Page 48 of Villains and Vengeance
Stay focused!
We arrive at Siggy’s main cavern. A glow emanates from the White Bunker and I see that she’s modified the height. It’s now just a foot or so off the ground and I can easily get into it without climbing, which strikes me as quite thoughtful. She stops outside the door, staring at it.
I hear rustling inside and Axel curse. ‘I need food, you dumb arachnid! FOOD! SEX! You can’t just keep me here until she comes back. It’s been days! I’m going to starve!’
Days?Axel’s words have me freezing outside the cocoon. He was hungry before. He must be actually starving now. He warned me and I told him I’d let him …
I whirl around with second, third, and fourth thoughts, but Jayce’s grip on me stops me from retreating.
‘Go inside.’ He orders quietly.
I shake my head. ‘You heard him. He’s hungry. He—’
Jayce holds up his bag. ‘I brought food.’
‘You know that’s not what he mea—’
‘What did you expect, Jules?’ he sneers with no hint of mercy. ‘You locked up an incubus. Time to pay the piper, my bonny darling.’
He finds the flap and propels me inside.
Axel looks pissed when he sees me.
‘You tased me and then you just left!’ he explodes. ‘Do you have any idea how—’
He breaks off when he sees Jayce who pushes me again, making me fall into the room.
‘Surprise!’ he says with a flourish.
He throws the bag on the floor. Some bread and cheese roll out.
‘About fucking time.’ Axel is on it immediately, stuffing food into his mouth.
I stare at it, my mouth watering.
‘I haven’t eaten either,’ I say, but Jayce pulls me back and keeps ahold of me.
‘Not my problem,’ he says, his tone callous.
I suppose this is punishment for me making fun of him out in the passage.
He keeps me there with him until Axel is done and only when he’s finished does Axel’s attention return to us. Or, more specifically, to me.
‘I’m hungry and we had an arrangement,’ he growls at me with no preliminaries and Jayce’s hold on me loosens.
I glance back at him for help, but I don’t know what I was thinking. Of course he won’t save me.
He only shrugs at me.
‘Looks like you’ll be feeding us,’ Jayce says, looking suddenly eager.
I look from one to the other. ‘But … I—’
‘Come on,’ he says with a roll of his eyes. ‘It’s not a big deal and it’s the only way unless we all go back to the Cluster. Right now.’
‘Can you not just… with each other?’ I ask in a small voice.
‘Doesn’t work that way,’ Axel says, drawing closer with an odd look on his face.
