Chapter 1
Heavy, booted footsteps echo through the damp dungeon, jolting me back to the present. The cold dampness of the stone slabs seep through my thin T-shirt, causing my shivering muscles to ache. Whimpers from the other prisoners fill the pitch black darkness as I strain my eyes; fear catching like wildfire. I muffle a sigh and stand, leaning against the back wall of my cell. I fold my arms across my chest, trying to retain as much body heat as I can, and wait.
A small circle of light comes into view with the nearing footsteps; the jingle of keys and the clanking of the metal lock the only indication they were entering my cell. My eyesight, normally enhanced, was still fuzzy from our last encounter.
The metal hinges squeal a protest as the guard yanks the barred door to my cell open. The circle of light stays outside the cell bars while a pair of footsteps cross the small distance between the cell door and the back wall. I can just make out the large outline of a single man before a roughly callused hand grabs my upper arm in a vice grip, large fingers digging painfully into my clammy skin.
Seems they learnt from last time.
The guard grunts and the dark world tilts as I'm roughly yanked forward towards the cell door and out into the dank corridor between the cells. My bare feet scuff along the rough stones and I bite back a hiss of pain. The second guard takes up position on my other side, mimicking the vice-like grip on my other arm. The lantern he holds makes my eyes water from proximity.
Seems they haven't learnt as much from last time as I thought.
They march me up a flight of jagged stone steps, and I struggle to hide the burning within my throat and lungs. I'm exhausted and weak, with no access to the sun or moonlight I have no way of knowing how long I have been down here. The stench of moldy straw, urine and rats cling to me, making me crinkle my nose.
A bangs sounds, my stinging eyes flicking up to the noise as the heavy wooden door rebounds off the stone wall. My lungs heave with the effort of moving forward, even though the guards have the majority of my weight between them. We enter a well lit corridor, the stone flooring worn soft by many feet, the crisp air heavy with the scent of grass clippings and blossoms.
The world rocks again as I stumble forward, my eyes squeezed closed from the natural brightness, my chest heaving up and down as one of the guards shoved me, forcing me through a tight door frame before them. I had never been this far from my cell before. Normally I’m only taken as far as the guards room to endure my interrogation and subsequent beatings. I'm proud to say I haven’t given them anything.
I slowly manage to open my eyes as the guards half carry, half drag me down the corridor. We pass an open window, slightly cracked to let the warming breeze through. I couldn’t help but let my eyes flick to the outside. A small garden surrounded a stream that appears to run through the property. The warm sunlight bounce off the ripples and mingles with the patchy shadows of the forest that surrounded us. My view is ruined as the guards body blocks the window, reminding me of my aching, bleeding feet and heaving, ragged breathing. My dark hair swings in thick, greasy clumps around my face as I open-mouth pant through the exertion.
A roiling pit settles in the pit of my stomach, sparking a fire in my chest. I suddenly feel a fierce need to survive this.
A rough hand wraps into my tangled hair, my neck screaming as my head is roughly shoved down by the guard to my left.
“Keep your eyes to yourself, dog,” The guard rumbles low in his throat as we pass through another set of wooden doors down the long, grey corridor.
I painfully swallow my growl as I force myself to obey, eyes bright with anger now rather than awe.
I'm yanked to a stop as a guard raps his wide knuckles against a set of large dark oak double doors. A small grunt replies, indicating for the guard to push them open, before shoving me through them and into a beautiful room.
Floor to ceiling windows cover the entirety of one of the walls, letting in the warm sunlight which brighten the yellow in the rest of the wooden walls. The ceiling is high, and the room vast, however it felt homely despite its emptiness.
Once my eyes have done a full sweep of the magnificent room they land on a broad man hidden in the shadow of the huge throne. His back is towards us, He lands lazily latched behind the small of his back, feet shoulder-width apart. My eyes narrow as I quickly appraise him, my eyes scanning down the length of his firm body. His tight-fitting t-shirt does nothing to hide the bulging muscles covering his back and arms. His dark blue jeans hug his slim waist without the need of a belt. On his feet are black combat boots, a little odd for his semi-formal attire, and his black hair is cut close to his scalp along the sides and back, but left to a longer length along the top, and slightly slicked back. His back stiffens before he slowly turns around to face us, his chin high as he looks down his nose at us, through his face is covered in shadows.
The guards, still clamping my upper arms, lower their heads, their throat slightly exposed. I slip a quick glance at them, my lip curling in disgust as I kept my head high, my jaw set, before slowly turn my gaze back to the man hidden in shadows. However, I don't meet his gaze.
His jaw ticks as he stares back at me, he gaze unflinching, before he slowly steps forward, his feet silent on the stone floor as the sunlight slowly exposes him.
His long, silent strides carry him swiftly across the room to stand before me. I continue to stare past him, my chin high as I try to manage the panting through my nose instead of my mouth. Sweat clings to me like a blanket, and my muscles tremble with the effort of the walk here.
I feel his cold gaze roam over my tattered body, and I lift my chin higher, gritting my teeth. He's standing so close to me, slightly leaning over me with his height, that I can no longer blame my erratic heartbeat on exertion. Still, I work on calming my breathing, forcing my eyes to look at his shoulder as I can no longer see past him.
As his eyes return to my face he removes one of his hands from behind his back, wrapping his warm fingers around my throat and using his thumb to turn my chin towards him. My eyes lock with his.
Wow.
His eyes are blue. Not blue like the sky or the ocean, but an electric blue. Inhuman. Cold. No depth or warmth to be seen.
He grits his teeth as his eyes narrow, shadowing the gorgeous blue with long, dark lashes and thick eyebrows. I lower my gaze to take in the rest of his features, his sculpted nose crooked, probably broken a few times, and his chiseled jaw has a small amount of stubble visible this close.
I force my eyes to return to his in a cold stare, causing a growl to radiate from his chest and fingers to tighten around my throat. His fingers tighten further when I don't look away, making my still ragged breathing even harder as I clench my teeth tighter.
My heartbeat thunders as I continue to stare him down, my skin tingling with the proximity of both the two guards and him, making me feel trapped. His growl deepens, causing the guard on my right to flinch and my gaze to tighten in amusement.
His lip lifts off his perfectly straight teeth in a snarl, and sunlight once again floods over me as he gives my throat one last tight squeeze before stepping away, his eyes still trained on me. I take a deep breath I didn't realize I was holding, the cool air soothing my aching chest.
“Release her.” His deep voice bounces around the warm room, authority marring each word with a soft rumble.
The room sways for a moment as a wash of heaviness settles on me once the guards step away. I hadn't realized how much of my weight they had been supporting. I try to blink the sudden fuzziness from my eyes as I take slow, calming breaths; my breathing finally back under my control.
With my vision now clear, I force my eyes back to his, wishing the smirk that was there before back onto my face, but feeling the lines of exhaustion deepen instead. All I can manage is a cold stare. His eyes darken impossibly further still, his jaw again ticking and a rumble building up in his chest. The physical pull to lower my head and expose my neck to him is painful, and it takes all my will powder to keep my head high. I want to submit. But that is a weakness, and I am not weak. Instead, I hardened the look in my eyes, blanking them and raising my chin further in a way that makes it appear than I am looking down my straight nose at him.
I can visibly see him bristle at my defiance, his top lip pulling back from his white teeth again as his eyes darkened to a stormy blue.
The thudding in my chest quickens as he moves towards me, his footsteps on the stone floor still impossibly silent. I keep my chin high even as a small flicker of fear beings to replace the anger in my lower stomach.
“You have two choices,” His voice shudders through me in a thick snarl as he continues to advance, the light in the room dimming with his shadow again. “You can continue this little game that has you feeling superior, and I can throw you back into your cell for the rest of your miserable life." His chin lifts as he stops two feet in front of me, leaning in so his warm breath softly brushes over the shell of my ear.
"Or, you can answer the interrogation questions, so I can decide a more appropriate outcome for you."
My throat burns as I force my unused vocal cords to make words, the sounds rasping out of my mouth being barely audible. "More appropriate for yourself, or for me?" I cough on the end of my sentence, forcing a thick swallow.
His eyes narrow. "That depends on the answers you give me. But be warned, I will know when you lie, and your life will be forfeit." He grumbles a reply, slowly leaning back on his heels and tilting his chin up at me.
I narrow my cold eyes at him, trying to find either a slither of humanity left inside him. I don't even know who this man is, though he is clearly an Alpha with the aura that is beaming out of him in waves.
Apparently my silence is enough of my answer, and my breathing starts a race with my heartbeat as his lips pull back once again. He spins on his heels, walking quickly away from me as a rumbles over his shoulder.
"Fine. We will do this my way then."
