Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Raura

Shock surges and my head flies up at the words I just heard. For the past hour, I’ve been sitting here in a daze, pain wracking me as I’ve felt the bones knitting. Parker’s last little interrogation session was the most brutal one yet.

You didn’t tell them anything, Raura. You didn’t!

It’s the only thing that’s keeping me from crumbling right now. Except what I just heard sucks the wind from my sails.

“The woman. I want her.”

He has to be joking!

I stare at where the men are standing. Riot has his back to me, not even looking at me as he tells Parker that he wants me as some sort of prize.

Maybe I heard wrong.

“The woman?” Parker starts to laugh. “Well, well, well, boy. Looks like that big dick of yours isn’t just for show, after all.”

Riot says nothing as Parker continues to laugh.

This can’t be happening!

Parker will say no. I’m certain of it. The bastard hasn’t had his fill of torturing me. I’m pretty sure that he’s starting to realize that I’m not going to give up any information…but I think he’ll carry on just because he likes it.

I shudder as another wave of pain radiates from my arm. Sweat beads on my forehead.

“Fine,” Parker says. “A night with the girl. You’ve earned it.” He claps a hand on Riot’s shoulder.

Riot shakes his head. “Not just a night. I want to keep her.”

Parker releases a loud guffaw. “Keep her?” He laughs loudly again. “That’s pushing the envelope just a bit, don’t you think?”

“No. You said it yourself. I’ve earned it.”

“Yes, you got that right.” Parker nods. “Okay, sure. The bitch is no use to me anyhow. And what I’d get for her on the market is just a drop in the ocean compared with what you did for me today.”

Did for him? What did he do?

I don’t want to know. But I can guess because Riot is coated in a combination of blood and sweat. I swallow hard.

He’s going to kill me.

But would he? He’s shared his meals with me every day this past week. He didn’t say much after that first conversation, but each time the trays have come in, and after the guards have left, he’s set aside a plate for me.

Was it just a ploy? Was he planning this all along?

I keep my eyes fixed on his back, wishing he’d turn around so I could read his expression.

There’d probably be nothing there. The man is a closed book.

But even if he doesn’t kill me, what else does he have in mind? Because I doubt he’s harboring hopes of having a new chess partner.

“And I want a room of my own,” I hear Riot saying. “We’ll need privacy.”

Oh, hell no!

Parker is slapping his knees he’s laughing so hard. “Did you hear that, bitch?” He aims the words at me. “Looks like you’re in for a wild ride! The man hasn’t had a piece of ass in a decade, so brace yourself.” He turns back to Riot. “Fine, collect your things and get cleaned up. We’ll have a new little love nest ready when you get back.”

“Good,” says Riot, heading into his cell. He’s not even looking at me.

“Get the girl,” Parker tells the guards, who step toward my door and yank it open, barging toward me. I shrink back. Riot makes a sound that sends a shiver over my skin, and the guards stop short.

“Don’t hurt her,” he growls. “You don’t lay a hand on her. She’s mine now.” The guards exchange glances.

“You heard the man,” says Parker. “Don’t damage the goods.” He snorts in amusement. “Guess it’s going to be hard enough with that arm the way it is.”

Riot makes another of those sounds. A throat-rattling growl that seems to start in his chest. The tiny hairs on my arms prickle up.

“We’ll run her through the showers,” Parker is saying before he looks at the guards. “Take her to the ablutions, men. God knows the bitch stinks after the past few days.”

I feel a wave of shame. It’s not like I’ve had any choice in the matter. Although, if I smell bad, maybe Riot won’t want to touch me.

Because there’s no way I want him to touch me.

Of course I don’t.

Riot ignores Parker, who’s leering slightly as the guards hover near me…cautiously. “Go with them, girl. You know there’s no point in fighting this.”

I know he’s right. Reluctantly, I stand and let them guide me out, hating the fact that I’ve become this easy to manipulate.

“I have to admit, she’s a looker, kid. I can’t fault your taste. I might have made a little cash on her from the flesh circuits. Those freaks have all sorts of strange…predilections.” Parker runs an eye over me. My stomach churns. “But then, who am I to judge, right? As long as their money’s good.”

I don’t hear Riot’s response – if he makes one – because I’m being led down the hall and out of the cell block.

“Showers are in there.” The taller guard beside me nods at a door leading off the hallway we’ve just stepped into. The other one pushes it open. As I walk through, he moves to follow me, but the bigger one bars him with an arm. “You heard the Beast. She’s his now. Go in there, and he’ll probably eat your eyeballs.”

“Fuck. Good point,” the other one mutters. “All I can say is I’m glad I’m not her.”

The last words I hear as the door closes behind me are, “Did you see what he did to those fuckers out there tonight. Made me wanna puke.”

Great. Just freaking great.

I shiver, even though my arm is making me sweat. It’s healing, but it still hurts like hell.

The room is spacious but sparse, designed for function rather than luxury. Rows of shower stalls line one side, and toilet stalls line the other. The bare white walls are windowless, just like every other room in this place. A bright fluorescent light makes the walls seem almost blinding.

Walking inside, I find a bench and gingerly strip off, discarding my filthy clothes gratefully. I head to the closest stall, turn on the faucet, then step under the steaming spray and let it pelt my skin. The water stings where Parker’s goons worked me over, but I don’t care. I just want to feel clean again.

Riot wants me as some sort of sick prize? I can’t wrap my head around it. Sure, the man is built like a beast, with those strange silver eyes that seem to cut through me whenever he looks at me…but he was kind to me. He shared his food. Protected me from the guards.

Was it all an act? Some sick game to get me to let my guard down? I swallow hard at the thought.

No, I can’t believe that.

There was something in his eyes when our gazes met. A flicker of…recognition, maybe? Longing? I’m not sure, but it didn’t seem predatory.

At least, I don’t think it did.

The door clangs open, and I stiffen, pressing back against the tiled wall.

Parker strolls in, that infuriating smirk plastered on his face. He tosses something at me, and I flinch as it hits the floor of the stall.

“There you go, sweetheart. Thought you might like a little something to wear for your big night.” He runs an eye down my bare chest, then back up to my face.

I glance down to see a shimmery red dress puddled on the ground. Of course he’d pick something like that. The sick bastard probably thinks Riot is going to rip it right off me.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure he’ll make it quick,” Parker continues with a dark chuckle. “Well…maybe not too quick. The man’s been caged up a long time. Bet he’s got a lot of pent-up energy to expend.”

My stomach churns as his words sink in. I think of the blood I saw Riot coated in.

“Too bad you never gave me what I wanted,” Parker says with a shake of his head. “I was really hoping you’d be useful. But I guess it’s a small consolation to know he’ll probably tear you limb from limb.”

He laughs again, and I feel bile rise in my throat.

He wouldn’t… No! Surely, he couldn’t!

This can’t be happening. Not after everything I went through to protect my people. To die at the hands of a…a monster?

“Have fun, sweetheart,” Parker calls over his shoulder as he exits. “I’ll be sure to send someone to hose out that room in the morning.”

The door slams shut, leaving me alone with my spiraling thoughts. Riot is going to kill me. I’m certain of it now. That flicker I saw…it was the flicker of a predator catching the scent of prey.

I sink to the floor of the shower, trembling as the water pounds against my back.

What have I gotten myself into?

I don’t get much chance to feel sorry for myself, though, because a few minutes later, there’s another bang at the door.

“Time to go.” It’s one of the guards.

“I…I… Just a minute!” I choke out. Grabbing a towel from a nearby rail, I dry myself off hastily, then reach for the dress.

“Mother of God!” I mutter as I look down at it. The damn thing isn’t designed to cover anything at all. But it’s all I have. Wriggling into the tight lycra, I do my best to tug it over my breasts…which only ends up pulling the hem up my thighs until my pussy is practically on display. “Shit, shit, shit!” It doesn’t help that I wasn’t given underwear. Or shoes.

Dammit.

Gritting my teeth, I pad to the door, tugging at the hem again.

The walk back down the hall feels like I’m being led to the gallows. I drag each step, pausing when we head past the door that leads to the cell block.

“New digs for you,” the tall guard smirks at me when he sees that I’m uncertain about which direction to go in. “Got the honeymoon suite set up and everything.”

“Shut up…jerk,” I say under my breath, feeling brazen now that I know they can’t touch me. My bravado dies a rapid death as we reach a plain white door. The guard unlocks it and swings it open, stepping to the side and leaving me framed in the doorway. I gulp.

Unlike the other rooms I’ve seen in this place, this one is comfortable. There’s plush cream carpet on the floor, and the walls are eggshell white with gold-framed pictures of horses and huntsmen. To one side is a dressing table and chair facing a large, gilt-edged mirror. It’s like being in an upmarket hotel. It seems so surreal that I struggle to take it in.

What I don’t struggle to take in is the large bed in the center of the room. Riot is standing beside it, his arms folded over his huge chest. He’s in a pair of form-fitting black jeans and a snug black T-shirt that strains around his biceps. His golden skin looks freshly scrubbed, and tiny water droplets cling to the bristles of his short-cropped dark hair.

Holy shit.

“Come in,” he says, his voice rumbling through me in a way that makes my skin tingle.

When I don’t move, one of the guards pushes me between my shoulder blades, bumping me forward. I take an unsteady step, giving a small jump as the door slams shut behind me.

Riot runs an eye over me, and I stand awkwardly, curling my uninjured arm around myself. This freaking dress leaves nothing to the imagination, and although I’ve been naked around males on more than one occasion after I’ve shifted, I’ve never felt so bare as I do now.

He takes a step forward, and I instinctively back up. “Don’t think you’re going to lay a hand on me,” I say quickly, hating the way my voice trembles.

“You think you have a choice?” he scoffs.

“It won’t be worth your while,” I snap back. “I’ll put up such a fight, you won’t know what hit you.”

He chuckles at that. The sound should make my blood run cold, but it doesn’t. It warms me.

Because I’m clearly nuts.

“I’m not here to fight,” he says.

“Sure. Because you’ve probably done enough of that tonight already. Who did you kill this time?”

His expression flickers and I feel a pang of guilt. Over the past few days, I’ve come to the conclusion that he hates what he does here. Now I feel bad for raising it. Which is stupid because what I should be feeling is fear. Mindnumbing fear. But as much as I just spent the past half hour convinced that he was going to assault me, now that I’m facing him, I’m not so sure anymore.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he’s not planning to do anything terrible.

“Get on the bed,” he says, proving me wrong.

“What?! No!” I blurt, backing away some more. My heart is galloping so fast I’m sure it’s going to burst out of my chest. “No!” I repeat. “I won’t!”

“Do it…now.” His voice is dark and dangerous, and it lifts the tiny hairs on my skin. “Or I will force you.”