Hope bubbled within me, and I turned my attention to Jamie, who watched Melana for a second before cursing under his breath. He wandered around the room, looking in the cauldron and at the jars on the shelves in the room.
“You never answered me,” I told him.
“Your brother will do as asked. I will have his son’s life in my hands,” he answered simply.
“And what is it you plan on asking him for?”
“He will stand down as king, forfeit the title over to me.” I snorted. Was he delusional? You were born a king, not handed it.
“You think that is funny?”
“I think you’re an idiot,” I told him, and he walked forward, lifting his hand and backhanding me.
I laughed at his pathetic blow; Rayan hit harder. But I was glad he was closer, close enough and no longer paying attention to Lucy. I felt the bond returning; I had no idea what was going on with her, but I had no doubt the reason the pain stopped had something to do with the strange fluttering of a bond reawakening. Her fingers twitched behind Jamie, and I knew I was right. Rayan looked over at me, his voice flitting through my head.
“You see that?” he asked, but I kept my eyes on Jamie, who was watching me.
“You don’t seem too upset at the loss of your bonded. Not that I blame you; my bonded was weak too. Melana would have been a better choice for you. Instead, you chose that monstrosity,” he sneered.
“Alicia was weak, wanting me to stop, wanting to live a normal life,” he said, doing air quotes with his fingers. He chuckled, shaking his head.
“Yeah, she was always too good for you. Has a nice set of tits too,” I told him, and he growled, stepping forward with his hand raised.
“Tell me, are they fake?” I asked. He snarled, baring his teeth. I knew I had hit a nerve.
“Don’t speak of my mate like that!”
“I thought she was pathetic. Since we are comparing mates and all. Thought she was fair game.”
“Your mate is pathetic. Mine was weak,” he spat when I saw Lucy raise her head behind him. My eyes darted to Melana when Lucy looked around.
“You’re seeing this, right? I am not imagining it?” Rayan mindlinked. Jamie looked between Rayan and me, and I heard Tyson’s voice flit through the mindlink. I smiled, knowing he was either close or already here.
“What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing. I am just wondering if Alicia is a screamer?”
Jamie scoffs. “You wouldn’t even know what to do with her, boy.”
“I think I know a thing or two. I bet I could make her scream.” It was petty, but I needed him distracted away from Lucy, and one thing I knew that would tick me off was someone talking shit about my mate.
Lucy stretched her neck behind him, and I was trying to keep my eyes off her blood-red ones. I sniffed the air subtly, trying to get a feel for her, but one thing was sure; she wasn’t a wolf anymore. I couldn’t even sense Lucille at all, and neither could Atticus. Whatever she was, I didn’t care. She was mine, and I was just glad she was back. Melana tiptoed in the background with Ryden, and Lucy’s head snapped in her direction, making her jump.
Alpha Jamie went to turn when I spoke, distracting him away from what was going on behind him.
“I bet Alicia is a screamer. I will let you know when I drive my cock in her when I get out of this chair. If you’re lucky, I may let you watch as I fuck your mate, so you can hear her scream my name instead of yours,” I told him. He snarled before his fist connected with my face. I spat out blood and laughed.
Chapter ninety-three
Lucy
I had no idea what was happening. I felt my heart stop and nothing but oblivion when pain ravished me. Lucille’s voice whispered to me in the darkness.
“Hang in there, Lucy.” I tried to make sense of her words when I felt it. My link to her was just gone, my wolf was dead, and my heart stopped. My breath wheezed out with a bloody gasp. I knew I was dead, yet I felt like I was floating. My nerve endings felt twitchy, and I could feel my blood congealing in my veins, yet I was still here in the darkness. Would I be trapped here? What happened to my mates? What happened to my brothers? Time stopped, and so did I or so I thought.
My sense of smell came back first. I could smell dust, blood, and it made my teeth ache before I could smell Ace. His scent made my mouth water, and my fingers twitched. Yet my heart did not beat. The more I sat there frozen in time, the more I became aware of my surroundings, the dripping sound coming off my side, the bubbling cauldron. The footsteps walking around, the vague crying of Ryden before I heard Ace’s voice taunting Jamie. I had gripped the chair in which I sat to fight back the urge to growl at the monster who tortured my brothers.
Lifting my head slowly, I made eye contact with Ace, whose eyes darted away quickly, and he smiled up at Jamie tauntingly. Rayan was still strapped to the chair, but Melana was no longer at my feet. I glanced around for her to find her behind me, off to the side with Ryden in her arms. Her mouth was wide open, and I mouthed to her to be quiet. My hunger burned, bloodlust consuming my senses, and I felt my fangs slip out and pierce my bottom lip, making me shudder when my own blood repulsed me. Tasted as dead as I felt inside.