Sin of Fury

Chapter 5





The thick door slammed shut, the action making Talon’s ears ring as the sound echoed through the room. An array of scents wafted over him.

Sweet.

Soft.

Fresh.

Female.

His hackles rose, and he pressed farther into the shadows. His guard rose as well, furious at Auro and the new presence. Was he meaning to tempt him, to make him want even more than he had before? Disgust roiled through him as he spied a curl of dark black hair shimmering in the light.

Talon’s eyes darkened as he forced the shadows to cover him, wanting any source of light to vanish. By just being there, the woman was in danger. Not only from Auro — but from him as well.

He wrapped his hand around his arm, chest tight as a sense of familiarity came over him. The form lay still, curled defensively. She hadn’t moved since she had been thrown in, something for which Talon was grateful.

His body tensed. The woman stirred.

It felt like forever since Talon had been in the presence of a woman, had even looked at one from a distance. Not many people walked by, wary of the foreboding mansion, and even if they did, none paid him or the prison any heed. The forest around them was Auro’s fence, his grand force of protection. Crows were his daily visitors, squawking at his treats of food.

He was disgusted.

The small form lay silently on the ground before him, only moving in jerky movements. Soon enough, he realized that she was shivering. She made no sound, made no move to look at him. For a millennium, he felt as if she didn’t know he was there.

Talon was perfectly fine with that.

She knew he was there, could actually feel his gaze on her back. Although the lighting was dim, Jamie knew he could not see anything of her but her hair. She refused to move, refused to equate herself with him. Already she loathed the supposed “monster”, had no wish to “copulate” with him, as Auro had informed her.

The act of sex had become repugnant to her, as disgusting as the men above, and the one she was trapped with. What was supposed to be a beautiful coupling of two people had turned into a horrific act that made her cringe every time Chris had entered the room.

A ray of light beamed from the small window, bright enough to give her a sense of her surroundings, but not bright enough to show her the face of the man that lay in the shadows. She curled tighter, shudders wracking her body. She could have gasped at how cold she was, but clenched her teeth hard enough that their chattering stopped.

If I ever see them again... Jamie’s hands curled into fists. If she was ever given the chance, she was going to kill them. Forget that she hated violence, what they had forced her into, what they were, was enough to make her want to rip them apart.

Jamie knew she should be more worried about them being otherworldly, not human in any way. But something inside her, from the day she had been old enough to write and read, had shouted at her that there was something more to the world. Something that she had been missing, something that was waiting for her. Whatever it was, she guessed that her father had hated her and her mother solely for that reason.

Ages ago, when she had been in fifth grade, feeling all big and tough, Jamie had been taken by her mother. It had been an adventure, her mother had whispered fearfully, picking her up that day from the school. Teachers had let her mother rush her out. Jamie had been following behind quickly, scared of her mother’s tears. Something similar had only happened one other time. The third time...had been the last.

The events after that would always be in her mind. Would always set her against her father. And would always make her believe that there were things other than humans. As a child, she had figured that everyone knew, that this could happen to anyone. Until she had seen something that had changed her life forever.

She remembered with regret, knowing that the innocence of her childhood had been stripped from her that day. Chris...Chris had been an outlet, the one thing in her life besides her mother that she had believed she could rely on.

A sound, something close to a whimper, escaped her throat. She flung a stiff hand over her mouth, averting her mind from thoughts of the past. She had found ways to suppress them, and didn’t plan on recalling them any time soon.

The stir of air. A sound of rustling. Jamie jerked, scrambling to the other side of the room. She was just pressing herself against the wall, closer to the door than she would like to be, when she felt something sticky under her fingers...

She lifted her hand slowly, eyes widening in horror as she realized what it was... Jamie screamed, trying to wipe the blood on anything but herself. The harsh sound echoed through the room, and didn’t end for several minutes. She panted, drawing her knees to her chest, back carefully away from the wall.

Jamie heard a groan come from the corner, and then, in the dim light, saw large arms move, lifting. She swallowed largely. Was he going to attack her, as Auro had said he would? Was he going to force himself on her, beat her, use her for his pleasures? Bile rose in her throat.

Another scream came quickly as the figure rose to its feet. The keening pitch bounced along the walls, had his giant form flinching. The sound of a snarl mixed with her scream.

Talon almost lashed out at the crying female. Did she even realize the tears trailing down her cheeks? A breath of air left his chest as the screams faded, replaced by the scrape of a plate is it formed before him. He bent down, directly into the light, letting the woman take her fill. He knew that scars covered his form, blood smeared his back, chest and arms. Knew that the gashes were sickening, repulsive, terrifying for a weak female like she was. Instead of the scream he expected, when he took the plate into his hand, there was nothing but a soft gasp. The sobs cut off.

The smell of her salty tears in the air almost had him throwing the plate at her. The familiar smell, the soft scent of the weak woman, sent his mind whirling. Just because of that, he hated her. He hated her because she was ruining everything, because she was a pawn for Auro. Did the man honestly expect a woman like her to accept a bastard like Talon, with blood and wounds covering every part of his body?

He hadn’t had a bath in what seemed like years, only a small damp rag to wash up every week or so. He smelled as bad as the room did, and probably worse. How had she not noticed?

He looked at her through hooded eyes. The light was not bright enough to show him the repulsion he was sure she felt. Her legs were drawn to her chest, and he could make out the faint outline of her arms wrapped around them. Folds and layers of delicate, flowing cloth spilled into the one spot of light. Talon’s lip curled. Twisted bastards.

Talon straightened his shoulders, turning his back on her. The view that she got had another gasp coming from behind him. Against his will, the terrified sound had his lips tightening, hating Auro and Lyne for sending her in here, hating her for even being there, involved with them.

The plate was cool in his hand, the sliver of steak once again caked with dried blood. He looked at it fleetingly, and almost gagged when he saw that it was moving. Shoving the bile down and replacing it with anger, he threw the plate out of the window.

There was a tense silence. Besides the gathering flock of crows, there was no sound, not even a hitch of breath or a startled gasp. Talon barely spared her a glance before falling back against the wall, large frame trembling. He was furious. The small amount of exertion seemed to make him weaker than a beating from Auro.

His body was aflame with pain. The torture session with Auro and Lyne the night before had taken a lot out of him. He was so close to just breaking down. Talon would try to move, his arm would throb and he would start trembling. He would start to gag, and his diaphragm would go into a spasmodic jerk session. Talon would try to wrap his arms around himself, and his shoulder would scream with fire hot pain. The sensation would travel all through him before finally settling in the pit of his stomach.

He wasn’t weak enough that he would give the bastards the pleasure of vomiting. One of Lyne’s favorite past times was to watch him struggle to hold his stomach. The first time he had lost it... Talon shuddered, drawing his legs up to his chest. The fact that the female had a clear view of his family jewels didn’t bother him. He sneered into his arm, hoping it would serve to frighten her.

A faint sound drew his eyes to her. She was moving. The rustle of the clothes emitted a soft scent, precious as spring air and as sacramental as a woman’s body. A second later it was not just the movement of cloth, but the movement of the woman of herself.

He turned his head sharply from her, a snarl ripping from his chest. Her hand paused as it breached the edge of the light. A curl of silky black hair spilled into the ray. His hand clenched.

Jamie stared at the figure, hidden so mysteriously in the darkness of the room. His large form was curled defensively, his face turned away from her. Her heart thumped in her chest, the image of all the blood that had covered him coming back to her. Her eyes filled with tears as the animalistic sound faded from the room. Pushing her fear aside, Jamie moved until she was in the only spot of light.

Fear kept her from touching him, from going to him. It was everything she could do to even get that close. The things that the twins, Masters Auro and Lyne, had told her made her trepiditious, wary to go near him. The whole time that she had been thinking he would attack her, rape her and take advantage of her, it had been the complete opposite. They had commanded her to see to the beasts needs, believing that she would actually listen. At the time, she had been thinking nervously, How cruelly perverted could you get? But she had also believed what they said to her. The minute she stepped into the room, she had thought they were right.

Her throat convulsed as it struggled to swallow, nervousness making her queasy. Her hands were numb, clenched tight in her lap. The penetrating gaze of the man in front of her almost had her vomiting all over again. Was he like Auro and Lyne? she asked herself, feeling bile rise in her throat at the thought.

No, he couldn’t be, or he wouldn’t be here. They would not have put someone of their like in a cage as they had done with him. What did they want from him, from her? She shouldn’t be here, she thought, her panic rising. She should be with her mother, with her family, being welcomed and loved.

A sob chocked her throat. The man in front of her moved, and she paled, flinching back. Was he going to attack her now? she thought as fear rose inside of her.

She waited for the hit, for the tear of her dress. There was none. Instead, he turned his back on her and pressed his face into the stone corner that was probably infested. Despite her fear, her heart went out to him. How long had he been there? What had he done to deserve this? Millions of questions were racing through her mind all at once. The most frightening one of all was, How long till I’m free?

It was an eternity till he heard her voice. He refused to acknowledge her, had been forcing restraint on himself. His body was hard, the presence of a woman after so long affecting him in ways that angered him. It was only because she was a woman, he told himself, lips tightening as her question rang softly in his ears. Any woman would have done, this one was no different.

“What did you do?”

It was a question that he asked himself every day, every second. Hearing it on her lips, feeling her body move closer to his by the stir of air, was unsettling. He stayed quiet, dropping his head. His stooped shoulders ached, but it was helpless. If he tried to move, he would start trembling. Not with weakness, but with rage.

Her question went unanswered. He could hear her clear her throat uneasily, could feel the nervousness radiating off of her in waves.

She coughed, the action itself a sign of how timorous she was. “Can you talk?” It was a weak question, whispered.

Talon stayed still, letting the sweetness of her voice absorb. It was soft, almost like flower petals. Gentle, caring. Despite her fear, her terror, her sympathy shown brighter than the sun in the dark room, in his heart. He almost groaned with actual pain at the sound, hating himself for wanting to talk to her, just to hear her sweet melodic voice.

His shoulders tensed. Talon shoved the notion from his very mind. Auro and Lyne must have used this seductress specifically. How had they known he would respond to her? he thought with anger, a growl bursting from his chest.

The frightened gasp of the woman brought him pleasure as nothing had before. Everything that was happening now was because of Auro. It was not natural attraction that drew her to him, but an evil force that was bent on killing him, destroying him. As much as he loathed himself for it, he craved the warmth that she could have brought him, had it not been Auro’s doing that she was there.

The growl built, until it was almost a roar. Jamie flinched back, scrambling into the shadows of the room, away from him. The door was right next to her, so surely the men were on the other side. Jamie whimpered, rising to her feet. She flung herself against the door, pounding. “Let me out! Please!” she screamed, hitting the door with stiff hands. Her shout went unanswered, her cries for help unheeded. Jamie sobbed, the heart wrenching sounds echoing through the room, loud enough that she couldn’t hear anything from behind her.

If she was going to die, she wasn’t going to stare it in the face.

Jamie’s desperation rose till it was the only thing she could feel, could understand. She was numb to everything, even the angry snarls of the man behind her. Her last scream echoed through the room as she fell against the door, body shuddering, face tear-stained.

The door opened.

At first, she stayed there, unbelieving.

Then the twins stormed in, the colder one in the lead. Their stench wafted past her as they strode to the man. Her head turned with their movements, horror dawning on her as the ruthless one lifted his hand. Auro, an inner voice whispered. The other one was Lyne.

The dark, unmistakable eyes of the man turned to hers before he was dragged into the center of the room. He made no sound, gave no outward emotions. Jamie couldn’t look away from him, from the utter hate that filled his gaze.

It burned.

Auro let his hand fall with quick precision. The hard sound of Auro hitting him had her crying out, shocked. It was clear on the man’s face that he blamed her for what was happening.

“Stop!” she screamed, latching onto Lyne. His face changed as he looked down at her, registering the indignation. Jamie was desperate. To stop them from hurting him anymore than he already was, to save herself, to figure out what they wanted from her. Her eyes blazed with pure fury as she stood to her feet, not caring that the priceless gown was now covered with blood and dirt.

“Why should he? Our pet looks like he is enjoying it,” he said with a sick laugh. Jamie’s blood churned, along with her stomach. She took a calming breath, despite the hate and terror that swirled around them all.

“Please,” she whispered, tucking her hand into his arm. The action made a complete change come over his face. Jamie felt as shock coursed through her before she hid it, tucking the knowledge away for use. Bile rose in her throat as she pleaded with him for the other man.

Shivers started to wrack her body, turmoil filling her mind. Auro was still beating him, his cruel laughter ringing through the room, the man soundless under the powerful hits. She dared to glance at him, and felt her heart break.

Auro’s fist slammed down, making an imprint on his back. Pain filled her, for him, for everything that was happening. Guilty, panicking, she pleaded with him and pressed closer to his side, knowing that it would work. “I’ll do anything for you, just take him back to my room. Take him there, and I’ll do anything,” she begged, tugging on him.

Murderous crimson eyes connected with Jamie’s. She froze, knowing that if he could have, he would have killed her. Lyne’s chest puffed up, yet the disdain for her remained. The man fell limply into the ground, not a muscle moving in the aftermath. Jamie cursed herself, the damnation she had caused herself ingrained into her mind, into her soul. For defying his brother, Lyne was going to use her deal to his advantage.

“Auro,” he snapped, flinging her away from him. The look of a virile man, of consideration, was gone, replaced by cruel calculation. “Take him to the rooms. Clean him. I want their coupling to be over tonight,” he said. By Auro’s shocked expression, it was obvious that Lyne rarely commanded him, or took charge of anything with such authority. He started to shake his head, but Lyne’s hiss stopped him.

The look he gave Jamie chilled her to her soul. She swallowed and wrapped her arms around herself, all of their eyes turning on her. The unknown man’s filled with hate, Auro’s filled with murder, and Lyne’s filled with authority.

Jamie looked away, towards the door. As much as she wished she could make a run for it, she had to stay for him. He had probably done nothing to deserve this, and since she was dragged in, she wasn’t leaving without him. Once they were out, they could go on with their lives and hopefully forget about everything.

She knew the thought was ridiculous, false. Still, she hoped.

“Yes, brother,” Auro spat, yanking the man to his feet. A viscous roar came from him then, and he lashed out, catching Auro on his chin. Jamie watched with horrified fascination as he rounded on the pale man with a murderous fury, Lyne jumping in to stop the attack.

He was on the ground in seconds, eyes shut, blood pooling at his temple. Her heart pounded before Auro picked him up with such ease that she blinked. A tear slowly fell down her cheek, watching him walk away. “He is going to my room?” she blurted once Auro had left. Lyne paused, looking down at her as if he had forgotten about she was there.

Then he nodded, a perverted smile gracing his weathered face. “And you’re going to mine.”

Bile rose in her throat at the damning words, but she couldn’t regret them. Not when they had helped the man, not when it would mean freeing them. She forced herself to think of this as Chris and her, how he would force himself on her when she did something wrong, when he was drunk or angry.

Just Chris, she coaxed herself, avoiding his leering crimson eyes.

You know it isn’t “just Chris”, her mind whispered to her. It’s “just some monster who is going to suck you dry and have his way with you”.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced herself to be strong. If she kept the man safe, he would be their way of escape. Just Chris, she chanted, shuddering with disgust as his hand wrapped around the back of her neck, leading her...like some kind of dog.

They were exiting the dark room in time to see the man’s bloodied feet disappear behind a corner. The fact that Auro had the strength to carry a grown man, one twice the size of any she had ever seen before, attested to what she suspected to be true. They weren’t human.

The house amazed her for the second time. It was large, spacious, dark and goth. It was mysterious, terrifying, and made her want to weep. Where Chris’s house had been light and airy, it had still been a prison. This house was dark and terrifying, the exact opposite of Chris’s house and yet so painfully similar.

Torches cast shadows, like dark ghosts reaping their revenge. How many men had died here? she thought. Lyne yanked her along, tearing her gaze away from a portrait of the twins together, a malnourished bloodhound at their feet. In its mouth was a limp rodent, shredded to bits. It looked like a cat.

Jamie swallowed past the bitter taste in her mouth. Her old cat, Ralph, would have howled.

Before she realized what was happening, she was veered into a room and the door slammed shut behind her. A tense, cold silence screamed through the room. Her ears rang. Her hands were numb. Jamie thought she was going to vomit. A cold hand caressed her arm. Her head spun.

“Why would you put yourself on the line,” Lyne murmured softly, “for such a monster? What good has he done you?”

The gentle curiosity was a false mask to what hid beneath his ancient features. His eyes, while conciliatory, were narrowed with slight anger, as if he didn’t want to know but needed to ask. Jamie flinched.

“I wouldn’t know,” she answered, voice cracking. His frosty finger trailed over her shoulder, around the nape of her neck. Shivers spread across her pale skin. Not with passion, but with horror, fear, repulsion. Never in her life had a mans touch affected her so. Even with Chris, it had been discomforting and she had hated him for it, but it had not made her want to die, to curl into a ball and get burned alive with hopes of relinquishing his acidic touch on her skin.

“Oh, dear,” he said, the endearment said with mock understanding. “Sure you do. We warned you about what that monster is capable of. You did not heed our warnings, and instead wish to salvage him?”

Jamie shook her head, unable to explain. Lyne would not take kindly or accepting to Jamie using the man to escape. Her breath halted in her throat as he came around her front, finger still against her skin. The knife-like digit slid dangerously close to the swell of her breasts. Goosebumps rose on her flesh, Lyne taking it as an incentive to go further.

She jerked back, a nervous laugh bubbling out of her throat. “Master Lyne,” she said between clenched teeth, hoping it would make him soften. It worked — his eyes gentled, appreciation for her overcoming his features. So different he was, she thought, when he was not in front of an audience.

He was more vulnerable, more exposed and susceptible.

Lyne curled an arm around her shoulder and led her to the large bed that lie in the center of the room. She started to refuse, wishing that Auro would barge in as she suspected he was going to. The possessiveness that he expressed to his brother was frightening, but a godsend.

Jamie almost shoved him away, but those furious black eyes stole into her thoughts. Swallowing, she let him sit beside her on the plush bed. His arm wrapped around her tightly, his hand dangerously close to the underside of her breast. Bile rose in her throat, mind racing for ways to get out of this. Why wasn’t Auro bursting in, sword at the ready —?

The door slid open softly, the knob tapping the wall. Jamie almost fainted with relief. Even though the delicate tap sounded more like a bomb, her shoulders still slumped.

“Lyne, I must speak to you.”

Auro floated into the room, eyes like frost as they drifted over her. She wrapped her arms around her waist, avoiding his eyes. There was such hate, such aberration in them. Jamie was grateful that he had come in when he had, though. A second later and Lyne would have been over her in a heartbeat.

Lyne reluctantly dropped his arm from her shoulder, turning liquid crimson eyes his way. Jamie almost gagged when Auro stepped forward to place a gentle hand on his chest, his intent clear. Lyne’s features changed dramatically.

“Ivan,” he snapped, though his eyes held his brothers. “Take her to Talon.”

A large hand came out of nowhere, latching onto her arm. She went willingly, turning away from the passionate brothers. Her stomach churned as he took her from the room.

“You’re lucky you aren’t dead right now,” he hissed at her ear, hand wrapping around her arm impossibly tight. She held in her wince, turning her chin up at him.

“You’re lucky you can still have kids,” she returned quietly, the steel in her voice only making him incensed. He yanked, dragging a groan from her as the throbbing in her shoulder returned.

“Just wait until that man is done with you,” he sneered, raking his eyes over her body. “There won’t be much left.”

Jamie swallowed, not replying.

The room she was pushed into several minutes was the same as the one she had been in before. Expansive cream walls were the same, the carpet as spotless as it had been. The only thing wrong was the bed. Laying on the spread, still as stone, was the man. She tried to remember what Lyne had called him, but shrugged it off when she saw him move.

Ivan left, slamming the door behind him.

Relief coursed through her. She forgot about the danger he possessed, how he could — and probably would — snap her neck. If Jamie was going to rely on him to get them out, then she might as well take care of him.

Her feet carried her to the bed, a feeling of deja vu coming over her. She could see herself, an apron clutched in her hand, soft leather shoes tipping over the floor as quietly as she could... He was there, laying, armor next to the bed. His hand was holding his head, a day's growth of stubble making him look like a rogue.

The site of dark red blood snapped the vision from her mind. Her cheeks flushed brightly. It had almost seemed as if they were man and wife, close as no other could be. She shook the feeling off, sitting on the bed. His back, bruised and damaged, was to her, his bare legs drawn to his chest.

As Jamie stared at him, her heart started to break.

She bit her lip, noticing his head wasn’t even on a pillow. His skin was dark, scarred, rough-looking. Hand shaking, she started to reach for the pillow closest to him, her other hand slipping under his neck.

At the light touch, her breath stopped. Not because it was frozen cold, or because it was so thick, but because of the sharp tingles that ran up her arm. Jamie stared down at him, confused, frightened, but still lifted his head up.

She peered over his shoulder, her suspicions confirmed. He was asleep. Feeling braver now that he was unconscious, she stood and tugged the heavy duvet back, pulling it from under his body.

Slowly, Jamie covered him with the blanket. Immediately, shivers had him convulsing. And still, he was asleep. She hoped so, at least. She stared around the room, at the door in the corner. Going to it cautiously for reasons she didn’t know, Jamie pulled open the door.

A grin lit her face as she looked at the bathroom. Towels were stacked in the corner, a large bowl placed near the sink. Jamie peered into the bowl, a smile lighting her face once again. Flower petals. Dumping the petals into the sink, she turned the water on hot, grabbing a towel. She had never taken care of someone like this. Her mother had always been there for her, and had relied on no one through her hardships. The only person she had taken care of was herself. Chris had never needed her help, except when he was drunk. Her fear of him had held her back from tending to him.

The water was hot in the bowl, a towel draped over her arm. She walked into the room, setting the half-filled bowl on the bed carefully. Feeling her heart stop in her chest at how close they were now, she slowly pulled back the blanket back from his shoulders, letting it rest on his hips. While she had been in the bathroom, he had stretched out, now laying on his chest.

Tenderness overcame her. Long lashes swept over his proud cheek bones. His chest was huge, like a barrel. Streaks of dirt and blood covered him. She started there, softly swiping the damp cloth over his chest. She had no clue what she was doing, why she was doing it, or if she even should be doing it, but something about him, so relaxed in his sleep, called to her.

His face was much more clear to her. In the room, the shadows had acted as a mask for him. The contours of his face had been mysterious, angry...terrifying. She shivered, remembering the horror that had overcome her when she had seen the mess of his chest and back.

She stared at the water droplets, following their path down his chest and to his defined abs. She swallowed, feeling a sort of heat settle in her stomach. Her hand felt like it was burning, an ache settling in the lower part of her stomach.

Jamie was just letting out a shuddering breath, feeling ashamed at the need rising within her, when something covered her hand. Jamie froze. Large, dark, thick, the man’s hand was covering hers. Her heart stopped in her chest.

Her eyes snapped up to his, the arousal quickly replaced by fear.

Darkly blazing eyes burned into hers.

Awake.

And furious.