There was a flurry of movement down below—almost as if every
Nightmare was taking a collective breath—before the shouting began. My
heart pounded in tandem to each new number being hurled at Hans. Two
thousand. Three thousand. Four thousand. More and more voices were
screaming over each other as they attempted to buy me.
Buy me.
Two words I never thought would be used in the same sentence.
A strange sort of calmness cascaded over me, leaving me oddly bereft, as
if I was missing a crucial piece of myself. Was this how I was going to die?
By asshole Vampires attempting to sell me off?
How did Hans even know I’d be at the inn when I was? How did he know
the truth about my mating bonds to the princes? Those were questions I
wasn’t sure I’d ever get the answers to.
And, oddly enough, I didn’t care. Sure, I cared that I was dying—there
was still a lot I needed to do, a lot I needed to say—but the “why” didn’t
matter. Only the “how.”
My eyes flickered towards the cage still housing the other humans. Miles
had his face pressed to the wooden bars, staring at me as intently as I was
him. He was a stranger, but I felt an odd pang in my chest at the thought of
never saying goodbye to him.
Fuck, my mates were turning me soft. But, then again, I’d always had a
spot in my heart reserved for kids in need. Maybe because I had once been
that kid desperate for someone to save me, to love me, to protect me from this
strange, cruel world with monsters lurking behind every corner.
Hans’s voice filtered back to me, snapping me out of my reverie. “Going
once, going twice, sold! To the gentleman in the back for twenty thousand
two hundred and seventy-five gold coins.”
The crowd began to grumble as one of the guards pushed me forward,
towards the stairs leading down the stage.
“I can walk, asshole!” I snapped at the man holding my arm. My eyes
were narrowed into slits as I descended with as much poise and dignity I was
capable of having in a time like this. These horrid men and women could do
whatever they wanted with me, but they wouldn’t break me. They couldn’t,
not after what I’d endured. My heart had been broken and trampled on, but I
was still standing, still fighting.
And I would continue to do so.
With an imperious set to my chin, I stared down my nose at the
approaching figure. I half expected it to be Axel. Maybe it was wishful
thinking, but a part of me deflated when the assassin didn’t saunter up with a
cocky grin on his face.
Instead, the Vampire was unfamiliar, with carrot-orange hair, bright blue
eyes, and a pudgy belly. I could feel my heart shrinking, shriveling into a
ball, at the sight.
“Hello, Z,” he hissed, baring his fangs.
I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I had a feeling I would be
irrevocably changed.
TWENTY-FOUR
LUPE
M y body thrummed with unrestrained energy and agitation
as the car glided down the back roads. Killian sat in the
passenger seat while Devlin drove.
Bash had performed a spell to discover Z’s location—a secluded forest on
the outskirts of the Vampire Kingdom. We didn’t know for sure what we
would face, but we were prepared for anything and everything.
He hadn’t told us which object he had used, which person he believed she
loved the most, and we hadn’t pressed. At least, not at that moment. I would
hound my brother for information as soon as we got our mate back. Killian
had claimed he saw Bash with an object from each of us, though, which
abated my possessive jealousy.
Fuck, we needed to get Z back.
I wasn’t a violent person by nature. I much preferred to settle arguments
and disagreements with my words instead of my fists. Did it make me a
horrible person that I was contemplating violence and murder in order to
rescue my mate? Maybe. But I would do what needed to be done in order to
ensure her safety.
My hands fisted on my thighs, sharp claws protruding from my fingers
and digging into the fabric of my pants.
As a direct descendant of Wrath, Shifters were known for being volatile.
Quick to anger and slow to forgive. I’d always considered myself better than
my brethren. But now? I was filled with an insatiable rage that demanded
release, demanded an outlet.
If Z was hurt…
Red consumed my vision at the thought of anyone harming my mate.
I had screwed up with T. I knew that. Z knew that. T knew that.
But what the hell was I supposed to do? There were no right answers.
Either I allowed my father to inflict unspeakable horrors on the human… or I
did it myself.
At least with me, I could ensure that the man didn’t die.
I scrubbed a large hand down my face as pain speared me, a physical
entity that drew blood. It felt like I was in one of those coffins with nails
protruding from every wall. No matter where I stepped or how I moved, the
nails dug into my skin.
“Take a left up here,” Killian murmured quietly, attention fixated on the
map. Bash and Ryland had gone the opposite way to retrieve Jax while we
went to find Z. Was it stupid to separate? Absolutely. Did we have a choice?
No way in hell.
Z had five days to find and bring Jax back to the Capital where the
Vampire King was awaiting us. One day had already passed, and this day was
rapidly drawing to a close.
Fuck! I pounded my fist against the back of the seat, and Killian jumped,
spinning towards me with wide eyes. I knew all of my brothers were scared
that I would give in to my inevitable rage—like all of the other Shifters in my
family line did before me. Each new event was a block being balanced
precariously on an already toppling building. How long until it fell over?
As the sun dipped beneath the boughs of trees, casting the road in shades
of gray and black, a snarl escaped my lips.
I needed to get Z back.
It wasn’t long until we entered what appeared to be a warehouse district. I
counted at least twenty warehouses sprouting from the ground—gray cement
prisons. My eyes latched onto the farthest building, adjacent to the forest.
Connected to the corrugated, iron warehouse was a red tent, easily the size of
three modern houses. Swaths of orange and yellow dipped down from the
pillar holding it up in the center. Raucous laughter drifted through the air,
easily audible through the opened windows of the car. Vampires were both
spilling out of the tent and entering it.
Women were dressed in long, elegant gowns while the men wore
impeccably-tailored suits. Some carried machetes and swords and wore
masks that obscured their features.
What the fucking hell was this?
“What?” Killian muttered, echoing my own thoughts. His face had gone a
deadly shade of white. Devlin’s hands were clenched on the steering wheel.
“I heard rumors about places like this,” the Genie said, tone dark and
deadly.
“What are you talking about?” The words were practically
a growl, ripped
from my throat. I could feel my teeth elongating into sharp canines, seconds
from tearing into flesh. And fuck, I wanted to. I wanted this entire goddamn
world to burn if that was what it took to find and save Z.
“A human carnival,” Devlin whispered.
I was out the door before the car even came to a complete stop, stalking
across the lawn. The tent loomed before me ominously, lights emanating
from the fabric. Two female Vampires manned what appeared to be a ticket
booth, and they both perked up when they caught sight of me.
“Are there humans in here?” I growled. My clawed hands dug into the
gilded wood of the booth.
“Duh,” one woman replied, cocking her head to the side. She nodded at
the logo hanging above her head.
Bloody Carnival.
The second girl’s eyes flickered towards the warehouse where I saw a
truck marked “Trader” idling near the entrance. The back door was open,
revealing a collection of chains, ropes, and handcuffs.
Anger thrummed through me at the thought of any human enduring such
treatment. No doubt, these “Traders” collected humans, brought them to the
warehouse, and then transferred them to the carnival.
It was a human-trafficking ring.
Footsteps echoed behind me, and I stepped out of the way just as two
Vampires walked up. A couple, if their interlocked hands were any
indication. They were smiling, laughing, as if they were visiting family
friends and not a fucked up version of hell.
“Do you see all this?” Devlin asked, sidling up behind me. Killian stood
directly beside him, arms crossed over his chest and eyes anxious.
“I see it,” I replied through gritted teeth. I nodded towards the warehouse.
“You guys go look in there for Z. Free any humans you find. I’ll go to the
carnival.”
I didn’t wait for them to protest, marching towards the ticket booth and
dropping a handful of gold coins onto the counter.
The woman slid a golden ticket through a gap in the screen, a sultry smirk
playing on her lips.
“Anything else I can give you, big guy?” she purred. Without bothering
to respond, I stalked through the tent curtain.
It was...awful. Absolutely fucking awful. My eyes latched first on the
stage where an older man was being bid on by Vampires and other
Nightmares. Various stalls lined the perimeter of the tent, all popular carnival
games but with a macabre twist.
It was crowded, almost unbearably so, as I shouldered my way through
the throng of eager participants. How could people go along with this?
I watched as a blind-folded human was spun wildly in a circle, stumbling
over his two feet. When the Vampires finally released him, he was forced to
run as they fired arrows at him. One caught him in the back of the shoulder
blade, and he fell to the ground with an audible thump. The Vampires didn’t
waste a second before pouncing, eating him alive to the sound of his
agonized screams.
Oh, God. I’m going to be sick.
A group of Incubi stepped past me, all bedecked in masks. I wondered,
briefly, if these were the same men and women who kidnapped Z. An
instinctive growl emitted from my throat before I could contain it.
“Ah, who do we have here?” A Vampire stealthily glided forward, and
the crowd parted like Moses parting the Red Sea. “A Shifter prince?” His
eyes widened comically as he stopped directly in front of me, surveying me
with a critical, penetrating gaze.
“Who the fuck are you?” I growled, flexing my muscles. I had a
precarious hold on my Bear, who was currently roaming and prowling just
beneath the surface of my human skin. Focusing on my enhanced sense of
smell, I inhaled deeply.
And growled vehemently at the scent of Z wafting off of him.
“Where the fuck is my mate?” I hissed, wrapping my meaty hand around
his throat. One snap and this man would cease to exist. One fucking snap…
The psychopath laughed jovially as if I wasn’t threatening him but instead
inviting him over for dinner.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he gasped, face turning red. Some of
the bystanders fled at my aggressive act—there was nothing more terrifying
than a Shifter overtaken by Wrath. Guards in white shirts with the demented
black logo circled me, raising tranquilizer guns.
“Where is she?” My words were guttural, nearly unrecognizable, as I
peered into his bright eyes. Maybe if I squeezed hard enough, they would pop
out of his head.
The thought filled me with grim amusement.
But any good-will fled as I considered the slowly circling employees of
Blood Carnival.
We were going to play a new game.
Me: attack.
Them: die.
With a feral roar, I shifted into my Bear and lunged.
TWENTY-FIVE
Z
T he Vampire led me down a long hallway and into a derelict
room at the very end. Moans, cries, and screams emitted from the
surrounding rooms, each new noise sending pinpricks of terror
skating down my spine.
The room we entered had a musty, stained couch positioned against the
far wall of the room. Opposite, there was what appeared to be a box of
chains, whips, and other grisly instruments. I gagged over the noxious smell
that barraged me as soon as I entered—piss, tobacco, coppery blood, and
the room, and for the first time in my life, I felt more like the helpless fly
trapped in the spider’s bindings than the predator itself.
But even spiders could be squashed.
I repeated that in my head as anger rampaged through me.
This man—this Nightmare—would pay for what he had done.
My feet landed in a puddle, and I prayed to whoever was listening that it
was only water, not piss or blood.
“Get down, bitch,” the Vampire snapped, shoving me onto the lumpy-
looking couch. The stench was more pungent with my face against the
cushion, my nose wrinkling in disgust at the myriad of putrid smells. “I’m
going to fuck your pussy so fucking hard. Then, I’m going to cut you open
and drink you dry. Don’t worry. I’ll fuck your dead body too, just as I did
with the other women before you. Though...” His hand moved to my ankle,
trailing up my calf and to my thigh. “They weren’t as pretty as you.”
There was chafing at my wrists from the handcuffs this man had placed
on me, but I ignored the sudden stab of pain as I moved onto my elbows and
leveled a glare at him.
“You’re going to pay for this,” I hissed as he placed his hand on the nape
of my neck, traveling down my spine. When he reached the hem of my shirt,
he paused, fingers gliding across the exposed skin. I couldn’t help but
tremble in revulsion.
Spewing vitriol from my eyes, I flipped onto my back and glared up at
him with elemental fury.
“Is this the only way you can get laid?” I mocked. “Buying women and
bringing them here? Pathetic.”
My head jerked back as his fist connec
ted with my cheek. His lips curled
in a hideous sneer.
“Shut your mouth, bitch!” he hissed through clenched teeth.
“Bitch? Seriously? What type of misogynistic shit is that?” I scoffed,
enjoying the way his face turned red with rage. I could handle his ire, his
anger, his fury.
I couldn’t handle his lust.
He wrapped his meaty hands around my throat, squeezing tightly, but my
smile only grew.
Fury pummeled me from all sides, demanding an outlet.
Still smirking, I lifted my legs up—my hands firmly secured behind my
back with the handcuffs—and wrapped them around his neck. His eyes
widened comically as he released me, scratching at my face, but I only
tightened my ankles around him.
With a twist of my legs, I flipped him onto his back on the ground, falling
on top of him. The position caused an intense ache to reverberate through my
arms.
Fuck, I needed to get these handcuffs off.
I scrambled to my feet, glaring down at the disgusting excuse for a man,
and stomped on his nuts. His enraged roar was music to my fucking ears. To
make sure he stayed down, I kicked them a few more times until he was
crying helplessly, cupping his cock.
After he had secured the handcuffs on me, given to him by the employees
of the Carnival, I had watched him slip the key into his jacket pocket. I
wasted no time squatting down and grabbing them behind my back.
It took me a few tries to unhook the cuffs—fumbling with the key behind
my back—but after the sixth attempt, the cuffs clattered to the ground. I
clenched and unclenched my hands, staring at the bloody skin on both my
wrists, before focusing my attention on the Vampire still moaning in pain.
“Fucking asshole,” I murmured, straddling his waist and raining down
punches. They weren’t just for me—not really. They were for the countless
other women who came before me. The women who couldn’t fight back. The
women who’d endured god-only-knows what because of this man.
Everyone in this Carnival would fucking pay.
His mottled face contorted in pain as I grabbed his neck and twisted once.
I took great satisfaction in staring at his bruised, disfigured face. Both of his
eyes were swollen shut, and his skin was a combination of blue and green.
I hoped he felt fear before he died. Pain.
I hoped he regretted all of his life decisions.