Twenty-Four Imogen

“She’s pretty, that’s for sure.”

The minotaur snorted in my face. The heat made me want to blink, but I was unable to. I couldn’t do a damned thing but scream internally where no one could hear. I fought to yell, to move my limbs, but I was not in control of myself any longer. My body responded to orders I wished it didn’t. I was trapped in my head where it was dark, watching my actions as if it were all a movie. My mind was filled with the sound of my sobs, but my body was silent. I missed my friends and my home. I missed it all.

“That she is, and also the perfect weapon. Samkiel really sculpted The Hand perfectly. The last raid we did took less than an hour with her. My soldiers couldn’t keep up.”

Nivene, the orc general Nismera sold me to, laughed as he chewed on some disgusting goo that turned his sharp teeth black.

My heart ached. Every time they said his name and laughed about his death, I cried for days. I cried because I’d ached to help him in that damned council room. It destroyed me that I’d been forced to leave him behind. I hated myself for not being strong enough to break free, to die trying to save him and my family. A true warrior’s death was what I wanted, and that was what it would have been if I’d given up my light for them.

“Ah.” The minotaur turned. “What else is she good at?”

Nivene laughed harder. “I haven’t tried her, to be fair.” He spat that chewing goo on the floor, and I wished I could recoil. He had never brought me up here before, usually leaving me to stand guard with the other part of his legion. They would talk or joke about me, but never like this.

“Let’s just say I can attest she is great at that too.” I recognized that voice, and my gut rolled.

Jiraiya and a few soldiers entered the room. He walked in, wearing the regal Order garbs. The emerald green and golden tassels reminded me of one of the princes in those movies Dianna showed Neverra and me on the night of our slumber party. It had been her sister’s favorite, and she’d wanted to share it with us. I missed them both so much, and I was worried I’d never see them again.

“Isn’t that what we are here for?” the minotaur said, and my blood ran cold.

Nivene had lied to Nismera. He wasn’t taking me for extra training. They were exchanging money for time with me, and Jiraiya was gladly accepting it. The door to the room closed, one of the soldiers latching it behind him. I willed my hands to move, my toes, any fucking thing. If I could get control, I could cut them to pieces.

Jiraiya stepped closer to me as he tucked the money they’d given him into the pouch he carried. He placed it on the small table before stalking forward. His breath tickled the top of my eyelashes as he stroked his hand down my face.

“We only have an hour here.” He stared into my eyes, sliding his thumb along my lower lip. “Don’t leave any marks on her, or Nismera will think she is defective and kill her.”

Someone grunted in response, and lust filled the air. Jiraiya’s lips curved in a sick and twisted smile. Internally, I closed my eyes, turning away. I could not feel my body anymore, only here where I was trapped. There, I could pretend not to see. I could focus, drowning out the sounds, and once I was free, then I could—

“I don’t understand,” the minotaur said, and everyone looked at him.

A soldier snorted. “We’re going to fuck her, dude. Doesn’t your race do that?”

Another soldier laughed, and the minotaur’s head tipped ever so slightly.

“Oh.” He shrugged. “Okay, I just wanted to make sure before I do this.”

The soldier who had spoken first screamed, his body pulling tight until blood pooled in his eyes, his nose, and his mouth. He coughed and choked, spraying blood everywhere. He gurgled and dropped, blood oozing from his pores as if every blood vessel burst at once. Everyone stood frozen, their eyes like saucers as they stared at the minotaur. His entire demeanor had changed, and he stood with one hand raised toward the soldier.

“I have been waiting for you to fuck up. Now you have,” the minotaur said, only his voice was different. He took a step forward, and Jiraiya stepped back. I knew that voice, remembered it as if it followed me everywhere I went in this place.

Isaiah.

Jiraiya held his hands up, his eyes wide with terror. Inky black smoke dripped off the minotaur, leaving Isaiah behind, wearing his dragonbane armor and towering over the smaller man. “We were just. Well . . .”

Isaiah tipped his head. “Go on. Tell me what you wanted to do, and why you are all away from your stations with one of the elite female guards. Can’t get your dick wet with the willing?”

“What did you do to Cluvern?” Nivene asked after his minotaur friend.

The smile that formed on Isaiah’s face made me far more scared than what these soldiers had planned to do to me.

“Oh, him?” Isaiah chuckled. “I did this.”

He was across the room in a heartbeat, his fangs in the orc general’s throat. He fed, drinking deeply before dropping his body as if it were nothing. The other soldiers ran, eager to escape. Isaiah grabbed one of the orcs’ longswords and threw it at the door. The blade pierced the wood, nailing the door shut and stopping the fleeing soldiers. Then the screams started, rending the room. I could not move my head to see all that happened, but I did see arms fly across the room and blood paint the walls. I shuddered when I heard a series of crunches, my mind trying to figure out what could make that wet sound.

Jiraiya started begging, and my heart thudded. “It’s not what it . . .”

Isaiah growled, low and feral. “Go ahead, lie before you die. Do you think the old gods will welcome you for it?”

There was a strangled gasp as if Jiraiya were choking. “Why do you care so much, anyway?”

“I don’t like when people touch what belongs to me.”

Belong to him? My mind reeled, fear sweeping through me. Jiraiya’s scream died, and somehow, it was worse that I didn’t see what had happened. Everything was horribly silent, but then I heard the squeak of boots wading through blood as he drew near.

Isaiah stopped in front of me, but I only saw the jagged chest plate. Cool fingers touched my chin, tipping it up until I stared into those swirling, deep red eyes. They were so much like Dianna’s but so different. His face was covered in blood, and while it should make me queasy, the splatter only accentuated his strong jaw and dark brows, making his eyes even more otherworldly.

He looked so much like his brothers. I could see the same nose, the same piercing gaze, and above all, the beauty. Emotion flooded my body, and my heart skipped a beat for the first time since my mind had been taken over. As fast as it came, it was gone. His free hand reached up, gently brushing the hair away from the side of my face. I wanted to laugh. He was such a contradiction, shifting from pure brutality to tenderness so quickly. He had just turned the guards and Jiraiya into a heap of blood and limbs, and now he was touching me as if I were made of glass.

“What is it about you that has me so enamored?” he asked the empty shell that was me. He studied me for a moment longer before shaking his head. “We need to get you cleaned up.”

He turned and yanked the longsword from the door. Tossing it aside, he looked at me, his beautiful lips forming the damn word that was the key to my body. Internally, I screamed and struggled, willing myself to resist, but I calmly followed him from the bloodstained room.

“ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?” KADEN BOOMED AS ISAIAH washed the last bit of blood from his body. Isaiah’s bathroom was wide open, with a shower enclosed by clean glass that didn’t seem to fog, giving me a view of all he had been blessed with. I hated that I couldn’t move, hated that I couldn’t turn away, and even more, I hated the fact that the most perfect body was wasted on such an evil man.

“Which part?” Isaiah called, stepping out and wiping a towel around his waist. He headed into the room, water dripping from his hair onto the thick muscles of his shoulders. He swiped a hand over his face as he went to his dresser.

Kaden came into view and pointed at me. “This? She is not a pet.”

“I don’t plan to use her as one.”

“You killed a legion member.”

Isaiah held up his fingers. “Two.”

Kaden growled and stalked toward his brother. My body jerked as if I wanted to rush forward and protect Isaiah. Wait, no. That was impossible. I hadn’t moved on my own or felt on my own in weeks. No, that was wrong. It had been months. It had to be months, right?

“Mera will have your head for this.”

Isaiah dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of lounge pants before slapping Kaden on the shoulder.

“No, she won’t. The other two in their unit have been promoted, and I cleaned up the bodies. If anyone says anything, we will just tell them they died bravely in battle.”

Kaden frowned. “She was okay with that?”

“Absolutely.” Isaiah laughed. “Oh, brother, trust me. Her soldiers come and go. She is used to it. The rest is a ruse, so the remaining feel she cares for them. She doesn’t. They are just casualties of war and all.”

Kaden seemed to relax. “As long as you’re not in trouble, I don’t care.”

“I’m fine. Imogen will be with my legion now.” Isaiah went to the far corner of his room, and Kaden followed, their voices trailing off as they moved deeper into his other room.

Isaiah had slaughtered them for me, and now I was stuck in his massive bedroom. What if I’d been rescued from one horrible situation only to be fed to an even bigger monster? A door closed, and I heard the padding of bare feet draw close, followed by a feminine voice. Oh, gods. Isaiah appeared back in my line of sight, and I tracked him through the blank windows of my eyes.

“Where was Kaden going so fast?” the female asked. Her walk was carelessly seductive, her mauve-colored tail swishing behind her.

“Probably off to see a witch, Veruka.”

She made a noise in her throat. “What’s with the elite guard? Is this a new thing you want to try?”

Isaiah chuckled, coming to a stop before me. “No, that’s not why I called you. She needs to be cleaned up, and I need another set of battle garbs for her. Black like mine, preferably. She will be with my unit now.”

Veruka stopped at his side, placing a hand on his bare shoulder. I knew she was an elf from her pointed ears, mauve skin, and fangs. That also explained the tail.

“She’s pretty. Is this your new plaything, then? Since you’ve been avoiding me.”

His eyes cut toward her. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you.”

“Then pay attention to me,” she all but purred, and I wanted to be anywhere but in this room.

“Neither does begging.” He shrugged her hand away. “Now, clean her up.”

I heard Isaiah’s feet disappear into the other room, leaving me alone with Veruka. Her eyes met mine before she said that cursed word, and my body moved.