Alex paced the few steps her limited space allowed. Too bad she didn’t possess a superpower for going back in time. She stopped and considered that. Did any of Bhric’s friends have that ability? That would come in handy.

She recalled the evil gleam in Crocell’s eye when she’d mentioned Bhric’s name, and her stomach turned as it replayed through her mind.

“Dammit,” she cursed as she wrapped her arms around her middle to stave off the cold. It had to be daytime by now, but it wasn’t any warmer, which made her wonder if she was in the basement, another city, or even a different country, for that matter. Anything was possible, she thought, considering few homes in Seattle had basements.

Rebecca had gone quiet hours ago, but Alex could hear her heavy breathing, so she knew the woman was still alive. Unfortunately, the possibility was high that the other women were dead, and Alex hated the thought of being next on the list.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and light blinded her when the door flew wide. Expecting to see the sisters, she was surprised to see two young men. Alex assumed they were average teenage boys until she spotted their red eyes and sharp fangs.

“Oh, thank God. Is Bhric here? Did he come to rescue me? Please, tell me he’s okay.” she asked, frantic to know what was happening.

The young men chuckled and shook their heads. Their gravelly voice sent a chill up her arms.

“We’re here to take you to our master. She has something special planned for you,” one of the young men said while the other unlocked the door to her cage.

Upon closer inspection, she realized their eyes were nothing like Rhett or Nate’s. There was pure evil in their gazes. They wore dirty, torn clothing that was in dire need of burning. Their jeans were covered in dirt and bloodstains, and their shirts were tattered rags. And, that was mild compared to their stench, which was downright nauseating.

Their fangs made her think they were vampires, like Bhric, but instinct told her they were nothing like her Ice-Man or his kind.

Backing away from the door of her cage, she wished she had a weapon. Maybe she could injure them enough to get away. She quickly scanned the rest of the room, but didn’t see one thing to use as a weapon.

Alex decided cooperation might play to her advantage until she found a way to escape, so she allowed the boy to grab her arm and lead her out of the room.

“So, what are you?” she asked as they walked. Why not gather as much information as she could about her captors.

The hall was long and had several doors scattered throughout. There were no ascending stairs, which told her she wasn’t in a basement. She guessed they were on the main floor, wherever they were.

“We’re skirm,” snarled the guy holding her arm.

“And, what exactly are skirm? I see your fangs, so I’m guessing you’re like vampires,” she stated as she tried not to contemplate her awaiting demise.

Regardless of her attempts at distraction, Alex’s heart was beating so fast she was sure to go into cardiac arrest. Sweat trickled down her back, causing her scrubs to stick to her skin.

“We’re your worst nightmare,” the other cackled, reminding Alex of a villain from a low-budget movie.

She rolled her eyes while the other guy smacked his friend upside the head then shoved her along. They’d passed two open doorways, and she peered inside the rooms. Each had a small bed and clothing was strewn all over the floors. The frilly dresses and bright pink shirts with unicorns were items for eight-year-old girls, not the young men escorting Alex.

When they passed the third room, Alex gasped, and her steps faltered as tears filled her eyes. This home belonged to a family. Probably a loving, happy couple with daughters they adored. And then, their worst nightmare came true when these demons decided to choose their home as a lair.

From her brief glance, she saw two young girls, along with a man and woman, piled in a lifeless, bloody heap.

The demons slaughtered them and then carelessly tossed them aside to rot. Trying to bargain with, or begging to be released, would be pointless. None of the malicious beings in the house would show Alex an ounce of mercy.

As hope diminished, regret sat like a lump in her gut. Bhric brought so many wonderful feelings and experiences to her life, but fear and doubt made Alex hold her tongue. Now, she wished she’d told him how happy he made her. How he made her feel sexy and desirable. Before Bhric, she saw herself as an average woman with nothing special to offer any man, but he changed that.

Alex was shoved into a room at the end of the hall. Expecting another bedroom, she was surprised to see a different setup. There was a long wooden table that held crucibles, black candles, vials of different colored liquids, and jars that looked like they contained blood.

The only items that seemed innocuous were the gems. If they were genuine stones, it was a small fortune. There were sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and what looked like diamonds. Alex would’ve thought them ordinary gems until a dark, malignant energy radiated from them.

The walls in the room had black symbols painted on them. She would’ve thought pentagrams, or evil eyes, but instead, there were odd squiggly lines and shapes, which meant nothing to her. Alex swallowed as she took in the eerie surroundings, and her dry throat clogged. This was bad.

Across from the large table was an exam table with metal cuffs. Rust-colored stains marred the surface. Next to it was a low coffee table lined with at least twenty different knives, all stained with dried blood. The demons stood off to one side, their large wings folded behind their backs.

The tip of Cresil’s wing was visible over her shoulder. It looked like the injured wing was close to the size of the other one, and Alex wondered if the demon took the blood of another unwilling victim.

Alex stumbled into the room when she was pushed again from behind. Her foot stuck to the floor as she walked, making her stomach revolt, but she refused to look down and discover if her suspicions were correct.

She encountered resistance as she got closer to the demons. It seemed as if another layer settled over Alex. Her limbs weighed a hundred pounds and lifting her leg took a huge amount of energy. She didn’t bother trying to raise her arms. It was too difficult.

“Remove her clothes and strap her to the table,” Crocell ordered the skirm.

“Yes, master,” both young men parroted.

“No!” she shouted in objection. There was no way she would allow them to defile her body.

She fought and tried to bat their hands away, but she was too weak. The skirm removed her lab coat and tossed it on the floor. She tried to run away from them, but didn’t make it three steps before one of the boys grabbed her in a stranglehold.

“Stop. Please don’t do this,” Alex begged, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

“Scream for us,” Cresil purred as she smiled in glee.

Alex wanted to clamp her mouth shut, but the scream escaped when a claw-tipped finger sliced down the back of her top. The second skirm stepped in front of her then yanked her torn shirt from her body, and dropped it to the ground before snatching off her bra. The other skirm that stood behind her managed to shove her pants down with one hand before grabbing between her legs and grabbing her panties. The sting against her flesh was nothing compared to the shame she felt.

Tears streamed down the sides of her face as they forced her onto the table then secured her wrists and ankles.

While battling cancer, Alex had been looked at, poked, and prodded so many times she didn’t think it was possible to feel uncomfortable when naked. The way she was exposed and vulnerable to these beings was humiliating and degrading. It went so far beyond anything she’d been through, and she knew they were just getting started.

“Go back to your room,” Crocell ordered the skirm before she and Cresil approached the table.

Alex tried to shrink away from the orange glow of Cresil’s claws, but she had nowhere to go and the demon traced a path down the middle of Alex’s chest.

“Why would the Goddess give a Dark Warrior a damaged female? And, others claim we’re cruel in our punishments. It seems we could learn a few things from Morrigan,” Cresil murmured.

She winced as the demon’s words struck a cord. Alex knew she was damaged goods, but hoped Bhric saw past her imperfections and wanted her anyway. Hearing the demon’s words added to the doubt and insecurity Alex struggled with daily.

Logic told her Cresil was trying to intimidate, and break her spirit. She shouldn’t allow it, but Alex couldn’t muster enough strength to lift her head, let alone stop the words from infiltrating her thoughts. Alex knew every word was true.

“Sister, we may earn our place back in heaven for this one. We’re saving Bhric years of feeling unsatisfied with this female. In fact, the way I see it, Bhric owes us,” Crocell shared with a smile. “Now, he won’t be forced to take this as a mate. He can choose someone worthy of his affections.”

Gritting her teeth, Alex ignored the demons and turned her head away. A shiny object on the floor caught her attention, and she focused on it. The small bottle Tristan gave her was next to her discarded pants. She’d forgotten all about it during the commotion of the evening.

Cursing her luck, she tugged her wrists, trying to get out of her restraints. She screamed when a hot blade cut through her flesh. She turned her head and saw Cresil laugh as her glowing claw sliced Alex’s skin in a line down the center of her chest. Her nails were hot as hell and it felt like she was on fire. The pain went beyond burns, and Alex wondered if the demon’s claws were laced with poison.

As Alex watched, tiny black lines radiated out from the open wound. Crocell held up a bowl with a mixture that smelled like herbs and chanted in that same foreign language. Crocell then dipped her fingers in the paste, and when she lifted them, brown goo coated her hand. The demon was ruthless as she smeared the substance over the gash in Alex’s chest.

Agony shot through Alex as fire invaded her chest. It felt like fingers searching her body for lost treasure. Alex struggled to breathe as her vision wavered. She remembered all the pain she endured during her journey and told herself this was nothing worse.

Cresil joined the chanting, and Alex’s insides vibrated. Her heart pounded, and sweat broke across her nude body. Images came to mind that was unlike anything she’d ever seen. Not only did it feel like the demon was cutting out her heart, she envisioned a golden thread unraveling in her chest. Another set of commands from Crocell and the thread painfully separated from Alex’s body.

Alex shouted until she thought she may pass out from the torture. She had no idea what was happening, but these demons were taking something from her and she refused to let it go. Steeling herself for the next round of pain, Alex mentally grabbed hold of the string with both hands and brought it close to her heart.

“Give it up,” Cresil snarled before she raked her heated claws down Alex’s abdomen.

Alex was dead wrong to think she endured pain to this degree. This went far beyond anything she’d experienced, and Alex prayed for death. She couldn’t take any more.

“If you’re going to kill me, just fucking do it!” Alex shouted.

As the words left her mouth, the gold thread flared to life and soothed her insides. It offered a small measure of comfort and put Bhric at the forefront of her thoughts.

God, how she wanted to see him again and tell him all the things she hadn’t shared.

No. She couldn’t give up. Not yet.

She had to fight. For Bhric. For them.

“All in good time, my pet,” Crocell murmured. “All in good time.”

* * *

Breslin was worried for Bhric when everyone believed he was dead, but now she was terrified for him. This scenario was too close to when Elsie was kidnapped by Kadir years ago. She recalled Zander losing his shit. Elsie was on the brink of death when they finally found her. If Bhric lost Alex, they would lose him, as well.

It was a miracle he wasn’t drinking again. Bhric came back a changed male, and Breslin would be celebrating that fact, if she didn’t know the temptation he faced to return to his old habits. She’d seen the devastation and hopelessness stamped on his sharp features.

The entire household felt helpless, and those that could be out during daylight were still searching for Alex. Unfortunately, Breslin experienced Bhric’s emotions through their bond, and she knew how close to the edge he really was.

Collapsing on the couch in her suite, Breslin laid her head back and closed her eyes while she tried to calm her nerves. The tight band around her chest refused to let up. She’d even poured a shot of tequila, hoping to soothe her nerves, but all it did was give her a headache.

“We will find her, Flame,” Rhett murmured, intruding on her privacy.

The annoying male entered her room without knocking and casually waltzed to her side and sat at the end of the sofa. Rhett picked up her feet and placed them in his lap as if she’d invited him to her room.

“Aye, we have to. There is no other choice. Bhric won’t survive losing her, and I’m no’ losing my brathair,” Breslin declared and sat up, pulling her feet from his lap.

Breslin couldn’t stand his hands rubbing her feet. She glanced at Rhett and wondered what it was about him that drew her.

He was the opposite of what she found attractive. She liked tan skin and big, beefy muscles. She wasn’t a petite female, so her males had to be built. Rhett was muscular, but he was leaner and his skin was luminescent.

And, then there were his clothes. The man was a metro to his fiery core. He wore button-down shirts and loafers. She preferred her males in leather and boots with weapons strapped to their body.

And yet, she found Rhett irresistible. She wanted him beyond reason, and it made no sense. This male was a hit it and quit it, and Breslin refused to be another notch.

“You’re the strongest female I’ve ever met. Your sense of family and devotion is inspiring. You’re kind and loving, yet strong and independent. Not to mention…”

“What?” she asked when he remained quiet for several long moments.

His words touched her. He was always so busy flirting and finding his next conquest she didn’t think he noticed things like family and loyalty. It changed how she looked at him.

“You are an exquisite female, Flame. I can’t stay away from you,” Rhett finally murmured.

His orange eyes met and held hers. Breslin’s heart skipped a beat and she leaned into him as he lowered his head. When his lips touched hers, hot flames ignited on contact.

His firm mouth moved over hers and increased in intensity. Breslin melted into him and gave into the moment. She couldn’t stay away, either. She wanted to know the feel of his lips, if nothing else.

He took advantage when she parted her lips, and with expert precision, speared his tongue inside to glide along hers. The slip and slide, coupled with his heat and masculine scent surrounded her, and the rest of the world disappeared for one precious second.

Rhett grabbed her hair with one hand and deepened the kiss while she grabbed his shoulders. His skill was undeniable and spoke of the practice he’d had. His free hand slipped down her side and cupped her breast, squeezing it. Breslin moaned involuntarily.

“I want to be inside you, Bre,” he murmured against her mouth as his free hand went to the waistband of her jeans.

His aggressiveness doused her desire and brought her out of the sensual fog where she was trapped.

“Are you fucking serious? Do you think I’m that easy? We havena even been on a date, and you think I’m going to spread my legs for you? You doona deserve to be in my bed.”

He shook his head and licked his lips. She didn’t miss the flames in his eyes when he looked at her. She’d never seen anything like it before and almost forgot about her rejection.

“You want to go on a date?” he asked. “Okay, where do you want to go?”

“Ugh!” she shouted. “Get the fuck oot of my room, arsehole. And, doona come back,” she ordered as she stood and practically flung him over the threshold, slamming the door in his face.

He stood on the other side of the door, pleading her to talk to him, but she ignored him and stomped to her bathroom. She was in desperate need of a cold shower. It was the only thing that was going to douse the inferno that burned within for the fire demon.