Chapter 22

 

Beth

 

I rubbed at my ankle under the shackle. Even with padding, the thing started to chafe after a day, and I’d been wearing it for three now. The only time it came off was when Ree brought me my meals or to bathe, or when I was required to join Adam for dinner. The rest of the time, I was chained in my room. And they say romance is dead.

It was my own fault they’d put me back in the shackle, but I’d never regret the reason for it. During my second dinner with Adam, I’d managed to slip away through the door in the dining room that led to the kitchen. I’d had no idea where I was going, but I’d led my captors on a chase before they’d cornered me in a supply room.

Weston had caught me, but I’d managed to give him a kick to the groin he wouldn’t soon forget. It didn’t matter how big and strong a male was. He’d whimper like a little girl when you got him where it hurts. Needless to say, he stayed away from me after that.

Someone knocked softly on the door. I didn’t bother to call out because they were coming in whether I wanted them to or not. Judging by how long it had been since Ree had delivered lunch, I figured it was time for dinner.

The door opened, and Ree entered, shutting it behind her. As she did every night, she carried a garment bag that contained whatever Adam had picked out for me to wear to dinner. He liked to dress me up in alluring outfits and pretend we were in some relationship that existed only in his fantasies.

“Hey, Ree.”

I’d given up being cool to her by day three. Mox demons were so mild-natured and apologetic about everything that it was impossible to be mean to her. Besides, it wasn’t as if my imprisonment was her fault.

She smiled and laid the garment bag on the foot of the bed. “Good evening, Beth. I hope you are well.”

“As well as can be expected.”

She came around the bed to unlock my shackle, and nodded in approval when she saw my empty lunch plate. Ree was a bit of a worrier, and she’d pleaded with me for two days about my refusal to eat. I’d been drinking water from the bathroom tap so I wouldn’t die of thirst. But by day three, my body had started to suffer from my self-imposed starvation. I had a fast metabolism, which meant I needed a lot of nutrients.

It was Ree who’d convinced me I had to eat to keep up my strength. Not eating was the same as slowly killing myself, and I was no quitter. Someday, I’d get an opportunity to escape this place, and I needed to stay strong for that.

My food wasn’t drugged, but I’d already learned Adam didn’t need to drug me to get what he wanted.

Once I was free of my shackle, I went to shower. I returned to the bedroom to see what I was to wear tonight, and I came up short at the sight of an elegant pink cocktail dress laid out on the bed. It had short sleeves and a modest neckline, and the skirt came all the way to my knees when I put it on. It was nothing like the other dresses he’d sent me and looked more like what the other girls wore.

I studied my reflection. “This is different.”

“You look lovely as always,” Ree said as she handed me a pair of white shoes.

Slipping on the shoes, I sat in the room’s only chair to await our escort to dinner. I watched Ree move around the room, tidying it efficiently, and I couldn’t help but be curious about how she’d come to work in Adam’s household.

I’d never thought much about the lives of demons like her until I met Sara, probably because I’d been trained to focus on the dangerous ones. Sara had a different way of looking at the world, which was one of the reasons I liked being around her so much.

“Where are you from, Ree? Where is your family?”

She straightened from making the bed and gave me a look of surprise. “You wish to know about me?”

“If you want to tell me.”

“There is not much to say.” She sat on the edge of the bed with her hands folded in her lap. “I was taken from my family by gulak slavers when I was fourteen. Master bought me, and I’ve been with him ever since.”

She spoke so matter-of-factly, but I could see the trace of sadness in her eyes. How cruel to be taken from her family so young and sold into slavery.

“How long have you been with him?”

“Twenty years.”

I pressed my lips together, angry on her behalf.

“Please, don’t think I’ve had a bad life here. I miss my family, but Master has never mistreated me. I could have gone to an owner who was abusive and cruel.”

“But you’re a slave. You don’t have the freedom to leave if you want to.”

She shrugged. “I have decided to be content with my lot.”

Her voice held a note of resignation, of one who had given up hoping for more out of life. In that moment, I resolved to never let Adam destroy my hope or my fighting spirit. It might take weeks or months or even years, but one day I’d be free again.

Pain lanced me when I thought about being away from Chris for that long. They said a bond could survive a long separation as long as both people wanted it. But did it weaken over time? If it took me years to make my way back to him, would he still want me, knowing who I’d been with that whole time?

“Don’t be sad, Beth,” Ree said softly. “Master will be a good mate to you.”

A loud rap came on the door before I could tell her he would never be my mate, and she hurried to open it. Weston and another Incubus stood there, and there was no mistaking the satisfied expression on Weston’s face when he looked at me. Something about it made my stomach knot with dread, and I suddenly didn’t want to leave this room.

Weston motioned for me to come, and I complied despite my misgivings. Denying Adam my presence at dinner wasn’t an option. I’d tried that on my second night here, and my Incubus guard had threatened to dress me himself and carry me to the dining room if I refused.

We walked down the hallway in our usual formation, with one guard in front of Ree and me and one taking up the rear. As we neared the drawing room, I expected to hear the now familiar murmur of feminine voices, but silence greeted me.

Weston walked past the empty drawing room and opened a door to an office decorated with old mahogany furniture and several Degas paintings. I was meeting Adam here?

I expected Weston to tell me to have a seat, but he went over to the paneled wall and pressed something I couldn’t see. A door-sized panel separated from the wall, revealing a narrow stairwell.

A shiver of foreboding went through me as we descended the stairs and entered a short hallway with stone walls and lit by wall sconces. At the end of the hallway was a pair of heavy wooden doors. One of them was slightly ajar, and Weston opened it further, waving me inside.

It was like stepping back in time. I found myself in a sitting room with a stone fireplace on one end. Two chairs and a small sofa sat before the fire, and a large Persian rug covered the stone floor. Colorful tapestries adorned the walls in lieu of windows, and the only light came from the fireplace, a wall sconce, and the tapers on a table set for two.

The cold knot in my stomach grew bigger when I took in the table and the romantic lighting in the room. I knew without asking that we were in Adam’s private quarters, and he’d planned an intimate evening for the two of us.

My heart sped up, and I wanted to flee this room. This whole setup told me Adam had decided to take things to the next level. Just the thought of what he might do terrified me.

“Beth, you look absolutely ravishing.”

I looked away from the table to see Adam standing in the doorway that led to his bedroom. He was dressed in his usual dinner attire, minus the jacket, and I tried to brace myself for what would happen next.

Warmth flooded me, and my breath quickened as a familiar fluttering started up in my stomach. Adam smiled at me, and the pull to go to him was stronger than ever. My body trembled from fighting his intoxicating power, but I knew once I gave in, it was all over.

Every time I saw him, his influence was stronger than the day before. He was feeding me his power, and the only way to do that was through a kiss. Since I wouldn’t willingly kiss him, he had to be coming to my room while I was asleep and doing it without waking me.

The idea that he was kissing me, possibly touching me, while I slept, made my stomach churn, but I was helpless to stop him. I couldn’t stay awake twenty-four hours a day, and if I were able to do that, he’d probably go back to drugging me.

Adam took a step into the room and wavered like he was dizzy. He grabbed the doorjamb for support, and Weston immediately moved toward him.

“I’m fine,” Adam told his son as he straightened.

Weston didn’t look convinced. “Perhaps you should rest. You will need your strength for tomorrow.”

Adam patted Weston’s back fondly. “I’ll be okay once I feed.”

Icy tendrils slithered down my spine at his choice of words. He’d said “feed” instead of “eat,” and that made me suddenly afraid I wasn’t just his dinner companion. Was he planning to feed from me tonight? Because that would mean…

I nearly gagged on the panic and nausea rising up in my throat. Automatically, I took a step back and came up against the hard, unmoving chest of my other guard.

Adam spoke to Ree as if I hadn’t just attempted to run.

“Ree, please, tell the kitchen we are ready for our meal.”

“Yes, Master.”

She bowed and hurried out, leaving me with Adam and my two guards—and a growing pit in my stomach.

“Beth, come sit with me,” Adam said as he walked over to the sofa near the fire. He moved slower than normal, and he almost stumbled once.

The guard behind me gave me a not-so-subtle nudge when I didn’t move. I forced my legs to cross the room and take a seat as far as I could from Adam on the sofa.

Being this near to him had my emotions in a tug of war. The part of me under his influence wanted to slide across the cushion to him. The rest of me was scanning the room for anything to use as a weapon if he tried to touch me.

Weston went to a side table and poured two glasses of red wine, which he carried over to us. I took mine to appear like I was going along with whatever this was, but I had no intention of drinking it. Something told me if I ever needed a clear head, it would be tonight. And I didn’t put it past them to drug me.

Adam accepted his glass. “Thank you. You and Giles may leave now.”

Weston frowned, and his gaze flitted to me.

“Are you sure, Father?”

“Yes. I want to spend time alone with Beth.” Adam smiled at me. “I think she’ll be more comfortable if it’s just the two of us.”

Weston hesitated, and Adam chuckled.

“I love your devotion, my son, but I think I’ll be safe with her. It’s not as if she can escape from down here.”

“As you wish.”

The two Incubi left, and the room was quiet except for the crackle of the fire. I swirled the wine in my glass as I waited for Adam to speak.

“Am I really so repugnant that you can’t even look at me?”

I took a breath and lifted my eyes to meet his.

“Are you going to feed from me?”

His eyebrows shot up. “You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“And if I say yes?”

My body tensed, and I had to loosen my grip on the wine glass before I snapped the fragile stem. I tried without success to keep the quiver out of my voice. “You said you would never force me.”

He sighed. “I didn’t lie. I won’t force you.”

I let out a trembling breath.

The door opened, and two mox demons entered, carrying covered dishes. They laid the dishes on the table, bowed to us, and left, shutting the door behind them. I heard a scraping sound followed by an ominous click when the locks on the heavy door engaged.

Adam sniffed the air. “Prime rib, my favorite. Shall we eat?”

We went to the table and Adam pulled out my chair for me. I watched him closely as he removed the dish covers and took his seat. He was definitely moving slower, and some of his movements were a little jerky. He’d looked tired a few times in the last five days but nothing like this.

“Are you sick?”

He glanced up from cutting his meat. “No. I’m just a little drained at the moment.”

“Drained?”

“You rely on your demon’s strength, correct? Have you ever used up too much of it at once?”

I thought about the night I’d dived off the Golden Gate Bridge. “Yes.”

“It’s the same for me. I used up too much of my energy today, and now I need time to recover. I’ll be good in a few hours.”

I took a bite of prime rib while I thought about whether or not to ask my next question.

“How did you use up all your energy?”

Adam regarded me for a few seconds before he laid his fork on his plate and gave me his full attention. He looked like he was trying to decide if I was playing an angle or interested in knowing more about him.

“I told you I have to feed my girls daily before and during their pregnancies.”

I nodded.

“The closer I get to breeding, I have to give them more of my energy to help them conceive.”

I pretended to take a sip of wine to cover my revulsion. I wasn’t sure if I managed to hide it, but his expression didn’t change.

“Do you have more questions?” he asked. “I’m happy to answer them all.”

“What happens tomorrow?”

His eyes grew darker. “I think you already know the answer to that question.”

I said nothing as I set my glass down with a trembling hand. Now I knew why there had been no one in the drawing room tonight, and why he’d depleted so much of his energy. He had prepared them to breed with him tomorrow.

I also knew just by looking at him that he didn’t have the strength to do that, not without replenishing his energy. I’d seen the hunger in his eyes when he’d entered the room, and it hadn’t been for food. He needed to feed from a female, and it was either me or one of his slaves. I had a sick feeling I’d lost the draw, no matter what he’d said a few minutes ago.

“Your face is like an open book,” Adam said softly, pulling my gaze back to him.

“Then I don’t need to tell you what I’m thinking,” I replied in a tight voice as I fought to keep my emotions in check.

“No.”

He smiled and stood, coming around the table to me. Even in his weakened state, he was able to reach me before I could push back my chair. He took my hand in a firm but gentle grip, and I had no choice but to stand.

I found myself facing him, our bodies inches apart. Once again, the desire for him flared, stronger this time, and I swayed from the need to move closer to him. But more disturbing than the physical attraction was the emotional one. I knew it wasn’t love, but his influence over me made it feel like it was.

My chest ached with a mix of yearning for Adam and devastation over my betrayal of Chris. How could I love Chris and have feelings for this monster? Nothing, no drug or magic or demon power, should be able to come between our love.

“Don’t be afraid, love,” Adam murmured.

He put his free hand on the back of my head and pulled me closer until our mouths met. Mine opened for him against my will, and he kissed me long and slow. Tears ran unchecked down my cheeks, and I tasted them on our joined lips. My Mori cried out and then shrank away as Adam breathed his energy into me. I was powerless to stop him. After a minute, I wasn’t sure I wanted it to stop.

Adam broke the kiss and led me over to the sofa. I went, unresisting, and sat beside him.

He smiled at me, his eyes dark with lust. It should have frightened me, but I felt dazed. The world had taken on a surreal quality, as if this were only a dream I would wake from any second.

“You truly are breathtaking,” he said huskily, running his fingers through my hair.

“No…force,” I protested weakly.

“No force,” he echoed before he kissed me again.

I felt his power flow into me, and a part of my brain registered that he wouldn’t need to use force if he continued to feed me like this. The realization made me suck in a sharp breath, and I felt a burst of his power flow into me. Dully, I mused that he wasn’t going to have the strength to do anything if he kept giving it to me.

I’m not sure if it was a conscious thought or pure survival instinct driving me. I put my hands on either side of his face and kissed him back until he was breathing heavier. Then I pushed him down until he was lying on the sofa with me half on top of him. He let out a low groan, and I knew I had him where I wanted him.

I inhaled deeply.

The first stream of power was stronger than I’d expected, and it left me lightheaded. I had to take a moment to adjust before I took more from him.

Adam’s hand moved to my back, and I felt it at the top of my dress zipper. Panic warred with the sick desire for him his power created, and I drew more power into me.

Two inhales later, Adam’s hand stilled.

I pretended not to notice and continued to kiss him as if nothing was wrong. I could feel his energy flowing through my body, strengthening me, as it was meant to. It was a heady sensation, and I felt disgust and exhilaration at the same time. I also felt an almost overwhelming need to give him anything he asked of me.

I sucked in another breath.

Adam broke the kiss, panting. “That’s enough, love.”

“More,” I whispered, going in for another kiss.

“I said enough.”

He gripped my shoulders to hold me away, and his arms shook from the effort. My eyes met his, and I saw disbelief then anger cross his face. He pushed me off him, and I tumbled to the floor.

The foreign power filling me made my body feel like it belonged to someone else, and it took me a few seconds to adjust to it. I crawled out of his reach and got to my feet in the center of the room. For a moment, the room spun, and then it felt like I was having the biggest adrenaline rush ever.

Adam sat up slowly and fixed me with a hard stare. “Come here.”

I took two steps toward him before I was able to plant my feet. The urge to obey him was almost too much, and I made myself think of Chris to block it out.

“No.”

His expression darkened. “Don’t make me come to you.”

It occurred to me then that he was just sitting there, something the Adam I’d gotten to know would not do. He was paler than normal, too, and the corners of his mouth were pinched.

“Beth, I have been very patient with you, but I think I’ve let my affection for you cloud my judgement.”

I scoffed. “Affection? You don’t care about anyone but yourself.”

He pushed forward to sit on the edge of the sofa. “I love my children, and I would have come to love you.”

I took a step back as he stood. He was steadier than I’d expected him to be, but his movements were slower, more deliberate. He was trying to hide how much I’d weakened him.

He started to walk toward me, and I automatically dropped into a fighting stance. That made him stop and stare at me.

“You would fight me?” His laugh was condescending. “I am over two hundred years old and the most powerful of my kind. You’re young and weak and –”

“A warrior,” I finished proudly. “And I would rather die fighting than let you touch me again.”

His mouth curled into a sneer, and he gave up all pretense of being anything but the monster he was.

“I have no intension of killing you, but I will feed from you. I’ll need my strength for the coming days, and your energy will sustain me. Don’t worry. I promise you’ll find it quite enjoyable.”

I let my revulsion show. “I’ll pass.”

He resumed his advance on me. “You don’t have a choice.”

“We’ll see,” I shot back as we began to circle each other.

“You’re in my lair, which is deep underground, highly secured, and has only one way out. Even if you somehow got away from me and out of my quarters, you wouldn’t get within a hundred feet of the exit before one of my sons stopped you and brought you back to me. One way or another, I’ll get what I want. I always do.”

He was right about one thing. The odds of me escaping this place were almost nonexistent, and I’d given up on the hope of someone coming for me. But I refused to give in to the despair that had pressed down on me since I’d watched Chris ride away from here. And I’d promised myself I would not stop fighting until I had no strength left in me.

A log popped in the fireplace. Startled, Adam swung his head in that direction.

I moved in and sent my fist into his jaw. His head snapped back, and he staggered under the force of the blow.

I stared at my hands, more stunned than he was by the speed and strength of my strike. My eyes met his, which were narrowed in surprise and fury.

He recovered quickly and came at me. I wasn’t fast enough to block the attack, and he wrapped his strong hands around my throat in a crushing choke hold.

I panicked for a few seconds as my air was cut off. Then years of training kicked in, and I rammed my hand into his throat just above his sternum. He gasped and loosened his hold on me, and I sent a side kick into his stomach. He stumbled back, and I sucked in precious air.

My throat burned from his bruising grip, but I forgot all about that when I saw Adam’s face. His irises had gone completely black and his lips were pulled back in a snarl.

He lunged and hit me hard in the side, sending me into the nearest wall. The air was knocked from me, and I crashed into a small table, sending me and a vase of flowers to the floor.

I cried out as shards of glass cut into my hands and knees. Before I could stand, Adam’s hands were in my hair, roughly dragging me backward.

I twisted my body, ignoring the searing pain in my scalp, and tackled him around the waist. He let go of my hair as we went down, and I managed to roll out of his reach. I came to my feet a little unsteadily but faster than he did.

“You’re only making this harder on yourself,” he said when we faced off again. “I would have made the experience good for you. The more you fight me, the less you are going to enjoy it.”

I would have laughed if my ribs weren’t hurting so much. I feared he’d cracked one of them with his last hit. He wasn’t a skilled fighter, but he had enough strength left in him to slowly beat me down. A few more strikes like that, and it would be all over for me.

His tone softened. “I can see you’re hurting, Beth. Stop this, and I’ll have someone see to your injuries.”

I gritted my teeth. “No.”

“So be it.”

He moved quickly, taking me to the floor. The impact sent pain radiating through my chest, and I gasped for air as he straddled me. Tears of pain and desperation burned my eyes as I tried in vain to buck him off.

He smiled victoriously and grabbed the neckline of my dress. My heart pounded in my ears as terror consumed me. Unable to throw him off, I pulled his head down and butted it hard with mine. It should have hurt, but I was past feeling pain.

I rolled, and he fell facedown on the floor. As soon as I was free, I was on his back with my arm wrapped around his throat, and I held on with every ounce of strength in me.

Someone was screaming, and it took me several seconds to realize it was me. I couldn’t stop. I had five days of fear and degradation and helplessness built up inside me, and I screamed it all out. My throat felt raw and my lungs burned, and still, I screamed.

I don’t know how long we stayed locked in that position, or when it registered that Adam was no longer moving. Panting, I let him go and rolled to my knees beside him. His head was turned at an awkward angle, telling me I’d broken his neck. His eyes were closed, but I could see the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. A broken neck wouldn’t kill him. The only ways to kill an Incubus were silver through the heart, fire, or beheading.

I raised my head and desperately looked around the room. I would find no silver in a demon’s lair, and there was no sword to behead him. My eyes fell on the fireplace, and I frantically tried to think of the best way to burn him without burning the place down around me.

That was when I saw it.

I forced myself up and went to pick up the cast iron ash shovel hanging beside the fireplace. Hefting the heavy shovel, I staggered back to Adam to finish what I had started.

As soon as my gruesome job was done, I dropped the bloody shovel and fell to my knees. My stomach revolted, and I threw up until I was dry heaving. Cold enveloped me, and I somehow knew I was going into shock.

I had no strength left to stand, but I had to get as far away as I could from the corpse. I crawled to the corner near the fireplace and huddled with my knees up to my chest. It was a little warmer there, and the couch hid the gory scene from me.

The Lilin was dead by my hand, and he could never again hurt another girl. I rejoiced in that, even though I knew I hadn’t saved myself or the girls he’d taken. His sons would come to check on him, and when they did, they’d kill me. They idolized their father. My death would not be a slow or painless one.

Minutes passed, or maybe it was hours, before I heard the first pounding on the door. It was locked, but it wouldn’t take long for them to break through.

I pressed my forehead to my knees. Closing my eyes, I barred all thoughts except those of Chris from my mind. And I waited.