Sabin, no, a beautiful, dark-haired female said, patting the once again red-eyed warrior on the shoulder. Her voice was so laden with sorrow, Gwen cringed. Like you told us, we might need him.
Sabin. A strong name, reminiscent of a weapon. Fitting.
Were the two lovers?
Finally that all-consuming gaze left her, and she was able to breathe. Sabin dropped Chris and the bastard fell to the ground, unconscious. She knew he still lived because she could hear the rush of blood in his veins, the crackle of air filling his lungs.
Who are these women? a blond warrior said. He had bright blue eyes and a lovely face that promised compassion and safety, but he was not the one Gwen suddenly imagined herself curling next to and sleeping beside peacefully. Deeply. Safely. Finally.
All these months, shed been afraid to sleep, knowing Chris would have loved to take her unaware. So shed slumbered in short, shallow spurts, never relaxing her guard. Sometimes shed had to refrain from simply giving herself to the evil man in exchange for the prospect of closing her eyes and sinking into dark oblivion.
A black-haired, violet-eyed mountain stepped forward, eyeing the cells surrounding Gwens. Dear gods. That one is pregnant.
So is that one. This speaker had multicolored hair, pale skin and eyes as brilliant a blue as his blond friends, though this mans were rimmed with a darker shade. What kind of bastards keep pregnant females in these conditions? This is low even for Hunters.
The females in question were banging on the glass, begging for help, for freedom.
Anyone hear what theyre saying? the mountain asked.
I do, Gwen answered automatically.
Sabin turned to her. That brown gaze no longer sleeked with red once more honed in on her, probing, searchingperusing.
A shiver danced the length of her spine. Could he hear her? Her eyes widened as he strode to her cell, sheathing a knife at his waist. Heightened as her senses were, she caught the barest hint of sweat, lemon and mint. She inhaled deeply, savoring every nuance. For so long, shed smelled nothing but Chris and his overpowering cologne, his pungent drugs and the terror of the other females.
You can hear us? Sabins timbre was as rough as his features and should have grated her nerves like sandpaper, but somehow soothed her like a caress.
Tentatively, she nodded.
Can they? He pointed to the other prisoners.
She shook her head. Can you hear me?
He, too, shook his head. Im reading your lips.
Oh. That meant hed beenwaswatching her intently, even when his head had been turned. The knowledge was not unpleasant.
How do we open the glass? he asked.
Her lips pressed in a stubborn line, and she dared a quick look at the heavily armed, blood-coated predators behind him. Should she tell him? What if they planned to rape her fellow prisoners, just as the others had done? Just as shed feared?
His harsh expression softened. We havent come to harm you. You have my word. We just want to free you.
She didnt know him, knew better than to trust him, but pushed to shaky legs anyway and lumbered to the glass. Up close like this, she realized that Sabin towered over her and his eyes were not brown as shed supposed. Rather, they were ringed with amber, coffee, auburn and bronze, a symphony of colors. Thankfully, the glow of red was still gone. Had she imagined it those times?
Woman? he said.
If he opened the cell as promisedif she could gather her courage and not freeze in place as was her habitescape would finally be possible. The hope shed denied earlier sprang to life, unstoppable and tantalizing, tempered only by the thought that she might cruelly and brutally destroy these possible saviors without meaning to.
Dont worry. Unless they try to harm you, your beast will remain caged. One wrong move from them, though
Worth the risk, she thought, saying, Stones.
His brow furrowed. Bones?
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she lifted one of her nailsa claw when compared to a humansand carved the word STONES in the glass. Each etching would hold only long enough for her to finish a letter before wiping clean. Damned godly glass. Shed often wondered how the humans had acquired it.
A pause. A frown, his attention remaining fixed on her too-long, pointed nail. Was he wondering what type of creature she was?
Then, Stones? Sabin asked, gaze once more meeting hers.
She nodded.
He spun in a circle, eyeing the entire chamber. Though the look-over lasted only a few seconds, Gwen suspected hed cataloged every inch of the place and could have found his way out of it in the dark.
The warriors lined up behind him, all staring at her expectantly. Mixed with the expectation, however, was curiosity, suspicion, hatredfor her?and even lust. One step, two, she backed away. Shed take hate over lust any day. Her legs trembled so violently she feared her muscles would give out. Stay calm. You cannot panic. Bad things happen when you panic.
How did one combat the desire of others? There was nothing she could do to cover herself more than she already was. Upon her imprisonment, her jeans and T-shirt had been replaced with a white tank and short skirt her captors had given hereasier access that way. Bastards. One of the tank straps had ripped months ago and the shirt now gaped. Shed had to tie it under her arm to keep her breast covered.
Turn away, Sabin suddenly growled.
Gwen spun without thought, long red hair swaying at her sides. Breath sawed in and out of her mouth, and sweat beaded over her brow. Why had he wanted her back? To better subdue her?
There was another of those heavy pauses. I didnt mean you, woman. This time, Sabins voice was soft, gentle.
Aw, come on, someone said. She recognized the rich, irreverent tone of the male with the blond hair and blue eyes. Youre not serious about
Youre scaring her.
Gwen peeked over her shoulder.
But she the heavily tattooed one began.
Once again Sabin interjected. You want answers or not? I said turn!
A few groans, the shuffling of feet.
Woman.
Slowly she pivoted back around. All of the warriors had turned as Sabin commanded, giving her their backs.
Sabin placed a palm against the glass. It was large, unscarred and steady, but streaked with blood. Which stones?
She pointed to a grouping in a case beside him. They were small, about the size of a fist, and each had a different way to die painted on the front. The highlights: a beheading, limb removal, a stabbing, a pike through the gut and a wildfire climbing the body of a man nailed to a tree.
Good, thats good. But what do I do with them?
Now panting with the need to be freeclose, so closeshe pantomimed the placing of a stone into a hole, like a key into a lock.
Does it matter which stone goes where?
She nodded, then pointed to each particular stone and which cell it opened. Shed come to dread the use of those stones, as it meant she would be forced to witness another rape. Sighing, she began to scratch the word KEY into the glass when Sabin slammed a fist into the stones case, shattering the outer shell. It would have taken the strength of ten humans to do such a thing, yet he made it look effortless.
Several cuts branched from his knuckles to his wrists. Beads of crimson appeared, but he wiped them away as if they meant nothing. By that time, the injuries were already in the process of healing, torn flesh weaving back together. Oh, yes. He was something far greater than mortal. Not fae, for his ears were perfectly rounded. Not vampire, for he didnt possess fangs. A male siren, then? His voice was rich enough, delicious enough, yes, but perhaps too harsh.
Grab a stone, he called, never taking his focus from her.
Instantly the warriors spun on their booted heels. Gwen purposely kept her gaze on Sabin, afraid that looking at the others would cause her fear to spike. Youre in control, doing good. She couldntwouldntfalter. Already she carried too many regrets.
Why couldnt she be like her sisters? Why couldnt she be brave and strong and embrace what she was? If necessary, they would have cut off a limb to escapeand they would have done it long before now. They would have pounded a fist through the glass, then Chriss chest, and eaten his heart in front of him, laughing all the while.
She experienced a pang of homesickness. If Tyson, her former boyfriend, had told them of her abductionwhich he probably hadnt, scared as he was of her sistersthen they were looking for her and they wouldnt give up until they found her. Despite her weaknesses, they loved her, wanted the best for her. But they would be so disappointed in her when they learned of her captivity. Shed failed herself, as well as her race. Even as a child she had run from conflict, which was how shed earned the degrading moniker Gwendolyn the Timid.
Her palms were damp, she realized, and she rubbed them on her thighs.
Sabin directed the men, telling them which stone belonged in which hole. He got a few of the placements wrong but she wasnt worried. Theyd figure it out. He was correct about hers, though, and when one man, a blue-haired, pierced punk, tried to pick up the appropriate stone, Sabins strong, tanned fingers banded around his wrist, stopping him.
The blue-haired one locked eyes with Sabin, who shook his head. Mine, he said.
The punk grinned. Hating what we see, are we?
Sabin just frowned at him.
Gwen blinked in confusion. Sabin hated looking at her?
One by one the women were freed, some crying, some attempting to hurry out of the chamber. The males didnt let them get far, catching them and surprising Gwen by cradling them gently, even when the women fought violently. In fact, the most beautiful man in the group, he of the multicolored hair, approached the women one by one, softly muttering, Sleep for me, sweetheart.
Shockingly, they obeyed, sagging in the warriors protective arms.
Sabin crouched and palmed Gwens stone, the one that showed the man burning alive. When he straightened, he tossed it in the air, caught it easily. Dont run. All right? Im tired and I dont want to chase you, but I will if you make me. And Im afraid Ill accidentally hurt you.
You and me both, she thought.
Dontfree her, Chris suddenly sputtered. How long had he been awake? He lifted his head and spit out a mouthful of dirt. Bruises had already formed under his eyes. Dangerous. Deadly.
Cameo, was all Sabin said.
The female warrior knew what he wanted and stalked to the human, grabbed him by the back of his shirt and easily lifted him to his feet. With her free hand, she placed a dagger at his carotid. Either too weak or too frightened, he didnt struggle.
Gwen hoped it was fear that held him still. Hoped it with every fiber of her being. She even stared at the tip of the knife, willing it inside the bastards throat, piercing skin and bone and causing unforgettable agony.
Yes, she thought, entranced. Yes, yes, yes. Do it. Please, do it. Cut him, make him suffer.
What do you want me to do with him? Cameo asked Sabin.
Keep him there. Alive.
Disappointment caused Gwens shoulders to sag. But with the disappointment came a startling realization. Her emotions were under control, yet she was very close to releasing her inner beast anyway. All those thoughts of pain and suffering were not her own. They couldnt be. Dangerous, Chris had said. Deadly. Hed been right. You have to stay in control.
Feel free to hurt him a bit, though, Sabin added, his eyes narrowing on Gwen. Was heangry? At her? But why? What had she done?
Dont set the girl free, Chris repeated. A tremor rocked his entire body. He backed away, but Cameo, obviously stronger than she appeared, jerked him back into place. Please dont.
Maybe you should leave the redhead in her cell, the tiny warrior woman said. For now, at least. Just in case.
Sabin raised the stone, stopping just short of inserting it into the hole beside Gwens cage. Hes a Hunter. A liar. And I think he hurt her, but doesnt want her able to tell us.
Gwen blinked over at him in shock and awe. He wasnt angry at her, but at Chrisa hunter?for what he might have done. He truly meant what hed said. He wouldnt harm her. Wanted her free. Safe.
Is that right? Sabin asked her. He hurt you?
Cheeks heating in mortification, she nodded. Emotionally, hed destroyed her.
Sabin ran his tongue over his teeth. Hell pay for that. You have my word.
Slowly the embarrassment faded. Her mother, who had disinherited her almost two years ago, would rather see her dead than weakened, but this manthis strangerthought to avenge her.
Chris swallowed nervously. Listen to me. Please. I know Im your enemy, and I wont lie and pretend youre not mine. You are. I hate you with every fiber of my being. But if you let her go, shell kill us all. I swear it.
Will you try and kill us, little red? Sabin asked her, even more gently than before.
Used to being called bitch and whore by the men here, Gwen felt the sweet endearment drift through her mind with the potency of a rose-scented summer breeze. In their few minutes together, this man had managed to gift her with the very thing shed dreamed about since being locked up: a white knight, determined to slay her dragons. Sure, shed once thought that white knight would be Tyson or even the father shed never known, but still. It wasnt every day a dream came true.
Red?
Gwen snapped to attention. What had he asked? Oh, yeah. If she would try and kill him and his friends. She licked her lips and shook her head. If her beast overtook her, she wouldnt just try. She would succeed. I have control. For the most part. Theyll be fine.