Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(24)

“He doesn’t speak anymore,” the other agent spoke directly to me for the first time. “It won’t be long before he’s on his way to the end of the hall. They all end up there eventually.”

I turned sharply toward the agent, but Asshole jabbed me in the ribs again, forcing me on.

“Shut up, Hastings,” he snapped. “There’s a reason I do all the talking.”

“You mean other than you simply love the sound of your own voice?” I asked with a sour smile.

Agent Asshole responded by slamming me into the next door we came across. My teeth smacked together, and my head bounced off the glass. But, the pain was quickly forgotten when I saw what was on the other side.

A little girl lay curled up in the center of the bed. Surrounded by stuffed animals, with her golden locks spread out on the pillow, she looked so tiny and innocent. She couldn’t have been more than eight years old. Fast asleep, the sound of my head bouncing off the thick door had failed to wake her.

“You f**king monsters,” I breathed, unable to tear my gaze from the child’s sleeping form.

Agent Asshole chuckled and nodded his greasy head. “Looks can be deceiving. Ain’t that right, werewolf? That kid may look sweet and pure, but her parents begged us to take her.”

“Why? What can she do?”

The chuckle continued. The bastard enjoyed giving me the grand tour. I turned to him with a glare.

His shit-eating grin vanished. “She summons demons. And, it ain’t for tea parties.”

My jaw dropped. She was just a child. “But how? Why?”

“It doesn’t matter,” came his flippant reply. “As long as we can use it.”

“Is that all you see her as? A tool? An object?” I resisted him when he tried to shove me away from the window. The result was another Taser blast that had me seized up on the floor. I bit my tongue, and blood filled my mouth.

Agent Asshole stood over me. “A weapon, actually.”

It was several minutes before I could get up. As I struggled to get my stiff muscles to move again, I thought of all the ways I’d love to kill him. One day the FPA agent would look back on this night with regret. So much regret. He was my victim; he just didn’t know it yet.

“Alright, enough with the dramatics,” he barked, hauling me to my feet. “Keep moving. We’re not there yet.”

I held my tongue, knowing if I opened my mouth a growl would come out. My wolf itched to bury my thick fangs in his throat, but she would have to wait.

Though we skipped several doors, he showed me a few more of the FPA’s prisoners. From a seventeen-year-old pyrokinetic to an elderly necromancer, it was like taking a walk through the living museum of hell.

“Dreamwalker,” Agent A boasted as I looked in upon a middle-aged woman reading and doing her best not to acknowledge us. “Ever seen one? They don’t sleep much.”

Still I said nothing. Within that room lay my key to the lock that held me bound to Shya. The dragon etched into the flesh of my forearm burned. I owed Shya a dreamwalker. Only then would he release me from our deal and remove his mark. I knew I would never do that. Handing over a human being to Shya would make me as evil as he was. Though I might be many things, that could never be one of them.

I gave a wistful sigh which Asshole mistook for fearful acceptance.

“Ok, that’s enough,” he announced. “Time to show you to your cell. I mean room. This will be worth it even if I never make Captain.” Again with the cackling chuckle. “If you live through the night, maybe you’ll prove to be useful after all.”

“What are you talking about?” I studied Hastings, finding his solemn expression unnerving. He wouldn’t make eye contact, focusing instead on a door near the end of the hall.

I gasped when Agent Asshole began to aggressively frisk me. He relieved me of my phone, the only personal belonging I had on me.

“I suppose I’ll have to report this.” He sounded disappointed. “Maybe I’ll forget for a day or two. Give you some time to get reacquainted. If you survive the reunion.”

Hastings pulled out a set of keys that included a swipe card with each one. He unlocked the deadbolt, ready to follow up with the swipe card. “Ready?”

“Are you going to leave me in these things?” I indicated the cuffs.

Agent Asshole considered it. I willed him to free me. Cut off from using my power, I felt naked and helpless.

With a nod to Hastings, Asshole trained his gun on me, inches from my face. Ignoring my request, he watched as Hastings opened the door just wide enough for me to enter. Then, he shoved me through the dark opening so hard that I fell inside. Unable to catch myself, I landed painfully on my back with my bound arms beneath me.

“Hey, werewolf,” Asshole spat. “Welcome to the execution chamber. This is where we put the trouble makers. Found a use for your vampire after all.”

With that, the door slammed. There was a thud as the deadbolt slid into place. I rolled over and pushed to my feet. The strong, honey sweet vampire energy swept over me, and my heart stuttered.

I turned to take in the room. Hope gave way to relief and then renewed fear. My gaze slid over the double bed, the nearby writing desk and the vampire standing in the center of the room.

With five centuries of bloodlust in his mismatched eyes was Kale.

“Not you,” he said in a broken whisper. “Dear God, not you.”