Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(58)

I tossed back the last of the superb whiskey, knowing it might be my last. I wanted to tap Arys’s thoughts but decided to wait. I didn’t want to interrupt if he was healing Jez.

Jostled along by two big but quiet vampires, I followed Linden into one of the warehouses that looked much like the rest. A building number was its only identification, and I made a point to commit it to memory. There was nothing special about the warehouse. It was big without being massive, drab grey from the concrete walls to the floor and smelled like absolute fear.

Consisting of half a dozen vampires, further security greeted us. Linden spoke in low tones with one of them, and I heard the mention of a white wolf. My guts twisted painfully. I was afraid, not for me, but for Shaz. It had been my call to kill Harley. He didn’t deserve to be punished for having my back.

The warehouse was made up primarily of one giant room, which was furnished with many sofas and electronic devices, TVs and such. A long conference style table sat along one wall. Lining the back of the building, a brick room caught my attention. That’s where the thick aroma of fear emanated from.

I drifted toward the heavily barred door, needing to see what lie on the other side. A vampire with a fat head on his oddly skinny neck stopped me with a rough hand on my shoulder.

“No, it’s fine.” Linden glided over, taking my elbow as if we were old friends out for a stroll. “You want to see the wolf. I understand.” He barked instructions for the door to be opened.

I held my breath, afraid to inhale too much of the intoxicating scent. Fear was a trigger for both the wolf and the vampire. It stirred my hunger for the hunt.

The door opened, and I was pulled into a dank, dimly lit room. It was filled with people, all human. Old, young, of various ethnic backgrounds, there was much variation. My gaze landed on a woman in the corner, crying and holding her pregnant belly. The vampire side of me had no emotion, no sympathy, but the wolf raged and roared, seeking to break free of its human cage.

“You’re the worst kind of evil,” I said.

Linden continued as if I hadn’t said a word. “That’s the bathroom there, if you should need it. Otherwise, I’ll take you to the wolf. Naturally, I couldn’t leave him in here with the others. Better safe than sorry.” The bathroom he pointed out was little more than a filthy toilet and sink with a curtain for a door. I recoiled at the sight of it.

In the back of the grubby room was a row of prison-like cells, each with a flimsy cot and a scrap of cloth that could hardly be called a blanket. They were all empty save one. In the last cell paced a dirty, bloody, but very much alive white wolf.

Chapter Fourteen

I threw myself on the floor beside Shaz the moment the door opened. The heavy bars banged shut as they relocked behind me.

His name was repetition on my lips, and I grabbed a handful of his fur, pressing my face to his. He nuzzled me back, making a low sound between a whine and a growl. Pine, wolf musk and blood. He smelled injured yet alive, but most importantly he smelled like home.

“I’ll give you two some time. You should make the most of it. I doubt you will go to the same buyer.” Linden turned to go, then paused and glanced back. “There are a great many people interested in you both. I can’t wait to hear the offers. Of course, they’ll have to wait their turn. I always get the first taste of the high demand ones.”

The urge to spit a nasty retort after him was strong. Somehow I held my tongue and watched him go. The human cattle he had piled into this brick prison all turned away from him as he passed. One older man openly prayed out loud as if casting out the devil himself. Linden was unfazed.

“Can you shift?” I asked Shaz when the vampires were gone.

He did so with an agonized howl that became a shout as he resumed human form. Several gasps and shrieks rang out from our fellow captives. One young girl promptly burst into tears. It was easy to forget that the world of vampires and werewolves was brand new to these people.

I grabbed the scrap of blanket from the cot and covered his nakedness with it. Having my hands bound in front of me was a small blessing. I looked him over for any sign of a serious injury. Other than a few vampire bites in miscellaneous places and much bruising, he was in one piece.

Before I could speak again, Shaz kissed me. It was a soft, tender show of emotion. His lips trembled slightly on mine. His weakness was a disadvantage if we were going to fight our way out of here.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” He asked, peering in wonder at my eyes. “I’ve never seen that before.”

“I took blood from Falon,” I whispered so I would not be overheard. “It’s risky, but it gives me strength and abilities I don’t have on my own. Unfortunately, I can’t use any power as long as I have these handcuffs on. Tell me what’s happened to you.”

Shaz leaned heavily against me. Pushing his hands through my hair, he nuzzled me with wolfish affection, sighing as he inhaled my scent. “After they trashed the nightclub, they took Arys and Jenner. Those two put up a good fight, but they were swarmed. Honestly, I think Arys held back because they threatened to kill me. I know he had the power to wipe them all out. He never tried.”

I was too stunned to reply. Arys had also said he and Jenner were outnumbered, though he hadn’t added much more. I too had believed Arys would be much harder to take down. His power had centuries of growth on mine. Could it be possible that he was willing to face potential death to keep Shaz alive? Or was he merely seeking a way out of what the future held for us?