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Behind me came the soft wheezing of Jacinda. I knew it was audible to every kind of supe in the room. I wanted to wrap her up and send the sweet girl far, far away from here to safety and healing.
“Stop.”
I did so after one extra minuscule step, my small rebellion to his command. I swear a faint chuckle or two came in response.
“Turn in a circle, slowly.”
“What will that accomplish?”
“Turn,” he repeated, harsher.
With rigid limbs, I did as instructed, wondering what he got from this.
“You want my help to repair your region and bring the one responsible for the betrayal to heel,” he began, denouncing himself of guilt in the same breath. The word ‘betrayal’ stood out most. Did he already know who was behind this?
I believed now just as before that it wasn’t him. This wasn’t his method. He’d already taken one region quite brutally, but it wasn’t a surprise attack.
“I can have an army to your border in two days. The betrayer may take a bit longer to find,” he continued, answering my silent question.
Finishing my circle, I stood ramrod straight with bated breath, dreading what he would require of me for his assistance.
I’d foolishly hoped all along that an alliance and trading of goods would be enough. Now standing in his palace, being in Purgatory, it was plain to see he needed neither. Vile as his legion was, they were thriving.
“What do you want?” I asked what he wanted me to.
“A bride. You’ll remain regent, as will I.”
It took my shocked brain a moment to compute his terms.
“I think the fuck not,” Scarlett’s voice carried from the back of the room.
He wanted to rule Zenith…together. It was absurd, pure insanity to think I would ever agree to this for a laundry list of reasons. I could not willingly give this man power over my region.
Staring into the darkness and seeing failure glaring back, I spoke my next words knowing death would be inevitable for me.
“She’s right. Absolutely not,” I said as firmly as I could, voice threatening to crack.
“Dose her,” came before I’d even finished my sentence.
“Dose me?” I spoke to myself. What the hell did that mean?
Without warning, a bald lycan appeared at my side. My arm was firmly grasped, a needle poking into a vein.
I muffled a yelp as an immediate burning rifled beneath the skin, and a heavy wave of nausea hit. Within seconds, the darkness rushed forward and consumed me.
It was quiet.
There was a cool metal table beneath me. Cold air skated over my body, causing goose bumps to spread across the skin and my nipples to harden.
Realizing I was naked, my eyes flew open; revealing a room barren of any light except for a dim blue bulb. It smelled so strongly of disinfectant, my nose began to burn.
My arm was sore; I looked down and followed the thin cord attaching it to a half-empty drip with an odd green liquid in it. Body feeling stiff as cardboard, I forced myself to sit up. Everything about me felt different somehow.
Eyes scanning the contents of the stone-walled room, I saw nothing of use, taking notice of a catheter and a bucket with a sponge in it.
I took hold of the cord and tugged the metal IV pole to where I sat. After powering it off so it wouldn’t beep, I gently pulled the taped down needle from my arm, allowing it to swing aimlessly. The sticky tape left residue behind, letting me know it had been in for a while.
Ignoring the bead of blood welling up, I painstakingly climbed down from the table, using its surface to support my trembling legs.
There nothing to cover my naked body, but I shrugged it off and slowly began to move towards a door with peeling blue paint.
There were more important things than my modesty at that moment.
Upon reaching it, I cautiously peered through its glass window. Nothing was in sight but a long bare hallway with a few dim bulbs overhead.
I gripped the door's cool metal knob and twisted. It made a low groaning sound, and I froze. After waiting a few minutes and not hearing anything, I slipped out into the hall.
The cool linoleum floor felt slick against my bare feet. I had to place a hand on the rough coated wall to move them along, making my pace tortoise slow. Jacinda. Scarlett. My mind went to my friends, wondering where they were and if they were okay.
When I came to another door like the one I had been behind, I peeked in and saw a naked demi laid out on another metal table. Finding the door was unlocked, I cautiously entered the room. The girl did not stir as I hobbled closer.
Peering down at the demi's body, I realized she wasn’t breathing. I placed a hand on her arm; it was cold to the touch.
