Chapter 2

2

J en

The sun is kissing the horizon when we make it out of the tunnel.

The men are all huge, naked, and covered with tattoos. The markings are elaborate, with red in them.

Red!

They’re Reds, and I think that this is Mistveil Island. It has to be. There are four of them. Two with dark hair. The one carrying me is blond, and the other guy is a ginger. He keeps leering at me.

Rocky puts me down. I stagger, almost falling on my face. He grabs my arm, holding me up while the dizziness subsides. I pull my arm free when I find him staring at my breasts. I’m not wearing a bra, so I cover myself with my arms. Thankfully, they were tied in front of my body and not behind my back.

Rocky grunts with irritation. “What about her ass?”

“What about it?” one of the brothers snarls, sounding irritated. “I hope you’re not suggesting what I think you are.”

I break out in a cold sweat. I widen my eyes and shake my head, moaning into my gag.

“Are you fucking hard of hearing?” the other brother yells. “Stop, already. I told you that no one touches her. Not so much as a single hair.” His face goes bright red.

“You have a female, Igor,” Rocky grumbles. “You get pussy every night. Some of us are not so lucky.”

“After this job, we’ll have a huge payday,” the other brother says. “Plus, we’ll stay on the general’s good side. That bodes well for our future. Things are looking bright for the four of us. That means females. We’ll be desirable to them. There’ll be plenty of pussy. You’ll see. There’ll be no need to force anyone.”

“Fine,” Rocky grumbles.

When I look over at the ginger, he is leering at me with longing in his eyes. What’s wrong with them? It’s like they’ve never seen a woman before. It’s all kinds of creepy.

“Let’s get her to the castle. The general is waiting,” Igor tells his brother, who nods. “The two of you can go back home. We’ll take it from here.”

“Why?” Rocky snarls. “Rusty and I were just as much a part of this. We should be there for the handover.”

“Titan and I will be sure to let the general know that the two of you were involved in the extraction,” Igor says.

Rusty and Rocky give each other a hard look. I don’t think they like it. Rusty finally nods. “Okay, but we each take a quarter cut.” He points between him and Rocky.

“Of course,” Igor says.

“Goes without saying,” Titan adds.

I heave a sigh of relief. I’m safe for now. All bets could be off when they find out I’m not the person they think I am.

The sun is rising fast. I take in our surroundings for the first time, watching as Rusty and Rocky leave. The tunnel entrance is enclosed by a high fence. There is a gate up ahead, but it looks to be padlocked. I turn back, and there is a sign outside the tunnel that reads:

No Entry!

By order of the King.

It’s written in red.

“Let’s get going,” Igor tells his brother. Titan nods.

Then, they are shifting into their dragon forms. I scream into my gag. Dragons are killers.

I’m dead. I’m done for.

There is a cracking noise as their limbs start to elongate, their bones cracking and reforming underneath their skin. The transformation is both mesmerizing and terrifying to witness.

I want to scream into my gag. Every instinct tells me to run, but that would be stupid. Firstly, I wouldn’t get very far, and secondly, putting my back to these apex predators would be stupid indeed. It goes against every rule I’ve been taught.

As they grow taller and their scales shimmer in the early morning light, I struggle against my restraints, knowing that my fate is sealed if I don’t find a way to escape and soon. The only problem is that I don’t see a way out.

Within no time, two huge dragons stand before me. It takes every last bit of energy to keep from wetting myself. I’m terrified, and I need to pee, which doesn’t help at all.

I stand there shaking, feeling like a mouse in the direct sights of a hawk. I feel like prey, and I don’t like it one bit.

Igor takes off. He screeches, making every hair on my body rise up. Titan does the same, but instead of flying away, he grips me in his sharp talons and picks me up, lifting me off the ground.

Now I scream… Well, I scream as much as my gag will allow. I half expect him to snap me in two or to bite into me, but it doesn’t happen. My scream comes out sounding muffled. The dragons fly up and up and up. Higher and higher, taking me with them. Thank goodness I made it through Sky’s Edge. The obstacle course helped me with my fear of heights. I think I might have passed out by now otherwise.

Once I get over my initial outright panic, which takes a few minutes, I start to notice that there are dwellings below us. That and roads. I see cars and even another dragon flying in the distance. Far ahead is a huge castle. Like from the fairy tales I read as a child. If I wasn’t gagged, my mouth would fall open. We make for the tall structure. It’s made from brick and stone, with many towers and spires reaching up high. I can see people on the streets below going about their daily business.

It feels unreal. I can’t believe that this is happening. I look up at the dragon holding me. At its scaly skin. He seems perfectly in control.

I have a feeling that we are headed straight for the castle. Both dragons are focused on the structure. There are flags all over it. They wave in a light breeze. It takes me a minute to make out what is on them. It’s a crest of arms in the form of a large, white, fire-breathing dragon against a red background. Must be a Mistveil symbol…I think.

There are also big stretches of green lawns extending out all around the castle grounds. Not just lawns but flower beds and elaborate fountains spraying water. It’s impressive. Or would be if I wasn’t afraid of falling to my death. I get another wave of panic and breathe through it.

I’m not a fan of flying when in a structure like an actual plane. Dangling like this sucks big time. My only solace is that we are nearly there.

We fly around the castle to the back. It’s far less grand from this angle. It’s definitely the work side of the castle. I squeal into my gag as I’m dropped a few feet onto cobblestone paving. I’m not sure how, but I manage to keep my footing, even though I am still bound. We’re in a courtyard enclosed by high brick walls. Guards quickly surround us. There’s that weird cracking sound again, as Igor and Titan shift back into their human forms.

My eyes are on the guards. They’re in black armor. They all have swords strapped to their sides. One of them has two swords across his back. The metal glints in the sunlight. The weirdest things are these masks covering their faces. Why do they need them?

“We are here to see the general. He is expecting us,” Igor says as his brother grabs my arm.

“Name?” the guard growls.

“Igor,” he says in a clipped tone.

“Titan.”

The guard nods. “He is expecting both of you. Follow me,” he adds as he turns on his heel.

Titan hoists me over his shoulder. I wish they’d untie my legs and just let me walk already. And if I don’t use a toilet soon, I’m going to pee on this asshole. I’m starting to get to the point where I don’t really care if it happens. It’ll be his own damned fault.

We go inside and down a dimly lit corridor; the smell of baked bread hits my nostrils, and despite my predicament, my mouth waters a little. Having said that, I don’t think I could eat a thing. I’m far thirstier than hungry, but again, until I’ve been to the toilet, I won’t be able to drink so much as a drop.

We traverse through winding hallways; the walls are adorned with old-ass tapestries depicting battles and conquests. Someone needs help with the interior decoration.

The echoes of their footsteps bounce off the walls as we walk and walk. The brothers move with purpose; Igor’s expression is unreadable as they take me deeper into the heart of the castle. More guards follow behind us, looking freaky with those masks. We’re on our way to this “general” person.

What does he want with me? More importantly, what will he do when he finds out I’m not the woman he sent these goons to capture? How could they get it so wrong? The only woman at the training camp who looks anything like me is Skylar. We have similar builds, and we both have long, dark hair, but…other than that, we’re very different. Her eyes are green, and mine are blue. She’s gorgeous. Absolutely pristine. A natural beauty, even though I’d say that her lips might have had some help. They’re just too full to be natural. Maybe I’m wrong. Who knows? She has these lashes that go on for days. She’s model material, whereas I’m…not. I’m not getting down on myself; it’s just the way it is. I suppose it might be hard to tell us apart in the dead of the night. Thing is – and the thing I keep coming back to – is that she definitely isn’t a virgin. I’m not sure where that even came from. None of the women at camp are virgins. I know because I’ve spent time with them. Perhaps those guys had it all wrong. It’s possible. Maybe I am the actual target. Maybe any of us would have worked just as well, and I’m the lucky one to get my ass captured.

They finally stop walking, pulling me out of my thoughts. I note that we’re in a wide hallway. The floor is carpeted and still has vacuum lines in it.

A guard up ahead knocks on a large wooden door.

“Enter,” someone says in a booming voice from inside.

The guard puts his head around the jamb. “It’s Igor. He is here to see you, Sire.”

“Let him in and leave us,” the general says.

The guards do as they are told and march away. I notice that one stays just outside as we enter. Igor closes the door with an ominous-sounding click.

“Good morning, Sire,” Igor says.

“Sire.” Titan bows, taking me with him. I can’t see the general because the huge shifter is in my way. I can’t see Igor, either.

“You got her,” the general says, his voice filled with anticipation.

“We did, indeed,” Igor says; it sounds like he is smiling.

“Let’s have a look,” the general says. “Have you ever seen a human female before, Jakes?”

“I don’t believe I have, Sire,” another voice pipes up.

“Lieutenant Jakes,” Igor says. “It is good to see you, as always.”

Titan takes me off his shoulder, putting me on my feet before the general and the lieutenant.

The one has a large gold crest on the front of his armor, and the other has a silver one. I suspect that the gold is the general. He actually isn’t bad-looking. All of the shifters are fairly attractive if you’re into tall and built with a side of aggression.

The general grins down at me.

Lieutenant Jakes is a bit older. He has salt-and-pepper hair and fine lines around his eyes as he looks me up and down. He seems disapproving, like I’m not what he was expecting.

The general has thick, platinum-colored hair. It’s neatly trimmed, as is his beard, which is also white. His eyes are a bright blue. They’re freaky and cold. Actually, on second thoughts, he should be good-looking, but, somehow, isn’t.

The lieutenant has brown hair and brown eyes. He is clean-shaven. His hair is closely cropped to his scalp. I don’t like the look of him, either; or how he is looking at me, for that matter.

They both give me a bad feeling.

“Hello, human. My name is Ice.” The general speaks to me like I am hard of hearing or something. He articulates every word, speaking slowly. “I’m the prince of Mistveil. I also happen to be the general, so you can call me General or Sire…whichever floats your boat. The good news is that you are going home. I must say, your father is quite well connected.” He lifts his brows. “The bad news is that you will be our guest for two more days until there is a flight to the Mainland. Fear not; my team will ensure that your every need is met while you are staying at the castle.”

My dad is a deadbeat who left us when I was a baby. They definitely have the wrong woman. What do I do? Do I pretend to be someone else?

I mumble into my gag.

“Oh!” The general…prince…whatever he is, laughs. “Our manners are terrible. Untie her!” he commands Igor. “I don’t think we need that gag.” He waves his hand, looking at Titan with narrowed eyes. “Miss Jefferson is our guest; let’s treat her as such, shall we?”

While Titan undoes the bonds on my arms, I wrack my brain. Who has that last name?

Jefferson.

Jefferson.

I say it a couple more times inside my mind, hoping it sparks something. It doesn’t. We know each other on a first-name basis, and although I have heard the other Tributes’ last names, I haven’t heard them enough times to remember them.

Crap!

I’m pretty sure they think I’m Skylar. Her father is super wealthy. She used to tell us all the time how he was going to rescue her. How she wouldn’t have to stay too long on Draig. It was “Daddy this” and “Daddy that . ” Maybe he came through for her. It has to be her they think they have.

I remove the gag while Titan gets to work freeing my legs. I finally get the thing off. I lick my lips. My mouth is dry.

The general is smiling at me. “There! That’s much better. I’m so sorry about the…” He cocks his head and narrows his eyes, taking a step toward me. He scrutinizes me, his eyes narrowing further.

Oh, shit!

Crap!

He knows. Arghhhhh!

“What is this?” he spits as his gaze moves to Igor. “Who is this? Who are you?” he growls at me.

“Skylar,” I say in a small voice. I have to try. This is my ticket out of here. “I’m Skylar Jefferson,” I say in a more confident voice.

Fake it till you make it.

The general throws out a barking laugh that is anything but humorous. “You are not Skylar. Who is she?” he asks Igor; his face is turning a touch red. His eyes are bugging out of his skull. It’s safe to say that he is not pleased.

“What do you mean?” Igor’s eyes widen. “She’s the female you told me to get for you from Draig Island. She was at the location you gave me, and she matches the description.” He shrugs. “Look at her.” He gestures to me.

“I am looking at her, you moron! Her eyes are blue…not green.”

“They’re contacts.” I giggle. “I hate my green eyes. I think they look better blue.”

“It’s not just her eyes. She’s slightly taller. You are not Skylar.” He turns to his desk and opens a file, taking out a large, glossy photograph. It’s a headshot of Skylar. It looks nothing like me.

He hands the picture to Igor. “Look closer.”

He does. “Fuck!” he punches out. “You’re right. Why was she in the cited bungalow? I went to the correct location. You can’t blame me for getting it wrong. Unless you’re looking at a picture and making a comparison, it’s tough to see the difference.”

“I have no idea why this female was at the pick-up location we were given, but one thing is for certain, this isn’t Skylar Jefferson. Who are you, female?” The general grabs my arm, squeezing tight enough to leave bruises. “Don’t lie to me.”

Craaaaaap!

“Fine.” My shoulders slump. “I’m Jen…Jennifer Harris. I lied so that you would take me back to the Mainland. It’s all I want…please. I beg you.”

“This is a fucking mess.” The general turns and walks away, running a hand through his hair. “They will be on high alert after the abduction. It won’t be so easy to get in again unseen. Fuck!”

He acts like I’m not even there.

“We’ll find a way to get her, Sire.” Igor’s features are pinched. His eyes are blazing.

Titan is looking at his feet. He whispers a cuss.

“I’m not convinced it will work.” The general keeps pacing. It looks like he is deep in thought. “There’s going to be hell to pay. This Jefferson asshole has the president by the short and curlies. This is a shitshow.”

“Give us a chance, Sire. Please!” Igor begs.

“We’ll see,” he says. “You can go!”

“What about our payment?” Igor asks.

“Payment for what?” the general snarls.

“We went onto Draig and brought a female back, matching the description you gave from the location we were given. We did what you asked.”

“You brought me back the wrong female. You’ve made trouble for me. This female is trouble. If Arctic finds out she is here, there will be hell to pay. He’s soft. He doesn’t have the balls like I do.”

“Yes, but we followed orders.” Igor is trying his luck. “It isn’t our fault the wrong female was at the pick-up location. Or that they look similar. Please, Sire.”

The general grits his teeth, clenching his jaw. “Didn’t you all study several pictures of your mark?”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts. You got a full, detailed description. All you had to do was look at her eyes. That was it. All you had to do was look at her, period. This female looks nothing like Skylar Jefferson because she isn’t Skylar Jefferson. That’s the end of the story.”

I see Igor’s throat work. “What do you want us to do with her?”

“I don’t care.”

My heart sinks.

“Take her back to Draig.” He shrugs. “You can…”

“Please forgive my interruption, Sire,” the lieutenant speaks up for the first time. “Perhaps you should consider another option.”

“What other option?” The general looks at his watch. “I need to make a call. I want you all out of my office.”

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that this is a human female. A female , Sire. A female of a breeding age, might I add. I’m not sure we’re exactly in a position to be tossing her out with the trash. I think you should consider keeping her.”

Breeding age. What the fuck!?

“Why?” He looks me up and down, sizing me up, making my skin crawl. “I prefer dragon shifter females by far. She looks breakable.” He looks at me with disdain. “Not my type at all.” He wrinkles his nose and shakes his head.

What an asshole. Not that I’m interested in any way, shape, or form. I’m not! He’s awful. I keep my mouth shut…for now, at least.

“The female could be an asset to you, Sire,” the lieutenant goes on. “Besides, the king would never approve if we didn’t do right by this young lady.” I get the distinct impression that he couldn’t give a shit about me.

“Hmmmmmm.” The general scratches his chin, once again sizing me up.

“Can I point out that I’m a person? I have a life, a home, people who love me,” I plead. “Please do the right thing. Please send me back to the Mainland on the flight that leaves in two days. Please,” I add. “You said your king would want to do right by me. That would be the right thing to do.” I attempt a smile, but I’m too nervous.

“You might have a point there, Jakes.” The general nods, smiling. “The two of you are dismissed.” He flicks a finger at the door.

“But, Sire, we—”

“Leave! Before I have you thrown in jail or sent to live in the jungle. You fucked up royally. Be grateful you’re leaving with your heads on your shoulders. I don’t want to hear so much as a word more on the matter. I might change my mind otherwise. You brought me the wrong fucking female.”

“Yes, Sire,” they say in unison. “Will you let me know when you are ready to proceed with the extraction of the correct female?” Igor asks.

“Yes, yes. Out!” He waves a hand.

Igor and Titan leave the big office. I have a feeling I won’t be granted the same privilege.

“Please let me go. I’m of no use to you,” I insist. “I’m human and breakable. You said it yourself.”

“She is a fertile female of childbearing age. We’ll have males lining up at a chance to have her. Wealthy influential males at that.”

“No…you can’t.” I shake my head. “I don’t want kids. I’m too young for marriage.”

“My brother won’t approve,” the general says as if I’m not even here. “Arctic will insist that we release her. That we send her back to the Mainland. Since he’s the king, we won’t have much choice but to obey. I can’t keep her without his approval.”

“I am sure that he will. You will have to convince him.”

“How?” The general frowns.

I shake my head. “You don’t need to convince anyone of anything because I want to go home.” I fold my arms. “I want to speak with your king.”

“That isn’t necessary, human,” the lieutenant says to me before looking at the general. “I am sure you will be able to convince Arctic that Miss Harris wanting to stay here on Mistveil is the best way forward for everyone involved, including her. We’ll need to convince him that she wants to stay.”

“Are you insane?” I push out. “I don’t want to stay. I won’t change my mind about that. How can any of what you have just said be good for me?”

“I’m glad you asked,” the lieutenant says. “It’s simple. Do as we say, and we will make sure you end up with one male and one male only. You will not be shared or hurt or abused in any way. You will be revered and cherished and will want for nothing. You’ll live a lavish life. You’ll be rich.”

“I don’t want to be given to some man.” My voice is shrill. “And I think what you’re trying to say is that my husband will be rich, and I’ll be his sex slave. Even worse, I’ll be his baby-making slave. Sorry, but that doesn’t sound like much of a life to me. A gilt cage is still a cage.”

“Oh, the drama, Miss Harris.” The general sighs. “Is it really necessary?”

“Yes, I think it is.”

“Come now, Miss Harris, you need to make peace with your future, or I will personally see to it that you are thrown to the dogs. We have a massive shortage of females here on Mistveil,” the lieutenant says.

That would go a long way to explaining the behavior of the shifters from earlier, even if it doesn’t condone it for one second.

“There are plenty of dogs here on Mistveil. Dogs who would love to tear into a tasty little treat like you. You’d be passed around and used until you can’t so much as walk. I will make sure that is your fate if you don’t cooperate with us.”

“No.” I shake my head. “You can’t do that.”

“Yes.” His voice is cold. “Our jungles are full of outcast feral males. You would never be seen or heard from again. You’ll long for death, and if you are lucky, it will find you. You’ll be used in the worst way possible. Is that what you want?”

I gasp, covering my mouth, the blood draining from my body. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am. I’m deadly serious. You play the game and do as we say. You pretend you’re happy to go along with everything or else. Don’t you dare try me.”

“No.” I shake my head. “I want to go home. I have to go home. My family needs me. I’m their only means of support. You can throw me to the feral dragons. I don’t care. I won’t keep my mouth shut. I won’t go along with any of this, so help me!” I yell.

“You will, Miss Harris, or—”

“Your threats mean nothing to me. My mother needs me. My little brother, too.” I shake my head. “I refuse to stay. To lie. I can’t do it.”

“You don’t have a choice,” the general says.

“Actually, there is always a choice, Miss Harris,” the lieutenant tells me.

“With only two options that are both shitty. I wouldn’t call that much of a choice. Okay…fine,” I growl. “Throw me to the feral dragons. I’ll take death over knowing that my mother and little brother are out in the street. I need to go back, to get a job as soon as possible. If my mother doesn’t get the medical care she needs, she’ll die. It’s as simple as that. I need to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. It’s all up to me. If I don’t go back, my brother will end up in the system. He might even be taken away from her. That would kill her outright.” A tear slides down my cheek. I wipe it away. “They need me. I’d rather die than know they’re not taken care of. That they’re—”

“Well, why didn’t you tell us of your family sooner?” the lieutenant says. He has this gleam in his eye that I don’t like. “It sounds like your family needs financial support? Is that right?”

I nod.

“What if we gave you money, human? And lots of it. I’m talking millions of dollars, and in return, you agree to mate and carry the children of one of the males we put forward to you. Your family would want for nothing. They would be well taken care of in your absence.”

I hate the idea. It would be all kinds of wrong. The thing is that I’ve been stressing about how I was going to manage. I’m a barista. I serve people coffee and cake in a little coffee shop in town. I don’t make huge amounts of money. Even if I took a second job, I doubt I would cover all of our expenses. In fact, I know I wouldn’t manage it. The cost of the kind of medical care my mother needs is through the roof. That’s if she is doing well. Then there’s rent, food, clothing…all the basic stuff. It’s huge. It’s more than I can cope with. We were drowning before I left.

The money I got when I was called up to be a Tribute was a godsend. It took care of my credit card debt and other medical debt we’d amassed. I worked out that what was left would cover basic expenses for roughly five or six months. That doesn’t leave me with huge amounts of time to get back to them. A couple of months at best. This could be the answer I’ve been searching for. Yet, the thought of pimping myself out like that makes me sick to my stomach.

“You could have a good life,” he goes on. “Your family back home would be rich. You never know; you might even learn to love your husband. Our males are all good.”

I shudder at the thought. What choice do I have? I don’t have much leverage. They could lock me away and force me to marry someone, anyway. At least this way, my mother and Caleb would be safe. They would be well taken care of.

My stomach is in knots.

“It doesn’t look like she’s interested. What now? Do we lock her up?” the general asks. “Force her to do as we say?” He glares at me.

Just as I thought. If I don’t take the deal, they’ll force me, regardless. I don’t have too much say in the matter.

“No, Miss Harris is a guest at the castle. You were found wandering on the beach. You have no recollection of how you got there. Or even how you got onto the island.” Jakes looks pointedly at me. “Isn’t that so, Miss Harris?”

I nod.

“You will be taken care of and settle in nicely at the castle. You will want to stay. For now, that’s all you need to know. Do you agree to the terms? You stay. You keep very quiet about our agreement. You agree to mate and breed with the male of our choosing, and in return, your family will receive enough money to take care of them for years to come.”

“Ten million,” I say. “It needs to be deposited into my mother’s account before I marry anyone. I want proof. Then I’ll do as you say, but I want to be married for a year before getting pregnant.” I don’t want children, but I have a feeling that they wouldn’t accept that. This buys me time.

“Yes, yes…we can iron out the finer details. Once we secure your mate, your mother will receive the funds,” the lieutenant says.

“How long will it take?” I ask.

“A few weeks, perhaps. It is impossible to say with certainty at this point. We will need to run this by the king,” he tells the general, who nods.

“You tell so much as a soul, and the deal will be off,” the general warns.

I nod.

“Do you agree to the terms?” the general asks. He looks like the cat who ate the canary. I hate it.

I nod anyway.

“Say it!” the lieutenant snarls. “Use words, Miss Harris,” he adds in a softer tone.

“I agree.”

“Agree to what exactly, Miss Harris?” the general asks. “There can’t be gray areas in our little agreement.”

“I agree to lying for you. I agree to saying that I don’t know how I got onto the island. I agree to staying in the castle as your guest and pretending to like it. I agree to mate with whomever you choose once the ten million is in the bank and not a second sooner.”

“You’ll agree to everything. All of it. Whatever we tell you.” The general narrows his eyes. “You’ll play the game, Miss Harris, or else.”

“Yes.” I nod. “Fine.” I roll my eyes. I will escape the first chance I get. These assholes can go straight to hell. I’ll find a way to take care of my family. I won’t marry some asshole for money.

“Don’t try running away,” the lieutenant says, as if reading my mind. “It won’t work.” He shakes his head. “You will be caught, and there will be dire consequences.”

“Okay.” I nod. It’s anything but okay. I hate this. I hate them. I need to play along. To bide my time until a chance at freedom presents itself. That’s all there is to it.

I refuse to be given to some shifter. To be used as some kind of prized breeding vessel. As a political pawn. No! Not happening.

At the same time, ten million would be life-changing for my family. Maybe I should do as they say. I’m completely torn.