Chapter 22 Ivy
Ivy
Sleep was something I couldn’t access while in my cage. And I missed seeing Orion in my dreams.
But every time I tried to fall into the darkness of my own mind, there was always something to pull me out.
The crack of a whip being used against one of the shifters nearby.
The shouts of the guards as they walked between the rows and rows of cages, goading the beasts into a fight.
Hell, they even fought amongst each other over trivial bullshit. They took bets on which shifter would win the next fight in their games, and they had no concept of inside voices. Or, to my horror, sometimes they stole some time together in the very back and fucked each other—loudly.
My brain hurt. From the noise, from the lack of sleep. From the tears I shed whenever I closed my eyes and was faced with the worst of my memories.
The only thing keeping me remotely together was the bear in the cage beside me. His presence was warm, steady even. And I appreciated it more than I expected—or deserved.
I couldn’t look at him and see the killer the demon described. Which was insane, because the beast beside me looked like he could destroy every shifter in here with his own paws. Even caged, he was massive, and his presence should have been imposing.
But it was his eyes, a deep, warm brown, that told me otherwise.
Goddess above, I sound delusional even in my own head. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Maybe I was trying to see something that wasn’t even there.
Or it was the isolation and fear finally getting to me.
The familiar sound of a baton being dragged against bars drew me out of my own head long enough to look up. The demon had himself a small army of soldiers behind him as he made his way down the corridor of cages, club in one hand and a gun in the other.
I stiffened at the sight of the weapon, my blood chilling.
So far, it was one of the few things he hadn’t pulled out—no one had.
I had a feeling it was because of Dante, that he told everyone to hide their guns from me.
Because I’d let my imagination run a little too wild about stealing his and shooting him.
But seeing one drawn now, held loosely and without need, made me lock up with fear. I hadn’t forgotten the last soldier who’d warned me that if I tried to fight them, any punishment that would have been mine would be unleashed upon the shifters.
Bile rose in my throat when the demon and the other soldiers stopped by my cage.
His attention wasn’t on me, though the soldiers took their time dragging their dark stares over my body.
My disgust surged from what I saw in their eyes; lust as they looked me over, disgust over who I was, anger with maybe the desire to hurt me.
Each stare made my heart pound harder—faster. My skin prickled with awareness, with the feeling that danger was close, and I needed to either fight—or run.
And I could do neither of those things.
So, I froze under the weight of their stares and did nothing, waiting for the demon’s next move.
Was he here for me? To drag me back to Dante for another one of his tests?
Or was he here for someone else?
My eyes flickered to Greer’s mates in the cell nearby. They were alert, watching the demon and soldiers. None of them looked at me, though it was obvious they were waiting for the same thing. I allowed myself to look at the bear, too, and found his eyes not on me, but on the newcomers.
I looked away from him to take the soldiers in; they were a mix bag of different creatures.
The vamps were red eyed from bloodlust, dangerously skittish as they scented the air.
There was enough spilled blood to send them into a feral craze, so it was a wonder they were allowed down here at all without feeding.
Unless that’s the point, I thought, staring at the three males. Zephyr was nowhere in sight, though I had a feeling he was high enough up that he wouldn’t be starved.
Neither of my other mates were present, either. That probably meant Hawk was with Zephyr somewhere else, doing Goddess knew what. And the Primal…I hadn’t seen him since he took the shifter away, though I wished to. Just to make sure I hadn’t made up the moment with the charm.
The demon put his baton and gun away, clapping his hands. “Our King needs the bitch chained and taken to med, so get her out and take her up. We need to transfer 56 and 92 to holding cells for insemination and bring 72 back down from isolation. Understood?”
My heart sank at his words, at the quick agreement from the soldiers. My gaze darted to the bear, who appeared far more alert now.
Breeding? Vomit churned in my stomach, bile rising in my throat. It shouldn’t surprise me, and yet horror slammed into me. It didn’t matter what world you were in, somehow there was no escaping women’s bodies being used against them by men.
I’d hoped that wouldn’t be the case here. That not even Dante would go that far. I could maybe handle what he was doing to me, but not that.
Before I could react, the door to my cage opened. I couldn’t move; there was nowhere to go, no way to get away from the soldiers. I hadn’t noticed it before, but two held the chains that would connect to my collar. Panic tightened in my chest at the sight of them.
“Get up,” one male hissed, reaching out a hand for me. He wore gloves all too similar to the ones Ry wore.
I flinched away from his touch, but the male took hold of my upper arm, his grip firm as he dragged me to my feet. I made a sound in the back of my throat, almost a whimper as his fingers tightened enough to leave bruises.
The other soldier grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close to his face. Up close, he had a smattering of freckles along the bridge of his nose. He didn’t look evil, not with the boyish way his lips seemed to naturally turn upwards or with how his lashes framed his light brown eyes.
But there was a definite darkness in him, one I could very obviously see now that he was close.
“Pathetic,” he spat, saliva hitting my face. I flinched again, but that didn’t stop him from pulling me flush against him. To my horror, he had an erection, which I felt against my stomach, and he was not shy about it.
My stomach turned when he decided to sniff me. “You haven’t pissed yourself yet,” he said, pulling back. “You aren’t afraid enough.”
I grimaced, saying nothing as the chains went on. The other soldier clipped them to my collar, clamping cuffs around both my wrists. I kept my mouth shut, which just seemed to piss them off more.
As they pulled me from the cell, I noticed where the others had gone. To my surprise, they had one of the foxes and what looked like a polar bear being carried out, both unconscious. Both bodies were taken to an elevator I hadn’t noticed before in the corner of the room.
I wasn’t guided to their hidden elevator. Instead, the two soldiers, plus two of the rabid vamps, guided—no, more like dragged—me towards the stairs leading up to the balcony overlooking the cages.
“Get ready,” the second soldier said, breath hot as it brushed my ear. “The King told everyone you’d be coming out today. And they so badly want to see the bitch Queen.”
I shuddered, desperate to pull away, but I was trapped between them, my chains coiled tightly around their hands. My collar pulsated with power, intensified by the chains. Each step brought an ache that made the thought of running impossible.
The double doors ahead opened. Even from here, I heard jeers and shouts. I’d been dragged through the mass of soldiers before, but I wasn’t prepared for what awaited me.
It was like every soldier had shown up for my walk of shame to the elevator. There was a sea of mostly males, but throughout, a few females stood out.
I recognised the Fae female who used to cling to Ry’s side at the academy.
Her strawberry blonde hair was up in a bun, and there was a deep scar running down the side of her face that twisted her features into something cruel.
She used to be able to hide that at the academy, but now it was a permanent reminder on her face.
When she saw me, she sneered. The scar pulled her lip at the corner, making the sneer more prominent.
“Whore,” she hissed, hand moving to her belt.
I pressed my lips together. She isn’t worth it. I tore my gaze from her.
I recognised one of the other females immediately. Red hair, dark skin. Her eyes flashed orange with the presence of her tiger.
My heart pounded as I passed her. Nothing in her expression gave her away, and I wasn’t about to out her as something else. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about seeing her again, and the small flare of hope within me almost made me sick.
Had she shown herself for a reason? Or was I reading too much into it?
She could have been compromised months ago.
I’d forgotten all about her; the rush of the kidnapping, Ry in my head trying to get me through the attack, finding the girls and Kerry knocked out, and then everything that’d happened with Adrian, I hadn’t even told the team she’d been there.
I wasn’t even sure Thea had when I’d healed Adrian and passed out.
The female disappeared, leaving me to take in the flood of jeering soldiers. I kept my eyes ahead, refusing to look at any of them again.
At the end of the hall, the doors to the elevator opened.
Inside, waiting for me, was a face I didn’t want to see but wasn’t surprised about.
Dante looked the same as he had last time, but today he wasn’t in his uniform.
Strangely enough, he was in a black button-down shirt and slacks, with a pair of loafers on his feet.
No tactical belt, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have weapons on him.
When he spotted me, a smile curled his lips. “There you are,” he said, eyes locked on mine. “Had to let the men get their fill.”
My skin prickled, but I said nothing as I was dragged into the elevator. Dante had no other guards with him, which should have made me relieved. Instead, it made me more cautious.
What the hell was he planning?
Dante pressed a button before leaning against the wall of the elevator. “Sable is blocking something, a magic signature. Actually, two magic signatures,” he said, crossing his arms. “You know anything about that?”
“Of course not,” I spat, heart racing. “Sable does what she does and won’t tell anyone about it until it suits her.”
Dante chuckled, shaking his head. “Had a feeling that was the case.” His eyes darkened, darting away from mine to my body. “What she’s hiding is going to hurt my brother, especially when I take your power.”
A chill rushed through me, panic rising. “What does that mean?” I asked carefully.
His eyes met mine. “Means I’m going to have to make sure you’re ready to give birth in the next…two weeks, I’d say.”
Blood thrummed in my ears, drowning out the rest of his words. Birth. Give birth. I’m pregnant.
It was impossible. It should have been impossible. Elias helped me get my birth control in order. We’d done it the second day of our mating.
There was no way I’d been pregnant then or should be now.
All the blood rushed to my head. Pain ignited in my stomach. A wave of darkness crossed my vision.
The last thing I heard was Dante’s laugh before everything fell apart.