60. Eva

The sight of Brent provoked a visceral reaction and my body shut down. I couldn't move. All the progress I'd made in the last few weeks was for nothing as I lay crushed under a smothering blanket of fear. Since I met my guys - my mates - I was stronger. I could ask for what I wanted, speak my mind, and laugh freely.

But being back in Brent's presence undid all that. Even though the logical part of my brain knew I was no longer the powerless girl he'd beaten and tortured, my body refused to listen.

I could hear Lily whispering, but it was like white noise. The only voice I heard was his. My tormentor.

"Eva, you're looking well, my sweet girl. It's good to see you still know who's boss."

A lock disengaged and then heavy boots crossed the room, rousing me from my apathetic fugue. I forced myself to meet his eyes.

He looked like shit. His normally carefully styled hair was lank and longer than usual, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Judging by the sour smell that lingered over him, he hadn't showered for a while either.

I couldn't help the small smile that curved my lips upwards. The thought of him suffering was a balm to my soul. I hoped he'd lost sleep searching for me while I'd been happy and cared for with my mates.

I hoped the time he'd spent scouring thousands of acres of forest had affected his job. Not that I was optimistic.

Some of the fear he invoked faded, and I remembered I wasn't alone in this room. Lily was with me. And because she was, I couldn't afford to zone out again.

"What do you want, Brent?"

His eyebrows shot up. He clearly hadn't expected me to reply.

Affable Brent vanished, replaced by pissed-off Brent who wouldn't be happy unless he spilled blood, preferably mine. Unfortunately for him, I was no longer willing to play his sick games.

"You've fucking cost me money, you little bitch," he seethed. He lunged forward and grabbed my hair. "I had a buyer lined up for you, and then you fucking left!"

"Surprised anyone wanted me, given how much of a mess you made of me," I rasped.

"The buyer didn't care. They just needed you to be a virgin; surface damage didn't matter."

My blood ran cold. I couldn't imagine what kind of sicko psychopath actively sought out innocent girls. Not one who planned to treat them nicely.

"Sorry to disappoint but I'm in a relationship now and my mates will be looking for me."

He laughed. "Don't get your hopes up, baby girl. There's zero chance of those freaks coming to the rescue. By the time they figure out where you are, you'll be long gone."

The kernel of hope in my chest withered and died.

"One of them is dead anyway," he added.

"What…what do you mean?"

"Jesus, did you hit your head so hard you got fucking amnesia? Jarod shot the bastard. Wolves aren't impervious to bullets, you stupid cunt." He laughed while tugging me close enough that I could smell his stench.

The lock on my memories cracked open, and it all came back: the man chasing me, being held down in the snow, and then Cole's wolf coming to save me before being shot. I remembered the way he lay bleeding out.

The pressure in my head increased. I tried to feel my connection to Cole, the golden tether that linked us, but it was dead. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sense him. Or any of them.

Were they all dead?

A sob escaped me. If they were dead, I had no reason to live.

"Don't listen to him!" Lily yelled. "He's a lying motherfucker!"

"Shut your mouth, you little bitch!" Brent growled, temporarily releasing me so he could backhand Lily. She took the hit, spitting blood, and then retaliated.

Brent grunted when her small fist connected with his kidney. Before she could land another punch, he pulled a gun from his waistband and pointed it at her head.

"Touch me again and you're fucking dead!"

"Go on, I dare you. Let's see how happy the big boss is when you kill his best fighter, dickhead," she taunted.

I shook my head, trying to clear away the emotion. If Lily carried on like this, he really would kill her. Brent wasn't known for his self-control.

"Leave her alone!" I pushed in front of her, knocking the gun back. "It's me you want, so here, you got me."

I didn't have the will to fight him anymore. What was the point? He was too strong, and besides, if I fought back, he'd shoot Lily just to spite me. That's the kind of evil bastard he was. Everything was a teaching opportunity for him.

"You're damn right I got you, baby girl. I plan to make you suffer for leaving me in debt to Carlos. He refuses to pay as much for you because you opened your fucking legs for the freaks, but since you're no longer a virgin, I can sample the goods before he sells you." He yanked me to my feet, ignoring my whimper of pain. The way my stomach roiled, I wasn't sure if I could keep the vomit down. Part of me hoped I threw up all over his shoes, just to please him.

"Don't let him take you!" Lily pleaded, but I had no choice.

What Brent wanted, Brent got.

And he wanted me.

He always had.

I was his favorite toy.

The toy he liked to play with in the most brutal of ways.

And the worst bit?

This was my future until death took me.

A second man appeared in the doorway. He looked at Brent and frowned. "What are you doing? You better not be fucking with the merchandise. Carlos won't be happy if these bitches get damaged outside the ring."

Brent yanked me away from Lily. Several strands of hair tore loose, but the sting helped ground me. Some of the fog in my brain cleared. Maybe this man had the power to get rid of Brent? If the fucker wasn't here, he couldn't hurt me, and I'd have some time to figure out how to get Lily and the other girls away.

Thoughts of Cole lying lifeless in a pool of blood threatened to derail me, but I shoved them down. I could grieve later. Brent had offered me no proof any of them were dead, so for now, I had to believe he was lying. Lily was right, he always was a lying fucker.

"I'm not interested in the shifter bitches," he sneered. "But this one's mine."

The second man squared up to Brent. He was slightly taller, with harder muscles and dead eyes.

Brent was a cop; he spent a lot of time sitting behind a desk. And it showed. He liked to think he was Mr. Invincible, but in truth, without his buddies there to back him up in a tight spot, he was just a bully who liked to hurt women.

"Really? I heard she was Carlos's property." The guy folded his brawny arms across his chest.

Brent ground his teeth and tightened his grip around my neck. "She is, but I need a few minutes with her."

The guy cast a brief eye over me dismissively, like I was a piece of trash, not a human being. "Whatever, I don't have time for this. I gotta take the girls to the fight ring. If you damage the girl too badly and Carlos loses money on the transaction, it's your funeral."

He strode past, taking a small syringe from his pocket. I heard a yelp of pain as he pushed it into Lily's neck. Her eyes flared gold and then turned dull. This must be what they used to stop the girls from shifting. I had no idea how it worked, but it was clearly effective.

"Fight back," Lily whispered as the man dragged her out. I nodded.

I had no choice. If I allowed Brent to hurt me again, I couldn't help the girls.

From what the other guy had said, Brent wasn't in control here, so he couldn't afford to kill me. It wasn't much protection. He could still do a lot of damage to me, and unlike Lily, I wouldn't heal quickly, but it might prevent him from exploring his more sadistic excesses.