Chapter 86

[ 735 words ]

Aria

When consciousness returns, I’m acutely aware of the stiffness of my body and the awkward position it’s twisted in.

My head throbs.

I inhale careful breaths and orient myself without opening my eyes.

If I can figure out my surroundings before they realize I’m awake, I could use it to my advantage.

Gods, now I’m sounding like Barric.

My head starts to clear, and I feel the chair beneath me, my arms tied together behind my back, and my ankles firmly secure against the hard chair legs.

Shit.

Okay, this is going to be a bit trickier than I planned.

I sniff the air.

It smells like bleach and ozone, a sharp contrast to the moldy, wet dampness of the tunnel.

Am I still even there?

When no sounds reach my ears, I force my eyes open.

Instead of a cell, I’m in a small, windowless room.

There is a single metal door directly in front of me.

More of those strange rune symbols carved into the borders.

I look down, and the iron shackles are still around my wrist.

My wolf is barely a whisper now.

And my fire feels like it did before I unlocked from that well inside.

This iron is doing something to me, it’s suppressing me, weakening me.

My attention is drawn to the creek of the door as it opens.

Aldren enters first.

His pale, cold eyes are the most alive I’ve seen them.

The delight is a nefarious thing.

A slithering viper coiling to strike, and I am his target.

His erect posture creates a cast over me as he stops inches from where I’m tied down.

The silver-threaded black coat is immaculate as always.

Like he’s attending a political dinner instead of imprisoning people.

Perhaps that’s what this is for him, a feast for the monster he keeps contained inside.

Kane steps in behind him, and somehow his presence is worse.

If Aldren is a viper, then Kane is a storm.

His dark eyes gleam with satisfaction when they land on me.

“Well,” Kane says smoothly.

“I have to say I like the sight of you tied up.”

I glare at him.

“Go to hell.”

He smiles.

“I’ve always admired your spirit.

Too bad your fire is is so very far away.

A light show would ceritinly improve this meeting.”

“Take these cuffs off me, and I’ll give you a show.

”

My wolf growls in agreement, but the sound is far lower than I would like.

Kane chuckles softly and leans against the wall.

“Careful, Aria, I might start to think you have ill intentions towards me.”

“Enough, Kane.” Aldren steps closer take hold of my attention.

“Before you try anything untoward, I’d like to warn you that the restraints suppress magical abilities, fire included.”

“I figured that out,” I bite out.

He continues as if I hadn’t spoken.

“You should also know the room itself is reinforced. Attempts to shift will be… unpleasant. So I’m going to ask that you don’t. You see, contrary to your beliefs, I don’t want to hurt you.”

I stare at him with pure hatred.

“You worked with hunters. Targeted my pack. Labeled us, traitors for speaking reason at your decree of madness. You must think I’m stupid enough to believe that you don’t want to hurt me.”

Something dark flashes across Aldren’s face.

“Necessity creates unusual alliances.

And your opinions of my methods mean even less than your naive bleeding heart assumptions of what is best for a species you’ve just stumbled into.”

“You’re betraying your own kind.”

“No,” Kane says quietly.

“We’re saving it.”

I laugh harshly.

The sound echoes bitterly off stone walls.

“By murdering packs?

By caging wolves?

And torturing humans?

Forgive me if I can’t make sense of the schizophrenia level of logic.”

“I’m creating order,” Aldren’s maddeningly composed voice drags against my skin.

“The old systems failed. Having a separate pack only creates a divide that makes us weak against our enemies. We need to be under one rule. And you, my dear, can be part of that. You could help us rebuild something stronger.”

I school my face into a bored expression.

“What a sales pitch. I think I’ll pass, though.”

My denial doesn’t faze Aldren.

Almost as if he expected it.

“You are valuable, Aria.

More valuable than you realize.

Joining us would save the people you love the most.”

“I’d rather die.”

“Perhaps, but would your mates agree with that?” Kane prowls around me with an evil glint in his eye.

“Would your mother?”

Everything inside me stills.

“My mother is dead,” I grind out.

A cruel glint enters his eyes then.

The kind that belongs to monsters.

“Is she?”

Fear crawls slowly up my spine.

No.

This isn’t right.

He’s just fucking with me.

Kane stands and turns toward the door.

“Lorain, please come in.”

The world stops.

And walks a woman who should be dead.

My mother.

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