is knows how much I care about you. Zander saw how devastated I was when I saw your wolf, and once they both knew you were alive, Zander was ordered to bring you here to force me to find a way into that science wing.”
She pulled her top lip between her teeth, tilting her head. “I actually think he tried to help me.”
“How?” I couldn’t help my instant suspicion. Zander was an enigma to me; not just what he was, but why he played both sides.
“He helped me hold back the fire in my veins when Doherty raided our place. I’d just escaped from Fae…” She stopped and swallowed, her eyes searching mine.
“It’s okay.” I prompted, my heart squeezing as she swallowed and looked away. “From Faerie.”
A horrible thought entered my head, anger pulsing through me, filling the room. “If you were forced to become one of their human pets, I’ll hunt down those responsible and rip them apart piece by piece…” Blood coursed through my veins awakening the beast inside me, my wolf wary of its blood thirsty appearance.
“No, no, I wasn’t coerced. I wasn’t a pet, either.”
“So Zander helped you?” I said, keeping the focus on our current situation.
She nodded, releasing a deep breath and looking up at me again. “Yeah, he told me to control my fire before Doherty realised who I was.”
“Listen, I have no idea whether we can trust Zander or not, but he has threatened to make sure you are chosen for the round up if I can’t somehow find a way into the science wing to see what they’re doing. It seems my boss is on a time limit and so is the warden. He’s brought the next fight ring closer. It’s in two weeks.” I took a deep breath. “And he wants you to fight in it.”
“Why me?” Her eyes widened further.
“Probably because it’s got back to him that you can fight and people will pay alot of money to watch you.” I held in a growl even though the need to smash something festered in my gut. “If you don’t go in the fight rings, he’ll either use you himself, or put you in the entertainment rooms. I don’t need to explain what he’ll do to you, or how the entertainment rooms work, and it doesn’t matter if you are male, female or an alpha, you can be chosen for those. You’re a female warrior, Em, and you’ll bring in more money in the fights than any of the males, unless the males are alphas.” I glanced at the door. “He wants my brothers to fight, too.”
Her fingers dug into my flesh. “But they’ll have to fight each other.”
She’d worked it out. I swallowed the bile that rushed up my gullet, burning my insides. The vultures who bet on the fights wanted to see blood and death, and the inherent instinct to survive in the alphas would deliver that. They would rip each other apart. Eventually my brothers or Ember would die. I swallowed hard and didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
“So there you have it, that's what’s really going on here. You are a good fighter, Firecracker, so let’s concentrate on those skills for the next couple of weeks. Somehow, I’ll get you and my brothers out. I promise.”
But the promise sounded hollow even to my own ears. Somehow I’d do it. I’d get us out, I just hoped I could come up with something before I lost the love of my life or my brothers to the death rings.
Ember’s voice broke through my inner thoughts. “Maybe we can find a way together.”
Silence fell between us and at that moment I knew I couldn’t let her go, not to another pack, and for damn sure, not back to another alpha. Mine. She is mine… From deep in my soul my wolf rumbled his agreement. Relief and desire slammed through me in equal measure.
An enigmatic smile curled her lips. “You want something, Prime?”
Her skin was warm and smooth as I slid one hand under her top and curled my fingers around the curve of her waist into the small of her back. The other I slid up over her flat stomach. Making an impatient noise, I pushed the material of her bra aside until the softness of her breast was cradled in my palm and I could brush my thumb over her erect nipple.
“Hmmm.” The moan of pleasure that came from between her beautiful soft lips had my cock jumping. “Gods, but I