SERAPHINA
My vision was blurred and teary, my toes tingling intensely as the effects of the drugs started to fade. Gradually, the tingling turned into a searing sensation. Whatever they had given me had been carelessly injected into my forearm an hour ago when Lilith began to tire.
Her song wasnât as potent, and I made a dash for the bedroom door that Damien had exited from earlier. Instead, I collided with Rafe who was ready with a syringe, alerted by my desperate attempt to escape. It took me a moment to recognize him.
I didnât really look at him until he started talking to Lilith. Thatâs when I realized he was the same wolf who had been with Garrickâs brother, Jasper, the night we had our fight. Clearly, Garrick had trusted him.
~Another enemy, right under my nose.~ I was furious with myself. Meanwhile, Lilith twirled in the mirror, trying on the dress I had thought would suit her best. It seemed to be her favorite.
I had obviously known her tastes well, but not well enough to identify her as a fraud. She had been a convincing actress. Regardless, I felt nothing but contempt for her.
I saw her as a two-faced snake. Images of grabbing her by the hair and smashing her head into something sharp and hard dominated my thoughts. I was itching to get my hands on her, to mess up that pretty little face.
I also wished I had even the slightest hint of magic to do something spiteful. But as usual, when I tried to summon itânothing happened. I felt even more powerless.
Without Jackâs ring, I was weaker than a human. Any magical bursts in the pastâeven if they were ineffective against my attackersâcaused me to collapse. I realized that the ring may have been the only reason I had been feeling it more than usual in the first place.
Something Damien had clearly recognized where I had failed.
âIâm going to go grab Cloe,â Lilith told Rafe.
She glanced at her phone before sending a selfie of me and her, her two fingers raised. She chuckled as she continued texting, making me wonder if Cloe was her real best friend.
I wondered if they had laughed at me over drinks. Anger surged within me. Pain and fire spread through my veins as the drugs burned, bringing sensation back to my body.
~I was such a fool.~
Rafe seemed uninterested, continuing to flip through a book he had taken from the shelf. His foot had been bouncing on and off for the last hour, a clear indication that time was running out. Now that Lilith had left the room, his gaze felt like it was crawling all over me.
And not in a good way. It was a gaze that raked over my body as if I were already naked. ~Fuck~.
âGarrickâs little bitch,â he sneered, tugging at the hem of my blouse as he crouched down.
His eyes scanned my body uncomfortably, his head tilting to the side within my line of sight. I tried to convince myself this wasnât happening as he seemed to inspect my skin carefully.
He took a deep breath, as if savoring the scent of his prey.
âIâm not surprised you preferred the dead guyâs dick, but to insult your fated like that? Maybe any cock is better than his, hmm?â
~Oh fuck no. No no no. This isnât happening.~
He knelt down, his fingers pushing aside one of my straps. The contact made my skin crawl and my stomach churn, even as everything in my body began to burn. I prayed the drugs would wear off completely.
I prayed that whatever god was paying any attention cared about what was about to happen, giving me the power to stop this. My heart pounded in my ears as he exposed my right breast, flicking the nipple with his fingers, pushing my limp body onto my back.
The sound of fabric tearing filled the room as he exposed a good amount of skin up top.
âLucky bastard, youâre like custard and cinnamon cream all wrapped up in a beautiful combination,â he said, his voice husky, rushed, and desperate, his hands shaking.
âItâs his fault Iâm doing this, you know. Iâm really not a bad guy, and your looks certainly donât hurt.â
He sighed, pinching my nipple again with force. So much soâI let out the faintest noise. It was a sound far from pleasure. It was a sound of panic and pain.
I mentally berated myself as his eyes lit up at my response.
âGarrick never told us there was another way, or other gods to worship. Weâre told to blindly worship that goddess. Do you have any idea how fucking angry Iâve been? How selective she is with her mates?â
He stood up, kicking me onto my stomach with his boot.
âI donât want to see your face. I donât feel like being bitten when you finally come to. Iâm going to fuck you like the bitch you are.â
As soon as I felt my nose being crushed, sensation began to spread through my body. The drugs felt like a burning curtain engulfing my flesh. I did my best to stay still, conserving my strength for any possible fight.
I prayed I could fight back, or at the very least that it would all be over soon. I hadnât anticipated the burning agony that shot down my back, as if my skin was being slowly, meticulously etched away.
Despite my best efforts to muffle them, I couldnât contain my cries as I felt the warm trickle of blood seep out. My fingers clawed at the floor in torment.
âYour skin is so delicate, it parts so easily under my nails,â he taunted, pressing his finger into my flesh.
His nail sliced through muscle and nerve, eliciting a scream from me. The pretense that the drugs had me immobilized was no longer sustainable.
âItâs the perfect canvas for me to etch my name into, for that bastard.â
Another wave of excruciating pain made me scream again. His nail dragged slowly, steadily. My body convulsed in agony, tears streaming down my face as sobs racked my body.
I realized he intended to brand and maim me before he raped me. His response was a low chuckle, his breath hot in my ear.
âI can smell that the drugs have started to wear off, you little bitch. It just proves you like it rough. I want to hear your screams properly.â
I let out another shriek, unable to hold it in as the pain seared through me, coupled with the horrible agony the drugs had me in. Everything was pain.
âMaybe thatâs why the Luna Goddess chose you. Maybe itâs so Garrick can finally feel the loss I felt when he banished my sister from the pack for loving a bear shifter.
âOr when he got my brother killed by sending him across the border to deal meth. Even humans are dangerous to a wolf high on that shit. It was like he was asking for my brother to die!â
Rafeâs words became more erratic, another nail slicing down the other side of my back. I let out another wail, trying to stay still, but my shaking only made his nail dig deeper.
âWhat kind of goddess allows these things to happen? Huh? To elevate a pathetic pair like Jaspar and Garrick but leave me in the dirt? Dionysus will fix all of that, he recognizes all beasts that worship him.â
Perhaps it was the pain, or the invocation of a godâs name, but as I drew my next breath, magic surged in my chest and pulsed through my veins. It turned wild and violent as the next claw started down my spine.
I forced myself to remain still, allowing the magic to grow, feeding off my pain. Desperate to protect myself.
Rafe unknowingly fueled the magic with each drag of his nail and each drop of my blood.
âIâll take his power just like Iâm going to enjoy taking you. Over and over again, so when youâre finally dead and Garrick finds his perfect little mate, theyâll confirm in my autopsy that your corpse was filled with my cum. Just another kick in the fucking nuts to drive him mad.
âDionysus will probably be so pleased with my ventures after youâre sacrificed, heâll grant me the power to wipe Garrick off the face of this earth for good.â
As his nail dug deeper, perilously close to my spine, I screamed, unable to bear the pain any longer. I let the magic release. The burst of energy sent Rafe flying across the room, crashing into various objects.
My efforts left me sweating and panting for several seconds that felt like an eternity. I looked up just in time to see his head bounce off a closet panel before hitting a wall. His body jerked violently as he struggled against the magic, the sound of bones cracking echoing in the room.
The magic didnât let up, causing Rafe to howl in pain as it tossed him around like a rag doll. Violent. Chaotic. Angry.
Scrambling to my feet, I felt blood slick on my back, legs, and the floor. I sobbed as I tried to reach my phone, which Lilith had kicked into my bedroom.
My head spun as my feet slipped beneath me. I resorted to crawling across the floor. Just as my blood-soaked hands touched the screen, the magic ceased. Rafe landed heavily on the floor.
My window of opportunity was closing fast as I lifted my phone with shaking hands, trying to unlock it. My blood smeared the screen as I struggled to type. The phone slipped from my grasp just as the screen finally unlocked.
It flew across the room and smashed into a wall. The phone shattered on impact and clattered to the floor.
Damien walked into the bedroom, his face expressionless. He pointed at the remains of the phone, annoyance flickering in his eyes as he took in the scene around him. The smell of blood hung in the air.
Rafe appeared in the doorway of the dressing room, already halfway through his transformation. His claws and teeth were bared. His eyes glowed a vivid yellow as hair sprouted from his skin, and he growled low in his throat.
His body was covered in purple and red welts that were already starting to bloom as he shifted from man to wolf. His flesh quivered with each movement, ready to tear me apart.
Damien extended his hand, flicking his fingers that encased Jackâs ring. He made a twisting motion that had Rafeâs body suddenly cracking at odd angles.
Rafeâs body hit the floor with a heavy thud. Bones from his neck protruded grotesquely from his twisted form. Blood pooled around his head and upper torso. He was dead, beyond any hope of revival.
Sighing softly, Damien crossed his arms and walked over to me. He examined the cuts on my back. With a twitch of his fingers, he used a bit of magic to stop the bleeding.
The immediate relief was a welcome change, the residing itch far better than the searing pain I had just been in. He gestured toward the door.
âAll of this will be less painful if you cooperate,â Damien promised. He was already fulfilling his end of the bargain by healing me.
I didnât want to go with him. I knew that beyond that door lay certain death. But the truth was, I didnât have much of a choice.
~Like a lamb to slaughter.~