“You talk a lot, Nicolai,” I snarl. “But so far, I haven’t seen much action from you. What’s the matter, Nicolai? Performance issues?”
I don’t know why I’m taunting him. I know it’s only going to come back to bite me in the ass, but I do it anyway. Maybe it’s because of the look on his face when my words slap him, or maybe it’s the fact my words are all I have left. I can’t move or change my situation, but I sure as hell can piss him off.
“You stupid little bitch,” he growls before his grip tightens on my throat, and he pulls my head off the table, slamming it back down on the metal surface.
I groan and clench my teeth against the pain. I know before I even open my eyes they have shifted into their wolf form because I feel my very angry wolf come to the surface, and when I look at Nicolai, there’s an expression of pure joy when he sees my eyes.
“Ah, there she is,” he says gleefully, removing his hand from my neck. “Now that we’ve got her attention, we can begin.”
The aroma of smoke from earlier fills the room, and suddenly Jax appears out of nowhere at Nicolai’s side. He’s dressed head to toe in black just like he was the last time I saw him, although today, he wears a loose black Henley shirt with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows.
“I never thought you would be one to outsource your work,” I say to Nicolai, even though I’m glaring at Jax.
“As much as it pains me to admit, Jax has a special set of skills that I don’t have,” Nicolai says. “He’s the best we’ve ever had here at the facility.”
“Thank you, Sir.” Jax grins and nods his head, and I can’t help but notice his smile doesn’t reach his eyes.
“As you know, Jax is a demon,” Nicolai says, his pale eyes scanning Jax, “and he has a very special skill of being able to control the fires of Hell. He uses this skill to do many different things, but the one that is most useful to my cause and me is his ability to infuse hellfire into your blood.” Nicolai’s sharp teeth mash together in a pleased smile. “You’re going to feel like you’re being burned from the inside out, Pruitt. And we will do this every day until your little wolf decides to make her appearance. When you can finally shift, I will mate with you, and you will bear me many sons.”
“Just like these chains,” I say, lifting my hands, causing the chains to clank against the table, “my wolf is magically bound. In fact, the High Priestess herself did the binding. Do you really think you’re going to be able to break her free?”
“Every spell can be broken. It sometimes just requires a little sacrifice and a lot of hellfire.”
Nicolai nods at Jax. “I’ll be back in an hour to check your progress.”
Nicolai left the room but not before giving Jax and me a knowing smirk. The excitement in Nicolai’s eyes frightened me, but I refused to allow him to see me afraid or in pain. That’s what he wants. He wants to see me broken and scared. I’m sure it makes him feel strong and in control, but really it makes him look weak.
I watch Jax, who is searching for something in the white cabinets off to the side. I don’t even want to know what kinds of torture devices are stored in there, so instead of worrying about what kind of pain is headed my way, I begin to ramble.
“So do you have horns? A tail, maybe? No, wait! Wings—do you have wings?”
“There you go again, asking all kinds of personal questions. Didn’t we already have a discussion about this yesterday?” Jax’s words are distorted and muffled since his head is almost completely in one of the cabinets as he looks for whatever he needs.
“Didn’t I tell you I no longer care about having manners?” I roll my eyes.
“Your friend also didn’t have many manners.” There’s a smirk on his angled face when he turns around. “That girl almost took a guard’s eye out when she tried to escape.”
“What friend?” I ask him.
“Rimy, Rumi? I don’t know—something like that anyway.” He shrugs. “She had a mouth on her too. I swear I saw one of the former marine guards blush when she verbally attacked Nicolai.”
“That’s Remi.” I can’t help the small smile on my face when I picture what she must have been like when they took her hostage. Remington has an attitude problem on a good day. I can only imagine she was a nightmare when being held. “She’s my best friend and my mate’s sister.”
“Remi,” Jax repeats like he’s testing her name on his tongue. “I must say, she fought a lot harder against those chains than you have. What’s wrong, Blondie? Don’t feel like leaving?”
“I’m exactly where I need to be.” I lift my chin. “As long as I’m here, the people I love are safe, and that’s all that matters to me.”
“You say that now, but you haven’t felt the effects of the hellfire yet. After we’re done today, you’ll be begging me to let you go.” Jax walks closer to the table. I know he’s holding something, but I can’t quite make out what.
“What is that?” I ask.
“It’s a mouthguard.” He pulls the rubber guard out of its case. “We don’t want you cracking your teeth in half or biting off your tongue from the pain.”
I feel myself break into a sweat and my heart rate picks up. “Is it really going to be that bad?”
“It will be the worst pain you’ve ever felt.”
I scoff. “My mate thought I was dead for most of his life, and we recently found each other again. I then proceeded to lie and scheme behind his back before temporarily paralyzing him
