Page 38 of Curvy Hostage Mate
He paused, and his nostrils flared as he’d caught scent of something. His eyes dropped down to my stomach, and with a stab of terror, I realized he had noticed the scent change with my pregnancy. I’d hoped that it might have been long enough that he wouldn’t have noticed. I’d miscalculated.
“Interesting,” he remarked, his tone light but still dangerous, making my skin crawl. “Someone’s been having a bit of fun.” He clicked his tongue, eyes burning. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
Tugging on the chain again, pulling me down into a sort of half-bow, he turned lazily to look at the rest of his men, all of whom were watching with interest. “Open up a portal,” he ordered one of them, one I vaguely recognized as one of his witches.
The man nodded and turned. I watched with growing dread as he held up his hands and heard the incantation. A moment later, a large circle filled with spiraling black and purple appeared on the other end of the campfire.
Cain glanced at me, half his face cast in flickering shadow as he gave a sickening smirk that made my blood curdle. He tugged on my chain, forcing me to take two steps forward.
“Let’s get going,” he said.
He dragged me through the portal even as I struggled and jerked, trying to get away. I knew it was pointless, but I kept going until the portal swallowed me.
We emerged in the throne room. I took several deep breaths, gulping in stale air after my chest had been constricted during the trip through the portal.
Cain watched with mild disinterest, his hand still wrapped around the leash.
“So what now?” I asked when he continued to regard me silently.
He gave a small, amused snort, tugging on the chain until I stood directly in front of him. I tried not to recoil with obvious revulsion as the back of his fingers caressed my cheek.
“I think it’s best you stay right by my side for the foreseeable future,” he said, his voice almost a purr. “We don’t want some other shifter kidnapping you again, now do we?”
I stayed put, forcing my eyes to meet his, refusing to let him see the fear radiating through me.
“Stop hunting the Gold Wolves,” I said. “And spare the other slaves. You got me back. You got what you wanted.”
He barked out a laugh that one could have mistaken for a snarl. “Adorable that you actually think I’ll spare any of the shifters that took my bride away from me,” he said. He leaned forward, grinning and showing fangs. “I’m going to hunt down each and every one of the Gold Wolves and kill them slowly, starting with the two still here in the Underside, and leaving the kidnapper for last.”
A dull ringing sounded in my ears as the words hit home. “And the other slaves?” I croaked, my voice dry.
“Oh, they’ll live,” he said. “Though we can’t have another incident like this one, now, can we? I think we’ll put up some additional security measures.” Another sickening grin spread across his face. “Once everything is said and done, you and the other slaves could only dream of leaving.”
Blind panic raced through me as I stared in disbelief.
“Please don’t,” I said. “Please. I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll go through with the ceremony without fuss, and I’ll stay here, even if the Gold Wolves come looking for me.”
He laughed again, this one derisive and amused. “Darling, you’re acting as though that isn’t already a given. You’re not going anywhere. You don’t have anything to bargain with.” He jerked on the chain. “Come along.”
A feeling of overwhelming helplessness washed over me as I followed behind him, Cain occasionally tugging to force me to speed up as we moved through the halls.
I should never have left. I should have listened to Chris. I needed to find a way to warn him, to make sure he knew the danger coming for him. The thought of him dying, or even just being hurt, sent shivers down my spine. I had to find a way to convince Cain to let them be. I couldn’t let Chris die, even if it meant being under Cain’s thumb for the rest of my life. Because I loved Chris.
I hadn’t realized it until now, but I did. I loved that he helped give me strength, that he believed in me, that he thought I was strong. He had given me confidence that I hadn’t realized I could ever possess.
I loved Chris, and I wasn’t going to let him get hurt. I’d fight back. I’d find some way of helping him.
Chapter 17 - Chris
I gathered all of the Gold Wolves, and we raced through the woods, heading as fast as we could to the clearing with the portal. With every stride, I prayed that it was still open, that Cain had left it that way. But I wouldn’t know for certain until we got there.
When we arrived, Declan padded forward first. Relief washed over me, and a savage triumph coursed through my wolf when he vanished. The rest of us charged into the portal. A rational part of me warned that I needed to be careful. The fact that Cain had allowed the portal to remain open after everything screamed of a trap. But at this point, I didn’t particularly care one way or the other. Morgan was in trouble, and I needed to help her. All my wolf could focus on was how Morgan was in danger, and how desperately I needed to protect her. And our baby.
The second I stepped through the portal, I shifted back to human, not wanting to draw too much attention to myself. As the rest of the group filed out of the portal, two familiar figures emerged from the shadows.
Nolan and Trent. Kendra had found a way through the communication blockade just in time. We had managed to get word to them just in time for them to meet us here.
“Man, am I glad to see you guys,” Nolan said. “It’s been a madhouse.”
