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“We have one more auction before our showstopper for the evening,” the announcer said.

The cage came up, and Poe grabbed the back of my neck, forcing me to stay seated.Luke stood in the cage, trying to cover himself, shivering.He was bruised, gods, he looked broken.

Fury pulsed through me, but I forced myself not to react.Luke would be okay.This was almost over.The hounds and knights would be here any minute.

Poe’s grip tightened.“This is how you prove yourself to Tarrant.This is how we can be together.You giving up your friend for me.”He’d lost his fucking mind.I hated his guts.

The announcer started talking about him, and several demons in the room sat taller, looking at him more closely.I wanted to scratch their eyes out.

I doubted Tarrant would usually go after a witch and risk the witch’s council coming down on them, but because of Luke’s mixed blood, they obviously thought they could do whatever the fuck they wanted.They more than likely assumed the council wouldn’t care, and they were probably right.

I willed my friend to look my way, to see me.I wanted to give him a sign, anything to let him know I wouldn’t let this happen, that we had a plan to save him and everyone else they were holding, but he kept his gaze lowered.

Finally, the cage descended, and I had to bite back the sob trying to crawl its way up my throat—and fight the panic rising.

“We have one more lot tonight, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and something you don’t want to miss out on.You won’t believe what we have for you,” the voice said over the speakers.“It’s going to take us a few minutes to prepare him, so take the time to refresh your drinks.”

A hellhound, or maybe two.They were going to auction off Brick.

That’s when I spotted Lars easing back slowly.The prick was getting ready to run.Any minute now, all hell was about to break loose, and he was planning on running the fuck away.Coward.

“We need to talk,” Poe gritted out.

Shit.

His hand curled around my arm, tight, and he dragged me to my feet, pulling me toward the tunnel Jagger and I had explored.He pulled me behind the curtain and yanked off his mask.“What the fuck was that back there?”he said and grabbed my throat.

“What do you mean?”I rasped past his tight hold.

He had an odd look on his face.“You were upset when you saw your little friend up there, you tried to hide it, but I saw.”

“He’s a coven mate.It was a shock seeing him, that’s all.”I had to be careful what I said.I had to play into his delusion.“But I see now that you’re right.This will prove to Tarrant that he can trust me, with Luke gone, he won’t have anything to hold over me.”

Poe nodded.“That’s right.He’ll see that you’re working for him because you want to.”He gripped my jaw and shoved my mask up, then swiped his tongue over my chin and across my mouth.“I want to fucking take a bite out of you, Sutton, you have no idea how badly.”

I wanted to wretch and shove him away, but I smiled instead.“Hopefully, just a little one.”I forced a laugh.That was the second time he’d talked about biting me.

Poe didn’t laugh, though, he looked at me with so much hunger in his black eyes that I trembled with fear, because it wasn’t just lust I saw, it was real hunger, and I got an awful feeling when he said he wanted to take a bite of me, he meant it—literally.

A roar came from the main room, then there were screams and commotion.The hounds, and the knights, they were here and swarming into the tunnel.

Poe looked around the curtain.“What the fuck?”Then he grabbed my arm.“Run.”He dragged me with him, and I yanked hard, trying to get free of his grasp.He turned on me, a look of confusion on his face that quickly shifted to betrayal.He dug his claws into my arm.“What have you done?”

I screamed for help.

“What the fuck have you done?”he roared, then he was running, dragging me along with him, while I tried to fight him off.

My magic pulsed hard.“It’s over,” I said, trying to pull from his hold.“I’m not going anywhere with you.”I directed my growing magic at Poe and shoved my hand against his chest.He blocked it, then slammed his fist into the side of my head once, twice—and everything went dark.

I struggled, in and out of consciousness.Poe was running, and I was bouncing over his shoulder as he sprinted down tunnel after tunnel, the sounds of fighting echoing in the distance.I heard him on his phone, he was talking about a hound.Brick.

I tried to rally, to pull on my magic again, but I couldn’t stay awake.The next time I regained consciousness, it was from searing pain at my chest.Poe had yanked down my dress at the front and was carving something into my skin.

A sigil.I felt its dark power wrapping around me.I cried out, grasping for my magic again, but it was unreachable, locked behind the demon sigil he’d cut into me.He quickly tied my hands and feet together, then took something from his pocket.He held it up, an evil grin on his face.

The drugs I’d made.

He grabbed my jaw, forcing my mouth open, then shoved several of the pills to the back of my throat before holding my mouth and nose closed.I had no choice but to choke them down or suffocate.I wouldn’t overdose, but they would knock me out.