Page 19

Chapter Ten

Sutton

Three and a half weeks later

I pulled up outside the Dogwood fights and stared at the building through the rain pelting my window. Lights flashed inside, the sound of cheering muted by the thunder outside.

My knee jiggled as I chewed my fingernail, or tried to, they were all bitten down to the stubs. Here’s hoping the wolves who threw me in the back of that van several weeks ago weren’t here tonight. That would really suck.

This was my third “delivery,” and my heart was slamming into the back of my ribs so hard I was close to passing the hell out.

The last two had been relatively easy, quick drop-offs, one at the back of a nightclub, which had felt a bit sketchy but ended up being fine, and the other had been a midnight meeting at a roadside hotel parking lot.

After the exchange, Poe had also invited me to try out my product with him, followed by the bed in the room he’d acquired for us.

I’d declined and gotten the hell out of there.

Tonight, though, he’d chosen somewhere a lot more public, and he’d also ordered me to look the part. He wanted me to come dressed like a cage bunny , his words. I’d wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, but I wasn’t the one with all the power in this dynamic.

Forcing down my fear, I grabbed the bag stuffed with a whole lot of drugs, climbed out of the car, quickly locked it, and ran through the rain to the main doors.

The big male guarding the door watched me approach, looking me up and down, and the way he looked at me made my belly feel weird, and not in a good way.

I didn’t know what the hell dressing like a cage bunny entailed, I hadn’t paid attention when I came here for work, but going by the skeevy look on this guy’s face, I’d gotten it a little too right.

“What’s in the bag, honey?” he asked, reaching for it.

“It’s for Poe,” I rushed out, like I’d been instructed to.

The guy pulled his hand back quickly and jerked his chin up, telling me I was good to go in.

I pushed the heavy door open and humidity and noise washed over me instantly. How was I supposed to find that asshole in here? The place was packed. Gripping the bag tight, I pushed and sidestepped and wriggled my way through the crowd, searching for him.

Someone grabbed my elbow in a firm grip. Lars, Poe’s creepy lackey, scowled at me.

“You’re late. Hurry the fuck up.” He towed me through groups of people, right across the room and around to the other side of the fighting cage.

I expected him to carry on down one of the hallways or something, definitely somewhere more private. Instead, he stopped suddenly, and I almost tripped over my own feet.

“You’re late,” Poe’s rough voice said close to my ear.

I froze, and he turned me to face him. He was in loose shorts and no shirt. His soulless eyes slid over me, and an appreciative noise rolled from him that made me feel nauseous. “Well, now, look at you. Aren’t you a sexy little cage bunny.”

I didn’t acknowledge his gross comment. “What’s going on? Why am I here?”

He shrugged. “Some entertainment before we get down to business. You’re going to watch me fight, then we can make the exchange.”

“I have no interest in watching you fight. Just take the damn bag so I can leave.”

He moved quickly, grabbing me hard and pulling me against him.

One arm went around my waist while the fingers of his other hand thrust into my hair.

To anyone looking, it might have appeared to be a passionate embrace; in reality, his demon claws had extended, digging into my side, while the ones on the other hand were threatening to gouge my scalp.

“You will watch me fight, like the good little groupie you are, and you will kiss me for good luck before I go in.”

My stomach revolted more strongly. “I’m not kissing you.”

“Maybe your little friend Phoebe would be more amenable? What do you think, Lars?”

The other demon grunted and licked his lips.

“Do you think she’d do what she was told to protect her friends? Or do you think she’d be selfish and stupid like you?”

I wanted to scratch his awful dead eyes out. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

He nodded and grinned, flashing those filed-down demon teeth. “Glad you’ve had a change of heart.”

His name was called to the ring all too soon.

His opponent was another demon, smaller than Poe but vicious looking.

I hoped like hell he’d kick Poe’s ass. I’d never paid much attention to the fighting when I came here for work, apart from thinking how stupid it was. Suddenly, I was seriously invested.

Poe turned to the cage, then he scanned the room, before his dark gaze slid back to me. I wanted to shrink away from him, but if I fought it, things would only get worse for me and my coven, so I let him haul me up against him, shove his fingers in my hair, and kiss me.

He nipped my lip, forcing a cry from me, then took advantage, kissing me deeper. I endured it, barely, but the entire time all I could think about was the knife in my pocket, the one I used for spelling, and how badly I wanted to bury it deep in his fucking eye socket.

Finally, he released me and I slumped, breathing deeply through my nose, because bending over and puking was a real threat.

Poe was a disgusting creep, he was forcing himself on me, and I freaking loathed him, but even if all of those things weren’t true, my reaction would remain the same. It sounded extreme, but being touched by any male who wasn’t Jagger felt wrong in every way.

“Don’t move,” he said and sauntered into the ring.

Like I had a choice? He faced off with his opponent. Now that I was sure he wasn’t looking, I quickly turned away and dragged the back of my hand across my mouth—and my eyes collided with Lothar’s.

He was frowning. His gaze sliced from me to Poe, then back again.

Shit.

Then he was on the move, heading straight for me, and there was nothing I could do to stop him. I couldn’t leave because it would piss off the demon gangster who was blackmailing me, and I sure as hell couldn’t let on to Lothar what was really going in here, not when they still had Luke.

Lars closed in when Lothar strode right up to me.

Loth’s narrowed stare sliced through the demon, and he curled his upper lip, flashing fang. “Back the fuck up now or you will regret it, demon,” Lothar growled.

Lars bristled, trying to be tough, but there was no missing the real fear in his eyes. All demons were afraid of hellhounds, to differing degrees, and I had to fight my grin when he stepped back.

“Make it quick. Poe won’t be happy you’re talking to this asshole,” he fired at me.

Lothar had already dismissed him completely. “You good, Sutton?” Loth was frowning again, and there was a whole lot more growl in his voice.

“Yep,” I said and smiled bright. Lars had stepped back, but he was still listening, and even if I wanted to tell Lothar what was going on, I couldn’t. “Just checking out the fights. My ah…friend, Poe, is fighting.”

“Friend, huh? You kiss all your friends like that?”

The hound was still growling. “We’ve just, uh…been on a few dates. It’s nothing, you know, serious or anything.”

Lothar crossed his big muscled arms over his chest. “That male is bad news, babe, not sure you should be hanging with him.”

“Poe?” I forced a laugh. “He’s a big softy under it all. I’m fine, honestly.”

The concern on his face didn’t fade. “Heard you moved out of the coven house. Not sure that was a good play either.”

My mouth went dry and my stomach clenched.

I’d had no choice. I couldn’t prepare drugs there and put my coven in that position, and I couldn’t tell them the truth.

Distancing myself from them was the only thing I could think of.

I’d hurt my friends, but it was for the best. Phoebe and Fern thought it was about Jagger, and I let them believe it because it was easier that way.

I shrugged. “I wanted to go out on my own is all.”

“The shit that went down with Jag?—”

“I’m not talking about that.”

His massive chest expanded and his eyes narrowed.

“I know my brother handled things wrong. He fucked up, but, babe, you gotta know he would not be down with this shit. He’s protective of you after what happened to you, finding you like he did, and you hanging with that fucker, kissing him, dressed like that in a room full of males, no one here to protect you?—”

“You need to stop, Lothar,” I shouted over the cheering. “Jagger doesn’t care what I do. What he thinks or feels about the way I conduct my life is irrelevant. I don’t owe him a damned thing.”

The cheering reached a new level, and I turned to see Poe standing over the smaller demon. There was blood everywhere, and his opponent wasn’t getting up. Every instinct in me screamed to get in the ring and treat him, heal him, but I couldn’t do that either. It would only piss Poe off.

His dead-eyed stare came to me now, then locked on Lothar. Shit, shit, shit.

My tormentor strode from the cage and over to me. He hooked me around the neck and tugged me against his sweaty, blood-covered body.

I wanted to retch and shove him away, but instead I stood there like a good little cage bunny, not fighting when he grabbed my chin, and not hissing and scratching when he tipped my head back and kissed me again. I tasted blood and whimpered in disgust.

He released me and tried to stare down Lothar. “You want something, hound?”

“Boy, you better adjust your fucking tone when you speak to me,” Loth said, his voice so gravelly it lifted goose bumps across my arms.

Poe was a demon, Lothar was a hellhound. Demon’s did not fuck with hounds, not if they wanted to stay above ground. Poe scowled, but sadly shut his mouth. I would have loved to see him get dragged away screaming and bleeding.

Lothar dismissed him, looking back down at me. “You need anything, babe, you got my number, yeah?”