Other women and men in the surrounding cells also called out to stop the fae from their ascent on me. Not that they listened. I searched around for any kind of weapon and found none. I slammed my back against the bars. This couldn’t happen.
Other fae screamed for the guards, but it was as if they were screaming into dead air. No one was listening. No one cared.
The bison fae reached me and wrapped a large hand around my arm. I yanked my arm back, but two others ran up to my sides and spun me around, mashing my face and chest against the bars.
The bison walked up behind me. “We’re going to have some fun with you. I guess this is the guards’ way of giving us a little treat.”
I screamed and struggled against the grasp of the other fae. Tears filled my eyes as I felt the cold steel of the bars press against my face. I could not fall into despair. I was stronger than this. Magic or no magic.
I closed my eyes and took in a calming breath. Not an easy feat. I pushed out all my energy, every bit of reserve I had in me. My body seemed to come alive, almost feeling each nerve, muscle, and joint. I let out a guttural cry and slammed my head back against the bison. I heard him stumble back, but I wasted no time, kicking out my left leg to catch the fae on the side in the balls. I quickly bit down on the arm of the other fae on my right. Biting so hard I could taste his blood in my mouth, and then I pulled back, taking a chunk of skin with me.
I was free from their grasp but still stuck in the cell. A punch landed on the side of my head, and it felt like I’d been hit by a hammer. I stumbled back, holding my head. My vision blurred, and dizziness took hold. Ice-cold fear twisted my stomach. How would I survive this?
Suddenly, the cell bars shifted behind me, sliding open, and I instantly fell back. However, instead of landing on the floor, I hit what felt like a brick wall. I looked up and saw an incredibly tall man. He had to be over six-five and as massive as the men in the cell. A low rumble erupted from his throat as he stared over me to the cell full of male fae. He grabbed me by the arms and moved me to the side before taking a step forward.
The other prisoners remained where they were, not even attempting to escape or fight the man. He had a powerful presence that seemed to spread throughout the space. There was now absolute silence, and for once, I decided to take a hint and keep quiet myself. He walked into the cell and scanned my three attackers.
Before I could register what was happening, he had snapped the neck of the man I’d kicked and punched the man I bit in the head so hard his face caved in around his fist. I covered my mouth in shock but remained quiet. Instead, I watched in numb surprise as my apparent savior proceeded to move to the bison fae, who now looked less aggressive and more like a scared weakling.
The fae pushed his hands out in a sort of surrender, taking steps back. The other males in the cell had already retreated far away, reaching into the shadows. “I’m sorry. We were just having some fun,” he pleaded.
The giant mystery man didn’t speak. Instead, he grabbed the bison fae by the jaw. “Mine!” he said in a low voice right before he tightened his grip, crushing the fae’s jaw.
I’d seen some horrible things in my life, but this was beyond anything I’d ever witnessed. Bile rose in my throat, and I pressed my lips tightly together to hold back the vomit.
The furry fae let out an ear-splitting scream, but it didn’t last for long because the giant ripped the rest of his head off. The stranger then turned to me, blood splattered all over his face and body. “Mine,” he growled again.
He then stormed toward me, picked me up, and threw me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing.
Then we were off. To wherever. Out of the basement and probably to hell.
CHAPTER20
LILA
While bouncing up and down on this guy’s gigantic shoulder, I got the clear impression that I wasn’t exactly saved. Essentially the bigger baddie had just taken me for himself. Still, he was originally on the other side of the bars, and he was wearing a Nodoor uniform.
Excellent. I was being taken away by a guard who would be free to do with me whatever he wanted. Note the sarcasm.
I beat on his back and kicked my legs like a wild animal, but it was like he felt nothing. Powers or no powers, my hits weren’t that insignificant. It was almost disrespectful.
He slapped me on the ass. Not painfully, but that wasn’t the point. “Hush, woman,” he shouted.
I saw red. My face burned with rage. “You fucking asshole. Put me down! I will beat the shit out of you!”
We passed other guards who only looked at us like we were a comedy show. Some whistled. A few gave cries of support and appreciation.
The giant adjusted me on his shoulder so that I wouldn’t fall.
“You have a live one!” called one guard.
“That you do. Have fun breaking her!” some random piece of shit shouted.
When I got out of this mess, because I would, I was going to turn all these guards into ice and smash them all with a hammer.
The giant exited the stone jail and walked to the side of the building, where a large parking lot appeared. Seemed the place wasn’t that medieval. They had hover cars here too. But I didn’t have time to focus on the fae’s random advancements. I had an ogre to escape.
He stopped in front of a black car–they all were black here–and opened the passenger side door. He then put me down and pointed his head toward the door.
