Page 5

It was strange staring into the eyes of a man you had only just met as you’re getting married to him. It’s probably also strange to hate the guy you’re supposed to marry with every fiber of your being. And yet, here we were.

Lucas kept prattling on as we stood in the middle of the pit. Will stood stiff and uncomfortable across from me, but his face remained locked on mine, as if he couldn’t help himself. Something about the intense gaze made my skin prickle, and not unpleasantly so.

I ignored it. It didn’t matter if I was attracted to him. This asshole still owned me now. Was still marrying me.

“You may kiss the bride,” Lucas said.

Something flashed across Will’s eyes. Reluctance? Disgust? I couldn’t tell. Either way, he bent down. His lips brushed gently across mine, barely touching them. It surprised me. Most of the creeps here took any opportunity they could to shove their tongue down your throat.

Despite myself, I felt my wolf stir at the small caress as if she liked the kiss, and the shifter who was standing in front of her. I tried to hide the mix of annoyance and surprise swirling inside me.

I found myself craving more despite myself. I didn’t want Will to stop. I hated him for what he was, and yet I couldn’t help but want to keep kissing him.

Then he broke away. Barely glancing in my direction, he turned to look at Lucas. “Are we done?” he asked, sounding almost bored.

Lucas chuckled. I wanted to punch him. “Eager to get her out of here and into bed? I can’t blame you.”

A shiver of repulsion snaked up my skin. I wanted nothing more than to claw Lucas into ribbons. Lucas, Will, and everyone else.

“For winning, you get use of one of the fighting pit houses,” Lucas said. “Some of the men here prefer to keep their women here instead of bringing them back to their real home. It leads to fewer awkward questions.”

Hence, the city layout. I could imagine some of these shifters spending most of their time here, living a double life without anyone knowing. It was absolutely revolting.

I bristled, expecting my new master to give a warning jerk of the chain, but he seemed more interested in talking to Lucas.

“I think I can find some use for that,” Will said.

I could feel the leers on me, and my stomach churned and writhed at the lewd chuckles that reverberated through the space.

“In that case, we won’t keep you,” Lucas said. Whenever I saw him, all I could think about was him dragging my sister away. He gave Will a lecherous smile that made me want to hurl. “Have fun.”

Lucas dropped the chain he’d been holding in Will’s outstretched hand. He caught it, his face stone as large fingers wrapped around it.

Where’s my sister? I wanted to scream at Lucas, even as I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. I glowered at him. He caught the glare, gave me a smirk and a wink, and strolled away as Will muttered in my ear.

“Let’s go,” he said.

I didn’t have a choice. We moved through the city, winding around the large groups of men, some of them leading slaves of their own. We didn’t speak the entire time. His shoulders stayed rigid, and I couldn’t tell if that was from anger or just who he was.

The house they had given Will bordered on mansion-sized. It loomed on a hill at the edge of the small city. He opened the front door and held it open for me. I stepped inside as he let go of the chain. Half of me wanted to run, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. What was the point? Instead, I moved further into the house. It reminded me of a showroom. Tasteful, expensive furniture that had never been touched, pristine floors, and too-bright lights.

I wandered in before him, looking at my new surroundings, wondering how long he would keep me in the Underside or if he had any intention of taking me out of here at all. Whatever he decided, I was at his mercy.

I hated it. I hated him.

I heard the door close and footsteps come down the hall. When Will emerged from the corridor, his eyes looking at me, I couldn’t help it—I took a step back.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said.

I’d had other slavers, other masters who told me that usually right before they hit me or dragged me by the hair or something else. I probably should have been terrified, but I channeled that fear into anger instead. I just glared at him in silence, daring him to come too close.

“Go on and sit,” he said, gesturing to the couch.

I thought about turning invisible, or maybe putting up some sort of magical barrier. But things like that would only give me protection for so long. After which, I’d be punished for the impertinence.

Reluctantly, a lump in my throat, I moved toward the couch and sank down onto it.

He moved to stand in front of me, looking me up and down. My body felt electrified by that gaze, heating under his stare. I tried to temper the feeling. He was my captor. That was it. I didn’t care if he was attractive. He was the enemy.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Is your name really Kendra, or did they give it to you?”

The question took me by surprise. I blinked. Despite promising myself I wouldn’t talk, I found myself saying, “It’s my name.”

He took the key they had given him and unlocked the shackles. They fell to the ground with a rattle.

I glanced down at the shackles on the floor, then back up at him, not bothering to hide my confusion. “Thanks,” I said.

Will ignored it. He crouched near me, examining the collar. This close, I could smell a mix of sea breeze and cedar. A pleasant smell, unlike the musk most shifters down here reeked of.

“What about the collar?” he asked.

“It doesn’t come off,” I said. Why the hell was I talking to him? I told myself I wouldn’t, except I couldn’t seem to help it. “It makes it harder for us to escape and blend in.”

“And this?” he tapped the bracelet.

“It doesn’t come off, either.”

“What does it do?” he asked. He glanced up at me, those piercing blue eyes deep enough to drown in.

I wanted to tell him to mind his own business, but what was the point? If he didn’t know already, he’d find out soon enough. “It makes it so I can’t hurt the slavers or my owner in any way, or use magic against them,” I said, my voice tight with anger.

“I wondered how the hell they managed to keep witches in check,” he muttered. “Can I see?”

Considering you technically own me now, I don’t have much choice , I thought, keeping the thought to myself. Instead, I held out my wrist.

He gingerly took my hand and raised it, twisting my arm one way and then the other so that he could get a better look at it. I tried to ignore the way I focused on his touch, or how my breathing had grown shallow. His hands, rough and calloused and strong, seemed to leave electricity wherever he touched.

“And I’m guessing you’ve tried taking them off yourself?” he said.

“Yup. The first night they were on. The enchantment prevents someone wearing them from magically taking them off. Some witch who doesn’t have them on has to take them off for us.”

“Fucking hell,” he said. The genuine anger in his words took me by surprise. The blue of his eyes seemed to burn white-hot. “Those assholes.”

I blinked, brow furrowing. That wasn’t exactly what I had been expecting to hear.

“I figured you guys would be thrilled about that,” I said, knowing it was a stupid idea before the words were even fully out of my mouth. “After all, that keeps us in check. It means we’re less likely to run or cause you any trouble.”

I waited for the retaliation, knowing it was going to come. Instead, he took a step back.

“I have no intention of keeping you or anything like that,” he said.

Great, I’m going to get sold again , I thought.

“Okay,” I said. “In that case, when are you going to sell me? And will you do it here or in the normal world?”

He shook his head, his hair swishing with the moment. It looked so soft. For a moment, I wondered what it would feel like to run my fingers through it, to tangle my hand in it as I pulled him against me.

I shoved the thought from my head. Meaningless, obnoxious distractions. That’s all they were.

His next words pushed every other thought from my head.

“I’m getting you out of here,” he said. “You’re not going to be a slave anymore.”