Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Going from the erotic chamber with suspended swings to this torture room with dangling silver chains left me reeling. I stumbled back a few steps, robbed of words.
Tammy and I were doomed in this nightmare, where our fate would be sealed in agony if we didn’t escape immediately.
There was no fancy red furniture or any decor. The size of the room was smaller than the previous two—no audience was meant to be in here.
At a second glance, the black walls were panels, very familiar-looking ones. My dad had installed the same soundproof boards in the kingdom’s dungeon.
If the door closed behind us, we were going to be in so much trouble. No one would hear us. No one would find us.
The cold air from the hallway traveled over my back, and a shiver zipped down my spine.
As the stink of bleach and other chemicals wafted around me, bile rose in my throat. The space looked clean except near the beaten werewolf.
A puddle of blood expanded underneath his knees as it kept seeping from his wounds. But I couldn’t clearly identify his injuries from all the dirt and blood on his clothes and skin.
Tammy sidestepped me to see inside. “Shit,” she whispered.
The one called Master let out an annoyed sigh. “I told you to lock both doors. Why can’t you follow simple instructions, you idiot?”
His voice was like the hiss of a snake, low and dangerous.
The other man bowed his head. “I’m sorry, Master. The wolf was heavy to drag inside.”
The master glared at me and then Tammy, his eyes changing crimson for a split second. “So our food just walked right in here.”
Shaking, Tammy stepped closer to me.
I had to protect her.
This meeting with vampires would either break me or make me.
Although my palms grew clammy, I started to get a hold of my emotions and steady my breathing.
Tammy fidgeted next to me.
“This doesn’t seem like a show with actors,” she whispered, and the vampires laughed, having heard her loud and clear with their sensitive ears.
“Ladies, why don’t you shut the door behind you?” The master vampire grinned, displaying protruding fangs.
Tammy shifted again, unable to get comfortable, and started biting the fingernails of her left hand—a habit she had when her anxiety kicked in.
The werewolf shook his head, blood dripping from his nose and mouth. He barely lifted his head to glance at me, probably too hurt to move.
“Run,” he ordered, and I frowned.
Tammy touched my hand. “Sounds like a good idea.”
But no one made a move. The tortured man couldn’t for obvious reasons. Tammy and I could run, but the vampires would catch up in a matter of seconds. They were completely still, studying their prey.
What would their next move be?
I clenched and unclenched my hands, bracing myself for a clash with supernaturals.
One unarmed human versus two deadly supernaturals.
It didn’t look good for me and Tammy, but I wasn’t a coward either.
The master vampire’s lips curved into a cunning smile. He wouldn’t let us escape. Having two panicky human women running toward the exit door would only scare the rest of the vampires’ food and cause chaos in the club.
But what about the werewolf? What plans did the vampires have for their captive?
His light blue jeans, covered in soil and grass stains, were ripped above the knees. Had he been captured in the forest?
A river of blood staining his pants told me the man had to be weakening with every passing minute. His faster healing abilities couldn’t help him fight back since he was chained to poisoning silver. The metal was potent to werewolves, burning skin like acid.
Would he die from blood loss or from silver poisoning?
Although sweat and blood were mixed on his skin, soaking the scraps of his shirt, I had a hard time believing that this muscular man who could shift into a vicious beast had been brought to his knees.
It wasn’t my first time seeing a werewolf near his death. I’d seen worse in the kingdom.
“Well, that sucks,” I muttered as the man watched me with squinted eyes, blood dripping from the cuts above his eyebrows.
I lowered my gaze to the side of his neck where his pack marking hid under small streams of blood. His neck tattoo wasn’t completely visible, but I could fill in the blanks, having memorized all five pack markings for the five regions in the United States.
This man was from the Nighteye pack of the Northeast region in the US. I could partially make out the tribal tattoo of wolf eyes enclosed by black lines shaping the animal’s face. This werewolf belonged to Dad’s kingdom.
Tammy gasped next to me, drawing my attention. She leaned in. “What is he doing?”
Her tone was disbelieving, and she took a few shaky breaths. To her, watching the man whimpering and groaning in pain while his body shook and convulsed must’ve been a shocking experience.
He was trying to shift into his wolf to fight back and heal faster. But the silver chains on his body, his injuries, and his blood loss didn’t allow him to complete his transformation.
I’d be the only one fighting the vampires, it seemed. My dad taught me to protect my own kind, which should have been the humans, but somehow, I still felt responsible for the werewolves.
After all, I was a werewolf princess, expected to lead the entire werewolf species.
I might have hidden for the last seven years, but right now, I would fight.
I pulled Tammy by the arm and stepped in front of her as her shield. I’m not going to let my best friend die.
The master vampire grinned. “Fearless, so she’ll taste even better.”
The vampire still thought I was a human. I was, but no normal human would have gone through the grueling training from a werewolf dad. I could use my enemy’s lack of knowledge to my advantage. I drew in a deep breath to calm my erratic pulse.
I can do this.
The master vampire's eyes flashed crimson again—a sign of losing his patience with me.
I needed to stall and buy us some time to formulate my plan. I couldn’t step forward throwing punches at stronger and faster supernaturals.
Use your wits, Breanna.
“Nice contact lenses,” I said, referring to the fake red ones most club goers wore upstairs.
He crossed his arms over his chest, red eyes narrowed at me.
“Look into my eyes closely.” The vampire tilted his head to the side, and this time, his crimson eyes didn’t change back to their black color. “Come to me, little human.”
His dangerous, supernatural aura intensified and rolled over me, making my skin tingle. The air was electrified with his vampire power, as intense and powerful as an ocean’s tide.
I stilled and waited for my body to obey the master. He had compelled me, which was the vampires’ strongest power. But my body stayed under my control. It was a benefit I didn’t expect.
Still, it was too early to let out a sigh of relief.
The vampire’s eyebrows furrowed, and he dropped his arms to his sides. His lips formed a thin line, and he gave me a blank look.
He let out a low growl. “Why isn’t it working?”
Interesting. Would every vampire’s compulsion not work on me? But I didn’t have time to ponder. Now that the vampire couldn’t get me to go to him, would he come to me?
The other vampire glared at me. “Maybe she’s a defective human.”
I sucked in a shaky breath. “You’re right about that.”
It wasn’t the time for a pity party. More words lined my tongue, but I shut my mouth before I set the men off more.
Mom taught me to see the silver lining in everything. The enemy hadn’t figured out who I was, and I didn’t want to give away any clues. Dad had made sure I stayed sheltered in the kingdom for the most part.
I turned my body slightly to Tammy, knowing too well that everyone else in the room would hear no matter how quiet my whisper. But I hoped the vampires were too fascinated by me and would let Tammy run away.
Mostly, I hoped for a miracle.
“On three, you will run out the door and out of the club. One…” I whispered to Tammy but kept my gaze on the vampires.
I could block the doorway while Tammy made it upstairs. Even if my plan was absurd, I didn’t have much choice.
“I can’t protect you if you stay. Okay? Two…”
Tammy heaved a breath, and her body shuddered next to mine.
“Three. R—”
“Stay right where you are, darling,” the master vampire said in a melodic voice.
Tammy stopped fidgeting. Her dull eyes were set on him, unblinking. She was in a daze, under the compulsion of the master vampire.
“Come to me.” He lifted his arm, and with his index finger, he curled it toward Tammy.
This was turning out very badly…for the humans.
“No,” I shouted, but Tammy was already halfway to the vampire.
Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. All the breathing exercises I’d practiced couldn’t help me right now to calm down.
The next moment, oblivious Tammy stood in front of the enemy, her gaze never disconnecting from his.
“You see. It works on her,” he said. “Lift your hand, dear.”
Tammy obeyed, and I watched in horror as he gently took her wrist and flipped it over, her palm facing the ceiling. His head lowered to my best friend’s arm, and I gasped.
“No,” I shouted.
The master vampire’s fangs elongated and sank deeply into Tammy’s wrist with a sickening crunch. Two thin trails of blood oozed from the wound, dripping down her arm.
My breath lodged in my throat.
Motionless, Tammy didn’t flinch at the painful bite, having no will of her own. The master vampire lifted his head, and his crimson eyes glowed after tasting Tammy’s life. He licked the remaining drops of blood from his lips.
My muscles quivered, and a wave of heat passed through my body. Unexpected extra adrenaline infused my veins.
“Now you made me angry for hurting my friend,” I managed to say through a clenched jaw.
The beaten werewolf lifted his gaze to me, but I couldn’t read the emotion behind his eyes.
“Are all the other humans in the building under compulsion?” I asked.