Freak Show (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #7)(61)

He chuckled, an eerie sound that was almost gleeful. “I don’t think so. I will however make this personal for you, seeing as you could use a little spirit breaking yourself.” Linden nodded to two of his guys. “Bring the male wolf out here.”

Linden’s clients stood back and watched with interest as Shaz was dragged from the cage. I fought to get out but was forced back by a gun in my face. Any vampire that needed a human weapon to subdue another was a cowardly piece of shit. I would kill them all.

They made Shaz stand there naked in front of everyone with several weapons aimed at him. His expression was hard, unreadable. But his eyes were all wolf.

“Now then, finish what they started,” Linden commanded with a gesture to the woman pinned on the floor.

“Are you f**king crazy?” Shaz stood firm, staring down the vampire with ease. “That’s not going to happen.”

One of Linden’s clients spoke up, a strange lilt in his voice. “Make him do it as wolf.”

I wanted to vomit. If there had been anything in my stomach, I likely would have. The expression on Shaz’s face indicated he felt the same.

“I’m not hurting anyone,” Shaz said, stubborn refusal creasing his brow. “I’ll die first.”

“If you won’t do it, I’ll have it done to her.” Linden pointed a finger at me. I had one for him as well.

“Go ahead and try. You really have no idea what she will do to you.” Shaz laughed, something that seemed to surprise some of the vamps. He spoke through bared fangs. “Fuck. You.”

Linden’s gaze flicked back and forth between Shaz and me. In a blur of motion, Linden threw a punch that knocked Shaz back several feet. He nodded, an unspoken command, and his guys moved in to finish what he started.

They took turns hitting and kicking Shaz. Once he was on the floor, my wolf was throwing herself against my insides, desperate to break free and come to his aid. But she couldn’t. Together we were caged, watching and praying.

A whimper sounded low in my throat. I tried to squelch it, knowing my distress was what Linden wanted. Blood red tears brimmed in my eyes, and I blinked them away. They would not fall now.

Unwilling to lay there and die, Shaz shifted to wolf. It gave him a burst of strength, and he rounded on the vampires snarling and snapping. It wasn’t enough though. They had already done too much damage. They came at him from every side. The crunch of bone was audible as a booted foot slammed into his ribs again and again. A shrill yelp rang above the cacophony of panicked voices. It was a knife in my heart. My wolf was hurting, and I couldn’t get to him.

“That’s enough,” Linden said, bringing the beating to an end.

“As much fun as this has been, we’ve got to be going.” One of the waiting clients announced. “We’ll take that one.”

The auburn-haired woman was jerked off the floor and forced from the room after them. I watched her go, feeling like I’d failed her.

“I knew you wouldn’t be worth the trouble,” Linden said with a scowl my way. “If the interest in you wasn’t so high, I would kill you and save myself this hassle.”

“You know you can’t take me,” I spat. “That’s why you have me bound and caged, isn’t it? I killed Harley, and you know I can kill you. Too bad for you, Linden, your greed has already put the price on your head. I will kill anyone you sell me to, and then I’ll come back for you. I promise.”

Without a word, he turned his back on me and left. Needing no instruction, his lackeys filed out behind him. When the door closed, I slumped against the bars and sighed.

Shaz’s sides heaved. He was on the floor, in and out of consciousness. He needed healing. If I lost him here, if he died this way because of me, I would never forgive myself.

One of the women standing against the wall dropped to her knees beside him. She slid out of her jacket and placed it beneath Shaz’s head. He growled and whimpered, yet she was unafraid.

“Are you the same?” She asked, her gentle eyes meeting mine. “A wolf, like he is.”

“Yes,” I heard myself say. It may have been the very first time I told a human that I was not one of them. “I am.”

I was curious about her. Why was she here? It took great effort to search for her thoughts in the mess of voices in my head. They jumbled together until they were just white noise. Then I heard it, her voice. Her kind heart was born of a desire to serve others, to care for them. She was a woman of God, a nun who took care of those in need.

I didn’t think I could be any more disgusted with Linden, but I was. That likely meant the woman he had just sold off was one too. Evil wore many faces. At times, it even wore mine. This was my opportunity to be what so many proclaimed me to be, an ambassador of the light.

“We’re going to get out of here,” I told her. “All of us.”

She searched my eyes and bit her lower lip. Then she nodded. We had no choice but to trust each other.

Sloane entered with two of the children in tow. She snapped at them to sit down and behave before gliding over to me. She was careful to stand a few feet away from the bars.

“I know it doesn’t mean anything, but I just wanted to apologize. This was never supposed to be personal. I’m sure there’s a valid reason why Arys is so in love with you. I’m sure you can be quite lovely.” When I didn’t respond, she ignored my silent glare and continued. “If you hadn’t killed Harley, Jenner and I would never have been at odds. I wouldn’t have had to lie to him. You belong here. But Arys is family, so I’m sorry it has to be this way.”