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Adrian was going down. No matter what or how long it took, I'd see it done.

One of the robed men stepped up and took hold of one of Annabell's limp arms. He didn't even bother to pick her up all the way. He just dragged her by her arm, with her face scraping along the floor, right out of the room.

I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, so hard I immediately tasted copper, to keep my mouth shut so I didn't stand up and scream at him for being such a callous bastard.

"Don't fight it," Marcus whispered in my ear and I flinched. I'd forgotten he was so close to me.

"Fuck," I bit out, not liking the sound of this at all. I had thought the worst was already over and now I was learning I had more to fear.

Adrian knelt beside the tub, and to my absolute horror the rest of the robed figures did the same, and the tub with my naked ass inside of it was completely surrounded.

I felt trapped, and the fight or flight instincts ingrained in everyone really hit me. I didn't want to fight anymore and was all about the flight part. I wanted to get up and run. Run as far and as fast as my feet would carry me away from these sick as fuck men.

We're counting on you.

Yeah, and they weren't the only ones either.

I gritted my teeth so hard I feared one of them might crack. My hands in my lap fisted tightly and I forced myself to remain stock-still and stoic.

"Good girl," Marcus whispered proudly.

Not turning around and clawing his face up with my fingernails was one of the hardest things I had ever done in my life. But somehow I managed it. Barely.

"Now," Adrian purred as he leaned over the tub. "Usually we've always taken things a little further and always have someone to take care of our needs, because things can get a little exciting. But with you here..." He trailed off as he molested me once again with his eyes.

Marcus's hand on my shoulder stiffened to the point of pain. Good fucking God. If what Adrian was saying was true, then Marcus must have participated in some weird Council gang bang. Or had they all just fucked each other?

I didn't want to know.

And there was no fucking way I would be participating in any kind of sexual activities with these sick as fuck people.

No fucking way.

I had to draw the line somewhere and this was it. The line was being drawn in the sand here and now.

Adrian's eyes shifted between my face and Marcus's hand on my bare shoulder. A look of pure jealousy flashed through his eyes and his lips peeled back as he bared his teeth in a terrifying smile.

"Since you're here, Ariel, perhaps you'd enjoy being the one to—"

I cut him off and snapped, "No." That one word said it all, and I knew I hid absolutely nothing from Adrian. He was too busy sneering at Marcus to notice.

"That's fine," Marcus said urgently. "There's another girl that Adrian has waiting in the next room over to come in when the time is right." He hesitated for a brief moment before gritting out through clenched teeth, "There are a couple men he has in there too, waiting to satisfy your needs if you so wish it."

My mood shifted instantly, the anger slid clean out of me and I turned to look at Marcus over my shoulder, gaping at him. My mouth hung open and words failed me completely.

"Very well then," Adrian muttered, sounding outraged and a bit disgusted. "We'll get to that after. You're a bit of a prude, Ariel. With time, hopefully you'll come out of your shell and open up a bit more. You're going to give yourself premature wrinkles being this uptight all the time. Good Christ."

He'd called me a prude. I'd heard that before.

Men were dicks.

He huffed out indignantly and gestured to the side with his chubby hand. An ornate gold goblet ringed in jewels was handed to him from the person beside him. Adrian took it without offering up thanks.

I slithered back in the tub and pulled my knees high up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as he dunked the goblet into the bloody bathtub and filled it up. He put the overflowing cup to his lips and tipped his head back. I shuddered in disgust as he drained the cup dry. Blood spilled down past his lips, dribbling down his chin sloppily. He passed the cup off to the man sitting beside him without bothering to look at him, such was his arrogance that he just knew the man would reach out and take it away from him. And he did just that.

The cup got passed around the circle, and one by one they filled it full with the blood in the tub and drank it dry. The whole thing made me sick, and I wondered if I threw up in the tub if they'd still drink the blood or if they'd start the bleeding out process all over again after draining and cleaning out the tub. I couldn't go through that again. It would break me. Not again.

When Adrian passed me the cup, I reached for it with numb hands. It slipped through my cold, shaking fingers and I wondered briefly if I might be slipping into shock. I kept seeing Annabell and the fight in her eyes as she struggled against whatever they'd doused her with. I could feel the warm, wet blood of hers as it sprayed across my face and I'd done nothing to stop it.