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He straightened up. “No. She is valuable. Just as Loren was. You’ll see tomorrow night. Bring me his blood.”
A group of shifters, by the size of them, all of whom were hooded, rallied around Lycaon. One wielded a large curved dagger, another a bowl. Wincing, I watched in horror as they took off a handcuff, slit his wrist and bled him.
Filled with anger, I glanced at those watching. But still I could pick up nothing except my horrified reflection. No one else moved. Lycaon cried out as they tried to force his blood faster, and after several minutes, he collapsed.
The bowl was passed to the leader. He turned his back on us, lifted his mask and took a drink.
In disgust at them, I crouched down beside Lycaon who was in a haze, muttering. A guard took the bowl from the leader, who re-masked and spun around whilst Lycaon’s blood was passed around.
Each time one of them took it, they turned their back on us, lifted their masks and drank from thebowl.
So they were trying to infusehispower into themselves, alongside every other concoction they had drank.
That would drive any being, however powerful, insane.
Tomorrow, no doubt, they would bleed him dry before killing him. As for me, I knew now that they planned to sacrifice me, too. Probably the same fate as Loren.
This leader, he’d made it sound like Loren had known what would happen, that she had tricked Zale, sacrificed herself for the sake of this coven, or whatever the hell this was. We needed to get out. And we needed to find Zale. And bring an army of immortals to crush them.
As if reading my mind, the woman who had spoken earlier strode over to me. I could now sense her magic. A witch.
“Don’t even think of escaping. You’re part of the problem. You disgust us.” She raised her head to the leader who nodded. And those who had drank from the bowl now stepped forward, surrounding us, our faces mirrored back. A whirl of heat, their chanting was monotone and I felt a compulsion to tell them everything I knew.
But to her shock, I smiled back. Nothing more. I could feel her rage.
Oddly the leader snapped, “Enough. Take them. We will meet back tomorrow.”
Lycaon staggered up as the two guards pushed us forwards. He still had one hand unchained but the dart gun was again shoved against him. My fingers ached and burned from the cuffs, but for now at least we were alive.
Silence fell as we were pushed out of the room back into the hallway.
As we walked down the steps, Lycaon fell on the last step.
“Get that bloody thing up.”
One of the guards growled at the man, “He’s the alpha, our alpha.”
“He’s the problem. Just like this bitch. Pull him up.”
The second guard grabbed Lycaon’s arm, Lycaon immediately started to shift, fangs extended. He fixed his fangs into the guard’s neck so fast it took me seconds to realise what was happening.
As the guard with the dart gun reacted, I threw myself at him. It felt like I was walking through treacle. Everything was in slow motion. The guard with the gun stumbled but didn’t fall over but Lycaon was up and had bitten the other guard’s neck. His throat shredded, no way that guard was going after us and the first one laid there as blood poured from his artery, Lycaon morphed, pulling free of his chains.
The bleeding man tried to scream as his life drained away fast. Then the sound of feet running, Lycaon grabbed at my wrists. Pulling the bondage free, but not the lock. We didn’t have time.
He snatched up the dart gun. “Get on my back, keep your head down. Close your eyes.”
I didn’t argue. I had no idea where he was going, but I knew we needed to leave. He crouched down as I clambered on his back, again, and I buried my head into his shoulder as he picked up speed.
He didn’t go up the stairs.
“Hold on,” he cried as he flung his arms forward, smashing open a door. Fresh air whipped around me as he ran, faster and faster. Shouting echoed behind us as they realised we’d escaped and a chill of fear bit into my heart.
The howling from their feral wolf shifters shook me to the bone. Unable to stop shaking, I clung tighter, my hands gripped together around his neck, knuckles white. My legs burned from squeezing around his waist so hard as Lycaon raced through the night, heading for somewhere, anywhere for us to shelter.
A voice had him stop dead.
“You’re wasting your time. You’re surrounded. Stop now or we’ll kill the woman.”
