Daniel unlocked a wooden door to the barn and shoved me inside. The foul odor hit my nostrils immediately. It was dim and my boots stuck to the damp floor. It smelled of manure and rotten bodies. However, the frightened and dirty faces of the people staring at me made me lean back against the door. I didn’t know if they were friendly or were going to attack me. No one talked until they parted a way for a young woman to walk towards me from a dark corner. She was tall and slim, with long dark hair and brown eyes.

“We are all prisoners like you. Don’t be afraid. Where did they grab you?” Her voice was soft.

“My name is Camille. I’m looking for my brother. His name is Thierry. They said he was here…”

“Cami!”

I heard a whisper from a familiar voice. It came from the back where a mass of bodies seemed to put a wall between me and the person I believed to be my brother.

“Thierry? Where are you?” I rushed to his side even if I had to push people aside.

I wasn’t ready to see my brother so wounded and helpless on the floor. His face was swollen and bruised. His hands were wrapped in bloody rags. I barely recognized him.

“They beat him for days. I tried to help the best I could,” the same girl who had spoken before now addressed me as she kneeled next to Thierry.

My brother coughed when he tried to speak, but he still managed to ask, “Why did you come here? You were safe. You shouldn’t have come for me. He will kill you, Cami.”

“I came to save you.”

“Nice job,” he tried to joke as his lips curled up, and he coughed again. Blood ran down his chin. The young woman grabbed a rag and cleaned it.

Thierry pushed the woman away. “Don’t. They will use anyone they think I like to hurt me even more. You are safer if you stay away.”

I frowned at the woman. “Are you his mate?”

“No,” Thierry denied promptly. “She’s mated to one of those bullies outside.”

“They attacked my pack two days ago. My mate was forced to pledge allegiance to Alpha Simon so that I could live,” the young girl explained. “I’m Monique.”

“They will force him to reject you,” one girl said as she withdrew further against the wall. She looked tormented with dirty and shredded clothes. “They are vicious monsters.”

I stood up and looked around. Everybody was scared and feared for their lives. The conditions were inhumane. I couldn’t teleport out of here with Thierry and leave all those people behind.

“Is there a girl here named Ariadne?” I inquired. “Does anyone know her? She’s pregnant.”

An older man answered, “She may be in another prison. They sometimes come here and take the young girls away.”

“They feed on the prisoners. I saw them doing it. They release them into the woods and hunt them down. Then, they eat the remains.” It was a hushed female voice that described those events.

Thierry’s hand grabbed my ankle. “You shouldn’t be here, Sis. Now who’s going to save you?”

“I’m going to save myself,” I said as I looked down at him. “You didn’t think I came here without a plan, did you?”

Thierry leaned back against the wall as Monique sat beside him and closed her eyes. “Keep it to yourself, Cami. We don’t know who to trust here.”

I nodded as I sat beside him. I tried to ignore the stench as I rested my face against my knees. “It’s winter. The days are shorter,” I mumbled as I closed my eyes and concentrated on what I had to do there. I was adapting my plan as the events changed, and I had new data about the place and the time. I needed to stall them.

I touched my left earring and clung to the notion that I still had the tracker on me. Jacob would be able to track me down and find where Simon was hiding and keeping the prisoners. Soon enough, we were going to be saved.

 

 

I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to the sound of a hushed conversation while the darkness seemed to rule inside the barn. Then I realized that the sun no longer shined through the cracks in the wood. I should get up but my inner voice told me to listen and be quiet. I obeyed my angel side, and I concentrated on the discussion taking place outside the prison.

“Red hair. We need one with red hair.”

“What about the Alpha’s former mate. What color is her hair?”

“Blonde.”

“Useless to us.”

“She returned to him. He says she can help.”

“All pointless without a red angel.”

The conversation must have ended because for several minutes, I wasn’t able to hear anything else but the bugs, the sound of the leaves outside, and the pacing of the men patrolling the perimeter. I had no idea why my hearing focused on that conversation or why I woke up to it. My angel felt restless inside my mind, though. She wanted to run away from that place. But, I needed to wait longer. I needed to be there to help my brother.

I sucked in air only to cover my nose, trying not to inhale the putrid smell. My legs felt numb.

Thierry’s voice made me turn my head to him. “Who’s Jacob?”

“Why?”

“You were calling for him while you slept.”

“He took care of me when I arrived in Paris,” I explained as I scanned the area. Monique was still next to Thierry, pretending to be asleep. I knew she wasn’t despite her closed eyes and even breathing. “Thierry, do you remember all those stories that grandma used to tell us when we were growing up?”

“Yes.”

I leaned my head against the wooden wall. “They are all true.”

“Then why did you come back?”

“I couldn’t be happy knowing that you were suffering because of me.”

“They only kept him alive because of you. Now they are going to kill him,” Monique said.

“Maybe it’s for the best. I’m tired of suffering,” Thierry mumbled.

Their despair dented the shield of hope I was trying to create around me. I had to believe that everything was going to work according to plan and that Jacob was coming to save us.

Suddenly, the commotion outside alerted me that a group of men was coming to the barn. I got up and brushed off my pants.

The door opened, and Simon stepped inside. “Little Cami, where are you? Step into the light and come to me.” His voice was soft as if he was in a good mood.

I walked toward the door.

“There you are, my darling,” he said, offering me his hand. I frowned at the gesture and the way he addressed me. “My associates wish to have a word with you. Come. You must be starving.”

“Are you going to feed the prisoners as well? They look famished.”

“They had their ration in the morning. But, it’s none of your concern. You should be more worried about providing us with useful information about the angels. Your life and the life of your brother depend on it.”

I clenched my teeth and nodded as I managed to fake a smile. “What time is it?”

“Quarter to eight. Don’t worry. I’ll have plenty of time to give you what you have been missing.”

His arm snaked around my waist, and he pulled me outside, leading the way to the main house.

I controlled the rage bubbling inside my stomach as my angel protested about the closeness and my intuition told me to run.

 

 

Simon’s associates were an old witch, another Alpha, and a younger man that I had no idea what species he was. I met them in the dining room. He was using the table for the meeting, but it had several weapons placed on top of it as if they were displayed to create more terror in me. On the opposite side of the table stood a big rectangular mirror that occupied half the wall and more machine guns on a sideboard.

“How can she help us?” the old witch wearing a red velvet dress asked as she placed her glasses on her nose and squinted her eyes at me. “Oh, an angel. But, she hasn’t got her wings yet.”

“One angel can barely take an army up in the skies to reach the other realm,” the other Alpha protested as he fiddled with a dagger over the table.

“Angels can teleport,” the young man clarified. “Can you teleport, girl?”

I shook my head. My eyes kept looking at the mirror as I felt watched. Simon was not far behind me. I saw his reflection in the mirror and noticed the annoyed look on his face. He pretended to be calm, but he wasn’t. His folded arms and clenched jaw gave him away.

“Have you been to the palace?” the old witch asked.

I turned my attention on her. “Yes.”

“Can you describe it to us?” the Alpha asked.

“I have an idea of the dimension of the palace and the most important areas,” I explained. “But, I can’t tell you where every single room is.”

The young man touched his ear with his index finger and pretended as if he was scratching, but I focused my hearing and heard what the person on the other side was saying.

The question was voiced shortly after. “Have you been to the sacred room?”

“Not yet.”

“Do you know where it is?”

“In the tallest tower.”

“Do you love your new mate?” It was the witch asking that question.

I looked at her and tilted my head. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here.”

The witch narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin. “What would you be willing to do to save your brother’s life?”

“Anything.”

“Good!” She looked at Simon who was just behind me. “She’s useless. She can’t teleport…”

“My master has a purpose for her,” the young man interrupted the witch. “Alpha Simon, please escort the prisoner to my car. We’ll be taking her with us when we leave.”

I felt two hands gripping my waist. “She’s mine. She isn’t going anywhere. Your master told me that I could have her back.” Simon’s voice sounded strangled as if he was trying to conceal his bad temper. Whoever the master was, Simon feared or respected him.

“We have a better use for her blood while she’s still an angel,” the man said, getting up and placing both hands on the table. A staring contest began because of me.

My breathing paused as fear coiled in my stomach.

The old witch spoke again, “I wonder if her new mate would betray his kind to have her back.”

“She only has one mate, and it’s me,” Simon said with a dark voice as he pressed my back against his broad chest. His breath brushed my cheek while his palm pressed against my stomach. “I’m going to keep my promise to you, Camille. I’m going to release your brother.”

“Really?” I couldn’t conceal the surprise in my voice.

“Yes. I’ll release him in the woods and give him a ten-minute head start before I let my men hunt him. What do you think?” he asked, finishing with a wicked laughter.

Stepping back and turning me around, he grabbed my arm and pushed me out of the dining room.

“Where are you taking her? She’s ours!” the young man protested from the dining room.

“Escort them outside. I’ll come down when I’m finished with her,” Simon ordered his men at the door.

They removed their guns from behind their back and entered the dining room. I don’t know what they did exactly because I stumbled on the first step of the stairs. However, I heard a gunshot and, before I got up, Simon was throwing me over his shoulder and climbing the stairs.

“You will like your new bedroom. It’s a lot nicer than the barn. You will need to prove yourself tomorrow. I can’t have a weak mate.”

“You said you would spare my brother’s life,” I grumbled after concentrating the best that I could in teleporting out of there. I wanted to teleport to the barn and get my brother out, but it was useless.

Simon kicked a door open and turned on the light. We entered a bedroom, but I only knew that when he threw me on the bed and my head hit the mattress.

“Maybe if you entertain me enough tonight, I can spare him,” he said with a wicked smile while cleaning the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. “I can’t stop thinking about how good you look now.” He licked his lips as his eyes flashed orange.

I looked across the bedroom, examining what I could use to fight back. There was a window and the door was still opened. The sheets smelled as bad as the bedroom. Simon smelled of tobacco, alcohol, and sweat. It was disgusting. The lust in his eyes was even more nauseating.

“The longer you keep me here, the longer your brother lives,” he whispered as if it was an incentive.

“Please close the door,” I whispered, trying to pretend that I wasn’t terrified.

Simon looked back with a bored expression. Then, he stepped to close the door, and I sat up on the bed. When he turned around, he was already taking off his belt. I only had time to jump to my feet, grab the nightstand, and crush it against his head.

The cracking sound made me cringe and close my eyes. I wanted to knock him out cold, not crack his head open. However, I didn’t know what the impact would do to him. Apparently, not much because I flew against the headboard of the bed when he punched me in my stomach.

My vision went black from the impact and the next thing I knew, Simon was talking against my face and crushing me under his body.

“I was hoping that you would fight back. I like it better when they fight. You were so easy the first time, just cried a bit.” His hand searched for my pants.

I pushed him back, and he growled.

“You are stronger,” he complained, and I realized that he was right.

Simon tried to grab my hands, so I wouldn’t scratch him, but his mistake was that my legs were free. I pushed my knee up and hit him between his legs, right in his groin.

He howled in pain, jumping from the bed, and grabbing his nuts. He cursed all sorts of expletives.

There was no time to think or let him recover. I jumped to my feet, grabbed his head, and smashed it against my knee. To my dismay, Simon was hard to knock out because I just managed to shut him up and make him dizzy. Plus, my knee throbbed in pain, and I had to lower it down to rub it.

Simon smashed into me like a bull. Air left my lungs when my back hit the wooden floor.

All the commotion was going to alert his men.

The next thing I knew, Simon’s hands were on my neck and his breath was hitting my face.

“You can scream all you want. No one is coming to save you. They know better than to interrupt me.”

I peeled his hands off and pushed his head back as my nails dug into his face. “You are disgusting. I’d rather die than let you touch me again.”

Simon laughed while trying to subdue me with his weight. His hands bruised my wrists and my shoulders. The idea of having him on top of me was repugnant and, before I understood what was going on, he was being pulled off of me and crashed back against a chest of drawers.

I sat up only to see him shaking his head and trying to get up.

There was no one else with us inside the bedroom. For a moment, I thought someone had entered and helped me. But, we were alone.

My ex-mate tried to stand as his face contorted into a beast with pointed teeth and yellow eyes. His fingers turned into claws.

I raised my hands, and my eyes closed to protect my face when he lunged forward. Nothing happened. When I peeked, I saw him immobilized, struggling to get free against the pile of broken wood. He was fighting against an invisible force that kept him pinned to the wall.

“What are you doing to me, witch?” he growled, out of breath.

It hadn’t crossed my mind that it was me doing that to him. I relaxed my muscles but didn’t lower my hands. I needed to get out of there.

“Release me!” he growled, the muscles in his neck bulging as he tried to break free.

Having no idea how I was doing that, I decided to use it to my advantage. I stood up and, before he could come in my direction, I kicked his head, ignoring the snapping sound, and pushed my elbow against his neck to finish the job. It wouldn’t kill him, but the desired effect occurred when he stopped moving.

For a few moments, I stood there quietly, unsure if someone would come to see what was happening or not. But, there was no movement or the sounds of footsteps. Sucking in a breath, I rushed to the window, only to find out that the bedroom had a view of the forest and not the front of the house. I was on the second floor. It wasn’t a huge drop. I opened the window and the cold wind hit my face. The temperature had dropped and tiny flakes of snow were floating in the darkness. I looked at the sky where flecks of stars and a round moon lit the night. I needed to escape and pray that they had my location. The woods stretched before my eyes, but I had no idea where I was.

Gripping my hands to the window frame, I closed my eyes and tried to teleport. Nothing happened. I should have practiced more. It was too late for that. Then, I saw something flying in the dark skies. Wings. Birds, maybe. They were too far away for me to understand what they were. Maybe angels. The sound of a speeding car honking its horn woke me up from my stupor. I jumped from the window and landed on the snow that muffled my drop.

“Camille!” Simon’s scream resonated across the valley and, for a moment, I feared that it may cause an avalanche far in the mountains.

I ran down the hill as fast as I could.