Page 6 of Curvy Hostage Mate
“Just be prepared to get very, very angry at the whole thing,” I growled.
“Yeah, I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to tear out one of those assholes’ throats,” Nolan spat. “It’s pretty disgusting.”
“Which means we’re going to need to fight that impulse again,” I said. “We’re here to make initial observations, and that’s it.”
“What happens if we come across Morgan?” Nolan asked. “Kendra will kill us if she ever finds out that we found her sister and left her there. And I, for one, happen to not want to have a powerful witch pissed off at me.”
“We’ll worry about that if it happens,” I said. “Which I doubt it will.”
The truth was that I had thought about that very scenario a dozen times in the short period since we had discovered the new portal, surprisingly close to Falcon’s Reach. The truth was that I didn’t know what would happen, or what I would do. It had played out differently each time I ran it through my head. The thought of leaving Morgan there chafed at me, making my wolf growl with frustration.
We reached the clearing. At first glance, it looked completely normal, the same way the portal had looked at thelast location. The only way to figure out if it was there was to stumble through it.
Reaching out, I took several steps forward.
At once, I felt a tug behind my navel. A second later, something jerked me forward. My chest constricted, making it nearly impossible to breathe as black and purple swirled in my vision, everything else blocked out. My body seemed to spin, and I couldn’t figure out which way was up as everything churned around me.
And then it was gone. I stumbled forward, taking several deep breaths as the world righted itself. I stared down, hands on my thighs, and realized that instead of dying winter grass beneath my feet, I saw uneven cobblestone.
Raising my head, I found myself in an alley, stone buildings on either side of me. I saw people walking past the mouth of the alley on the street. All the women were in skimpy clothes and chains. The men strolled free, leading the women or leering at them. The sky overhead was a pinkish purple, the equivalent of daytime. If I’d had any doubts about where I was, that sky erased them. I was back in the Underside.
Nolan and Trent appeared behind me, both stumbling forward. Trent looked a bit greener than Nolan as they both righted themselves.
“I forgot how unpleasant that was,” Nolan grumbled. “It’s like getting hit by a sledgehammer while hungover.”
“Speaking from experience?” I asked.
“I’ve had a fascinating life,” Nolan retorted.
We made our way out of the alley and stopped at its mouth, glancing around, assessing the situation. It was lively here, looking as though business had never stopped.
“Together or split up?” Trent asked.
“Split up,” I answered without having to think about it. “Even with the disguises, there’s no guarantee Cain won’t recognize Nolan or me, especially if we’re together. We stand less chance of getting noticed. We’ll rendezvous at the auction block at the last auction of the day. It’ll be enough of a crowd that we can get together without getting noticed.”
“Be safe,” Nolan said, uncharacteristically serious.
“You too,” I said. With a final nod, I turned right and started walking, taking in as much information as possible.
Wandering through the streets, I instantly remembered exactly why I had detested this place so much the first time I came here. Each woman I came across was clad in revealing clothes, the collars and shackles around their necks and wrists covering more skin than the fabric. They all looked miserable, their heads bent down to stare demurely at the ground as men dragged them all over the place.
Eventually, I came to a massive structure in the middle of the Underside. Cain’s palace.
I stared up at it, studying it while trying not to look too conspicuous. In my mind, I was thinking about the last time we were here, running toward the portal to reach it before it closed, knowing we were leaving Morgan behind and hating that fact. She was probably in there now. If Cain was still planning on mating her, he wouldn’t want to let her go too far.
As I stared, the doors opened. I shrank back into the shallows, waiting to see who emerged. I froze in disbelief as a familiar scent drifted toward me. Rosemary and burning incense. I inhaled deeply, half-believing I was imagining it. I didn’t let myself believe it until she stepped out of the palace.
Morgan was even more beautiful than I remembered. Her auburn hair fell in curls around her round, pale face. The skimpy clothes complemented her generous curves. For a moment, I was spellbound as I stared at her.
Two guards flanked her. I wondered if she had persuaded someone to let her go on a walk, or if she was actually heading somewhere. It didn’t matter. She was here. She was in front of me. Cain was nowhere to be seen.
As I stared, an overwhelming need to protect her, to save her from what was happening to her, surged over me. I still didn’t know what it was about her that elicited these strong reactions, but just the sight of her sent me into some sort of primal state. The only thing that mattered in that moment was Morgan and getting her to safety.
My wolf strained and struggled, shoving those last shreds of self-control to the back of my mind. He wanted her safe even more than I did. Something about her drove him wild in a way no one else ever had. As I saw the guards tugging her along by the chain as she stumbled forward slightly to keep up, I gave in to those urges.
I knew what I was doing might be dangerous. At the moment, I didn’t particularly care. I had the chance to rescue Morgan. I might never get this opportunity again. If I didn’t take it, I doubted I would ever forgive myself. I was going to save her, even if it turned out to ruin everything else.
I stalked forward, keeping some distance between myself and the trio ahead, not wanting to draw attention to myself but unwilling to let her slip away, either.
