The Fall (The Lycans 7)

“No, it’s probably not safe out there, but I really don’t have any other options. I can’t just stay in this cave and hope a Leandrean comes to me. And my supplies are only going to last so long, even less now with both of us. So I’m going to have to venture out eventually.”

But that wasn’t right now. I’d been up for longer than I could even contemplate, and my body sang with the idea of just lying down and sleeping.

“The only way that I know to get out of here is to hope like hell there’s a Leandrean on this plane and have him open the portal.” After revealing that, I didn’t say anything else and grabbed the pack and lay down, using it as a cushion underneath my head.

This had been the most uncomfortable sleep I’d had, with the uneven, craggy ground and the lumpy “pillow” under my head. And I hadn’t gotten much sleep since arriving for obvious reasons.

But I was warm with the fire, not dying of thirst or starvation, and I felt even safer with Sebastian here.

But I didn’t think too hard on that last topic.

I couldn’t fall asleep, just tossed and turned because I could acutely feel Sebastian watching. I opened my eyes and looked at him. He was crouched by the fire just staring at me, zero emotion on his face.

“What?” I tucked my hands underneath my head and tried to relax. Inside of me there was this carnival of emotions and sensations, fireworks that were exploding in an array of colors and sounds.

It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.

And it scared me.

“I’ll stay awake to make sure you’re safe.”

I didn’t know what to say at first, because the serious look on his face told me he wouldn’t be persuaded any other way. Not even if I reminded him I’d been here alone before I saved his ass.

“Suit yourself.” I turned my back to the fire and closed my eyes again, but I knew this was going to be one hell of a long night.

Chapter

Five

Ada

“You’re a pretty little thing with these freckles and green eyes.” He leaned in and I felt his humid breath rake across the shell of my ear as he whispered, “I could almost pretend you’re human.”

I was proud of myself for not throwing up all over this piece of shit, but feigning indifference was what kept me sane.

“They said you were kind of feisty, but you seem pretty docile to me. It’s a shame really,” he tsked and grabbed a lock of my hair, tugging on it as he looked over his shoulder toward the open doorway.

We were the only ones in the session room, something I knew he was hoping stayed that way for a bit longer.

I realized upon first being captured they’d gone “easy” on me, as if they wanted to build up my tolerance before making things worse. And the reason for that pain and suffering at their hands? So the viewers on the other side of the window right across from me could get off on watching.

He pulled that strand of hair he was rubbing between his fingers and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. The sound of footsteps had him dropping the lock and taking several steps back faster than I thought humanly possible.

I never asked, but I didn’t need to in order to understand that we were nothing but disgusting specimens to them, attractions for high-paying humans who wanted to see “fantastical creatures” torn apart over and over again.

So any arousal or desire displayed toward an Otherworld would be seen as disgusting, forbidden, and traitorous.

But I’d witnessed enough horrors in this place over the last year to know that it didn’t stop them from taking what wasn’t theirs.

I heard the screams and cries. I’d heard the curses and threats. And I’d wished I’d been able to help the ones who were being hurt in more ways than I could ever imagine.

“Today’s a special day for you,” the guard who entered said and gave me a disgustingly big smile.

It wasn’t one of friendliness and wasn’t even one of happiness. I’d seen these exact grins countless times as they tortured me.

The expression on his face was one of pure sadistic pleasure for whatever they were about to do to me.

“You’re the star attraction tonight,” the new guard said as he came into the room and shut the door, a large black bag slung over his shoulder.

There was a metal exam table sitting in the center of the room, and when he tossed the bag onto it, the clink of metal banging together from whatever was inside the duffel echoed in the room.

Although my heart was starting to race faster and beads of perspiration dotted my brow, I kept my outward appearance stoic.

Because showing fear only excited them more.