
“Hey!”
I scan her body for any sign of a weapon, but the only one I find is my own kryptonite within her curves. “Turn,” I instruct.
She rolls her eyes but does as she’s told.
Damn, that ass of hers. I wonder how she’d look spread open for me . . .
I mean, for safety reasons. I have to check.
I tap on the inside of her thigh with the blade. “Spread your legs.”
It’s quick, but I pick up on the subtle shift of her weight to her toes and her knees beginning to bend.
The subtle signs of a prey about to flee only trigger the predator within me. I snatch her before she can get the chance. With one hand, I bind both of her hands behind her, pinning her back to my front with the knife to her neck.
She squirms against me.
“Let go of me!”
“You try to stab me and then want me to let you go?” Menacingly, I laugh in her ear. “I don’t think so. I’m just getting started.”
I jerk her toward the cage and shove her in, shutting the gate behind her.
She stumbles inside but recovers and spins to face me. “What do you want from me, anyhow? I never did anything to you!”
As I’m tucking the knife in my back pocket, I whip around baring my canines at her through the bars. My wolf surfaces, joining in my aggression. “That’s where you’re wrong. I know who you are,” I growl.
She crosses her arms. “And who do you think I am?”
I’ve thought about this day for so long. I’ve played out every single scenario in my head, over and over. And now it’s finally here.
“You’re the rogue who killed our alpha.”
She searches my face. “You knew him.”
“Knew him?” I chuckle. “He was my father.”
I imagined thousands of ways my father’s murderer would react once I confronted them. I was prepared for a battle, a gloat, pretty much anything other than what I got.
Jay hyperventilates.
Is she having a panic attack?
She faints with a thud to the floor.
Okay, that I didn’t see coming.
She’s a lot more trouble than she’s worth.
I shrug, turning around.
Don’t care. Don’t care. Don’t care.
However, I can’t kill her later if she dies now.
I make a good point.
I scurry back to her cell, open the gate and rush to her side.
I don’t want to risk my pack doctor’s safety by having him come down to port an IV in her, so I mindlink Tyler. I instruct him to secure a cot or mattress, anything, as well as some clothes and food for Jay.
I move her hair out of her face and fan her. Checking her pulse, she’s still breathing. I resume fanning.
Worry getting the best of me, I call up the stairs, “Tyler!”
Not soon enough, he appears with a flimsy mattress, shorts, a shirt but nothing for her to eat.
“Food?”
“Oh yeah, the chef went home already.”
“Then make her something.”
Tyler stares at me long and hard. His face scrunching. “That’s not in my job description.”
“Assisting me is,” I grit.
He sighs. “Oh-kay.” He turns around. “But if she dies because of my cooking, it’s not my fault.”
Jay squirms and moans.
“Fucking hell,” I mutter. “Out of my way. I’ll do it.”
And I may or may not have muttered the word “useless” as I stomp up the steps.
I head to the kitchen and recall the food pattern she’s showing.
There are so many dietary needs in the realm.
I don’t know which one applies to her. When I’ve watched her eat before, I didn’t observe any kind of purging after.
So, I don’t think she struggles with an eating disorder.
But there is some sensitivity about her food—probably a dietary need or preference.
Does she have any allergies? Maybe that’s why she didn’t eat the pheasant.
Or she’s a picky eater, and I’m a fool.