“I can watch out for him.”
“You can barely watch out for yourself. I hate to spell it out for you, but you’re a mess. You’ve been through hell and you need to give yourself more than a few days to recover.”
“I’m fine.”
“No. You’re not. You nearly shot Iain.”
“He was going to kill a baby.”
“A Synestryn.”
Jackie held Samson out, forcing Joseph to look at him. “Does he look like a demon to you?”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“His mother was human. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“It does, but I can’t have him here. It’s too great a risk. If he changes suddenly, he could attack someone. We have no way of knowing what might happen.”
“He’s a baby!”
Joseph grabbed her shoulders. She held Samson close to her chest, shielding him.
Joseph’s grip lightened, and she could feel his ring humming through her shirt. His mouth was tight and he split his attention between her, the ring, and Samson.
“Listen to me. The people here are my responsibility. I will not risk them. Samson is a risk—an unknown quantity. We need to put him somewhere where we can care for him and make sure that what we hope is true is true.”
“And if it’s not?”
“I’m not going to discuss that with you now. We’ll deal with the situation as it changes, but my decision is final. I’ll place Samson in the home of a Gerai couple and we’ll see what happens.”
“You can’t take him away from me.”
“He’s not yours. But you are one of our own—a Theronai—and like it or not, you have to abide by the rules like everyone else. It’s the only way to keep everyone safe.”
“If he goes, so do I.”
“I won’t force you to stay. But you can’t stay with Samson, either. You’re already too attached.”
“He needs me.”
“No, he needs someone, but it doesn’t have to be you. It’s not going to be you. Do you understand?”
She didn’t. She didn’t understand any of this. She didn’t understand why she’d been taken captive two years ago. She didn’t understand why they hurt all those young girls. She didn’t understand why Samson’s mother had to die, but most of all she didn’t understand why she hadn’t. Why had she survived when so many others had died?
She couldn’t let Samson be one more wasted life.
“Promise me you won’t kill him,” she demanded.
“I can’t. But I will promise you that we will do everything in our power to see that he grows up safe, happy, and healthy. So long as he doesn’t try to hurt anyone.”
She felt the weight of his vow settle over her, calming her nerves. “He won’t. He’s innocent. You’ll see.”
“I hope so. I truly do.”
He held out his hands for the baby. Jackie didn’t want to let go, but every second she spent with him made it harder for her to give him up. If she didn’t let him take Samson now, she might never be able to let go.
Jackie kissed his head and looked him in the eye. “I know you’re a good boy. You show everyone the truth, okay?”
Samson blinked his pale blue eyes. There was no sign that he was anything but a normal, human boy and she prayed it would stay that way.
Joseph took the baby and buckled him into the carrier. He picked it up. “You’re doing the right thing. I know it’s hard, but the right thing usually is.”
Jackie hoped like hell he was right, because if he wasn’t and Samson suffered, Joseph would as well. She’d make sure of it.
Hope woke up. She was lying on a cold cement floor, shivering. She lifted her head, but her eyes had trouble focusing more than a foot or two away. Dizziness slammed into her, so she focused on taking slow, deep breaths. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a dark stain on the floor beneath her. Blood. Lots of it. There were layers, some older than others.
She struggled through her confusion, trying to figure out where she was.
Her situation came rushing back to her. The fight. Logan and Nicholas pinned under the tree branch. The pale, disgusting demon had grabbed her. The moment of strength she’d felt when she’d flung that furry wolf monster had disappeared, leaving her weak and shaking. She’d barely been able to dislodge the fiery whip, leaving Logan at least a hope of escaping.
The ringing in her ears started to fade and she began to hear more than her own rapid heartbeat. There were voices nearby, but her eyes couldn’t see more than blurry shapes surrounded by strange auras. The colors swirling around these people were dull, muted. Thick black tendrils wound through them, cutting off even the faintest flicker of hope before it could grow.
Slowly, her vision cleared, allowing her to see a group of mostly naked women sitting around a large black hole of nothingness. The aura of a powerful Synestryn.
That nothingness rose and came toward her, parting the group of women as he passed.
Hope shoved herself upright, but she was too weak to stand. She craned her neck up, staring at one of the most disgusting things she’d ever seen. He had patchy skin that was part human, part reptile. His teeth looked like they’d been filed to points. He had only three fingers on each hand, and they were tipped with thick, yellow claws. Maliciousness hung in his aura like a trophy, adding festering spots to the evil blackness that surrounded him.
He stared down at her, his posture screaming victorious arrogance. “You’re awake. Just in time.”
“Who the hell are you?” she asked, her voice weaker than she would have liked.
“My name is Krag, but you will call me Master.”
She forced out a harsh laugh. “Wow. Been watching a lot of B movies lately?”
He jerked her to her feet, bringing her up to his face, so close she could smell rotting meat on his breath. “You will kneel before me. You will worship me. I am the master of all that you see, and you are in my sight.”
“Not for long.”
“We shall see.”
His touch made her stomach roil in protest. His claws dug into the tender skin under her arm.
The desire to fight him off raged through her, but she was so weak, she could barely keep her knees from buckling. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her, but whatever it was, she had to get over it. Now.
Her head became too heavy to hold up and it slumped limply toward her chest.
“None of that now,” said Krag. “I want you awake and alert for what’s next.”
Whatever it was, Hope was certain she wanted no part in it. This monster was rotten from the core out, infecting everyone near him with the same malignance.
She was not going to let him do to her whatever it was he’d done to these women. She was going to escape and take as many of these people with her as she could. Right after she was able to stand up under her own power.
His scaly, reptilian fingers cupped her chin, shoving her head up. Her eyes struggled to focus across the dimly lit space. The building was huge—larger than she could see. Steel I beams supported the ceiling, which was easily twenty feet up. Large, industrial lights hung down, but they were off. The only light in the space came from dozens of candles scattered throughout. They sat on defunct workbenches and conveyor belts. Several giant wooden spools had been set up to act as tables. They were covered in pounds of melted wax and hundreds of spent candles.
Based on the dusty machinery and air-powered tools hanging above rows of benches, Hope guessed that this place had once been a factory of some kind.
Sitting in the middle of all of it was an ornate throne that looked like a movie prop. It was painted a gaudy gold and set up on a raised platform. Flanking it were wrought iron candelabras that were as tall as she was. Blood red candles burned bright, casting a wavering glow over the dozen or so women lounging on the chilly concrete floor.
Her first thought was that he could have at least given his harem a few pillows or something.
Beyond the throne she was able to make out vague shapes slinking around in the shadows. Some of them appeared human, but her eyes were too fuzzy to tell for sure. What she did know was that some of them were definitely not human. Their eerie green eyes, black auras, and glow-in-the-dark yellow saliva gave them away.
Part of her was scared out of her mind, but the rest of her was taking everything in, searching for a way out of this mess.
“Nice place,” she quipped. “Could use a woman’s touch though.”
Krag smiled, baring his fetid teeth. “Save your touch for my cock.”
That got through her sense of detachment. Just the thought of him looking at her in a sexual way made her stomach churn. “Pardon me while I throw up on your cloven hooves.”
He shook her hard, jarring her teeth. “You will learn obedience. So will our children.”
Children?
Hope shrank away from that thought, unable to process it. There was no way she’d let him touch her like that. She’d die first, even if she had to take her own life.
“Ah. Now I know how to reach you,” he said. “Good.” He looked toward the shadows and ordered, “Bring them out.”
A moment later, a man who appeared human walked away and came back with two more people. Their hands were bound behind their backs and their clothes were dirty and torn. There was something familiar about them, but in the darkness, with them a hundred feet away, she couldn’t tell who they were.
Hope squinted, trying to make them out. Finally, her eyes cleared up enough that she could see them. Rory’s pink hair was brown with filth, but her pretty face was unmistakable. As was Sister Olive’s.
The floor seemed to evaporate. Hope’s legs gave way in shock. Her head pounded. Sweat broke out over her skin.
This monster had her friends, her sweet, innocent friends. There would be no limits to what a monster like Krag would do to them. A sense of bleak, hopeless despair washed over her. There was nothing she wouldn’t do to save them, which meant only one thing.
Krag had won.
Chapter 28
Logan pushed the vehicle to travel as fast as he dared over the backcountry roads.
Nicholas let out a stifled noise of pain, but Logan heard it anyway. He couldn’t imagine how much the Theronai had to be suffering right now with his horrible burns.
“I wish I could aid you,” said Logan.
“I’ll be fine,” he hissed. “Just find Hope.”
If Nicholas was in any shape to drive, Logan may have been able to help him, but his sword was still seared inside his grip, and based on the rate at which his heart was beating, his ability to focus on the road would have been dangerously limited.
“I will help you as soon as I can.”
“I know, man. Just drive. I’ll call for backup.”
“Will they reach us in time?” asked Logan, knowing Nicholas had access to the location of all Sentinel vehicles on his phone.
“We’re spread pretty thin. I’m calling Joseph now to get him and any other men there to hop on the chopper.”
The invisible pull Hope had on him seemed to be getting stronger, which meant they were getting closer. He guessed she’d stopped moving.