Chapter 19

Well…

This is fun.

Hanging from the rafters in the “king’s” throne room is exactly how I thought my day would end. Add on to that the brutal beating his mage pet is inflicting…

Oh! Shiny!

My eyes latch onto the silver ring on Blade’s finger as another punch connects with my face, ripping my precious lip ring out.

I have been betrayed by the shiny.

“Now, now, boys, that’s not very nice,” I gasp as blood forms in my mouth.

“Cut the shit, Rion,” Blade growls. Honest-to-fuck growls. A little dramatic, if you ask me, but I’m not one to…

Oh. Is that a new ring? I always knew he had the one on his right hand, but the one on his left looks brand new. Rings are a bitch in a fight.

“What were you doing with Nina?” Mage Bitch asks coldly. I don’t think that’s his real name—pretty sure it starts with a B or D—but us shifters always refer to him as Mage Bitch or Blade’s Bitch. Both work.

Mage Bitch is a scary fucker with cold eyes and an even colder smile. The man’s colder than an icicle. I’m pretty sure his balls are cold too…you know, blue balls.

Speaking of icicles, I’m rather parched. Hanging from the rafters while being tortured does that to a man. Perhaps if I ask nicely, they’ll humor me with a glass of water?

It’s sort of ironic that they would hang me from the ceiling, considering that’s how I’ve been stalking Nina. Technically, I wouldn’t consider my actions “stalking.” It sounds much darker than what it actually was. I much prefer “watching someone without their knowledge or permission.” It’s all about the words.

Damn. I’m a poet. I should really consider a career as an author?—

Mage Bitch places his dagger against my throat.

“Start talking,” he hisses darkly.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I blow at a piece of hair that had gotten stuck to my blood-soaked mouth. “I’m her mate.”

Blade roars and barrels forward like a bull. Both Man Whore and No Love hold him back. Yes, those are the names we have coined for the twins.

Man Whore…do I really need to explain? The trickster demon has more lovers than I have tattoos on my body, which is fucking saying something. We once joked that his dick is actually a fish that dies if it doesn’t get wet at least twenty times a day. Of course, he hasn’t used one of his playthings in days, not since Nina arrived. The women of the prison have begun to grumble.

Hell hath no fury like a woman without cock.

Okay, I apologize if that’s sexist, but you haven’t met the women in this prison. They scare me more than their esteemed “king” does. And, yes, king was said sarcastically.

I really want him to take a running dive off a cliff?—

Damn. I can’t wish for his death, not when he means so much to Nina. My heart refuses to allow me to continue that thought.

I want him to get a nasty, painful sunburn every day for the rest of his life. And he’s not even allowed to put ointment on it. Ha!

There. That’s better. My amended statement gets an internal smile from me. Apparently, Blade is allowed to endure minor torture at the hands of the dreaded sun.

“What the fuck are you talking about, shifter scum?” Blade demands, shaking off the twins and stalking closer. I give him an indolent look.

As a shifter, I have a lot of the same characteristics as my animals. That means I’m a lazy bitch who gets distracted by?—

Blood.

I glance down at where Bitch Mage’s—or is it Mage Bitch’s?—dagger breaks skin.

Son of a biscuit.

“Are you supposed to be her mate too?” I direct at a glowering Blade. “Because you’re a pretty shitty one.” Smoke billows from his nostrils, and scales erupt on both his cheeks and arms. Little mister dragon is close to losing his self-proclaimed cool. “You didn’t bother to ask her who her visitor was, did you? What if it was someone from her past? What if she was hurt? You are just so stuck in your ways?—”

The scariest roar I’ve ever heard reverberates through the room. Even Damien, normally calm and collected, blinks rapidly. Blade looks seconds away from sinking his teeth into me, but I know I have him. Hook. Line. And sinker.

Without a word, he turns on his heel and stalks out of the room, no doubt to take Nina from her other mate and coddle her. I wonder how that will go.

Wolf Man seems like quite the intimidating asshole. It goes against his primitive instincts to share his mate. If I had to take a gander, I would say he currently has her wrapped in a cocoon—symbolizing a wolf’s nest—and is hand-feeding her berries. He’s also probably growling and barking at anyone who gets too close.

Obsessive bastard.

Not that I can blame him.

I am the one who hid in the rafters and watched her as she slept. Again, not in a creepy way. More in a “you’re my mate and I must protect you” sort of way. What can I say? Cats love climbing. And hunting.

Especially tasty treats like Nina.

Turning towards Mage Bitch, I flash him a cocky smirk. “What are you going to do now that your master is no longer here?” I query with genuine confusion. “Can you even piss without his permission?”

His eyes flash with unparalleled fury, and I know I hit a sore spot. Really, that should be the first indicator that I need to shut the fuck up, but my mouth doesn’t know when to stop. I can’t even blame the cat in me because, while cats are prissy, they’re not stupid.

“How does it work? Does he bend over and have you wipe his ass? Do you use your tongue? That’s pretty kinky, if you ask me. It’s kind of sad, really, how little he values you. I mean, you’re the most powerful person in the Labyrinth, maybe the entire prison, and yet, do you think he’s going to allow you near his precious mate? Hell, no. I see the way your eyes follow her—like she’s the only thing that matters. You want her…but you’re never going to have her. He won’t let you. Not someone as dark and twisted as you.” I physically bite down on my lip to keep from going off on another rant.

Really, Rion?

For a moment, I think he’s going to kill me. I can see the intent in his eyes, the tautness of his muscles, the tension swarming through him like a thousand gnats.

Instead, he lowers his knife.

“You saved her?” he asks, brushing the blade on his suit sleeve. Crazy fucker. How he maintains his immaculate appearance while simultaneously being a psychopathic serial killer remains a mystery to me. I’m always drenched in blood and guts after I make a kill. And then I spin around in a circle, singing, “Don’t you rain on my parade.”

It’s a cat thing.

“Nina?” I clarify, realizing I have yet to answer his question. At his impassive look, I nod like a fucking bobble head. “Oh, yeah. Twice. Like a badass motherfucker. Why do people say motherfucker, by the way? Because you can bet your mage ass that I never fucked my mother. That bitch is long dead. Anyway, yes. I killed two people. Disgusting men… I’m talking about their tastes, by the way, though their personalities were something else too. The first one put his hands on my girl. I couldn’t let that stand. Bitch had to be taught a lesson.” I cackle malevolently. Honestly, I sometimes terrify myself, but in a loving way. Can you lovingly terrify yourself? “The second man was a guard.” Red flares over my vision as I think about what he tried to do. What he almost did.

“Did he suffer?” Mage Bitch, sick fuck, looks as if he’s seconds from orgasming in his pants.

“Not enough.”

“Hmmm…” He slides the dagger cleanly into his suit sleeve. “Next time, come get me.”

“So, you’re not going to kill me?” I inquire, quirking a brow at him.

Yes, Rion, remind the psychopath that he wants to kill you.

Fucking shit. How have I lived this long again? Oh, yeah. I started my own fucking rebellion and murdered everyone who got in my way. Duh.

Whistling beneath his breath—I’m pretty sure it’s some Beyoncé song—Bitch Mage meanders away, probably to go creep on Nina.

Now it’s only me and the twins remaining.

Man Whore is staring at me with wide eyes, a mixture of bewilderment and awe in his gaze. No Love is scowling, though that’s not a surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man smile.

“You gentlemen going to let me go?” I question, pulling at the restraints. They’re laced with magic designed to dull a shifter’s natural strength. Only a very powerful mage—or in this case, Bitch Mage—is capable of performing such a spell.

“Mommy, I’m scared,” Man Whore whispers to his brother, continuing to cast me side-eyed glares. No Love rolls his eyes to the heavens.

As the two of them depart as well, I call to their backs, “Don’t mind me! I’ll just be hanging around!”

Of course, I begin to cackle hysterically.

Sigh. The things I do for love.