A week ago, Kieran would have reluctantly let the girl jump. Would have watched with detached indifference as the sea swallowed another nameless casualty of this wretched world.
Now all he saw was Autumn...Trapped. Terrified. Alone.
He exhaled sharply, forcing his gaze back to the girl scrambling towards the vent.
The girl’s bare feet slapped against the metal grating as she lunged for the vent. Kieran moved.
"No you don’t," he snarled.
He crossed the distance in three strides, his hand closing around her ankle just as she flung herself forward. She shrieked, her fingers scrambling as he yanked her back, her body hitting the floor with a thud.
"Let me GO!" she almost screamed, thrashing like a wild thing. "I’d rather DROWN than let them..."
Kieran hauled her up by the collar, slamming her against the nearest crate. Her breath left her in a rush, her eyes widening as his claws pricked her throat.
"Listen closely," he growled, his voice low enough to vibrate through her bones. "You want to die? Fine. But you are going to tell me exactly what I need to know before I let you die...alright???"
The girl’s lips parted...
A creak echoed from above.
Kieran’s head snapped up, his grip tightening. Vera cursed under her breath, pressing herself flat against the shadows.
Splash... something was hurled... off board... from the floors above.
Kieran immediately yanked her further back in, dragging her across the metal edge of the vent shaft and twisting around mid spin to slam her against the floor, softly.
Before she could open her mouth again, his hand clamped over her mouth, gagging her with force.
"Stop it...shut the fuck up!" he hissed.
But she still thrashed under him. Legs kicking. Fingernails clawing.
Her elbow connected with his side. He didn’t flinch.
"Alpha, fuck, she is going to get us caught!" Vera whispered in panic, crawling over to them.
The girl’s muffled cries grew sharper, her heels kicking wildly as she tried to slip free.
"I’ve got her!" Kieran growled through his teeth."Vera. Hold her hand."
Vera blinked. "What?!"
"Her. Fucking. Hand!" he barked.
Vera grabbed the girl’s wrist.
Kieran backhanded her. Not hard enough to knock her out...just enough to stun. Then he pulled out a black ring and pried her fingers open and slammed the ring onto her thumb. It shrank on contact, sealing itself to her skin with a sizzle.
The girl gasped.Her eyes widened as the runes glowed red.The girl froze...eyes flying wider. Something clicked in her soul as the bondage ignited.
Kieran leaned in...his voice a lethal whisper. "This ring is tied to your bloodline now. You try to run? Your mother’s heart stops. You scream for help? Her lungs collapse. You breathe wrong?" He squeezed her wrist until the bones creaked. "She dies screaming."
The girl’s face drained of color.
Vera looked queasy. "Alpha, that’s dark magic...how did you..."
"Necessary," Kieran cut in, his gaze never leaving the girl’s. "Now. Talk. Where are these bastards taking you?"
The girl shook her head in tiny, trembling jerks.
"I control your fate now." Kieran’s grip tightened. "And the fate of your mother."
Her eyes exploded in panic.He pressed her cheeks together...hard...forcing her jaw open with one hand, the other pinning her arms to the deck.
" Ok. Ok. I will talk!"
"Smart girl." He slowly pulled his hand away from her mouth.
She gasped. Choked on sobs. Coughed a little blood.
Vera backed off too, still staring at the ring. "You weren’t supposed to use that. You know what the Council..." Kieran’s glare shut her real quick!
The girl stammered. "I don’t know anything, alright?! They don’t tell us shit!I was kidnapped."
"You said something earlier about other girls being taken...keep talking..."
"All I know is that they have been taking girls. Special ones. Anyone who... who showed signs. Gifts. Strength. We were all tagged. Watched. I saw it happen before. One by one. They take us. They cut our hair, change our names, dose us with whatever the fuck those liquids are... put us in the ice boxes like meat!" Her voice cracked. "Once they take you...death is a fucking mercy."
Kieran’s hands balled into fists.
"Where are they taking you?"
The girl swallowed hard. "To lands that don’t exist on maps. They call it ’The Forgotten’? They say it’s a bad omen to say the name. But the handlers...they whisper about it sometimes when they think we are under...that’s how I heard...I never stayed down too long...I stayed inside those..."she pointed to those coffin like ice boxes. " Wide awake! "
A long silence before she continued.
"They were talking about some infertile drought... in the Old lands. Places no one talks about anymore. Places... cursed. They take women there to breed them. Drain them. Break them. Feed on their blood. Cut them open if needed. They said... they said something like..." Her voice trembled like a fraying wire. "They want to build the perfect Soul... before the Prophecy awakens beneath one of the red moons...or something like that..."
Kieran’s breathing thickened. "What prophecy?"
"I don’t know!" she sobbed.
He grabbed the girl by the arms and shook her hard."Was there a girl named Autumn among the others?Brown hair, dark eyes, soft curls...pregnant!"
The girl flinched, trying to pull back. "I...I don’t know! I haven’t seen them all! I haven’t even seen sunlight in weeks!" But she stared into Kieran’s eyes looking at the vulnerability as he spoke about Autumn.
"Are you sure?!" Kieran snarled.
"I said I don’t know!" she cried but her demeanor softened. "Are you looking for her? Is she...your mate? " Kieran didn’t answer.
" Then I will pray...for her sake...that she is dead already!"
Kieran’s entire body locked up.
The silence after those words was deadly.
The girl tried to squirm out of his grip. "If you are done with your questions, let me go. Let me die in peace. I can’t be torn and mutilated by these monsters again and again..."
Something inside Kieran snapped.
He gripped her throat. Just enough to threaten.
Her head fell back. Her lips parted like she welcomed death.
"Stop it!" Vera cried, yanking at his arm. "Alpha! Stop!"
Kieran blinked.Then blinked again.
His eyes cleared. The haze fell away.
He shoved the girl back against the wall. "Get back!"
The girl looked at him,stunned...then screamed. "NO! No no no...NOT THE BOX! Not again! KILL ME...please! I beg you. Not that! NOT THAT!"
Kieran growled softly. "You are going back in till they hit the shore..."
Her body bucked. "I won’t go...I can’t! You don’t understand...!"
He grabbed her jaw again. "You want your mother to stay alive, right? Then shut your fucking mouth and listen."
"We will get off with you. You will act your part as the guards come for final checks. When we reach shore...we will follow you. You help us find the one we are looking for. And when we get her out...I promise I will get you out too."
The girl looked at him. Her eyes were no longer mad...They were mocking.
She didn’t believe him.So he said one last thing... "If you fail... your mother dies choking on her own breath."
Tears slid down her cheeks.The girl’s bravado crumbled. More tears spilled over as her body went limp in his grip. "...You are just a monster like them."
Kieran dropped her. "Worse."