Chapter 22

22

J inx awoke with a start, her head pounding and her vision blurry. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she found herself in a cavernous chamber, its walls glittering with strange, phosphorescent crystals. She tried to move, only to discover her wrists and ankles were bound by the same shadowy tendrils that had captured her at the warehouse. The bonds tightened as she struggled, sending jolts of pain through her body.

“Ah, you're awake,” came a silky voice from the darkness. Z materialised from the shadows, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

Jinx glared at him, her voice hoarse as she spat out, “What do you want with me?”

Z circled her like a predator toying with its prey. His hands were clasped together behind his back, but Jinx didn’t trust him not to strike out. “Mikhail tells me you’re his mate. Is that true?”

Her breath caught in her throat. Why would Mikhail say that? And to Zagan of all people? “No. It isn’t true.”

Z tsked, crouching down in front of her. “You’re lying again. But don’t feel too bad; I can read micro-expressions.”

“I’m not lying,” Jinx said through gritted teeth. She leaned back as far as her bonds would allow. “And you’re not special. Sabre can, too. Mikhail rejected me. Or did I reject him?” She shook her head. “We rejected each other.”

Z cocked his head to the side. “Truth,” he decided. “Now, why would you both do a thing like that? No, wait, let me guess, the great King Mikhail is being a martyr, right?” He laughed coldly.

“He has responsibilities,” Jinx stated, glaring at Z. “I understand. And I have my reasons—which are none of your fucking business.”

Z stared at her for a few tense seconds before abruptly saying, “I understand you were once a prostitute. I can see the appeal. I’d pay for you.”

Jinx did her best not to flinch. “I would rip your dick off at the base before you got it anywhere near me.”

Z rocked back on his heels, laughing heartily. “You’re a spicy kitty, aren’t you? My brother is missing out.”

Jinx ignored his words, saying instead, “You made a mistake taking me.”

“I didn’t,” Z retorted quickly. “I don’t make mistakes.”

Jinx snorted scornfully. “Are you kidding? All you’ve done since you murdered your dad is make mistakes.”

Z’s hand moved like lightning, gripping her chin in a punishing hold. “My plan is perfection. And other than a few bumps in the road, like that crimson-feathered angel, it’s unfolding just as it should. Also, my father was far from the first person I killed.”

Jinx wrenched her head back. Her jaw complained, but she managed to free herself from Z’s touch. “You’re crazier than I thought,” she told the psycho in front of her. “They’ll come for me.”

“Oh?” Z inquired as if he was bored, standing up. “And who are they, exactly?”

“Everyone,” Jinx replied. “Sabre, Gage, Eric, Brax, Draven … Mikhail. They’ll come.”

The smile that transformed his face made Jinx’s stomach turn. “I’m counting on it,” he murmured. “And when they do, I’m going to have you kill them all, one by one. You’ll save Mikhail for last, of course. That will be the most poetic.”

“What are you …? Kill them? You’re out of your mind,” Jinx countered, aghast. “Nothing you could do to me would make me hurt them. Nothing.”

“On the contrary. All I have to do is ask nicely,” Z informed her slyly. “Would you like a little demonstration?”

Before she could say anything else, Z snapped his fingers, and the same shadow demon who had helped kidnap her appeared. He was dragging a panther shapeshifter by the arm. The woman was resisting, tugging against her captor and swearing like a sailor.

Z's lips curled into a cruel smile. “This is Estha,” he said, pointing to the woman. “Her veins are coursing with the ancient magic of her bloodline.”

Jinx’s eyes widened when she realised that Z must be referring to Estha as a descendant of the original shifter line. “And you want to destroy that? Why?”

“I’m not destroying it. I’m simply moving it,” Z disclosed. He faced Estha, telling her quietly, “Shut up. Or I’ll kill you slowly.”

Estha shut up and began to shake. She looked at Jinx with pleading eyes, and Jinx did her best to wriggle out of the mystical bonds that kept her prisoner. But it was no use. Fucking shadow demons, she thought angrily, glaring at the man.

Z, noting the direction of her ire, offered, “You’re probably wondering how I convinced our shadow demon friend here to help me.”

“Not really,” Jinx said flatly.

Z chuckled. “You’re a mouthy little bitch.”

“Come closer. I’ll show you how mouthy I can be.” With my teeth , she added silently.

Z clucked his tongue. “So feisty. Come on. Ask me how I have so many preternatural creatures willing to help me.”

Z was a typical narcissist. He revelled in the admiration and adoration of others. Jinx knew his actions were motivated solely by his own ego. In his mind, he was the centre of the universe, and everyone else was merely a pawn in his grand scheme. Well, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of monologuing. “No.”

Z stiffened, his face going blank. He bent down, leaning in close to her face. “I said, ask me .”

Jinx noticed a tick above his left eye, and she couldn’t help grinning. She was getting to him. “And I said no. I’m bored. You’re boring. I have no desire to listen to anything you have to say.”

“What did you just say?” Z hissed.

Jinx looked him square in the eyes and enunciated clearly. “I said you are boring.”

Z's face contorted with rage. He reached out and grabbed Jinx by her hair, yanking her to her feet. “You will show me respect, you insolent little brat,” he seethed through gritted teeth. “I’m going to be King! No, a God!”

But Jinx remained unfazed, staring back at him with unflinching defiance. “Make me,” she challenged.

Z's grip tightened on her hair as he brought his face closer, their noses almost touching. “I could end you right now, you know,” he hissed.

Jinx smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Then why don’t you?”

“Because I’m going to use you to inflict as much pain as possible.” Z's grip released as he stepped back, and he straightened his shirt with a huff of frustration. He paced the cave, clearly trying to regain control of his emotions.

Jinx’s scalp stung, but it was nothing she couldn’t deal with. At least she wasn’t on the ground anymore. She much preferred being on her feet.

Z halted his pacing with a sudden, decisive stop. His gaze locked onto the still-quivering shifter, whose fear was palpable in the room, and he spoke with an icy detachment. “Perran, snap Estha’s neck.”

Jinx’s heart pounded in her chest as she watched the scene unfold, unable to tear her eyes away. A morbid mix of horror and fascination rooted her to the spot. In a single, swift movement, Z’s lackey seized Estha’s head with both hands. The twist was brutal and the sound of bone breaking echoed like a thunderclap in the space. Estha’s eyes went wide for a split second before the life drained from them, her body collapsing like a puppet with its strings cut.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Jinx half-expected Estha to rise, to shift into her panther form and flee, but she remained a lifeless heap on the floor. The reality of what had just happened sank in, making her feel sick. “Why did you do that? What does Zagan have over you?” She tossed the questions at the demon.

Perran remained still, unblinking and staring straight ahead. Z laughed, kicking Estha’s body as he passed and patting Perran on the head like a dog. “He did it because I told him to. Like I said, this was a demonstration. As for what I have over him …” Z knocked on Perran’s temple. “I have his mind.”

“What are you talking about?” Jinx asked with a shake of her head.

“Did your mother ever tell you any bedtime stories?” Z asked randomly. He looked at Perran. “Take out the trash,” he ordered. As the demon moved to obey, dragging the dead shifter by the arm, Z focused on Jinx once more. “My mother used to tell me grand tales of unique gifts passed down through bloodlines, each story more illuminating than the last. She spoke of prophetic dreams, impenetrable armour, and the ability to shift into anything.”

“Are you talking about the legacies of the royal line of Cerberus?” Jinx asked, wondering why he was telling her stories about his dead mother.

Z lifted his chin. “I am, yes. But not just mine. Did you know every supernatural line has its own legacies?”

“I know dragons have some weird vision thing. Does that count?” Jinx said, trying to keep him busy. She was sure she could feel the shadowy ropes around her wrists loosening.

Z looked pleased. “Yes. Exactly like that. You see, all of us have the potential to be more than we were born to be. But my father and those that came before him decided to gate-keep the information. My mother discovered the secret—and so many more. She gave me what my traitorous father chose not to.”

“That doesn’t sound like King Maliq. He was an amazing king. Everyone says so,” Jinx pointed out, unobtrusively twisting her wrists and creating a new pocket of space between her skin and the bindings.

“Everyone is wrong!” Z shouted, getting in Jinx’s face. “My father gave his love selectively. He killed my mother!”

Jinx frowned. “Didn’t she die of some wasting sickness? How is that your father’s fault?”

“Because he just had to have his perfect triplet babies!” Z growled, shoving Jinx in frustration. She fell back against the wall and felt her ankles become free. “He knew the pregnancy would be the beginning of the end for her. But he still knocked her up.”

That wasn’t the same story Brax told. He’d told them that his mother was the one to pressure Maliq into having babies. He had been willing to adopt or be childless. But Eronia had insisted. According to Brax, it was more about power for Queen Eronia than a love match. However, his father’s feelings for his wife had been true. Jinx didn’t volunteer any of this information, though. She wanted to keep her head on her shoulders. She also didn’t remind Z that he wouldn’t be here today if Maliq hadn’t knocked up his mother. Z’s argument—and resentment—was completely flawed.

“I’m sorry,” Jinx murmured softly, hoping to come across as sympathetic. She wasn’t. Z was a big boy. He made his own crappy decisions. And by the sounds of it, his mother had done the same. She sounded toxic as hell.

“So was she,” Z said, his eyebrows raised. “But she made sure her legacy continued to live on. In me. I would spend hours by her bedside while my brothers were off being selfish. They worshipped Father but left Mother to rot.”

“And that’s why she chose to share her secrets with you and not them,” Jinx commented kindly. At least, she hoped she sounded like she gave a fuck.

“Exactly,” Z confirmed. He clasped his hands in front of him, rocking back on his heels. “Magic in Purgatory has grown weak, diluted across too many generations. We may as well be filthy humans. It was Mother’s greatest wish to change that.”

“By killing descendants of the Forebears?” Jinx held her breath when the shadows holding her wrists together dropped away. She didn’t so much as twitch, keeping her hands trapped behind the cave wall and her back. “You know you’re driving every supernatural line into extinction, right?”

“I did not know that, actually,” Z admitted with a shrug. “Not until my little visit with Mikhail earlier. But it makes no difference to my plan. In fact, it strengthens it. You see, when a member of one of the original lines dies, their powers don’t die with them. They split and are shared equally with every other being in that bloodline. Sacrificing one benefits all.”

Jinx froze, forgetting about escaping as she tried to take in what Z was saying. “Bullshit. That’s not a thing. People would have noticed.”

“People are idiots,” Z stated blandly. “Why would they notice a tiny blip on their radar? Their eyesight improving, their shift getting faster—too minor to care about. It’s only when there are so few left for the power to split between that it’s noticeable.”

“Like the line of Cerberus,” Jinx breathed. There were so few of them remaining.

Z smiled and nodded. “Just so. Thanks to my mother’s little plan,” his voice dropped to a reverent whisper, “I've tasted abilities I never dreamed possible. I can control people with my mind now. It’s why Perran licks my boots like a dog. He is mine to command.”

The information dropped between them with the weight of an atomic bomb. Z had mind control? If it were true, he would be practically unstoppable. “That’s not possible.”

“Don’t you remember the little demonstration I just gave?” He grinned coldly, his eyes taking on a manic light. “I could give you another one.”

“That’s okay,” Jinx said quickly. “I believe you.”

Z chuckled smoothly. “When I was a boy, listening to my mother’s stories, I could only dream of such abilities. And now, I’m living it. And these powers are only the beginning. When I kill my brothers and the few cousins that are in hiding, I will be omnipotent.” He raised his hands and spun in a circle. “I will be God! ”

It sounded like fiction, but Z’s reverence when he spoke of his newfound power rang with truth. She shuddered, afraid for the world and everyone in it. She began to inch toward the cave exit, one millimetre at a time, keeping her eyes glued to Z. “But why kill other lines? You’re making them stronger, too.”

“And do you know how many downtrodden and over-looked beings there are in Purgatory?” Z asked, pinning her with his gaze. She stopped moving. “I have crowds of people begging me to make them stronger. And those whose values don’t align with me, I can control them with a few words.”

“If it’s that easy, why haven’t you taken over Purgatory before now? Why do you need to use me as bait?” Jinx questioned.

“The merging of powers is a gradual process,” Z revealed easily enough. “Magic is like a muscle; you must work it for it to grow. I can control one mind at a time for now. But soon, very soon, I will be able to control whole armies.”

“And your mother gave you this plan?” And I thought my abusive, druggie parents were fucked up. Z grinned at her in response, and Jinx snorted. “She sounds like a real peach.”

Z got all up in her face. “When my brother comes to rescue you, the damsel in distress, I’m going to make popcorn and watch as you take him apart piece by piece. You’ll be aware,” he revealed softly. He touched her cheek under her blue eye. “You’ll probably be crying. But you won’t be able to stop. Not until your mate is nothing but bloody crumbs on the ground.”

Jinx felt her tiger’s back arch, hissing at the words. Anger raced through her, and she knew now was the time to act. “Who says I’m a damsel in distress?” she queried mildly before head-butting Z hard in the nose.

She heard the crunch of his nose breaking as he reared back with a shout. With a burst of strength, Jinx began to shift. Her bones cracked and reformed, muscles bulged and stretched, and white and black fur sprouted over her entire body. Not wasting any time, she lunged at Z, her claws extended and ready to rend and tear.

She crashed into Z, her powerful jaws snapping inches from his throat. Z cursed, and his form shimmered and morphed, his body elongating into a massive serpent with gleaming scales. He coiled around Jinx, attempting to crush her. She dug her claws into Z, ripping through his scales as if they were tissue paper. Z hissed in pain and transformed again, this time into a towering werewolf with razor-sharp fangs and wild, glowing eyes.

The cavernous space echoed with snarls and roars as they clashed. Shelves toppled, and objects shattered as they careened through the cave, locked in a deadly battle Jinx wasn’t sure she could win. Z's werewolf form swiped at her with massive claws, leaving deep gashes in her stripes along her right flank. Jinx snarled and swiped back with her own claws, her tiger’s instincts taking over as she fought for her life.

Z let out a furious howl as he launched himself at her, his claws raking across her face. Jinx roared in pain and fury. Ignoring the blood that dripped down her cheek, she lunged at Z again, this time sinking her teeth into his shoulder. Z let out another howl, this one filled with pain. He flung Jinx off of him with all his strength, sending her crashing into a shelf filled with books. She let out a groan as she pushed the books and wood off of her. She could feel bruises forming on her body, but thankfully, nothing seemed to be broken. She quickly got to her feet as Z's form shifted once again.

This time, he transformed into an enormous dragon, his scales shimmering like molten metal. The beast filled the cave almost completely. His massive wings unfurled with a crack, and he let out a deafening roar that shook the very foundations of the mountain. Fire burst from his jaws in a torrent towards Jinx, who threw herself to the ground just in time to avoid being incinerated. She was good—trained by the best in Sabre and Gage—but she wasn’t that good. No way could she take on a psychotic dragon and live to tell the tale.

Her tiger roared, defiance and fear mingling in every inch of her striped body as the heat of the flames singed her fur. If she didn’t act, she would be burnt alive. It was risky—and very likely stupid—but she shifted back to human form. “You need to be a dragon to take on one teenage girl? I thought you were an Ace?”

The taunt worked, and Z scales melted away. His body flowed like liquid mercury back into human form, and within moments, a handsome man stood before her, his eyes glinting with amusement. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and smirked. “Like I said, mouthy . I must say, I didn't expect such a fight from you.” His voice was smooth as silk, with a hint of grudging admiration. “No wonder my dear brother is so captivated.”

She glared at him, chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Her muscles ached from the intense battle, but adrenaline still coursed through her veins. She hated that she was naked while Z’s skinwalker abilities allowed him to transform with clothes. “Mikhail isn’t captivated,” was all she could think to say. Because if he was, her soon-to-be death was going to devastate him.

Z took a step closer, his smirk widening. “Now, how about we stop these little games, and I give you a command instead, hmm?”

Jinx’s heart raced, her mind whirling as she sought an escape. She couldn’t allow Z to control her. She’d die first. She stepped back, her bare foot landing on a rock and cutting deep. Flinching, she looked down, seeing rocks, dirt, and debris. In a flash, she snatched up a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it in Z's face. He cursed and covered his eyes, giving her enough time to dodge around him. She sprinted out of the cave, spying a beach in the distance. Her feet sank into the cool sand as she ran towards the shore. Behind her, she could hear Z cursing and scrambling to chase after her.

Jinx ran as fast as she could, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she darted through the trees and brush. With every step, she prayed for some kind of miracle—a hidden path or a boat or something. As she reached the edge of the beach and saw nothing but an endless ocean before her, she knew that there would be no escaping that way.

Panic began to set in as Z's footsteps grew closer behind her, and she took off in the opposite direction. When he started yelling at her, she covered her ears, hoping it would be enough to stop his words from penetrating her mind. She kept running until she reached the cliffs at the edge of the beach. Without hesitation, she leapt off the edge and plunged into the cold water below. The impact knocked the breath out of her, and for a moment, all she could see was darkness. But then she surfaced and gasped for air, treading water as she frantically looked around for any sign of land. To her relief, she spotted a small rocky island not too far away from where she had jumped. With renewed determination and the speck of Z disappearing from the clifftop, she swam towards it with all her might.

When she finally reached land and dragged herself onto shore, she allowed herself a moment of rest before struggling to her feet. Her inner tiger was just as exhausted as she was—not to mention injured—and she knew shifting was not going to be an option for a while.

The tiny island was barren: nothing but jagged rocks and sparse vegetation surrounded by endless ocean. She must be on the very edge of Purgatory. It would offer very little protection if Z decided to shift into a shark and chase after her. The vision of Z as a pissed-off Great White made her giggle—she was a little hysterical, so sue her— but the guy was just crazy enough to do it.

Her body convulsed with violent tremors as she staggered toward a large rock, collapsing against its rough surface. Pain shot through her like electric shocks, and she winced as she tried to take stock of her injuries. She was far more injured than she'd initially believed. Blood gushed from a deep gash in her thigh, staining her torn skin a dark, ominous red. The freezing water had left her drenched and shivering, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

She fumbled for her phone, but of course, she didn’t have it on her. She’d been in the ring with Stinger before Z had shown up. Besides, it would be waterlogged beyond repair by now. Plus, you’re naked, she reminded her foggy brain. All she could do was pray silently that rescue would come. But as she slid slowly into unconsciousness, she knew that was stupid. Her friends had no idea where she was and no way to get there.

I think we’re screwed, my friend, she told her tiger. Jinx never heard the reply, instead succumbing to darkness.