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True to Gavin’s word, Tate had succumbed to his fear.
Now that I was completely alone with the enemy, my own will started to crumble. I could barely keep myself on my feet when a sharp pain pierced my chest. It took me far too long to realize that the room was already tilting and my body was no longer willing to comply with me. By the time my gaze fell to the small dart protruding from my chest, it was in full effect.
I crumbled onto the ground with a soft groan. The last thing I saw before the darkness surged forward to claim me was the prince’s golden eyes and that pleased smirk.
QUINN
I feel like hell.
From the moment I had cracked open an eye, I discovered the demons had stuffed me in a room whiter than one would find in a hospital. With how scarce the room was of furniture, it was giving me a strong impression of a mental asylum and that left my nerves even more frazzled. Still, it was nothing compared to when the bastards actually came to retrieve me. The drugs were still lingering in my system just enough to dull down any fight I felt like I was putting up.
The smirks on their faces only sealed just how pathetic my behavior was.
By the time I got a more solid grip on my movements, they’d dragged me down the hall and to a large room divided up by curtain barriers. Neither of them spoke a word as they tossed me into a chair and marched off, both of them chuckling without giving a damn that I could hear them.
It stunned me that they would just leave me there without someone else standing guard. Quiet conversation in another part of the room quickly dissolved the shock. Just because someone wasn’t hovering over me didn’t mean that I was alone. The hair rising on the back of my neck prompted my gaze up toward the ceiling.
A camera with a flashing red light was pointed right at me.
Curling my upper lip, I crossed my arms and reluctantly relaxed in the chair. Of course they were watching somewhere else. It wouldn’t be a surprise that the whole ordeal when the APL first arrived at this facility had also been recorded, from Tate trying to spit at the demon lords behind the glass to the goon gunning everyone down. A part of me wondered if someone had put the whole thing on a disc simply to watch me be spared.
Who are you kidding, Quinn? No one in the paranormal world gives a damn about you.
Still, that didn’t stop the question about why I was still alive from circling in my head. The mere thought brought back the faint sensation of the prince’s fingers along my jaw. Even if it was just a phantom touch that couldn’t come close to the real thing, I still found myself wet. A soft groan escaped my lips. Fuck. The last thing I needed right now was for my own body to betray me.
I had just been thrust deep into the paranormal world as the prince’s personal prisoner and I didn’t have the slightest clue what he had in store for me.
As footsteps headed in my direction, instinct drove me to immediately cross my legs. I could feel a faint heat erupt on my cheeks as a young woman drifted into sight with an armed goon in tow.
“Good afternoon, Miss Barone.” The woman finished scribbling something on the clipboard before she tucked it into the plastic tray attached to the column nearby. Her golden eyes didn’t stray toward me until she grabbed a new one completely void of any information. “My name is Doctor Gallows and I will be doing your checkup today.”
The initial statement was enough to completely kill any ounce of lust lurking within me. I tightened my arms over my chest and glared at her. “Speak for yourself. I’m sure it’s a good afternoon for you,” I grumbled.
The bald goon hovering just outside the curtain barrier fiddled with the butt of his gun. “Don’t waste your breath with her, Bianca. Marcus said she’s a smartass, even when she doesn’t open those lips. I don’t think the prince realizes that she’s more trouble than she’s worth.”
I knew better than to say something. After all, this facility was only the tip of the iceberg for my new life. Yet, the annoyance that flooded my veins was so strong that I found my own body betraying me in an entirely different way. I scoffed at him and lifted my jaw. “If you’re so sure about that, why don’t you do us both a favor? Kill me.”
It was a lethal challenge, but I honestly didn’t expect the bastard to immediately raise his gun and flip the safety off. It was enough to leave my body void of all warmth.
“Sure, why don’t I?” he growled, training the weapon at me.
Bianca slapped it down with her clipboard. “If I want an opinion from you, Charles, I’ll ask for it. This patient has been claimed by the demon prince himself. Are you really willing to stick your own head on a pike just to gun her down?” Scowling, she rolled her eyes and approached me. “He’ll probably flay the skin from your bones for a few centuries before he finally puts you out of your misery.”
Charles’ topaz eyes flashed, mirroring the rage lurking beneath that pale skin. “It’s not like he’s going to keep her alive for that long.”
“It’s no concern of yours how long his toys last,” Bianca snapped. “Now shut it and stand there until I need you. If you can’t hold that tongue long enough for me to do my job, you can find yourself a replacement.”
It was clear by the way his upper lip curled that Charles had no desire to find a replacement - or remain silent for very long. Still, he acknowledged her demand with a small nod and planted himself on the other side of the makeshift aisle.
“Now, we will start with some simple questions for me to document on your behalf. It is in your best interest to answer each and every one of them honestly. A deceptive answer will not make things any easier for you. The prince will find out what he wants to know regardless of your efforts.” Bianca strolled to the counter lined up along the wall behind me. She set the clipboard down and shifted her gaze toward me. “What is your name?”
The new identity was so new that I almost slipped up just like Beau had. Yet I managed to catch myself before my own tongue could betray me. I gritted my teeth. “You already know who I am.”
“So, tell me again. Your full name, please.”
My jaw started to throb in agony, which only seemed to delight Charles. I reluctantly loosened it until I could figure out another way to keep my frantic nerves contained without entertaining the bastard. Fine. If you want to play this game, bitch, we’ll play it. Turning my head slightly to keep her in eyesight, I growled, “Aspen Azalea Barone.”
Charles snorted.
