He looked me up and down in appreciation.“Pity,” he said and immediately grew bored and moved on.
As a Shadow Warrior, even before becoming alpha, I was just as important as any man.The women on the island were treated the same way.If they decided to join our protection squads, they were equal to the men.We even had men who preferred to cook, clean, and take care of children while the parents worked.Everyone held a job, but they all had a choice as to what that work entailed.
I had no idea why I thought bringing in women for entertainment was something in the distant past.How wrong I was and how horrible to think nothing had changed after so much war and destruction.I had to clear my mind and work, but anger seethed beneath the surface of my skin.
I needed to be closer to Barnes, but by following them, I could draw attention to myself.I casually looked toward the main door like I was waiting for someone.I tapped the toe of my shoe against the shiny tile to the beat of the soft music.The game was wearing thin, and time was not on my side.
Mrs.Barnes eventually separated from her husband and headed toward the doors at the far end of the ballroom.I decided to follow.Beyond the first door, I found two more, marked as restrooms.She entered the one marked “Madam.”
Even the bathroom was nicer than anything I saw while working for the Federation.A bank of sinks rested against one wall.It all looked shiny and new.Mrs.Barnes was in one of the stalls and I slid into the one next to hers.
“Could you pass some tissue?”she asked, her voice slightly disgusted as she extended her hand beneath the divider.Apparently, the cleaning crew hadn’t bothered to stock toilet paper before the party, and someone would be in big trouble if her tone was any indication.
I pulled some from the roll and handed it over.
“I can recommend my manicurist,” she said casually after she grabbed it.
I glanced down at my broken, misshapen nails.It had never occurred to me to do anything about them.The idea that someone still had a manicurist during an apocalypse was fucking pathetic.This woman was emblematic of the sickness that had invaded our country, spreading hatred and destruction.I felt less for her than I had for the woman I’d killed earlier for a dress.
What I wanted was simple: for my child to grow up in a safe world.
The toilet flushed beside me.If I stayed in the stall, she would leave.If I walked out, there was a chance she’d recognize me.My next decision seemed to come from nowhere, but it settled like iron in my chest.Mrs.Barnes was now the target.
Sliding my knife from its sheath, I threw the stall door open.
Her startled expression lasted only a moment before it twisted into a scream.I cut it off with an arm around her throat, pressing the diamond collar into her skin while pressing the tip of the knife just below it.A small whimper escaped, but nothing more.I shoved her hip into the counter and turned her so she could see my eyes in the mirror.
“You have two choices,” I said in a cold, thick voice that spoke volumes.“Come with me quietly or die where you stand.”
I had no problem killing her, and I wouldn’t need to depend on Ms.Beast to do the job.There was no middle ground here.If she needed to die, I would kill her and stuff her in the garbage can below the counter.I actually liked the idea.
She gave a very subtle nod, her eyes round globes of hatred.
“You will walk out of here with your new best friend,” I continued when she remained quiet.“I don’t care if I die, but I promise you’ll go first.Head to the east hallway like we have a destination planned.If you deviate, I’ll slit your throat and turn into a ten-foot monster.That monster will kill your husband and anyone else who stands in my way.”
Her body trembled, but I didn’t let up.“If you haven’t noticed, there’s a war going on.You should have guards at these events, but you’re so confident in your safety that your husband forgot that simple detail.You both make me sick, and I would love nothing more than to kill you.Give me an excuse, please.”I drew out the last word.
I could barely lock my jaw in place when I thought about this entire event.As I’d circled the ballroom, I hadn’t seen a single armed guard.
Mrs.Barnes’ eyes narrowed into hard pinpoints as she realized exactly who I was.
“You’re a disgusting animal, and my husband will kill you,” she spat.
“Not before I kill you.”My tone was ice-cold, daring her to test me.I watched as her expression shifted, her mind clearly calculating her chances.She didn’t think I’d go through with it.
“I won’t just kill you,” I said, letting heat seep into my voice.“I’ll eat your organs and spit out the bones.You mean nothing to me.I am a monster, and I have no problem proving it.”
Her expression faltered, and fear flickered though she tried to hide it.For the first time since I put the knife at her throat, she believed me.She gave another nod.
We left the restroom and the next several minutes felt like an eternity.I kept the knife low, hidden between us as we walked.At one point, she hesitated, her body tensing as if she might call out to a group of people we passed.I gave her a jab with the tip of the blade.It was precise, and the knife was sharp enough that she inhaled harshly in response, her composure breaking for a second.
“Keep walking,” I whispered, barely moving my lips.
No one stopped us.A few people nodded in our direction, their obliviousness both shocking and infuriating.My smile stayed firmly in place, masking the tension rippling through me.I expected someone to call out at any moment, or for her husband to alert someone that his wife hadn’t returned from the restroom.I looked up and saw him whispering something in a younger woman’s ear.She wore a very tight dress with more skin showing than material and I understood why he wasn’t missing his wife.
We reached the hallway and I steered Mrs.Barnes with a firm grip on her arm and directed her quickly toward the storage room.She stumbled and I grabbed her higher, almost at the shoulder and half-dragged her along.
As soon as we were inside, I slammed the door shut and shoved her against the wall, my hand pressing into her throat again.The men emerged silently from the smaller room; their eyes locked on me.
