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I had been a slave. Roar had known it too—from thevery moment we’d met. Perhaps that was why I hadn’t seen slaves in his home. Maybe he’d hidden them. Or maybe he simply kept them all here—working to the bone in horrific conditions. I shook my head, unable to believe how stupid I’d been. How much I’d been able to overlook. Like how Roar had known about the potion the vampires gave slaves to keep them powerless. The Warden of the West knew so bleeding much about the vampire court because he was doing business with them.

My fists formed tight, furious balls and I glared down at the scene below, searching for the male I wanted to rip to pieces.

“I swear to the stars,” I growled as frost crackled at my fingertips. “I will kill Roar for this.”

Chapter 54

NEVE

My heart thundered as I sprinted down the stone steps leading into the basin of the captured. The soon to be enslaved. Behind me, the others raced to keep up.

To find Roar.

To demand an explanation and then . . . my fists bunched up as one caged human caught my eye and pleaded for help. Bleeding skies, the Warden of the West was a veritable monster.

At the bottom of the staircase, I whirled and stared at the female miner, still ten steps from the bottom. “Where is the high lord?”

She swallowed, unnerved by how I was acting. “He never delves far into the active mines, so I expect he’s at the portal, waiting for more humans to arrive.” She joined me and gestured through the line of cages.

More humans.How many did the vampires of the Blood Court purchase at one time?

I pushed the questions from my mind. The only ones that mattered were the ones that Roar would soon answer. “Show me.”

The miner strode through the cages, illuminated by torches attached to the sides of their cages. Shockingly, the woman did not seem bothered by her own kind being locked up. I supposed that if one knew this happened, and they could do nothing about it, becoming hardened would not be so unthinkable. Perhaps her indifference was how she protected herself. After all, these humans were so close to the place she slept—where she raised her family, if she had one. A single wrong move, if she and the other miners didn’t produce enough gold, then she would become like those in the cages. Sold for their blood. To be food.

Food . . .

My breath hitched as a memory of one conversation with Roar came rushing back. He’d told me of the local merchants who wished to import more from the Autumn Court for some reason I could not recall. But practically in the same breath he’d mentioned bringing in goods from the human world too.

When I’d asked what, he’d given a single answer.

“Foodstuffs.”

The bastard! Was this what he’d meant? Food for vampires and not the fae of Guldtown?

“Neve, you must collect yourself.” Vale came up beside me. “You’re dropping the temperature, and these people aren’t properly dressed.”

I cut a glance to where he pointed at the cages, and my heart stuttered. Frost covered the bars closest to me.Inside, humans shivered and huddled together, all of them clearly baffled by how the elements from outside were accosting them when we were deep within the mountain mines.

“How?” My voice wobbled as I whispered, not wanting anyone to hear despite them being powerless. That I could already use my magic was a source of pride, but I did not have complete control, and that scared me.

“Your power is responding to your emotions,” Vale replied in a soft voice. “It’s normal for new magic users. As you become more experienced, it’ll happen less, but you have more raw power than most, so you must be careful.”

I breathed in and out, steady and slow. Should I need to call my power when faced with Lord Roar, then fine. I’d unleash it to the fullest extent. Not here, though. Not around the blameless humans.

“Better,” Vale assured me. “It’s already warmed a bit.”

I swallowed. “You remember the portal outside of Guldtown? The one you mentioned for supplies?”

He nodded.

“This isn’t it, is it?” I had to be certain.

“No. The Guldtown portal is barely ten minutes from the city wall.”

Again, anger flared. The bastard.

“This way,” the miner said, not paying attention to us as she cut hard around the final cages and led us to a circular tunnel similar to the ones we’d traveled through thus far, though flickering torches lined this one, not faelights. Just like the ones on the human cages. I wondered about that. Did Roar keep the circle of thosewho knew about this part of the mines small? So perhaps he did not trust a fae with the power of sunlight, a limiter, to come down here.