Chapter 53

My consciousness returns fleetingly. There and gone in seconds. It’s like trying to grasp water in your cupped hand—no matter what you do, you can’t maintain a hold on it.

After what feels like a century later, I sluggishly return to the land of the living.

The first thing I make note of is the stale air. Dust and dirt saturate the room, rendering even breathing a difficult feat.

I cough, pressing my face into the cold stone floor.

Where am I?

That one thought circulates in my brain, but I don’t have an answer to it. The last thing I remember is meeting with Alyssa, and then…

My stomach tightens and twists until I swear I’m going to vomit.

Somehow, someway, she knew about my power. Not only that, she could sense my presence in her mind. The only logical explanation is that she was at the Compound with me.

I try to make sense of my surroundings, but without sight, it’s surprisingly difficult. There’s a pungent, undefinable scent permeating the air, but I can’t put my finger on where I’ve smelled it before.

Everything is cold. The ground, the air, my body. I half wonder if the room is hewn from ice.

Maybe the important question isn’t where I am, but how I got here.

I rub at my neck where someone had pricked me. How did they get into the visitor’s room without me knowing? I imagine I was so entranced by Alyssa and my enhanced abilities that I didn’t hear the door opening and closing.

As the guys always say…

Fuck.

I’m painfully aware of a gnawing, gaping hole in my stomach. I whimper pathetically as it grumbles, demanding I feed it. Even my throat is unbearably dry, as if I haven’t had water in weeks.

How long have I been unconscious?

As panic sets in, I take a slow inventory of my body. Fortunately, I appear to still be wearing the white dress I arrived in. The fabric clings to my thighs and stomach. Except for a slight sting in my neck and my weakened state, my body doesn’t appear to have any significant damage. Maybe a bruise or two from when I was thrown into this…whatever the heck this is.

Okay, think, Nina. Think.

I push my awareness into the hall, searching for the nearest mind, but I can’t sense anyone. That sends my panic ratcheting up a notch.

I have no idea where I am or what my new prison looks like. For all I know, there’s a dead body a few millimeters away from me.

And God, I’m hungry. So unbelievably hungry.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” I cry weakly, moving to my hands and feet and crawling forward. Something sharp digs into my left knee, and I fall onto my back, wincing.

Carefully, I cup my knee and feel around the edges until I grab whatever has embedded itself into my skin. Glass, if the shape and texture are any indication. The shard cuts my finger, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain. Slowly, I pull the minuscule fragment out of my knee and toss it to the side. Tears of indignation and pain trail down my cheeks. It doesn’t seem to be bleeding too hard, but I still rip at the hem of my gown and wrap it around the wound.

Okay, now, figure out where you are, Nina.

Using my hands as guidance, I make a mental map of the cell.

Against the far wall is a single cot devoid of any blankets or pillows. The mattress itself is lumpy and reeks of urine. Nothing else is in the room with me, not even a toilet. There’s a single door that leads into and out of the cell, but it’s locked. Whoever took me has no intention of letting me go.

Alyssa.

Hours go by with no contact, no food, no water. I’m beginning to get claustrophobic, despite not being able to see the walls. Still, I feel them closing in around me on all sides like a steadily shrinking vise.

Panic and my own gnawing hunger bring me to my feet. I pound desperately, futilely, against the door. From the sound of it, the door is made of wood. I wonder if it’s possible to break it down…

Even as I think that, a wave of dizziness courses through me. I’m too weak to stand on my feet, let alone break open an obviously thick door.

With a cry, I hobble away from the door and curl up on the bed. Am I going to die down here? Alone and forgotten?

I can’t get over the irony of this entire situation. I escape the Compound only to be arrested and imprisoned. I escape the prison only to be brought to a new cell.

I’ll never be free.

Days pass.Weeks, maybe. I lose track of time.

At the Compound, I at least had guards stopping by my cell. I’ll take that torture any day over this solitude, this silence.

This hunger.

A few days ago, I found a leak in the ceiling of my cell. The water is rancid and dirty, but it does wonders to relieve my parched throat. It doesn’t alleviate the hole in my stomach, though.

I haven’t peed since I arrived here. Not once.

I know I’m dehydrated, but there’s nothing I can do besides open my mouth and hope the leaking water enters it.

My muscles are beginning to ache from the lack of hydration. Soon, I won’t be able to pull myself from the water leak to the bed and back again. I’ll have to choose between water and comfort.

I’m so, so hungry.

At one point, I swear I hear a mouse squeaking in the distance. Is it a shifter coming to save me? A friend of Rion’s?

When he presses his whiskered face against my cheek, I realize he’s not a shifter but a plain old mouse.

A mouse I imagine eating.

I feel light, disembodied, like my soul isn’t even in my body but hovering a foot above.

How long do they plan to keep me like this?

I think of Kai and Bronson. Cain and Abel. Rion and Damien. The sexy men who have claimed my heart and soul. I imagine they’ll be worried sick about me by now.

If I die, who will be Damien’s light? Who will help Cain and Abel conquer their demons? Who will listen to Rion’s ramblings and be his shoulder to lean on? Who will love Bronson and allow him to love her in return? Who will take care of Kai while he worries about taking care of everyone else?

I think of them, only them, as the darkness once again pulls me under.

I’m in the Labyrinth.I recognize the lead pipes on the ceiling, the stone walls, and the mold growing on every available surface.

I appear to be in someone’s head. A male, if the height is any indication. When he raises his hands, balls of fire forming in each palm to illuminate the pathway, I realize the man is Kai.

“How much longer?” Rion demands, his honey, accented voice as cold as ice. Kai turns towards him, and I see my four other men as well. All five of them have somber expressions, eyes tight with worry, and there’s an urgency to their gaits that wasn’t there previously.

“Do you think I fucking know?” Kai growls.

“We’ve been through this hall already,” Bronson cuts in. His eyes flash amber, seeming to emit a golden glow as his wolf makes an appearance. Sharp incisors cut into his bottom lip before he takes a deep, steadying breath. His teeth return to normal, and his eyes lose their luminescent glow.

“You need to calm the fuck down,” Abel snaps at the shadow wolf. “You can’t wolf out down here. You know you can’t control your instincts, and the last thing I want to be is puppy chow.”

Bronson whips his head in the demon’s direction, a growl emanating from his chest. He steps forward threateningly, looking every inch the dangerous predator I know him to be.

“Enough!” Cain shoulders his way in between them. His hair is unruly, as if he’d run his hand through it one too many times. His lips pull back from his teeth in a snarl. “We can’t fucking fight.” When he’s sure he has both of their undivided attention, he turns back towards Kai. “Okay, so, Bronson’s right. We have been down this tunnel before. We turned left at the upcoming fork, so, this time, let’s go right.”

The guys—excluding Damien—all nod their agreement. I notice my mage’s eyes are as blind as my own. Seeing but not understanding. With dark hair framing a proud and arresting face, chiseled cheekbones, strong jawline, and icy eyes that never seem to freeze me, he’s beautiful. Cold and beautiful. That beauty reels me in like a fish on a hook. This angel, however, is bathed in blood and menace. An avenging angel, then.

My avenging angel.

Kai turns back around, focusing on the flames dancing in his palms. When they reach the fork, they turn right.

Kai is so focused on his hands that he doesn’t notice the scythe dangling precariously against the wall. Directly below it, on the floor, is a square slab of darker stone, slightly raised.

Stop! I scream mentally, and Kai surprises me when he stumbles to an abrupt halt.

“What the hell, Blade?” Rion snaps, spinning on his heel.

“I… I heard her,” Kai whispers breathlessly. “Nina. I heard her.”

“You feeling okay, buddy?” Abel asks placatingly. He steps forward to feel the dragon’s forehead. “Fuck, I think he’s hallucinating.”

He can hear me?

Giddy elation travels through me.

Kai, can you hear me?I ask tentatively.

“Nina?” His voice is high with wonder and veneration.

Yes! Yes! If I had a body of my own, I would be crying right now.

“How is this possible?” Kai demands.

I don’t know! I reply. But be careful. I think there’s a trap right in front of you.

“What?” Kai looks first at the uneven square tile before lifting his gaze to the scythe. Without hesitation, he reaches into a pack I hadn’t realized was slung over his shoulder and grabs an apple. Crouching down, he rolls the apple across the dark square. Immediately, the blade drops in a swooping arc before settling once more against the wall. I have no doubt it would’ve decapitated anyone in its line of fire.

“Pressure sensor,” Kai says darkly. “Another one of the Labyrinth’s traps.”

“Fuck,” Cain breathes from somewhere behind Kai.

Where are you?I ask desperately.

“We’re fucking getting out of this place,” Kai announces vehemently. “Rumor has it that there’s a staircase that leads to the roof. From there, I can turn into a dragon and get us all out of here. Now, where the fuck are you? Bron and Rion can sense you nearby, but they can’t get an exact location.”

“You’re talking to Nina.” Damien’s face appears in front of Kai’s, eyes wild. “Are you there, Angel?” Before Kai can respond, Damien presses his lips to mine—Kai’s—in a desperate, wild kiss.

And… I feel it.

I feel the softness and the scratch of his stubble. I feel his tongue poking the seam, demanding entrance. I feel it all, and tingles of desire blossom in my body.

All too soon, Kai shoves at Damien’s shoulder, pushing the mage away. “What the fuck, man?” he snarls.

Damien doesn’t answer, grabbing a knife from his sleeve and leaning against the wall. I notice that warmth has bled into his once glacial eyes.

I felt that, I whisper to Kai.

“We’re not using my body to give you orgasms,” Kai says immediately. “Because I felt that too, and now I’m terrified my ass will be used for a bunch of horny penises.”

Despite the direness of this situation, I laugh. I don’t know if the noise translates in Kai’s mind, but his own answering chuckle greets mine.

“Where the fuck is she?” Cain demands, bringing us back to the topic at hand.

I don’t know. Insidious fear slithers down my spine like an icy snake. It seeps through my skin and squeezes my heart. I think I’m in a cell. But no one has visited me in days. I’m so hungry and thirsty, Kai. I don’t know how much longer I can last.

“You’re going to fucking hang in there, okay?” Kai’s vehement voice pierces my depressive fog. “We’re coming for you.”

I don’t want you to risk your life for mine, I protest weakly. But I know my words will fall on deaf ears. They will do anything and everything for me. Some people promise you the moon; others actually lasso it down for you.

I’m so weak, Kai,I try again, but his growl cuts off the remainder of my protests. It’s no use arguing. I could sooner move a brick wall.

“Buttercup, hang in there, okay?” Rion cups Kai’s cheeks to peer deeply into my—his—eyes. “We’re coming for you. I know you’re hungry, Buttercup, but you need to hold on a little longer. I can feel you, my love, and I’m coming.”

“If you kiss me too, shifter scum, so help me…” Kai growls, and Rion reluctantly pulls his hands away.

“Bambi, do you remember who took you?” Abel questions, and the mood immediately turns suffocatingly tense.

Alyssa. She works for the Compound. I don’t know in what capacity, though.

The guys pause suddenly, and through Kai’s eyes, I see a hall of nails. I’d guess there’s at least a thousand protruding from the walls, ceiling, and floor.

“How much do you want to bet we have to go in that direction?” Cain says dryly.

Without a word, Damien stalks forward, seemingly unaware or not caring that the nails dig into his skin on all sides. I let out a soft sob at the blood darkening his white dress shirt.

Please, don’t do this. I don’t want to lose you guys,I beg Kai.

His voice is terse when he answers. “And we can’t lose you, either.”

I make a move to reply when something hard snaps across my face, jerking me awake.

“Oh, good. You’re awake,” Alyssa says, saccharine sweet. “Now, we can talk.”