Page 8 of Beg the Night (Mystics of Ashora #1)

EIGHT

athena

“ P ut me down!”

In the silence of the night, my words nearly echoed off the stone walls.

But Sinner only dug his fingertips into the backs of my thighs until I was certain they bruised.

He stormed to the front of the open space, just beside the barricaded door. I squirmed and kicked the whole way, but it was no use, he was freakishly large and inhumanly strong. He didn’t loosen his grip until we had reached the very corner of the dark cavern, a place where even the moonlight didn’t reach. Nobody slept this close to the entrance, leaving it wide open for Sinner to drag me here and—what? Kill me?

No way. Not when I was his one chance at getting out of this place.

He set me on my feet roughly, then cornered me against the wall with his arms caging me in place.

“Are you really so afraid that your sister will see the truth?” I pushed.

Head cocked, he loomed closer. “And what truth is that, exactly?”

Like this, I couldn’t make out his features, but I could feel the heat radiating from him.

I hated it. I hated him .

“That you made a deal with Director to keep her safe.”

I expected him to deny it. Instead, he glared at me, his dark eyes hard, his chest rising and falling with thick breaths as he pushed against the wall on either side of me, his muscles rippling. “If you ever say that shit again—especially around Margaret—I’ll kill you.”

Wow. More threats—surprise, surprise. Big boy was mad .

With a harsh breath out, he straightened a fraction, like he was going to turn away. I really should have let him go. But my ego wouldn’t let him push me like this. Not when I was the missing piece of the plan he’d probably been working on for months now.

I lifted my chin, my lips curling up. “No, you won’t.”

He lowered his head so we were nose to nose. “You’re right, New Girl. I won’t kill you.” He ran a finger down my cheek almost delicately, and my breath hitched, my traitorous body reacting in a way I hadn’t given it permission to. “But I can make you so miserable you’ll wish you were dead. I control everyone and everything down here. You think these men have left you alone because they’re honorable?”

A shiver worked its way down my spine, betraying the defiant facade I’d created.

“Wrong. It’s because they’re afraid of me. Rightfully so.”

His hand slid down to my neck, the touch electrifying me, and as he gripped my throat and squeezed, sparks flashed in my vision.

“You don’t scare me,” I gritted out with the little air remaining in my lungs. “I’ve dealt with far worse than men like you.”

The breath from his laugh tickled my cheek, but he didn’t loosen his hold. “You should be scared, New Girl, because when that blood moon comes around, when you willingly mate with me and complete the transformation, you’ll see what a monster I really am. And I’ll finally see what pesky powers you’ve been hiding under that innocent demeanor.”

“I’ll never willingly mate with you.”

His grip tightened, and on instinct, I brought my own hands up and wrapped them around his thick forearm, fighting his hold.

He smiled. “We’ll see about that.”

Even in the darkness, the pure hatred in his deep brown eyes was clear. It emanated from him, like every single inch of his being was repulsed by my very existence.

Likewise, buddy.

He let go of me with one last push and stormed back to his cot.

My heart raced as he disappeared into the darkness. He could threaten me, sure, but I was the one truly in control here.

He couldn’t force me to mate with him. The claiming only worked if both parties were willing. Thank god for that tiny stipulation.

If he truly was doing this to save his sister, then his intentions were honorable. But Mags could take care of herself down here. She wouldn’t support this plan if she knew what her brother was up to. And the aftermath would be catastrophic. Wouldn’t it?

I rubbed the skin on my throat where his hand had been. Sinner had just slotted himself at the top of my list of enemies.

“Are you okay?”

I spun at the sound of the quiet voice, a hand over my once again pounding heart.

Leon—I think—stood a few feet away.

“God,” I sighed. “I didn’t see you standing there.”

“Didn’t mean to scare you. I’m just making sure you’re all right. No matter how I look at it, I can’t decide whether you’re the luckiest person here, or the unluckiest.”

One of those was certainly true. “And what makes you say that?”

With a shrug, he stepped closer. I’d been watching him the last few days, just like I’d been watching the rest of the men locked up in here with me. Leon was quiet. Observant. He didn’t engage in the random fights with the other guys, but he could always be found nearby.

Never interfering.

I wasn’t sure whether I could trust him, but in this place it was safer to trust nobody at all than to take that risk.

Leon shrugged. He was good-looking in a reserved way. He kept his hair short, and though his shirt was baggy, it couldn’t hide the lean muscle he was packing. “You’re the newest person here, yet you’ll be the next one to leave.”

“Would it be better to stay down here with the rest of you?” Seriously, would it?

Leon’s soft green eyes met mine. “That depends on what you’re willing to do to survive.”

I rolled his words around in my mind for a few seconds before I responded. “I think we’d all be willing to do all sorts of things to survive. The question is—which fate is worse?”

Lips tugged down in a thoughtful frown, he studied me. “You’re smart. It’s no wonder Director likes you so much.”

“Gee, thanks.” With a roll of my eyes, I turned toward my cot.

Before I made it more than a foot or two, Leon stepped in front of me. “Be careful, okay? Sinner may seem like he’s on your side, but he’s dangerous. Like you said, we’re all willing to do all sorts of things for survival.”

I nodded and brushed past him, doing my best to ignore the growing rock in my stomach. And when I dared a glance at Sinner, his dark gaze was locked on Leon.

“It’s been days,” Margaret whined. “I promise I won’t let Sinner in. Just one shower, you’ll feel so much better!” She tugged on my arm, as if she could physically force me into the bathrooms. I may not have been all that tall or muscular, but she was tiny.

We’d successfully avoided everyone all day. Margaret had kept me entertained by making up stories or talking to herself until I fell asleep. I was really, really glad to have her down here, however cruel and messed up that made me.

She made it a little less miserable.

“I don’t really feel like being threatened while I’m naked again,” I groaned. “It would just ruin my mood.”

“That won’t happen,” she swore. “Sinner was just grumpy that day.”

I rolled my eyes. “Right. Because his mood today is so much better.” In unison, we turned and looked at her brother, who sat with his back to us. He and a few of the other guys were huddled together, talking about god knows what. The thought of him lounging around and talking about life or the weather made me cringe. It was so normal, and guys like Sinner were anything but normal.

“Look,” she started, “I don’t want to say that sleeping next to you is a form of torture… Someone else might say that. Not me, though.” She held her hands up, her eyes wide. “I’m your friend, so I wouldn’t say that.”

This girl. “Fine.” I bit back a grin and pointed at her. “But you’re waiting outside the door for real this time. And don’t let anyone inside.”

Face alight, she yanked on my arm.

This time, I let her drag me over to the empty bathroom. Most of the guys were busy talking or working out, paying us no mind.

That was a relief. If they didn’t know I was in here, they wouldn’t harass me. That was the hope, at least. One glance over my shoulder told me Sinner was still sitting with his back to us, completely oblivious.

Perfect.

Though I probably should be disgusted by the way I smelled after going several more days without showering, I didn’t mind it. The aroma made it easier to keep these men—Sinner included—far, far away from me.

“Go ahead.” Margaret stepped aside and waved toward the showers. “I’ll wait here.”

First things first, I peered behind every curtain, making sure the bathrooms were completely empty. Once I confirmed we were alone, I enclosed myself in one of the stalls and quickly stripped. The less time I spent in here, the better.

I set my clothes outside the curtain where they would stay dry and turned on the water. And god, it was incredible. I’d forgotten how amazing hot water could feel when I fully succumbed to it. My stiff, tired limbs finally relaxed as I let go of all the tension and stress. That seemed to be my permanent state now—stressed.

It was better than dead.

Maybe. Honestly, death was starting to sound pretty damn peaceful.

I turned around and closed my eyes, letting the water hit my face.

My life had become unrecognizable since, one by one, everyone I loved had died. They would have protected me from this. They would have helped me figure out what to do. They’d have told these psychopaths that I didn’t have any powers.

My chest ached as I thought about them. I missed them all. Ridiculously, I even missed the way Mother would nag me about wearing my dirty boots in the house. I missed the way Father would pretend to scold me over it, only to wink at me behind her back. I missed the way Kylar would try to talk me down from my temper tantrums, the way Katherine would braid Jasmine’s hair before bed.

God, I missed all of it. Back then, I so often hated my life, the isolation, the way our parents sheltered us. Now, I realized how much they’d protected us. Had my parents known all along that this life was awaiting me? Had they known what would happen if the Ministry ever came for us? Is that why we’d lived in such isolation for all those years?

Tears stung my eyes, and for the first time since the day I buried Jasmine, I let them fall freely, allowing the hot water to whisk them away.

Even if I agreed to the claiming, then what? I wasn’t a mystic, so the ritual would do no good, right? Then where would I be? Dead, I was sure.

My chest tightened again, and I took a few long breaths to relieve the pain.

I was doing the right thing, wasn’t I? Resisting Sinner and defying the Ministry’s order was the honorable way to go about this. Though a small, itching sensation in my heart flared to life every time I thought of Margaret, every time I thought of massive, evil Sinner moving atop me, inside me—the repulsive new girl—just to save her.

I couldn’t forget that he’d also save himself by participating. The whole protect my sister thing could have been an act.

With a shake of my head, I cleared my mind of all those thoughts. Then I quickly washed my hair and body. I shut the water off, and when I reached for my towel and clothes, I nearly died.

Because they were gone.

“Margaret?” I shouted, my heart hammering against my breastbone. “Margaret, my clothes are gone!”

Silence.

I peeked through the gap at the edge of the curtain, looking for the culprit, but the bathroom was empty. Eerily empty.

“Margaret!” I called out. The usual stash of extra clothes and towels had been cleared out.

Someone had come in here while I was showering and taken everything.

Yeah, I was never showering again. I couldn’t trust a single bastard in this dungeon.

Where the hell was Margaret?

Seriously. Stealing clothing like this? Were we twelve ? I’d understand a dungeon full of depraved men trying to see me naked if?—

It hit me then.

Those men wouldn’t do shit.

Not with Sinner here, terrifying them all with his presence alone.

Not even if I walked into that dungeon completely naked.

Dripping wet, pissed off, and totally over my friendship with Mags, I stormed out from behind the curtain.

Out of the bathroom.

And into the dungeon.

I’d never been ashamed of my body. I was hardly curvy, but my body was strong. It had hauled me through more shit than any one person should have to endure.

I was proud of my strength.

So I held my head high as I stood in the middle of the open space, scanning the dark underground for the so-called friend who’d clearly abandoned me.

“What the hell are you doing?” Margaret darted over, her eyes wide as she scanned my body like she was concerned for my mental well-being. “I’m not sure if you know this, but you’re, like, totally naked right now.”

Fair.

“Where have you been?” I planted my hands on my hips and glared at her. “Someone came in there and took my clothes, Margaret! All the clothes, and the towels.”

She glanced over my shoulder into the bathroom, holding her hands out in front of her as if that was really going to calm me down. “I’ve been standing here the whole time. Nobody came in or out. I swear.”

A couple of men to my right snickered.

Fury sparking to life, I spun and took a step closer, ready to kill the next person who laughed. “What?” I yelled. Yeah, I was definitely losing my mind. “Does this amuse you? You all think this is funny?” Water dripped down my body, and if not for the anger burning through me, I probably would have shivered.

The guys continued to gather around, drawn to me like they hadn’t seen a naked woman in years. Hell, maybe they hadn’t.

Sinner barreled through the crowd, knocking men over left and right. “What the fuck are you doing?” he barked as he stopped in front of me. His dark eyes raked my body once, and I could have sworn he got even angrier as he looked at me.

Wow. Did I really disgust him that much?

“Someone took my clothes from the shower.” I threw my arms out to my sides. “That desperate to see a naked woman, it seems.” I propped my hand on my hip and lifted my chin. “Ground-breaking, I know.”

A few more men laughed. One near the back even whistled, causing a round of cheers to break out.

Potent anger radiated from Sinner, each wave slamming into me more forcefully than the last. “Cover yourself. Now.”

There it was. The possessive, arrogant asshole who thought he could control every person here, every situation.

“Why?” I stepped closer. “Not liking what you see? If that’s the case, I have bad news for you. I don’t think you’ll be happy when the claiming ceremony comes around.”

More laughter.

But not from Sinner.

A few painfully slow seconds passed. With each one, I became more and more aware of the fact that I was a naked woman standing in front of a group of depraved men.

With a curse, Sinner stepped forward and peeled his own shirt off his body.

“What are you?—”

He cut me off by shoving it down over my head.

As the hem hit my thighs, I froze. I couldn’t move if I wanted to. Not when his hands were on me. He let go, but he didn’t back up, not at first. He stood inches away from me—shirtless—breathing so heavily his chest nearly touched mine. “You’re coming very close to pissing me off. And you don’t want to see me angry.”

Right. Because so far, he’s been nothing but cheerful since I arrived. “Why do you care if I stand here naked or not? It’s none of your concern.”

“It’s exclusively my concern.”

I scoffed, arms crossed under my breasts. “Because someone’s finally disobeying your orders?”

Face reddening, he tipped his chin down until his sharp features were cast in shadow. If I wasn’t so pissed, I may have been afraid. By the silence of the others, it was obvious they were.

Always so frightened of big, bad Sinner.

Even Margaret, my ridiculously chatty friend— former friend—was silent.

It was impossible to focus on any of them for more than a heartbeat. Not with the way his masculine scent flooded my senses, making my pulse race.

“You’re mine, New Girl,” he said, heat rolling off him and soaking into me. “I agreed to claim with you, and as much as I wish I could change that, we’re stuck in this situation.”

“And what situation is that?”

He huffed, finally lifting his chin as if he’d only now realized how close we were. He turned over his shoulder, facing the crowd of eavesdropping men, and yelled, “Get the fuck away from us.”

The crowd immediately dispersed, with only a few ‘boos’ from someone in the back.

“You’re claiming with me,” he said when he turned back. “That means our magic will be connected forever. It’s you and me, New Girl. You don’t get to walk around here and show all these other men what’s rightfully mine.”

I reared back. Was he joking? He was joking, right? “And you think my body is yours?”

He hooked a finger under the hem of my—his—shirt, something in his expression changing, shifting. “That’s exactly what I think.” Focus fixed on my face, he trailed that one finger higher until I gave in and clutched his hand to pull it away from my bare skin.

With a quiet laugh, he shook his head. “See, New Girl? You can put on a show all you want, but I see right through it. I see right through every mask you slip on. I know you’re hiding something. I know you don’t actually want fifty monstrous eyes looking at your naked body. You want control as badly as I do, but the difference?” Hand still clenched beneath mine, he leaned in until I could feel his breath on my face. “I’m still in charge here.”

He ripped his hand from mine and turned away.

“Keep the shirt,” he yelled over his shoulder.

I stayed frozen like that, like an idiot, watching him stalk to the far side of the dungeon. He’d been clear about his hatred for me since the moment I stepped into this hellhole, yet he had this freaky, possessive need to control me. Me.

I found myself tugging the hem of his shirt lower, making sure all the important parts were covered. As much as I wanted to whip it off and throw it at him, I knew better. And I knew Sinner wasn’t going to sit back and watch me strip in a dungeon full of men.

But what did that mean? That he actually cared about me? Did he really think my body was his now that we were paired for the claiming? Now that he thought we’d be participating in the ridiculous ritual, that is.

My stance hadn’t changed. I still had no intention of performing the claiming ritual with him. I had no intention of being controlled by anyone. Director, Sinner, anyone .

“Are you okay?” Margaret asked, drawing my attention away from the moronic shirtless man.

“I’m fine,” I sighed.

“Really?” She tilted her head, her dark hair slipping over one shoulder. “Because a few seconds ago you were totally naked, having a standoff with the entire dungeon.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I’m crazy. Who knows.”

With a smile, she slung an arm around my shoulders. “Good. Crazy is good.”