Page 21 of Lycan King’s Captives (Lycan King Reign Duet #1)

“Your mother sent us to clean the room while you’re gone.” Xandros nods but says nothing in answer to them. He points down the hall. “Go on,” he growls.

The hallway outside is cold and uninviting, the stone floor sending chills up my spine as we walk.

I can feel the weight of Xandros’s presence behind me, oppressive and suffocating, as he tells me the directions to go in.

My heart races in my chest, a mix of excitement and fear—excitement that I was leaving, fear of wondering where we were going.

As we descend the staircase, the lights lining the walls cast flickering shadows, making the descent feel like a journey into the depths of hell. When I reach the bottom, he grabs my arm.

I glance at him, he says nothing instead, leading me outside to the waiting car.

He opens my door, not letting me go until I am stuffed inside.

Xandros slides across the seat, forcing me over and a nervousness creeps in.

Humans rarely go out at night, so I’m feeling uneasy now.

I wanted nothing more than to leave that room.

However, now, faced without the nightlife of the city, I realize how foolish that is to have wanted such a thing.

“Where are we going?” I ask, nervous now.

“Mal’s club.”

I gulp down the dread that lodges in my throat.

“You wanted to come with me so desperately, you got what you wanted,” he snarls at me.

The drive to the city is filled with anxiety, my heart pounding as we venture further into the city.

The night sky is a deep, velvety black, lit up with stars that seem to taunt me with their distant beauty.

As we draw nearer to our destination, my fear grows with each passing mile, the cityscape looming larger with every turn.

Xandros pulls out his phone and dials a number, his eyes fixed on the scenery outside his window. I overhear the conversation as he leaves a voicemail, his voice tense and impatient.

“Javier, I know you’re avoiding me. I don’t know why, but I am headed to Mal’s.

Either meet me there, or I will send people out looking for you.

You have two hours! Don’t make me send people out looking for you!

” With that, Xandros stabs his phone screen with his finger before pocketing it, muttering to himself.

As we arrive at the nightclub, the chaotic scene before us is almost overwhelming.

The streets are filled with vampires, Lycans, and werewolves, all reveling in the night.

The air is thick with the scent of blood, danger, and excitement, causing my heart to race even faster as I realize exactly how out of my element I am.

Xandros leans over, his voice a low growl as he lays out his rules.

“You stay by my side, you don’t wander! You don’t talk to anyone or look at anyone!

Am I clear?” I nod, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

“You’re to be seen, not heard,” he adds harshly, grabbing my arm as the driver opens the door.

Stepping into the club, the bouncer immediately recognizes Xandros and allows us to bypass the queue.

The atmosphere inside is sinister and blood-curdling.

Women with chains around their ankles are tied to poles, dancing naked on tables and little podiums, their bodies covered in bite marks.

The music is pounding, sending tremors through the floor and up into my body.

The dim lighting casts eerie shadows, the air heavy with a mix of sweat, alcohol, and something darker, more sinister. Blood.

Xandros leads me to a table where three men in suits are sitting.

Their eyes flicker over me, appraising and possessive, and I shrink back against Xandros, trying to make myself as small as possible.

He pulls out a chair for me, and grips my shoulder, pushing me down into it.

I sit, my legs trembling beneath me. My eyes take in the men at the table.

They appear to be in their thirties, and their menacing red eyes watch me.

I avert my gaze when a waitress wanders over offering drinks.

When she sets an amber liquid in front of me, Xandros takes it.

“Maybe wine?” the waitress suggests. “No, water. She won’t be drinking,” Xandros states, not paying her the slightest piece of attention, making me wonder if that is because I am sitting beside him, because the other three men gaze at her like she would be a tasty snack.

She leaves, returning with some water, and I sip it, glancing around the place.

The conversation at the table is a low hum in the background with my racing thoughts.

I try to focus on their conversations, but the pulsating beat of the music makes it difficult to concentrate.

Instead, I watch the people around us, the different creatures all united in their pursuit of pleasure and blood.

As the night wears on, I feel like a pawn in some twisted game, my presence a symbol of Xandros’s control over me.

I glance at him, his face a mask of cool indifference as he engages in conversation with the men around us.

Beneath the surface, I can sense the tension.

His grip on my knee tightens when I wiggle or move, a firm reminder not to draw attention to myself.

I watch in horror as the women are fed on and pulled around, the rowdiness of the place escalating. The atmosphere grows darker and more sinister, and I know I shouldn’t be here. I regret wanting to leave my prison. I’m cold, need to pee, and struggling to keep my eyes open.

However, peering around, I look for a bathroom when I notice him.

Amidst the chaos, I see a figure appear from the mass of gyrating bodies.

Toby. I immediately drop my gaze, not wanting to draw attention to him.

The swift movement causes Xandros to glance at me.

I try to sneak another look for Toby, when I do, he is gone, much to my relief.

The night drags on, and the vampire men appear to be amused by my presence. One of them smirks as I set my glass on the table, “She’s a pretty one, Xandros.” Xandros’s grip on my knee tightens painfully, causing me to cry out. The man chuckles, “What a pretty voice. I bet she moans beautifully.”

Xandros’s voice turns cold and dangerous as he replies, “Keep your eyes off my mate, or you’ll find out just how sharp my claws are.”

The man quickly apologizes. “I didn’t realize she was your mate. I thought Carina was to marry you.” Xandros nods, acknowledging the strange situation and my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

“So, she’s allowing you to keep her as a concubine of sorts?

” one of the men asks. Xandros replies with a dismissive shrug, “Something like that.” The man laughs, while I feel like a toy, something he keeps on the side.

“Well, we all need a plaything, though first I’ve seen a mate be the toy.

I can’t bear being away from mine, or do you prefer her close. How does Carina get on with her?”

“She doesn’t,” Xandros answers, glancing at me.

“And that doesn’t bother you? How does that work?” the man asks, looking genuinely intrigued by this rather strange choice of conversation.

“It just does. Carina knows she is my mate, they both accept it whether they like it or not, right, Sienna?” Xandros asks, turning his head to look at me.

“Like I have a choice,” I mutter before I can stop myself, his grip on my thigh turns bone breaking.

One of the men laughs, while the one who asked the question stares at me with pity, which I find rather odd.

“Seems not all are happy with the situation,” the man with a beard, laughs.

“She’ll get over it,” Xandros states and I press my lips in a line, averting my gaze away from them, trying my best to ignore them.

“So you plan on keeping both?” he asks.

Xandros says nothing else, though his silence speaks volumes and that makes my stomach turn.

As the night wears on, my need to use the bathroom becomes unbearable. I feebly grip Xandros’s leg under the table, causing him to look at me. His gaze is piercing, and I shrink under it as he grips my hand, squeezing my fingers in warning, to not embarrass him.

I blink back tears, feeling my fingers crack, in his crushing grip. The other men at the table are watching me, their expressions a mix of curiosity and amusement.

Finally, I can’t hold it any longer, and I pull my hand out of Xandros, my fingers finally regaining feeling. I tug on his jacket, only for him to snap at me. “What?” His tone makes me jump and my knee hits the bottom of the table making everyone’s drinks rattle.

“Calm down, My King, you’re scaring your mate,” the man across from me says.

If looks could kill I’m afraid that man would be dead. Xandros sits back in his chair while I glance nervously around the table, everyone falling silent. I watch as his phone rings and he snatches it off the table.

“Fucking finally, Javier,” he snarls. My eyes go to the bathroom again.

“Xandros?” The same man from before says pointing to me. Xandros growls and looks at me.

“I need to pee,” I whisper, and he looks at the bathrooms across the room. His tone is cold.

“Then go.” My heart races at the thought of walking through the club alone. “No one will touch you, not with me here. They all saw you walk in with me,” he assures me.

“Hang on, Javier,” he answers.

As I push my chair out, he grabs my arm. “Remember, I’m watching. Don’t try anything,” he warns, finally releasing me. I nod and rush to the bathroom, feeling everyone’s eyes on me.

The moment I burst into the bathroom, I take a deep breath, only to gasp when I spot Toby leaning against the sink basin, his arms folded across his chest.

The shock of seeing him sends a shiver down my spine, and I glance at the door. I wonder what he’s doing here, and what it might mean for me if Xandros catches me with him.

Toby quickly walks over, locking the door. “You didn’t call me?” he snaps. I shake my head.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Ashley, the waitress, she called the moment she spotted a woman with Xandros,” he tells me. I sigh, shaking my head moving off toward the toilet cubicle when he grabs me, tugging me back to him.

“Toby, you shouldn’t be here. He’ll kill you if he finds out you’re in here,” I tell him, but he grabs my face in his hands.

“I know you don’t want him, Sienna.” I shake my head. It doesn’t matter what I want, the mate bond will always draw me back to Xandros.

“I know a witch. She can break your bond. I will get you out…” Toby tells me, and I blink at him.

“What?” I ask, a little dumbfounded.

“A witch, then we run. I can get us out of the city. We can start off fresh somewhere else. Somewhere away from that monster,” he growls, cupping my face in his hands.

“You’re being ridiculous, Toby. You’ll get us both killed and why do you even care? I am just an old employee,” I tell him, pulling away and rushing into a cubicle. I lift my dress and quickly pee.

“You don’t believe that. I know you don’t. Don’t pretend you don’t feel the same way about me as I do you,” he tells me. I furrow my brows. I shake my head and finish peeing. Leaving the cubicle, I move to the sink basin and wash my hands.

“You are insane,” I tell him when he grips my face, forcing me to look at him. I stare at his handsome face.

“Tell me you feel nothing for me?” he says, and I chew my lip. I thought I did, but do I still? The bond makes things complicated. I don’t know what I feel that is real and the bond.

“Toby, what you’re asking?—”

“Is for you to be with me. Run with me. I love you. Unfortunately, it took that asshole stealing you from me to realize that,” he exhales, pressing his forehead against mine.

“Just think about it and call me when you get a chance. I will find a way to get you out of the city,” he tells me, pressing his lips to my forehead before slipping out of the bathroom before I can protest.