Page 17 of Beg the Night (Mystics of Ashora #1)

SEVENTEEN

sinner

I was in no mood for games.

Leaving that incredibly small room was a blessing, yes, but returning to the place where dozens of men could look at what was mine?

Especially so soon after I had her squirming for me?

Call it an absurd protectiveness triggered by the upcoming claiming. But I had no intention of sharing anything.

And Carter clearly hadn’t learned his lesson.

“Sinner, stop!”

Oh, Athena. She thought she could stop me, but the sound of her voice only made me squeeze harder. I called on more of my magic—the dark demons crawling within me—and pushed them toward Carter. I had only one motive.

Destroy him.

I would have, too. I was drinking up the way his eyes widened with panic until they nearly burst.

But when a strong hand fell to my shoulder, accompanied with another scream from Athena, I startled and pulled my magic back a fraction.

Leon stood beside me, doing his best to rip me away. “Don’t do this, man,” he pleaded. “She’s going to make you regret it. You know she will. He isn’t worth it.”

Athena stood beside him, hair wild and alive.

Fuck. Leon was right. Director hated it when we used our magic down here. She’d made that clear to me on more than one occasion.

With a grunt, I released Carter, letting him fall to the ground, where he writhed, gasping for air.

“Fine. But keep your friend in check,” I said as I stormed away. If I didn’t put space between us, I’d end up finishing the fucker off. “I won’t show mercy like this again.”

Athena stumbled after me, grasping my bicep with both hands.

I stopped and spun around so fast she lost her balance. “Fuck.” I steadied her. “I can’t have these men thinking they can put their hands on you whenever they want.”

“Why?” she pushed, shaking loose of my hold. “Why do you care?”

Instead of brushing her off like I should have, instead of storming off and cooling down in the showers for a fucking change, I closed the space between us and cupped her face, tilting her chin up.

I could have kissed her. Fuck, I would have. I hated her, but I wanted her. And that made me hate myself more than anything.

“I care because you’re mine. And now that I’ve had a taste of you, I don’t think I can let you out of my sight for a second. So do what I say. It took all my willpower to keep myself in check the last time. I’m not sure I can do it again.”

Her mouth opened and closed, but all that escaped her was a tiny squeak. I loved it when she was speechless. I loved it even more than when she was annoying the living shit out of me with her words.

“They already think we’re together,” she finally breathed. “Nobody is going to try anything.”

Every mystic in this place was watching us now. They really did think we had fucked, and maybe that misconception would benefit me. Maybe that would make the others think twice before doing anything stupid.

I wanted to believe it. But I didn’t trust it. Not for a second.

So I took advantage of the situation. I lowered my head and moved in until my lips were only a breath away from hers. She didn’t argue or pull back. Maybe she understood that this was for her protection, too. “Good,” I whispered. “Let them think that.”

Before I could do something really stupid like actually brush my lips against hers, I pulled away and stormed to my cot.

It was empty, thank god, but when I realized Mags’s was too, my chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. “Hey,” I called to Leon, who stood near the wall. “Have you seen Margaret?”

He shrugged, his expression morphing into one of pity that made me want to unleash my shadows again. “She never came back after the ball, man. I don’t know what happened.”

My stomach sank. I still didn’t trust Athena, but all I could do now was hope that she really had made a deal to get my sister out of here. I couldn’t consider the other option—that they had gotten rid of her. That they no longer saw her as useful.

“All right. Thanks.” I sat on the stiff bed—thankful I wouldn’t spend a third night on the cold floor—and kicked my shoes off. I needed a shower. I needed food.

But right now? Right now, I needed sleep.

Before I allowed my eyes to close, I waited until Athena slowly—sheepishly—made her way to the bed she’d shared with Mags. She didn’t look at me, but she didn’t look at anyone else, either.

Smart girl.

She mimicked my movements, obviously also exhausted by the excursion we’d taken from hell. I tried to wait until she fell asleep. Tried to wait until her breathing slowed.

But somewhere in it all, I drifted into the darkness.

“Wake up.”

I jolted awake, covered in sweat. My nightmare only got worse when I discovered that I was surrounded by four armed guards.

Fuck. I didn’t even hear the dungeon door open.

And when I found Athena in front of me strapped—once again—to that damn torture chair, my nightmare took a sharp nosedive.

“What’s going on?” I forced out, my tone hoarse.

The guards parted, and Director approached my bed, a cocky smile on her face.

I looked from her to Athena. Her chest rose and fell with strong breaths, but her hands were bound behind her. Her pale skin was covered in a sheen of sweat. “Don’t tell them anything, don’t?—”

The guard on one side of her smacked her across the face. Hard.

I had to physically restrain my phantoms. If I didn’t lock them down tight, they’d have his head ripped off in a matter of seconds.

Whatever Director was playing at now—it was a test. It was always a test, always part of some twisted game.

Even knowing that, I’d do whatever the hell she wanted if it meant she’d let Athena go. And that was an issue.

“It seems we have a problem. Two problems, really.” Director took another step forward.

My instinct was to leap out of bed, but the guards on either side of me held their arms out, silently signaling me to stay put.

The rest of the men in the dungeon were wide awake, watching the damn show. Guess this was the best entertainment we’d had in some time.

“What the hell do you want?” I asked.

“You broke the rules,” Director said with a tsk. “You think we don’t know about your little outburst last night? Your show of power?” She tilted her head to the side, eyeing me like I was a damn toy to be played with.

Fury ignited in my chest. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

She shrugged. “Wrong or right, you broke the rules. And you know as well as I do that there are consequences.”

I stared her dead in the eye. Of course I knew. She’d used Mags to keep me in line all these months.

But now? Now she thought she could use Athena in her place? Is that what this was?

I surveyed Athena, who didn’t struggle against her restraints but whose eyes lit up in defiance.

“If you’re going to punish me for defending my claimed, then go on. Get it over with,” I spat.

Director laughed, the sound causing my power to push against the inside of my chest. “Not so fast. After our little experiment, you have information I want. You both do.”

My gut tightened. The hell was she talking about?

“This close to the blood moon, and with the chemicals we administered to you, you should have sensed it. So tell me, Sinner, what is the power your claimed has been hiding?”

Even from a few feet away, I felt Athena stiffen. The air shifted, the room grew still. She knew. She knew I’d brushed up against her power last night—even if I didn’t entirely understand it.

I cleared my throat and forced myself to look Director in the eye. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you do. You were closer to her power than you even realize, Three. Tell me what you felt, and I’ll let her go.”

My heart raced, pounding wildly against my rib cage, my power simmering beneath my skin and pushing the edges of my control. Even if I could explain what I’d experienced with Athena last night, there was no way in hell I would tell Director.

“Tell me where my sister is,” I demanded instead. “Where did you take Margaret?”

The bitch straightened, one side of her lips tipped up in a smirk. “Your sister is fine. She’ll be fine as long as you cooperate with us.”

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

Athena pulled against her restraints, clearly wondering the same thing.

“The girl is fine ,” Director huffed, as if annoyed by our concern. “You wanted her out of the dungeons? She’s out. So start talking.”

I said nothing.

“Really?” she pushed. “You’re willing to risk not only your sister, but the well-being of your soon-to-be claimed? All I’m asking for is a tiny piece of information.”

My teeth ached from grinding them so hard. “I already told you I don’t know. There’s nothing I can tell you.”

“Right. Well, maybe this will change your mind.”

The guard at Athena’s side pulled a knife from his belt and jammed it into her thigh. Athena screamed until the sound echoed off the dungeon walls.

I gripped the edge of the bed, seething, fighting the urge to rip Director’s head from her shoulders. It would do me no good. They’d incapacitate me before I could touch her, and that would only make matters worse for Athena.

The guard pulled the dagger out, positioning the tip near her neck below her ear. “Shall I go again?” he asked.

Director glanced between us, a brow cocked. “That depends. Sinner, shall we go again?”

I was going to kill her one day. And I’d make her death slow and torturous and fun. “Touch her again and I’ll refuse to claim with her.”

Her eyes widened. “See, that’s not how this works anymore. You’ll claim with her because your sister will die if you don’t. This?” She pointed to Athena. “This is just for fun. We want information about her powers, and you’re going to give it to us. You want to make life difficult until the blood moon? Fine. But we will get what we want.”

My breath came out in pants like I’d already gone ten rounds in a fighting ring.

“But to make sure you’re getting the message…” Director stomped over to the guard and pulled the blade from his hand. Then, with a grin in my direction, she dragged the tip down Athena’s arm until a trail of blood stained her pale skin and dripped onto the floor.

“So far, we’ve been relatively nice to you, Sinner. You refuse us much longer, and you’ll see what we’re really capable of.” She turned toward the door. “Bring the healer in. And clean this up. You know where to find me when they change their minds.”

A hooded figure stormed in and fell to their knees in front of Athena. The feminine hands hovered over Athena’s body, pouring magic into her, and her skin literally mended itself.

Athena watched, brows pinched in a mixture of confusion and pain. Delusion morphed her features, and her eyelids drooped as she fought against them.

Half the guards followed Director out of the dungeon, but the others stayed with the healer. When she was finished, she stepped back, and the man with the knife sliced through the rope tied around Athena’s wrists, then tipped the chair until she crumpled to the ground. He stormed out, dragging the bloody chair behind him.

The healer was the last to go, hesitating, head bowed, focused on Athena. Eventually, she left as well, though her steps were hesitant, like maybe she wanted to stay and help. Like maybe, like the rest of us, she was tangled in the ropes of the Ministry, forced to do this work for her own survival.

The moment the door clanged shut, I jumped out of bed and rushed to Athena’s crumpled body on the bloody floor. Her thigh gash was healed entirely. In its place was nothing but a light scar that matched the others. I quickly wiped the blood from her thin arm to make sure the healer had finished that one, too.

“Athena,” I whispered, pulling her onto my lap. “Can you hear me?”

Her eyes fluttered open and she trembled in my arms. “Thank you,” she breathed.

“Don’t thank me for anything,” I replied. “They stabbed you.”

With a grimace, she straightened and tugged at my hold. I refused to let her go.

Instead, I picked her up and carried her to her bed. “Rest, okay?” I pulled back. “You’ll feel better in the morning.”

“Wait—” She gripped my arm. “They can’t know.”

I froze, willing my heart not to take off again.

“Did you really feel it?” she asked.

Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I forced myself to hold her gaze. “Feel what?”

“Did you feel my power?” Her eyes widened, enticing me to dive into their depths. She looked…hopeful, maybe. Or scared? I couldn’t entirely place it.

“Sleep.” I placed a hand on her cheek and rubbed my thumb across her sharp cheekbone. It was stupid. I didn’t care about this woman. But this was for the best anyway. Every man here was watching us, and this would convince them otherwise. “We’ll talk about this later.”

I stayed by her side until her eyes fluttered closed.

Athena had a secret all right. And now I was holding tight to it right along with her.