Page 7

He gave me my own room. Later, after what passed for night here, when the purple sky overhead turned black, I lay on my own bed, a mattress softer than anything I’d ever slept on before, cradling me, tempting me to go to sleep.

I didn’t sleep, though. I stared up at the ceiling, listening to the other sounds of the house to see if Will was still moving around. Nothing but silence filled the air, leaving me to ruminate on the thoughts swirling around my head as I tried to process what had happened in the last few hours.

I had expected him to demand that I sleep in his bed with him. Instead, he had shown me up here to a massive room with large windows and a huge bed. The room was almost as big as the house I grew up in.

Will wasn’t what I had expected. I had prepared myself for a brutish asshole who got off on breaking women. And instead, I’d gotten a shifter who insisted he was here to help. Part of me believed him.

I didn’t want to believe him—I wanted to be angry at him. He had still won me, still married me against my will. And yet, there was a gentleness to him I hadn’t seen from other men here, or other slavers in general.

That’s not true , a voice whispered in my head. Don’t forget about Erik. He seemed nice enough until he and his friends grabbed you.

The voice was right. I couldn’t trust Will, no matter how kindly he treated me. For all I knew, he could just be biding his time, getting me to open up to him just so he could have more fun breaking me later.

The worst part about the whole thing was that my wolf was drawn to him. She wanted to be near him. She liked the way he smelled, like sea breeze and cedar, and she loved the way he fought so fiercely and cleverly. She was intrigued by him. And despite my best efforts, I wasn’t immune. It was hard for me not to imagine what it would feel like to have his lips caress my neck, or those calloused hands run along my sides.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the image. I didn’t need that right now. I had enough problems without adding him to the mix. And there was still no guarantee I could trust him, no matter what he said.

And none of that changed the fact that I couldn’t get Morgan out of my head. She loomed over every other thought, constantly there as I tried to figure out how to save her. I had no idea where she had been taken, and the thought continued to eat at me like a parasite gnawing its way toward my heart.

I had to do something about it. But I couldn’t. Not from here. That said, that didn’t mean I couldn’t do anything. I could at least see her, make sure she was all right.

The instant I knew Will wasn’t going to bother me, I slid out of bed. I crept barefoot down the hall, my ears pricked for any sign of life elsewhere in the house.

I came to the bathroom door. I looked around one last time, slipped inside, then closed and locked the door behind me.

Staring at the sink, my heart started working overtime as I stared into the marble basin. I should be rushing over to cast the spell I planned on casting, except fear gripped my insides. As desperately as I wanted to see Morgan, I was terrified of what I might end up seeing.

But not knowing was worse. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and grabbed the faucet. I filled the sink with water. Once it was filled, I pricked my finger. Letting several crimson drops fall into the water, I dipped my finger into the water and stirred, muttering under my breath softly enough that my voice wouldn’t carry past the door. The spell cast, I removed my finger, stepped back, and waited, barely breathing.

One moment, I was staring at the bottom of the basin. Next, the water rippled and vanished, replaced by a crisp image of Morgan. Her head was bowed, but I could still recognize the curly, auburn hair. She was carrying something on a tray—a glass filled with amber liquid.

I watched, searching for any clues that might tell me where she was. She was in a grand hall or room of some sort, with elegant artwork and glittering, gilded walls. I let out a soft sigh of relief as I watched. They had at least moved her to one of the nice manors, where only the wealthiest of the members lived. She was still a slave, but it was a better fate than being sent to the fighting pits or one of the brothels in the city.

I waited to see if I could catch a glimpse of her master. If I could learn where she was, maybe I could figure out a plan on how to get her out.

She pushed through a door into a massive office. A figure sat behind a large desk, his head bowed. Something looked familiar about him, but I couldn’t tell what. I watched, barely breathing. If she had already been sold, I wanted to know who it was.

Then the shifter raised his head, and my world crashed as I recognized the harsh, handsome lines and dark hair of Cain. I stared, refusing to believe my eyes as he reached out and plucked the glass from Morgan’s tray. His eyes flicked up and down her body, a slow, disgusting smile spreading across his face as he took a sip, his eyes never leaving Morgan.

I staggered back, my concentration snapped as shock rattled my system. The image vanished, replaced by agitated water, traces of pink from my blood still swirling inside. I couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be.

Except scrying didn’t lie. Morgan was one of Cain’s personal slaves.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to punch the mirror. I ran my fingers through my hair as I struggled to take deep breaths, my mind spinning. I’d failed her. Again. I had tried and tried to protect her, to get her out of harm’s way, and all I seemed to do was force her deeper into danger.

I had to do something. I couldn’t just stand here, doing nothing. I needed to save her. If she were under Cain’s control now, there was no telling what might happen to her.

Your fault , a nagging voice hissed in my ear. All your fault.

If I hadn’t rocked the boat, if I’d just stayed in my lane and not tried to escape, Morgan wouldn’t be there. She would still be in a cell, waiting for who knew what. But that had to be better than serving Cain, a cruel, sadistic slaver who would get enjoyment out of breaking someone as sweet and innocent as Morgan.

If it was my fault, then I had to be the one to fix it.

I closed my eyes, letting myself slide down to the floor as I took deep, steadying breaths, trying to keep my composure as my head spun and my stomach flipped upside down. I stayed there for what felt like an eternity as I let the shock and guilt wash over me.

Just a couple of minutes , I told myself. Then get a grip and do something about it .

Once I got a grip on myself, I took a deep breath and pushed myself to my feet, mind already set on what I was going to do.

I had to break her out.

I knew where Cain lived—everyone did. Even if he had tried to conceal it, which he had never bothered doing, the massive palace-like mansion in the center of town would have given it away. I didn’t know precisely how to get inside, but I’d heard whispers from other slaves about back entrances for servants and smuggling slaves in and out in secret. All I needed was to find one of them, get in, and figure out a way to break her out.

Impulsively, I wanted to try and do it all in one night, but I knew how risky that would be. Still, I couldn’t just stay here when I knew where she was. I needed to see her, to check on her, and make sure she was okay. Every slave knew how ruthless Cain was. I couldn’t let him keep his claws in her.

I decided it without really realizing it. Either way, it didn’t matter to me. I was going to go save Morgan. I didn’t care what happened to me.

For a brief moment, I debated whether to actually talk to Will, to tell him the truth and ask for his help. It crossed my mind for the span of a second before I squashed the idea. There was no way in hell I was going to tell him about Morgan. I didn’t care what he said or what he claimed about his intentions. I had seen him in the fighting pits. I knew how brutal he could be. He had won me and taken me here without a single hesitation. If he found out about Morgan, I didn’t know what he would do, and I was too afraid to find out. If I put her in even more danger by telling him, I’d never forgive myself.

He didn’t kill the other fighter, though, a voice in my head pointed out. He could have, but he let him live.

I knew enough about the pits to know that one fighter sparing the other was a rarity. But that didn’t change any of the other facts. I couldn’t trust Will. Not now, not ever. He had won me. To him and everyone else in this damn place, I was nothing more than property. A few nice words didn’t change that.

Which meant I would have to save Morgan on my own.

I paced back and forth in my room as I tried to come up with something that might generously be called a plan. The rumors from other slaves about the back entrances into Cain’s home typically suggested they were underground, connected via tunnels you could access near the palace.

Once again, almost without realizing I had even made the decision, I threw open my window and glanced down at the ground below. It wasn’t too far. It might not be the most pleasant leap, but I could make it. The street was empty. Glancing behind me once more to make sure that Will wasn’t following me, I crawled onto the sill and jumped.

My feet landed on the ground. Before moving, I glanced around, making sure no one saw me. If anyone noticed me, I’d be stopped and asked where my master was and whether I had his permission to be out. I could probably come up with a believable lie, but they might just drag me back to Will, and I would have wasted my chance at seeing Morgan.

Keeping my head low, I shuffled through town. The only clothing for women in the entirety of the Underside was the skimpy outfits like the one I wore now. The cool air brushed against my midriff.

After some time, the hairs on the back of my neck prickled with unease. I slowed. Someone was watching me.

My heart thudded. I was just about to turn when a strong, calloused hand grabbed my wrist. I opened my mouth to scream, and a second hand clamped around my mouth. Flashes of memory back to that fateful day years ago flared up. I was back in my old house, struggling against the men who grabbed me.

Panic raced through me as I flailed, screaming into my captor’s hand. Despite my own fear and desire to fight, my wolf didn’t seem to have the same reaction. She seemed almost content, reassured in a way that didn’t make sense. It wasn’t until I registered the scent filling my nose, that of a gentle mix of sea breeze and cedar, that I stopped screaming as Will dragged me across the street and into the nearby alley.

Will glowered at me, his eyes burning with anger as he stared me down. I remained motionless, his sea breeze and cedar scent wafting over me. Counterintuitively, the smell comforted me, made me relax. When he was certain I wouldn’t scream, his hand slipped from my mouth.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he snarled.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t tell him about Morgan. I couldn’t trust him. I didn’t know what he might do with the information, but I wasn’t about to give him that sort of leverage. One slaver had already used it against me. I wasn’t going to give another person that same chance.

He waited for me to answer. When I remained mute, he let out a low, irritated growl. “I’m trying to help you here,” he snarled.

Once again, I stayed silent. After a moment, he let out another low rumble. “Come on. We’ll talk about this at the house.”

Without giving me a chance to argue, his hand wrapped around my wrist and dragged me back down the street. His face was impassive, almost bored, but I could feel the anger radiating off him.

He didn’t say a single word as he dragged me back to the house, his hand never relinquishing my arm until he ushered me back inside, that fury in his eyes signaling an ice-cold rage that honestly chilled me for a moment.

He slammed the door behind us, clicking it shut with a lock. He rounded on me, his eyes burning with anger as he stalked forward.

“Are you out of your mind?” he growled. “Do you have a death wish?”

I stayed silent, folding my arms and staring back at him. “How did you find me?”

“I know your scent. It’s been stuck in my head since we met,” he growled. Before I could even parse that out, he had moved on. “Did you even think about what would happen if someone other than me caught you?”

Honestly? No, not for a moment. Not when Morgan’s life was on the line. Now that I knew how much danger she was really in, I couldn’t let her stay there. Still, I kept my mouth shut. I tried not to think about the casual way Will had mentioned that he couldn’t get my smell out of his head.

“At least tell me why,” he said. When I didn’t, he grumbled again. “I figured a slave I have openly told I am freeing at the soonest possible moment wouldn’t be this fucking stubborn.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” I retorted.

He growled, shaking his head as he glared at me, one finger running through his long hair. “You’re going back through the portal the instant we get the chance,” he said. “If you’re going to be wandering around, trying to escape, you can go ahead and do that when you aren’t in a place as dangerous as this.”

Now that I knew the danger Morgan was in, there was no way in hell I was leaving. “You can’t do that,” I protested. Just the thought sent my wolf into a frenzy, pacing and bristling.

He marched forward, his body close enough that it would have been easy to pull him toward me. “You want to bet?”

A traitorous part of me thought about that brief kiss at the ceremony and wondered what it would be like to have those arms wrap around me, to hold me against him. But I wouldn’t. I would let that happen.

“Have fun trying to make me,” I said. “I’m staying right here.”