Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(87)

Lilah’s lips were pressed into a tight, thin line. “You’re a terrible liar, Alexa. Did you expect me to believe your twin would not come? Now, he can watch you bleed.”

Chapter Twenty-One

My heart dropped into my stomach like a stone. Arys was battered but otherwise fine. The demon pulled him through the room and forced him down on his knees in front of Lilah’s chair, facing me. The demon held Arys’s head in a vicelike grip, ready to remove it at Lilah’s command.

Arys’s blue eyes glittered with menace. He would not be broken no matter what they did to him, I knew that. Lilah knew better than anyone what the twin flame bond meant. So, she would break him by making him watch me suffer. It didn’t take a psychologist to put this one together.

“Falon, I believe you owe Alexa some retribution for trapping you in a circle.” Lilah nodded toward me.

“Are you kidding me?” I stared at her in shock. “You’re getting Falon to beat on me for you? Why not do it yourself? I’m sure you want to.”

Lilah crossed her arms and regarded me knowingly. “Why Alexa, I’d think you of all people would certainly understand how easy it is to gain power over a man simply by f**king him. Why get my hands dirty when I have someone to do it for me?”

Falon’s wings ruffled ever so slightly. His carefully neutral expression didn’t change. Without waiting for another command, he walked a slow circle around Jez and me. He shoved her away, effectively separating us.

My heart raced. Panic caused my words to rush forth. “Fuck the circle. That bastard purposely-,”

I saw stars before I finished my sentence. Falon’s hit rocked me back on my heels. I struggled to stay upright. I looked fearfully to Shya as if he could save me. His face was a mask of cool composure, but fire burned in his red eyes.

“Is this worth it?” Lilah asked. It took me a moment to realize she addressed Arys. “Knowing you can’t help her. That you can only watch as she suffers. Is it worth everything you share?”

Arys glared at Lilah with the power of a thousand burning suns. “You’re afraid of her,” he accused. “So afraid you don’t even want to touch her. You see the light in her, and it terrifies you. I see right through you, demon bitch. Because I am you.”

The two of them stared at each other, Arys with accusation and Lilah with uncertainty. Each of them part of the darkness, they shared something then that I would never understand. It momentarily crippled Lilah. She turned away from Arys, scoffing angrily.

“Get me the blade,” she shouted at nobody in particular. “Let’s bleed this wolf.”

Falon pressed dangerously close. With wings flared wide, he trapped me, ensuring I didn’t try anything. I had to do something, but my options were limited, almost nonexistent.

“Take your clothes off,” he demanded. “You have to be wolf for this.”

“Fuck you.” I stood my ground. “This entire thing has been orchestrated for Lilah to throw her weight around, but she doesn’t have any. You and I both know that.”

“All I know is that you better start stripping. I’m sure a few of these guys would be happy to help you.” Falon indicated the small throng of vampires watching the entertainment Lilah had promised them.

I gritted my teeth and fumed. Together Arys and I were powerful enough to wipe out every vampire present and maybe even beat back the demons, too. It wouldn’t happen though. Stripped of my power, I felt weak. I needed time to bounce back from that. Even then, I wouldn’t have access to my power in wolf form.

Lilah held up a shiny dagger with a sharp blade and a black stone pressed into the handle. She twirled it in her hands, eyeing me with a vindictive sneer.

“Tick tock,” she said. Lilah moved between her hostages, lingering near each one of them. Stopping beside Arys, she held the dagger up for me to see. “Have you ever wanted to escape your twin, Alexa? Has anyone ever given you the opportunity to sever the tie?”

My entire body went cold. I shook my head, a vehement protest rising in my throat. “No. Don’t. I’m undressing, ok? I’ll shift, and you’ll get your friggin’ Hound blood. If you hurt anyone, that changes. I’ll go down fighting, and I promise to take you with me.”

The weight of so many eyes upon me was crushing. I kept my eyes on Arys, finding courage in his gaze. He could have fought back, could have escaped the demon’s grasp on him. Yet, he didn’t because my sister was still in danger. He was willing to hold tight and let me call the shots. If we got out of this alright, I’d make sure to show him my appreciation.

It was difficult to keep my hands moving. She wasn’t just stripping me so I could shift; she was exposing me in a way that would sap my remaining strength. She wanted me vulnerable. I couldn’t let that happen. I pulled my top off over my head and let it fall at my feet. My hands shook when I slid my pants down. They were vibrating when I reached to unhook my bra. Maybe I couldn’t do this.

“Come on, wolf,” Falon sneered. “I’d have thought you’d be used to public nudity, being a beast with two bodies. Don’t tell me we’re making you shy.”

I was used to the nudity that came with running in a pack. It was natural, part of what we were. Being forced to strip down for the entertainment of others was not within my comfort zone.

“Actually, you are making me a little uncomfortable.” I slid my gaze to Falon, searching him for some kind of truth. I couldn’t figure the bastard out. “I’m not sure I want you this close, seeing as you’ve already had your erection between my legs.”