Page 52 of Reluctant Rebel

Z chuckled darkly. “Of course you won’t. You’re theheroes,” he spat disdainfully. “As fun as this is, we really need to begoing. My dear brothers will be here any moment. And I’ve had enough of family reunions for one day.” He looked at the demon. “Perran, get us out of here.”

Gage gasped. “Perran? Is that you under there? What the hell are you doing?!”

Before Jinx could process that Gage clearly knew the a-hole working with Z, the darkness trapping her became too powerful and all-consuming. She felt her strength ebbing away as the shadows constricted tighter and tighter. Her friends' cries became muffled and distant as the darkness pulled her deeper. Flashes of light—Gage's renewed gunfire—pierced the gloom, but they were swallowed up almost instantly.

Jinx caught one last glimpse of Gage’s anguished face before her vision went completely black. Then, she was falling, tumbling through an endless void. The air grew colder, thinner. She gasped, her lungs burning as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

22

Jinx awoke with a start, her head pounding and her vision blurry. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she found herself in a cavernous chamber, its walls glittering with strange, phosphorescent crystals. She tried to move, only to discover her wrists and ankles were bound by the same shadowy tendrils that had captured her at the warehouse. The bonds tightened as she struggled, sending jolts of pain through her body.

“Ah, you're awake,” came a silky voice from the darkness. Z materialised from the shadows, his eyes gleaming with triumph.

Jinx glared at him, her voice hoarse as she spat out, “What do you want with me?”

Z circled her like a predator toying with its prey. His hands were clasped together behind his back, but Jinx didn’t trust him not to strike out. “Mikhail tells me you’re his mate. Is that true?”

Her breath caught in her throat.Why would Mikhail say that? And to Zagan of all people?“No. It isn’t true.”

Z tsked, crouching down in front of her. “You’re lying again. But don’t feel too bad; I can read micro-expressions.”

“I’m not lying,” Jinx said through gritted teeth. She leaned back as far as her bonds would allow. “And you’re not special.Sabre can, too. Mikhail rejected me. Or did I reject him?” She shook her head. “We rejected each other.”

Z cocked his head to the side. “Truth,” he decided. “Now, why would you both do a thing like that? No, wait, let me guess, the great King Mikhail is being a martyr, right?” He laughed coldly.

“He has responsibilities,” Jinx stated, glaring at Z. “I understand. And I have my reasons—which are none of your fucking business.”

Z stared at her for a few tense seconds before abruptly saying, “I understand you were once a prostitute. I can see the appeal. I’d pay for you.”

Jinx did her best not to flinch. “I would rip your dick off at the base before you got it anywhere near me.”

Z rocked back on his heels, laughing heartily. “You’re a spicy kitty, aren’t you? My brother is missing out.”

Jinx ignored his words, saying instead, “You made a mistake taking me.”

“I didn’t,” Z retorted quickly. “I don’t make mistakes.”

Jinx snorted scornfully. “Are you kidding? All you’ve done since you murdered your dad is make mistakes.”

Z’s hand moved like lightning, gripping her chin in a punishing hold. “My plan is perfection. And other than a few bumps in the road, like that crimson-feathered angel, it’s unfolding just as it should. Also, my father was far from the first person I killed.”

Jinx wrenched her head back. Her jaw complained, but she managed to free herself from Z’s touch. “You’re crazier than I thought,” she told the psycho in front of her. “They’ll come for me.”

“Oh?” Z inquired as if he was bored, standing up. “And who arethey,exactly?”

“Everyone,” Jinx replied. “Sabre, Gage, Eric, Brax, Draven … Mikhail. They’ll come.”

The smile that transformed his face made Jinx’s stomach turn. “I’m counting on it,” he murmured. “And when they do, I’m going to have you kill them all, one by one. You’ll save Mikhail for last, of course. That will be the most poetic.”

“What are you …? Kill them? You’re out of your mind,” Jinx countered, aghast. “Nothing you could do to me would make me hurt them. Nothing.”

“On the contrary. All I have to do is ask nicely,” Z informed her slyly. “Would you like a little demonstration?”

Before she could say anything else, Z snapped his fingers, and the same shadow demon who had helped kidnap her appeared. He was dragging a panther shapeshifter by the arm. The woman was resisting, tugging against her captor and swearing like a sailor.

Z's lips curled into a cruel smile. “This is Estha,” he said, pointing to the woman. “Her veins are coursing with the ancient magic of her bloodline.”

Jinx’s eyes widened when she realised that Z must be referring to Estha as a descendant of the original shifter line. “And you want to destroy that? Why?”

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