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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.
28
Adryan
Icrouched behind the thick line of trees on the Vermont property, an aggressive surge thrumming through me, so staying still was almost fucking impossible.
Banner was to my right, Odhran and Cian to my left. Lennox and Tavish, and Kane and Sebastian were behind us, as well as an army of Lycans and vampires. Kane was seething, the wound to his head crusted with blood that he hadn’t bothered cleaning off. I knew Kane wanted a piece of James, but that motherfucker was mine to end.
I could feel the energy pulsating all around us… from us. Although I’d had soldiers stationed here since we found out about this piece of land, we hadn’t made a move. We just watched, knowing all the superficial logistics of the farmland, more positive with each passing day that this was all a front.
All a farce with the human who owned it, the generational lineage tied to it that was all bullshit. Nothing but pretty paperwork.
We’d dug up information on the owners from decades past. At one point, back at the turn of the century, this had been a prosperous soy and corn farm that distributed to several states around the country.
But as the crops began to die and nothing was able to grow—which was of course suspect as fuck—the farming business collapsed until all we had was what was right in front of us. Acres upon acres of unusable soil, a dilapidated barn… and nothing else.
