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The whistle triggered the biggest shifter to grab me. He held a knife to my neck as he backed us toward the opening. “Don’t,” he said to Liam. “Do not come closer, or I will slit her throat so deep she won’t recover.” He pierced my skin for emphasis.
“Liam, duck!” I yelled as another swung his sword at him.
He ducked just in time but was then preoccupied with fighting for his life to realize we’d crossed through the opening.
Stella’s guy dragged me through a newly installed door. It was solid metal, like the ones they use for bank vaults.
“Ah, now I have you both all to myself. Brad, Miles, please excuse us.”
The two gigantic shifters left the room, locking the door behind them. I assumed they were headed to the others to fight Liam and Philip. Out of shear desperation, I sent a quick prayer to Artemis and Vinur for their safety—you know just in case they were real and listening to me at the time.
“Leave him alone,” I demanded.
She smiled as she picked up a cattle prod, bigger than the ones used on me. She let it swing from her hand as she met my eyes.
“Ember, Ember, Ember. I told you, you won’t win this time. You will either come with me or lose what’s most important to you.” She gripped the prod in both hands and in a blink, pressed it to Isaac’s side.
She held it to him for only a couple of seconds, but his scream filled the room. She looked at me, waiting.
“Let him go,” I pleaded as I inched toward her.
“No. Stay where you are.” She positioned the prod so it was ready to go. “You still haven’t agreed to come with me.”
“Let him go and we can talk.”
“Nope, that’s not how this works.” She pressed it to him again, longer this time. His screams died only when he passed out.
My lips pulled into a sneer. “Fine. Whatever you want, just let him go.” I was so not going to be an exhibit in her fucked up zoo, but I’d worry about that after Isaac was safe. “Let him go. Liam and Philip too, and I’ll do whatever you want.”
She tilted her head a little. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“Fucking seriously? I agreed to what you want. What more do you want?”
“Shift for me. You refused in the cage. I need to know you’ll obey.” She smacked Isaac to wake him up and held the prod to him again. His throat was raw, and his scream tore at my heart. “Shift or he gets it again.”
I looked at him. His eyes were full of tears but still he shook his head. “Don’t,” he whispered. “Don’t do this.”
“I have to,” I said. I let the shift come slowly. First my teeth, then my claws, then my ears.
“Stop.” Stella waved her hand at me. “That’s enough.” She tossed the prod aside and picked up an odd-looking tool I’d never seen before. “You know, I’ve changed my mind. It’d be better to have you and Isaac in one cage. You’re beautiful together and the regs would love to see you as a couple.” She winked at me. “Imagine what’ll happen when you’re in heat.”
“Fuck you,” I spat. “I agreed to come with you, to perform. Now let him go.”
“No,” she said and used the tool to carve a line into Isaac’s skin.
I’d thought his screams were bad with the cattle prod. They were nothing compared to the sounds he made as she continued to carve into his flesh.
“Stop. Why are you doing this? I agreed to come with you. He was your friend. He loved you. Why are you still hurting him?” Tears streamed down my face as my energy hit a high I’ve never let it reach before.
She looked at me as though I had two heads. With a shrug she dug deeper into him.
Something snapped in me. Something I’d never felt before or knew was there. Whatever it was, caused a blinding white light to burst from me as I moved toward her.
“Stop this now,” I said in a voice I didn’t recognize as my own. I reached out to grab her and almost pulled back. Flames covered my hands and arms. I glanced down to see they’d also enveloped my body. Fire was the Summer Alpha’s power, and just as Liam had said it would be, it was more powerful than my dad’s had ever been.
“Oh, look at you,” she breathed. I captivated her so much, she dropped the tool. “I knew it. I just knew it. Of course.”
I had no idea what she knew, and I didn’t care. It didn’t take long to realize whatever was going on with me didn’t scare her. Instead, she seemed enthralled.
