Feral Wolf by Caroline Peckham

The Watchers swarmed around us and I found myself fighting for my life as several of them came at me at once. I saw Ethan and Sin close by snared in their own battles, but we were getting overwhelmed.

I coated my fists in ice as they got up close, settling on hand to hand combat as I slammed punches into every piece of flesh I could get near. I was sure I’d be dead already if that was their aim, but vines kept binding my arms and I sent spines of ice rippling over my body to tear through them. They were trying to capture me and I was sure I’d face something far worse than death if they did.

The only thing soothing me was that Cain had taken Rosalie out of here, and as much as I hated the asshole, I was grateful to him for once. Because Gustard could not get hold of her, it wasn’t a fate I could allow.

Ethan hit the ground with a roar, his arms bound in vines as two Fae fell on top of him to keep him there.

“Ethan!” I cried, trying to get to him, but three bastards caught hold of me, wrenching me back.

The air was suddenly stolen from my lungs and as hard as I thrashed, I couldn’t fight them off any longer. I’d used too much of my magic and there were just too damn many of them to take on at once.

I was forced to my knees, my hands bound at the base of my spine and my magic effectively cut off.

Sin was still on his feet, gutting people with a chair leg he’d gotten from who knew where, his face splashed with blood and the killer in him on full show. He was ruthless even as his magic stuttered out and four Fae leapt on him to try and get him down. He continued to fight back, his muscles bulging, and he started using his teeth as a weapon too, ripping a man’s ear off with a jerk of his head. He spat it back in the guy’s face with a bellowing laugh that was every shade of crazy.

“My ear!” the guy wailed, stumbling back as more of The Watchers pressed forwards.

One of them beat Sin around the head with a wooden bat forged in his hand and Sin finally went down with a grunt, hitting the floor where he was immediately accosted by several fuckers and his arms were bound behind him.

“I’ll. Kill. You. All,” he panted, his shoulders bunching and a growl leaving him that was entirely beast.

“Sin, calm down,” Ethan hissed, clearly fearful that they might just kill him if he continued to be a problem.

But the wild rage in Sin’s eyes and the bloody smile on his lips said he’d gone to the craziest place that lived in him and he wasn’t coming back any time soon. I looked to any of my remaining Shades who were still standing close by, willing my Charisma over them but The Watchers held them back as they tried to move forward.

We were all hauled to our feet at a whistle from Gustard and shoved along after him as his vile Watchers swarmed around us like vermin. I noticed other prisoners among them, Pudding, Brett, Sonny, Esme, Plunger and Ethan’s second in command, Harper. We were marched after Gustard, led upstairs and I caught Ethan’s eye as he was pushed along close to me.

I didn’t know what to do, and it looked like he had no ideas either. We were penned in, surrounded by too much power to fight against. My Shades were being cut down or starting to flee and I had to let them go or else force them to die here in a fight they were too outnumbered to win. I turned my Charisma on my captors instead but their loyalty to Gustard was too fierce to be swayed to me. That motherfucker had used his Cyclops manipulation on them too many times in the Order Yard, and there was no way I could cut through it with my persuasion without a lot more time.

How the hell had everyone gotten their cuffs off? Had Cain done this? Surely he wouldn’t have. He hadn’t even been happy about releasing my magic let alone all of the psychos’ magic in this prison. Fuck, what the hell had happened?

We finally arrived up at the Mess Hall and were guided into the room which had been transformed for The Watchers’ needs. Beds had been brought here and there were a couple of big guys stationed by the kitchens to protect the food. I did not wanna know what this place would be like now Gustard had locked down a vital resource. The other prisoners would have to fall in line with him if they wanted to eat. And now he and his unFae scum had their power back, how would anyone be able to rise up against them?

I was led to the back of the room and shoved to my knees among the rest of the prisoners while Gustard was offered a cup of water and he took his time sipping on it as he assessed us.

Someone brought Gustard a chair with some pillows on it and he dropped smoothly onto it in front of us, resting his elbows on his knees as he flattened a crease out of the arm of his jumpsuit.

A noise from above us drew my attention and I looked up, my muscles bunching as I met the gaze of a man suspended from the roof there by vines which were knotted around his ankles. Blood steadily dripped from two wounds which had been carved into his biceps and I swallowed a lump in my throat as I recognised Hastings, his eyes wild with fear and a certainty of his own death while a gag remained stuffed in his mouth. My gaze caught on one of the dripping wounds and I realised Gustard or one of his minions had carved a single large eye into his flesh, the blood dripping into a puddle on the floor before us.

“Now,” Gustard said, looking between us all with his cool gaze. “Who’s going to tell me where Rosalie Oscura has scurried off to?”

My jaw locked and I knew in that moment that I’d face any torture before I gave up a single thing about my mate. Not that I knew where Cain had taken her anyway, but it hardly made a difference. Gustard could peel me apart piece by piece, but he’d find no clues to her whereabouts within my flesh.

“We don’t know where she is,” Ethan spat.

“I heard you’re her little moon bound bitch, Shadowbrook,” Gustard said as a smile curved up his thin lips. “And I know Werewolf mates share each other’s pain.” He snapped his fingers at some huge oaf beside him with a shaved head and a large gut and he stalked toward Ethan who bared his teeth in defiance. “Let’s see what it takes for your beloved to come and rescue you.”

The brute slammed his knuckles into Ethan’s face and I swore at the asshole as he laid into him, my heart clenching with fury over seeing him hurt.

“Stop!” I roared, but no one listened, hands restraining me so that I couldn’t get any closer.

Ethan was shoved to the floor and pounded on until blood was seeping from his lips.

Harper screamed all the while, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Alpha!” she yelled and Gustard finally called his man away.

“That’s enough, Mo, we need him still breathing so the Oscura bitch has a good reason to come here,” Gustard said and Ethan was pulled back onto his knees, his shoulders heaving as he drew in ragged breaths.

Bruises were blossoming along his cheeks and his right eye was puffing up from the beating. It made a growl rip through my throat, but no one was paying me any attention.

Gustard looked to the door impatiently then released a sigh of disappointment.

“Are you okay, Alpha?” Harper sobbed, shuffling closer to Ethan on his right and nuzzling her head against him. He nuzzled her back reassuringly and Gustard wet his lips as he watched their interaction.

“Perhaps Rosalie is more susceptible to a different kind of pain?” he mused, then beckoned Mo closer who leaned down so that Gustard could whisper in his ear.

I tried to catch the words but they were spoken too quietly for me to catch, leaving me unsettled. I shared a nervous glance with Ethan as Mo strode forward again and grabbed hold of Harper. Her eyes widened as his massive hands locked around her head and she looked to Ethan in alarm, struggling to get free.

“Let go of her!” he barked in a powerful tone, but Mo just roared a laugh and in the next instant he cast wooden spikes from his palms, slicing right through Harper’s skull and she fell still in an instant.

It was all so terrifyingly quick that I couldn’t even process what had happened until he dropped her at Ethan’s feet in a pool of blood.

Hastings started screaming through his gag above us, thrashing against his restraints in panic at the sight of her death.

“No!” Ethan cried as the lifeless eyes of his second stared up at him and a single tear rolled down her cheek into her bloodied hair. “You motherfuckers! I’ll kill you, I’ll kill all of you!”

Sin was thrashing like a wild beast again as he tried to get free and Ethan was giving him a run for his money as he tried to get up and lunge at Gustard. But more of The Watchers fell on them and they were quickly held down once more.

My pulse thumped in my ears and it sounded like a warning bell ringing in my head as I stared at the bloody mess that had been made of Harper.

“Alright then,” Gustard purred. “Who’s ready to start talking?”