Page 14 of Crazy as Hell

“I’m glad to see you’re finally awake. I was worried you were going to die and miss all the fun.” Her smile was almost pleasant as she tapped her long fingernails against the armrest of the throne. “Where are my manners? My name is Sybil, and I will be your host for…oh, at least a few days. Everything should be over by then.”

That sounded ominous as fuck.

She let out a loud sigh. “Although you screwed up my plans for the auction, you’ve given me an unexpected bonus. The guardians in this area have been getting in my way for far too long, and your arrival has given me a chance to finally get rid of them all at once.”

That made Viktor’s blood run cold. Somehow, she knew he had contacted the local guardians. That meant the entire task force was in danger.

“Don’t blame your young friend here. I have another source who told me everything I needed to know. It’s a pain in the ass having to reschedule the auction, but the benefit of capturing you and finally being able to take down the crew from The Manor and claim their territory makes it worth it.”

A loud sound drew their attention toward the entrance, cutting through the tense silence like a blade. A big male lumbered into the chamber with a female clutched in his grip, her shoes leaving faint streaks of dust in their wake as he dragged her across the floor. His large hand was wrapped so tight around her upper arm that it looked as though he could snap the bone with the slightest squeeze.

Her head hung low, long strands of silky black hair spilling forward like a curtain, completely concealing her face. Whether she was unconscious, injured, or simply too terrified to resist was impossible to tell.

The guard marched straight toward Sybil, dropping the female to the floor in a crumpled heap at her feet.

“Boss, this human somehow made it through the portal.”

For the first time since Sybil had entered the room, her composed expression faltered for a moment. Her brows furrowed, and her gaze sharpened as it settled on the female sprawled before her.

“Impossible,” she said, the single word cold and absolute.

Portals between realms weren’t temperamental magic. They obeyed strict laws. People couldn’t simply wander through them by accident, much less survive the journey. If the guard was telling the truth, then the female was no mere human.

“Saw her come through myself,” the guard swore. “Surprised the hell out of us when a couple of guardians came through the portal after—”

Sybil slammed her fist against the armrest. “Damn it, there are guardians here? I shut down the portal earlier. How were they able to access it?”

“I’m not sure. Only a few got through before we shut down the portal again, and they’ve already been dealt with. The human must have snuck in when they came through.”

“Interesting,” Sybil murmured. “Leave her here. You may go.”

As the guard walked away, Sybil poked at the female on the ground with the toe of her shoe. When she got no reaction, she shoved a bit harder.

“Stop pretending, little bitch. I know you are awake.”

To Viktor’s surprise, the female on the ground huffed out a laugh.

“Fine. You got me.”

She let out a loud groan as she rolled to her side and slowly pushed her upper body off the ground. She let out an audible breath, blowing some of the strands of hair out of her face in the process. Viktor fought the urge to gasp when he finally got a good look at the female’s face.

She was beauty personified.

Her long black hair shimmered like liquid midnight in the faint light as it framed her stunning face. She had lush, full lips, high cheekbones, and a dark sweep of long lashes. It was as though someone had taken every delicate feature imaginable and painstakingly molded them into a single, flawless female.

A bruise darkened one side of her face, and another was beginning to form along her jawline. There was a thin trickle of blood staining the corner of her mouth, but even disheveled from whatever ordeal she had endured, none of it diminished her beauty. There was no mistaking her appeal. If anything, those blemishes just made her seem more real.

Then, her lashes lifted, and Viktor was struck full force by her magnificence as her gaze met his. She had the most mesmerizing pair of green eyes he’d ever seen before. For one impossible heartbeat, something flickered in their depths, making them look like green fire, brilliant and fierce. Viktor’s entire body stiffened in shock. He stared at her, barely breathing, as the strange glowing pulse intensified for the briefest moment before completely vanishing.

He blinked, but there was no change.

No fire.

No unnatural glow.

Nothing.

Just a pair of striking green eyes staring back at him. He frowned, suddenly questioning his own senses. He had spent enough time around powerful supernaturals to recognize when something wasn’t normal, but exhaustion, pain, and the lingering effects of everything that had happened were making him doubt himself.