Page 16 of Villains and Vengeance
I watch her until my own eyes start to droop and I fall asleep wondering who this woman is, because she doesn’t seem to be anything like the one who lived amongst us.
Was anything about Victoria Styles real?
CHAPTER5
JULES
When I wake up, I’m disoriented. I know I’m in the bunker, but I feel like there’s something I need to— Axel!
I sit up, my eyes darting around until I see him right where I left him in the middle of the sphere. He’s asleep and I lean back, relaxing into the soft web for a minute longer.
But worry begins to creep in now that I’m awake. I have one of Maddox’s clanin my hiding place. What am I supposed to do with him?
I’m pretty sure Siggy wants to kill him, but I lured a fat orc into her tunnel after we brought Axel here, a little bribe so she doesn’t decide to wrap our captive up and have him for dinner instead.
I rub my arm where the fucker got me with a dumb little pen knife, giving me a deep cut.
‘How the fuck did you tame an arania?’ Axel asks groggily, rubbing his head with his hand.
His movements are slow and clumsy. Looks like the paralysis has all but worn off. Faster than I thought, but he’s still out of it and hasn’t noticed.
I ease up to my feet, taking the bandage off my arm and twisting it to make it thicker and stronger. I move closer to him and deftly pull his still-limp arms together in front of him, wrapping the silken rope around his wrists.
He groans as I do it.
‘I didn’t tame her,’ I mutter as I tie him up. ‘She’s my friend.’
He chuckles and it sounds so damned condescending that I bind his legs together too, just so he’s a little more uncomfortable.
‘How did you make her your friend then?’
I don’t answer him.
I leave him there still groggy and climb down to the ground. Siggy’s sitting in the web close-by.
‘Don’t kill him,’ I say, pressing my palms together in a pleading gesture.
In response, all she does is bite into the orc I lured in here. He’s now well wrapped in silk like a macabre lint ball, and still slightly alive from the looks of it. I don’t allow myself any remorse though. Dude was happy enough to follow me in here so he could catch me and deliver me to Dante to get his reward. He deserved what he got.
‘I need to grab some food. If I’m not back in ten minutes … just wait longer.’
Grinning because I’m hilarious, I leave the web with my biggest pack on my back and follow the tunnel that goes directly to Dante’s rooms. I was intending on lowering myself down and taking a shit ton of food to last me until I leave while he ‘holds court’, but when I get there and look down, I find three guys standing guard in the room, all staring at the pile of booty he keeps there like a dragon hoard, except instead of gold, it’s sweet treats.
I should have expected the extra muscle. Dante does this sometimes. He usually gives up when I don’t try anything for a week or so, but I need food now. I can’t just not feed my captive either. I sit back with a small sigh. I could try the kitchens, I guess. I don’t usually because it’s busier and there’s more chance of getting caught but needs must.
I move down the tunnel and through to the next one, creeping silently, pretending I’m a ninja. I do that a lot, just makes it a little more fun in here. Maybe I’m cracking up from all the solitude and lack of natural light.
But the kitchen is deserted and the pantry is chained closed with a magickal padlock that I doubt I’ll be able to open. This is new. I ponder this turn of events for a little while. Dante is trying to draw me out. Maybe he’s afraid that Maddox and his crew will catch me and that they won’t give me to him. Yeah. He thinks they’ll use me to get out of here the way I got in and leave him high and dry. Makes sense, but why has he ramped everything up? Why didn’t he go all in from the beginning when he and the others first started smelling me? Has he been so bored here all these years that he’s been enjoying playing cat and mouse with me these past few weeks?
Still ruminating on the demon king’s motivations, I go past the kitchen and make my way to the Cluster where Maddox and his guys are being housed until Dante decides to turn on them. I find the apartment empty and, after double checking all of the rooms, I attach my silk rope to a rough rock and slide down through one of the holes, humming the Spiderman theme tune softly.
There’s a loaf of bread on the sideboard and a wheel of cheese. In the cabinet, I find some canned goods. Jackpot! I should have known Dante would give them all the things!
It’s not enough for more than three days if I take Axel into account, but it gives me some wriggle room. I shove everything into my pack and turn to leave, but then I hesitate.
They’re probably freaking out that Axel’s missing. They’re pretty tight with each other. I have a sudden attack of conscience and see a pencil on the table. There’s no paper so I write a quick message directly onto the wood.
‘Axel fine.’ I think for a second about what else to write. Don’t want to seem like a pushover. ‘Will stay that way so long as I do. ~V’
