Chapter 27

Kayla

Iwas cold, hungry, and thirsty, and this place was dark and depressing as hell. It also smelled like someone had died at some point, a lingering decay that never left, that seeped into the walls and floor, into the stone forever.

My face throbbed, and I lifted my hand and touched my temple, grimacing at the tender spot, feeling the wound, letting my fingers trail along the blood-crusted skin around it and down to my cheek. The side of my face felt swollen, and I was pretty sure my newest accessory was black-and-blue.

I brought my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, resting my uninjured cheek on my knees and staring out the thick metal bars of this godforsaken cell.

When I’d fully woken up, I’d been confused and groggy, in a hell of a lot of pain, and locked in this shithole. I remembered bits and pieces before waking up here, foggy, distressed flashes of sounds and images. I’d been transported somewhere by aircraft. That much I was positive of. I remembered the sounds of the engines, had so much pressure in my head, and felt my ears popping. But I didn’t think I’d been taken too far away. I didn’t feel like I’d been out for so long that days had passed.

Holy shit, I hope I haven”t.

Either way, I knew by now Adryan would know I was gone, and the only saving grace I felt was there was no doubt he was coming for me. Now.

My head throbbed harder, reminding me how shitty I felt. That vampire asshole had hit me hard enough I was pretty sure he rattled my brain.

I heard the distant clang of metal on metal and knew these sick assholes—whoever the hell they were—were coming. Was it for me, though? I pressed myself farther against the corner of the wall, made myself as small as possible, and hoped the shadows in this part of the cell would keep me hidden.

The door at the end of the room opened and clanged shut, the sound of clothes rustling seeming overly loud, and the stomping of feet coming closer had my entire body tightened.

I held my breath, praying that they couldn’t hear how hard my heart was beating.

I saw the shadows before their bodies came into view, two large men dressed in what I assumed was their guard attire, dragging a very small body between them. Not a child, since I could make out her slight curves, so definitely a female by the size and shape of her body.

When they came into view, I could see her long black hair was concealing her face. The tips of her toes dragged behind her, the soles of her feet facing upward. I didn’t know if she was unconscious or just too weak to hold herself up.

God, what had they done to her?

Bruises covered her arms, handprint-sized blue and purple marks on her pale flesh.

They opened the cell beside me, dropped her too roughly onto the cot pushed against the wall, and locked her in. It was the first time I watched them securing the cells, and I realized it wasn’t… normal.

There was this hazy look in front of the locking mechanism, this wavy air I found myself actually blinking at a few times to clear my vision, telling myself I was seeing things, because it couldn’t be real.

And then the strange apparition was gone.

The guards left but not before one of them stopped and peered into my cell. I held my breath, tried to be as still as I could, but I knew he saw me. His nasty and eager smile proved that.

“Come on. You know Tore doesn’t want anyone messing with her,” the guard who was purposefully not looking in my direction muttered and elbowed the other man. “He’s already gonna be pissed about her face.”

The guard staring at me grinned wider but thankfully turned and left. When I heard the door shut, I exhaled.

A long moment of silence stretched out, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

“Assholes,” a faint feminine voice said hoarsely.

I snapped my head in the direction of the other cell, the bars thick, leaving hardly any space between them. I heard the rustling of material, then watched as her small form shifted on the bed. She groaned and then rose, sitting on the edge of the mattress, just breathing in and out slowly.

“Although the term ‘asshole’ is kind of a compliment compared to those guys.” Her voice was strained, as if it hurt her to even speak. The image of her slight shape covered in bruises flashed in my head again, and I found myself standing and walking over to the bars. At first I just stood there, staring at her, not saying anything.

“Are you okay?” Such a stupid question. I took another step closer. She didn’t move or speak for long moments, so long I didn”t think she’d respond. But then I watched as she turned her head in my direction, lifting a hand to push the heavy fall of her dark hair away from her face. The shadows made it impossible to see her features clearly, and I had a sneaking suspicion they kept things dank and dark down here to keep everyone off-kilter.

Because how could you not feel hopeless when it felt like you were in a hole?

“I’m okay.” Another long pause. “Thanks for asking.”

I could tell she was looking at the ground, and the tone of her voice held a hint of confusion.

“I can’t remember the last time someone asked me that.”

My heart lurched in my chest, and I reached out to grab the bars, the metal cold and rough. I felt some kind of low-level hum moving through them and let go to look at my hands, turning them over, but otherwise I saw nothing wrong with them. I’d assumed there’d be marks, painless burns.

I lifted my hands and hesitantly touched the bars again. I could feel that hum move up my arms. My brows pulled down in confusion.

“Magically enforced. It keeps everyone in order. Since you”re human, it doesn”t have the same effect, since you”re weaker and can’t break or bend the metal.” The woman stood and took a couple of steps toward me. “It lets the big boys know their place here and who’s in charge.”

I focused back on her and swallowed my nerves.

Magically enforced.Okay. “Where am I?”

She exhaled again and lifted her hand to grab her hair, pulling it all over to one side of her shoulder. She moved closer, and I watched as she started braiding the thick length. “You don’t know where you’re at?”

She was only about five or ten feet from me, and although the shadows were still thick and cloying around us, I could make her out a little bit better.

“In hell, sweetheart,” she said with a pained voice. “At least I assume this is what hell would feel like.”

She was small, barely five-foot-five, maybe one-hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. She looked young too. Twenty possibly, no older than that. She looked rough as hell.

“God,” I whispered and wanted to slap a hand over my mouth because no doubt she could read my expression as I stared at her. She laughed softly and shook her head, braiding the end of her hair before giving me a small smile.

“Do I look that bad?” There was a hint of teasing in her voice, and I was shocked that she could feel any kind of amusement or sound uplifting at a time like this. “Actually, don’t answer that. I haven”t looked at my reflection in… gods, I don”t know how long.” She lifted her hand and touched her mouth, the corner bloody and swollen, the dark bruise already forming.

“I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “They rough me up every once in a while, but it’s been a long stretch of time since they’ve shown so much interest in me. I guess they wanted to remind me who has the power.” She shrugged and dropped her hand to her side. “But they’ve been pulling me out of the cell more frequently the last month.” She looked at the ground and tugged at the white shift dress she wore. It was frayed at the end and looked worse for wear, in need of a good wash.

“Would the two of you shut the fuck up?” a deep, distorted voice barked out, and I jumped, moving backward even though I had bars all around me.

“Bane, mind your business.”

He growled in response.

For such a tiny thing, the raven-haired woman had some bite in her.

“Who’s that?” I asked, but a part of me said I probably didn’t want to know. I’d heard shuffling, growling coming from the other cells, strange languages being spoken, harsh words shouted. I knew there were more than just me and her and this Bane fellow, but how many there were, and what they were, was a total mystery to me.

She walked over to the wall closest to the bars and leaned against it. “Demon. He’s a pain in the ass most of the time, but he does make good entertainment when they don’t sedate him enough before taking him out of the cell and he goes crazy on them.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. Demons. Vampires and an entire world of… Otherworld.

“You’re in the holding cells for an organization that likes to torture, kill, maim… all of the above and more.”

I opened my eyes and looked at her. “An organization?”

She glanced at me, and a swatch of muted yellow light from the hallway between the cells slashed across her face. Despite the bruises and busted lip, the grime and knotted hair, she was gorgeous, ethereal even, with her big blue eyes that were so bright in color they couldn’t be real.

No, they’re real; she’s just not human.

“They call themselves the Assembly.” Her voice was tight, and I could tell it was hard for her to get it out. “What’s your name?” she asked softly, and I knew she was changing the subject. I was more than happy to. I didn’t have the energy or mental stability to think about any of this right now and let it sink in.

I licked my lips and let go of the bars, smoothing my hands down the sheet I still—thankfully—wore. “Kayla. Yours?”

She rested her head back and stared at the stone ceiling, her slender throat working up and down as she swallowed. “Larkin,” she said softly and, without taking her head off the wall, looked back at me. “What’s the year?”

I felt my brows pull down low. “The year?” She nodded. I told her, and her dark, arched eyebrows rose to her hairline.

“Gods,” she whispered and closed her eyes. “So long. So much time has passed.”

I reminded myself of all Adryan had told me about the Otherworld, knew that creatures in this world could look barely legal and be centuries old. Hell, Adryan didn’t look more than in his midthirties, yet my vampire was a hundred and twenty years old.

“You never tried to escape?” I don’t know why I said the words, but before I could censor myself, she was laughing humorlessly.

The one she called Bane barked out a harsh laugh. “Fucking escape?” he roared, and suddenly I heard a pound-pound-pound-pound sound.

Larkin exhaled. “He has no self-control.” Pound-pound-pound. “I tried escaping. More than once, but you learn fast in this place that if even Bane, a demon the size of a house,” she said and tipped her chin toward the front of her cell, “can’t bust out of here, then what’s the point?” She stared at me with these empty eyes. “But I tried. I really did… until I just stopped trying.”

I licked my lips. “What are you? Who are you?” it was my turn to whisper.

She looked back at me and gave me the saddest smile I’d ever seen. “I’m no one. I haven’t been important to anyone for a long time.” She exhaled a shaky breath. “I’m just a girl.” We were silent for long minutes before she spoke again. “You’re human but must be someone’s mate if they have you.”

We stared at each other for a prolonged second before I nodded. “Adryan.”

Zero recognition covered her face.

“And you?” I didn’t emphasize if she was human or Otherworld. And the more time that passed, the more I realized she wouldn’t answer.

“I’d get some sleep. Since you’re new, they’ll be coming for you sooner rather than later.” She gave me another sad smile and pushed away from the wall to go to her cot. She laid down, her back to the bars, and curled herself into a tight ball.

My heart jumped in my throat as a wave of heartache washed through me. She’d been here for a long time—that was clear, even if she had only implied it earlier when I told her the year. It was in the desolate, empty look on her face, the hollowness in her demeanor and voice.

And I feared, as I stared at her, thought about the horrible life Larkin lived down here, that I was staring at a reflection of myself and what my future looked like.