Page 3 of Beg the Night (Mystics of Ashora #1)

THREE

athena

M en worried me. Truly. Their sheer strength and ability to overpower a woman was enough to put me on edge. And that was in the presence of just one . Here, there had to be dozens.

I scrambled to my feet and scanned my new prison, working to temper a look of disgust.

It was gross. We were in an underground cave, like a hole had been dug in the earth and these men had been shoved inside with no extra accommodations. Tiny cracks and natural openings in the rock near the top of the cave walls let in just enough sunlight to illuminate small cots lining either side of this underground dungeon. The walls were damp and rigid, looking as if the entire structure could cave in at any second. Everything was black or brown and covered in dirt. The smell of musk and old air nearly suffocated me, but I forced myself to take a few steps forward.

Some men stood in groups, speaking softly. Some worked out amongst themselves on the far side of the cavern. Others lounged around on the ground. But after a longer assessment, it was clear my first impression was correct.

I was the only woman here.

As fear ignited inside me, I froze. Maybe if I stood still, none of these monsters—sorry, men —would see me.

But unfortunately, within seconds, every conversation in the dungeon dwindled to a halt. Every single pair of eyes fell on me.

This was so much worse than living alone with my family buried in the yard. Was it too late to join them?

“What do we have here?” A blond man approached from my right. He was a foot taller than me, but his black T-shirt hung from his shoulders loosely, exposing his thin frame.

I could take him if I had to.

But I sure as shit couldn’t take all of them.

I probably couldn’t even fight off the two other men who flanked him with their arms crossed over their chests.

With my mouth sealed shut, I lifted my chin and crossed my own arms.

Rather than back off like I’d hoped, the man only tilted his head in delight. “A shy one.” He clicked his tongue. “Good. That’ll make our jobs easier.”

The men beside him snickered, and a bolt of dread ran up my spine.

Cheeks heating, I willed my body not to tremble. “And what is your job, exactly?” I mustered as much sass as I could as I looked him up and down like the trash he was.

He only seemed to like that more.

“Didn’t they tell you?” he sneered, coming one step too close for comfort. “You’re here so we can finally complete the damn claiming ritual. We’ve been waiting for months, and I’ll be damned if I let your smart mouth talk your way out of this.”

Stomach sinking, I took half a step back. Had everyone here lost their damn minds?

“You’re all mystics?” I scanned the room, and when every eye was still on me, I swallowed thickly. Some even stopped what they were doing to stand, circling me like I was their new form of entertainment.

The blond man just laughed. “Of course we’re mystics. If not for the claiming, why would any man have any interest in someone like you? Now,” he said, flashing a wicked smile, “tell us. What tier are you? By the look of you, I’d guess a one. There’s no way someone covered in dirt and gore would have real worth in this world.”

He scanned my body again, lingering on the blood and wounds that covered my right thigh. I stood tall. I would not flinch in front of these monsters. I would not show weakness.

Arms still crossed, I pulled myself up straighter and squinted at this sad excuse for a human. “I’m not telling you anything,” I sneered. “And I suggest you take a step back before you piss me off.”

With his hands held up in front of him, he widened his eyes and let his mouth drop open sarcastically.

While his buddies laughed, my heart raced. Shit. I hoped these bozos couldn’t tell. This was so, so much worse than lying unconscious in the van with those Ministry freaks.

“Let’s get one thing straight here, sweetheart .” Rather than step back like I suggested, he got so close I could smell the revolting musk wafting from him, his green eyes boring into mine. “You don’t get to talk to me like that. As a matter of fact, you don’t talk to anyone like that. Not even Henry over there.” He pointed to one side, but I refused to look away from him, not when he was so close. “Who I’m convinced was only brought here because Director had no other use for him. Now, keep your pretty little mouth shut and stay out of my way. We all know a woman like you has only one use here.”

He reached out like he was going to touch me, but a massive figure stepped into view, and Blondie immediately froze and turned to look up at the male who approached us.

Good god, he was huge. He had pale skin but thick, dark lashes fringing his nearly black eyes. His arms were crossed, causing his biceps to bulge as he looked at Blondie. Then me.

I almost shit my pants right there.

“What are you doing over here, Carter?”

Blondie— Carter —tensed and turned away from me like he hadn’t just been antagonizing me. “Nothing, Sinner. Just welcoming the new girl to hell.”

The massive and terrifyingly attractive man— Sinner , I supposed, which wasn’t disturbing at all —nodded.

His jaw clenched, the muscle there ticking. “Do I need to remind you of our rules here?” Sinner asked.

Carter immediately dropped his eyes to the ground. “No. You don’t.”

“Good.” The bigger man smacked his lips. “Because I was starting to think you’d forgotten the whole reason we’re here, and that’s to get the fuck out of this place. And in order to get the fuck out of this place, we need female mystics—like her.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks from the sudden burst of attention. Why did that sound oddly flattering?

“I know, she just?—”

“Leave her the fuck alone,” Sinner interrupted. His tone was flat, bored, if anything, and he still hadn’t given me a second of his attention, so I figured it had more to do with his obvious hatred of Carter and less to do with the need to protect me. “The next blood moon isn’t for four weeks. Can we all fucking behave until then?”

His voice was still even, but the power of it boomed off the cavern wall. Carter and his friends murmured an array of submissive responses, which lit a satisfying fire in my chest.

Men loved to act tough, but in reality, everyone was someone’s little bitch.

Everyone but Sinner, apparently.

“And you,” he said.

It took me a second to realize he was talking to me. When I did, all I could do was blink up at him.

“Keep to your fucking self. Don’t talk to him,” he pointed to a retreating Carter, “and definitely don’t fucking talk to me. Showers and bathrooms are that way. We’re fed once a day if the Ministry cares enough to bother. You’re on your own. We’ve been here for a hell of a long time, so don’t assume that your presence is going to change anything for us. Got it?”

I swallowed, trying to stop my eyes from bulging out of my head.

“I’m sorry,” he gritted out. “Are you fucking mute?”

Ah, shit. I cleared my throat and willed my vocal cords to work. “Yes, no, sorry. I mean, yes, I understand.”

His lip curled up, his expression making it clear he thought I was the biggest idiot here. Honestly, I didn’t blame him.

“Can I ask you one question?”

His eyes darkened. “One. And it’ll be the only time you get to talk to me, so make it quick.”

“What are we doing here? Why does the Ministry keep mystics locked up like this?”

His chest rose and fell. His eyes flickered away for a moment, and when they made their way back, they seemed almost sad. “We’re here to mate on the blood moon. That’s it. You have one month until then, and if you’re lucky, the Ministry will decide you’re useless and kill you when it’s done. But…”

“But what?”

That massive jaw clenched again. “But you’re a woman. Clearly, you’re outnumbered here. I don’t predict you’ll be that lucky.”

My stomach plummeted. Great. This day was really looking up, wasn’t it?

Without another word, he turned and walked back into the crowd of gawking men. They followed his lead, thank god, acting as if they weren’t going to watch my every move.

In the dim light, I found a semi-empty corner to the left and made my way to it. The numbness in my legs was wearing off, making each step painful. I prayed to whoever would listen that I wouldn’t fall on my ass. Not in front of these people.

The Ministry was my enemy, yes, but here? In an underground cave full of men who’d been brought here with the sole purpose of mating?

It looked as though my list of enemies had just grown exponentially.

Sinner, as scary as he was, was right about one thing. The lucky ones would be killed before they had to endure torture like that.

But there were many of them and only one of me.

The odds were not in my favor.

I finally reached the wall and pressed my back against the stone, sliding down until I met the floor. I sighed in relief, but tried my best to keep my expression neutral. I would not show weakness.

Not like it mattered much. Along with being covered in dirt from my family’s graves, blood and sweat coated my skin. I didn’t even want to know what all these men saw when they looked at me.

In reality, looking repulsive might help my cause.

Repulsive might keep me untouched.

The male voices returned, the volume pitching to a dull roar. It was preferable to the creepy silence that had taken over when I was pushed into this cavern. Water dripped nearby, and the stone was cold against my body. I ignored the chill sinking into my bones.

I would find a way out of here. Four weeks? That was plenty of time to make my escape.

There wasn’t a single other woman here. Could it be because they’d been smart enough to find a way out?

I curled myself into a tight ball and let my eyes flutter shut. Sleep was inevitable. I just hoped that the men were all as afraid of Sinner and his rules as they appeared to be.

If it came down to it, I couldn’t fight off more than one or two of these men.

So I silently prayed that they’d forget I was here.

And exhaustion took over.

“She can be such a bitch sometimes!” I picked up another log from the pile right outside the house. “It’s not my fault. You saw how she was acting!”

When I turned to look, Kylar was smiling and shaking his head, his arms laden with logs as well. “You’re too predictable, Thena. She knows how to push your buttons and you let her do it every time.”

Annoyance flared hot inside me despite the frigid temperature. “I do not.”

“Oh, really? How do you explain your bad mood, then?”

“I am not in a bad mood!” I picked up another log and stomped toward the house. “I’m sick of her getting away with treating me the way she does.”

His footsteps trudged the ground behind me. “She gets away with it because she’s better at keeping a level head. And because Mother and Father are tired of dealing with you both.”

“That’s very nice, thank you.”

All our lives, Kylar had done his best to be a buffer between my older sister and me, but he didn’t understand. Katherine had no issue with him. She was nice to him, even. Why couldn’t she treat me with even an ounce of the same respect?

Kylar stepped in front of me before I made it to the front door. “Just…” He huffed a breath. “Try to ignore her. I think it would do you both some good.”

I rolled my eyes at his optimism and stormed inside. Once the door was shut behind us, I kicked my boots off and brought the pile of wood to Father, who was stoking the fire.

“Thanks, darlin’,” he mumbled. “Your ma’s waiting for you two in the dining room. Hustle up!”

I brushed my hands off on my trousers and followed the smell of roasting chicken.

“There you are!” Jasmine cheered from the table. “Come sit by me, Thena! I saved you a seat!”

I couldn’t help but smile at my younger sister. She was lit up, beaming from ear to ear. Jasmine sat across from Katherine, whose scowl was so intense I could practically feel it as I sat. How the hell had Jasmine ended up so kind and perfect when Katherine was nothing more than a rotten turnip?

“Did you two wash your hands?” Mother asked as Kylar took the seat next to Katherine.

We glanced at each other before lying in unison, “Yep!”

Father joined us as Mother started passing around the food, and we quickly fell into the comfortable rhythm we always had. Day after day, we ate dinner as a family. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of it.

I forked a healthy chunk of chicken, and when I’d finished chewing, I cleared my throat. “So, Father, any news on the war with the mystics?”

The air around us stilled, and Father gave me that look again—the look that told me to stop talking. He knew more than he was letting on. He always did. I could see it in his eyes—in the heaviness that lingered there.

“You know better than to ask those questions at dinner, Athena.”

“But I ? —”

Katherine kicked me beneath the table.

I reared back and glowered at her. “What the hell ? —”

“No cursing at the dinner table!” Mother yelled.

“I’m just trying to ask Father about the war! We sit around pretending that everything’s fine, but we all know that’s not true!” I looked at my brother, my ally, and said, “You agree with me, right?”

Kylar’s face went blank, his focus averted.

“They’re going to find us eventually!” I argued.

The whole family was silent. Even Father waited for Kylar’s reply. But Kylar stared back at me, curly dark hair a mess and his soft brown eyes as kind as ever. Only now, there was another emotion lingering in his gaze. One that looked an awful lot like pity. “I think I’d prefer not talking about the war during dinner.”

“Yes!” Jasmine chimed in from beside me. “I agree with Kylar!”

Across the table, Katherine looked from Father to me like she was trying to determine who would break first. And when her eyes landed on me, they were filled with anger. “You really have to do this every time?” she asked.

“Do what?!”

“We have a nice life here. A peaceful life. I don’t see why you can’t be grateful for what Mother and Father have built for us and ? —”

“Who the hell said I’m not grateful? I just wanted to have one damn conversation! My god! You act like the whole world is going to burn down if I even mention the Ministry!”

“That’s ENOUGH.” Father pounded the table with a fist, causing Mother’s dishes to shake.

I shut my mouth immediately.

But my anger could not be as easily contained.

I’d always had a temper, but this? The entire family ganging up on me this way? It was enough to send me spiraling.

Mother couldn’t look me in the eye. Jasmine put her hands in her lap and lowered her focus to her dinner plate. Nobody else cared. No, they were perfectly fine living in ignorance, fully unaware of the mystics and what was happening to the world around us. Hell, the Ministry could come knocking on our door tomorrow and we wouldn’t have a single ounce of warning because Father kept us hidden like this ? —

“Athena.” Kylar’s soft voice interrupted my thoughts. “You need to calm down. Right now.”

The house started to shake, most likely originating from the anger in my own damn body.

Jasmine whimpered next to me, but my head was hot and my ears were ringing, making it impossible to make out her words. Everyone was staring at me like I was going to explode, like I was going to tear the whole place down like some ? —

“ATHENA!”

A sharp poke to my shoulder jarred me from the dream. I’d been lost to my nightmare. It had felt so damn real. As if my family was still whole. Seeing their faces again…to hear their voices, was?—

The sharp poke continued, and I snapped my eyes open. It took me all of three seconds to remember where I’d fallen asleep. To recall how dangerous my situation was. I had been sleeping around a group of strange, starved, mystic men. I pushed myself to a seated position on the dungeon floor, hit with a rush of adrenaline.

But the figure hovering over me wasn’t a man. The blue eyes peering through the darkness belonged to a young woman who couldn’t have been more than nineteen.

“Oh good,” she said. “You’re alive.”

Her long hair was pulled into a loose braid down her back, and even in the darkness of the caves, I could see freckles scattered across her pale skin.

“Holy shit.” My mouth was so dry, the words came out in a jumbled mess. “I—I thought I was the only girl down here.”

Her responding laugh echoed off the stone walls, startling me.

Breath hitching, I scanned the space, expecting every eye to be on us.

Instead, the men paid us little mind.

“I’ve been the only girl here for months,” she said with a scoff that told me she thought my assumption was ridiculous. “I was starting to think I was the only one left.”

I frowned. “The only what left? Girl?”

“The only female mystic, silly.” She inched toward me and cocked her head. “I’m Margaret. I think we’re going to be great friends.”

“Well—” I cleared my throat, in desperate need of water. “It’s nice to meet you, I guess, Margaret. But I’m not sure I’m ready to make friends in this rancid place yet.” God, my head hurt. “How long have I been asleep?”

“Two days,” she said, her expression a little more cheerful than one would expect in a place like this. “You must have been exhausted. We haven’t had anyone new in quite some time. You’re all anyone’s been talking about. I would have woken you up to eat, but you looked so peaceful. And you’re, like, really pretty.”

I blinked at her words. I wasn’t exactly proficient at socializing, having spent most of my life relatively isolated, but she seemed a little pushy. “Thanks, but I’m not sure that’s a good thing around here.”

She shifted so she sat in front of me with her legs crossed beneath her. She wore a simple black shirt and trousers like most of the men down here were dressed in.

She was cleaner and more well-groomed than I’d expect of any person who lived in a literal dungeon, especially a lone young woman in a cavern full of monsters. And she actually seemed to look…happy?

“Oh, it’s a good thing,” she said. “Here. I saved this for you.” She slid a plate of food to me. “I had to hide it from the others. They’re not very good at sharing.”

At the sight of the small portion of chicken, my stomach rumbled, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten in days. I picked it up with my fingers, not hesitating for a second as I shoved it into my mouth.

As I picked up a second piece and all but inhaled it, I couldn’t help but think that maybe this Margaret girl wasn’t so bad, after all. She had a nice energy to her. At least I wouldn’t starve to death.

Not yet, anyway.

I cleaned the plate in record time, and when I finished, Margaret stared at me with a smile on her face.

“What?” I asked. “I was hungry.”

“I knew you would be,” she said. “And I cleaned those wounds on your thigh as best I could while you were sleeping. They’re not too deep, they should heal soon. The Ministry likes to use small knives.” She paused, inching closer. “See? We’re friends already. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Aside from Jasmine and Kylar, I had never had a friend. And really, did siblings even count? Probably not, since they’d been stuck with me since birth.

Not anymore.

I ignored the tightness in my chest and turned my attention back to the mystic. “What did you mean when you said being pretty was a good thing?”

“Oh!” She looked over her shoulder and when she turned back, she hunched lower and angled in like she was about to share a secret. “The pretty ones get paired with the higher tiers. Director will like you. She might even pair you with a three.”

I nearly choked. “There are actually tier threes down here? I thought the Ministry was fighting to find even ones and twos.”

“They are.” She leaned in, her voice barely a whisper. “There’s only a single tier three here now. You know.” She frowned. “I take that back. Maybe you don’t want to be paired with a three. At least not this one. He’s scary. Like, scary scary. I would stay far away from him if I were you.”

“Really?” I lowered my voice to a whisper, too, even though the nearest man was a good twenty feet away. “Who?”

She turned over her shoulder, surveying the room. And then, in a way that didn’t surprise me at all coming from her, she actually pointed at him.

I followed her finger.

And my stomach dropped.

The large man leaned on a blanket-covered cot. His bed was in the very back of the dungeon beneath one of the tiny holes in the cavern walls. He had his legs stretched out in front of him in a way that made him look way too large for that cot.

“You’re kidding, right?”

Margaret let out a small giggle. “Not at all. The guy is a total loner down here. We all steer clear. I heard he once used his magic to kill someone for looking at him wrong. I believe it, too. He’s totally creepy.”

I looked away before he caught me staring. The last thing I needed was unwanted attention from the only tier three in this dungeon.

“If he’s that strong, how have they kept him contained here? Why doesn’t he use his power to escape? There are so many of you. Couldn’t you team up and?—”

Margaret’s eyes widened and she reared back. “There is no escaping here,” she whisper-shouted. “And if you try, they’ll punish you.” She nodded at my thigh. “That’s only the start of it. The mystics working for the Ministry somehow know when we use our power, and they have dozens of soldiers outside that door ready to fight anyone who’s dumb enough to try. You’re here until you die or until the Ministry proves you’re powerful enough to be used on the battlefield.”

I shook my head, my breath escaping me in a whoosh. This was so bizarre. “How long has this been going on? How long have you been here?”

She held her hand out in front of her and lifted one finger, then another and another, squinting at them. “Three months. No—four. Yes, four months.”

I bit my tongue to keep from cursing aloud. “And have you done the claiming ritual? That sounds absolutely terrible.”

Shaking her head, she smiled softly. “They haven’t found me useful enough for it yet. I’m a tier one with very little power. That’s what Director told me, anyway. I think they’ve been waiting for someone stronger than me. Someone like you.”

“Why the hell do people keep assuming I have power? I’m not a mystic, Margaret.” I pressed my fingers to my temples and rubbed in circles, willing the buzzing sensation in my brain to abate. “This is all some sick, twisted joke.”

She sighed aloud. “Of course you’re a mystic,” she said. “You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”

“But I’ve never used magic before. Ever.”

She leaned in until she was only a few inches from my face. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Your secret is safe with me.”

For the next several hours, Margaret filled me in on everything she knew regarding this dungeon and the Ministry. She was a bit of a nutjob, but I liked her. She lightened the mood in this incredibly depressing dungeon, and that alone was a near-impossible task.

Her sweet demeanor reminded me so much of Jasmine.

From what I could tell, the men ignored her entirely. That was a blessing, I was certain. She held my hand and dragged me around the cavern, pointing out the dirty walls and the much-too-low ceiling as if she were a tour guide showing me around a luxurious lodging space.

At the edge of the cavern, she pointed out a couple natural inlets in the rock walls. They had no doors, yet they offered far more privacy than any space in the main area.

I made a mental note to worm my way into one and claim it for sleep. Maybe Margaret and I could do it together.

She showed me the showers and the bathrooms, too. The plumbing and running water surprised me, but the showers and toilets were essentially thrown into a dug-out extension of the dank dungeon. A few small lights on the walls illuminated just enough to see. When I voiced my concern about her safety in here, Margaret laughed. “They would never hurt me,” she said. “And trust me, they won’t hurt you, either. They just like to act like they will.”

Great. Really great. I was absolutely not going to believe this lunatic if she actually thought we were safe with these men.

After we settled back down in our little vacant corner, she launched into a detailed account of all she knew about the tiers and the claiming ceremony.

According to her, the last time tier threes mated during the claiming, the power they created was exponentially greater than what any mystic could summon on their own. The Ministry could use that power against an entire army. It didn’t have to be a man and a woman, but there was a shortage of female mystics, nonetheless.

Margaret didn’t know the specifics, but she seemed very confident that it was the truth.

I was in no position to question her.

“I’m not letting them touch me. Not a single one of them,” I said. Most of the men had fallen asleep already, so I lowered my voice to a whisper so my words wouldn’t echo off the damp walls.

Margaret did the same. “Well, there is one way to get out of it. Both people have to willingly perform the ceremony. It cannot be forced.”

I let her words sink in. “If that’s the case, then how do they get anyone to agree to doing it? Mating with a random mystic for some strange ritual? That sounds awfully creepy to me.”

She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “People have their reasons. Maybe they can’t handle living underground any longer. Not long after I got here, two people who hated each other made an alliance so they could leave. And now, they’re gone!”

I shuddered. “Ugh. That’s disgusting. I would never have sex with one of them to get out of here.”

She looped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. “They’re not all that bad.”

“Really? None of them have given off the best vibes since I’ve been here. If I’ve learned anything in this life, it’s to assume men will always hurt women, and their behavior when I got pushed into this cavern only solidified that.”

Her lips tugged down. “You’re very cynical. It’s making me sad.”

I picked at my dirty pants aimlessly. “I mean, the tier three’s name is Sinner. Where do you think he got that name? I can’t imagine he earned it by being nice and loving to his friends.”

Margaret just shrugged. “I wouldn’t want anyone judging me without getting to know me first. I like to give others the same courtesy.”

It was a damn miracle Margaret had survived this long down here. She was too nice. Too trusting.

These men had ignored her completely, yet when I’d arrived, I’d garnered the attention of every one of them. Being invisible would have been far more palatable than the verbal abuse Blondie gave me.

He and his friends slept on the far side of the dungeon, a few feet away from where Sinner sat up in bed, using the moonlight filtering in from the window to read an old, tattered book.

His expression was softer than seemed possible for a man as roughened as he was. He almost looked peaceful.

It was disturbing.

If he was as strong as Margaret claimed, he should have no problems escaping this place. He could easily kill Director and slaughter the soldiers guarding the facility. Then we could all be free.

What was keeping him here? Who was controlling the prisoners?

Had Director really brainwashed them into believing they weren’t powerful enough to escape?

Either way, I wouldn’t sit around all month and wait for my death or worse. I’d spent my entire life taking care of myself.

And I would die before I let a man violate me in the name of governmental power.