Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (34 page)

Shade held out the goblet. “Your choice.”

Too thirsty to resist anymore, Lia took the goblet and tilted it into her mouth. The wine burned all the way down her throat, even though the liquid itself was cold.

Shade seemed pleased. “That wasn’t so difficult, now was it?”

Lia sat on the bed, feeling dazed. Her thirst was gone, but it had been replaced by something else, something she couldn’t quite name. Her pulse started to speed. What had he made her drink?

“Feeling better?” Shade put an arm around her. Despite herself, Lia didn’t recoil.

“Much better, it seems,” Shade said. He sounded proud of her. Maybe she should obey him. She liked the tone of his voice when he approved of her.

What was she thinking? Lia dug her fingernails into her palm, clearing the haze in her brain. She had just been in the dark too long, that was all. Even Shade had started to look like adequate company. She’d just have to be on her guard.

Shade stroked her hair. Lia was too tired to tell him to stop. Besides, what harm did it do?

“There we go.” His voice was soothing. “You’re going to stay here for a week, for your own safety. I can’t risk those curs stealing you from me. But if you’re very good, I’ll spend the nights here with you.”

He stuck his nose in her hair, and breathed in her scent. Lia’s heart sped. Her thoughts felt muddled. Some strange part of her wanted him to be closer.

“In a month, maybe I’ll even let you aboveground. By then you’ll be a good girl, and I won’t even have to dream of leashing you, will I? You may even learn to come when called, and be eager to see to my every need.”

Lia felt a flash of disgust, but it was quickly replaced by longing. If Shade was her only option now, he might do. He was very muscular, with broad shoulders and a handsome jaw. She might allow him to share her bed.

She shook her head. What in the Seven Hells was wrong with her? She tried to think of Kane and Ronan, but had a hard time remembering what they looked like.

“It shouldn’t take me more than a month to claim the Twin River territory,” Shade continued. “I’ll try to keep it to two weeks, as you deserve no less. Some of your former pack is too dangerous, and I can’t spare all of their lives. Some of them may submit to me, though. Sorry, to us, darling.”

He touched her arm, and seemed to spark her skin. “After the Twin River pack is taken care of, we might be able to crush that annoying Ember pack as well. We can turn southward after that, all the way to the foothills. Together, we can own this entire mountain range.”

Part of her wanted to tell him where to shove his plan, and another, inexplicable part didn’t care what he did so long as he let her stay beside him. Lia eyed the silver goblet, feeling queasy. She wished she hadn’t drunk all of its contents, no matter how thirsty she’d been.

Shade looked at her, doing a slight double-take. A warm smile spread across his face, and her heart flipped at the sight of it.

“I wish you could see yourself right now,” he said. “You’ll be begging me for pups in no time.”

She stared at him. Shade’s face seemed to change each time she blinked, from handsome to repulsive. Whatever had been in the goblet, it was giving her thoughts that weren’t her own. The only thing that kept her from running was the knowledge that iron bars would stop her.

He ran a thumb down the side of her face. It made her want to crawl out of her skin.

“Lie down with me,” he said. “Let me keep you warm.”

Shade leaned back, opening his arms. Lia made no move to get closer.

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“What if I don’t want to?” she asked, the words spilling off her tongue. “What if I don’t want to be anywhere near you?”

He sat up, leaning forward until his face was painfully close to hers. “I can make you do whatever I want,” he said quietly. “But I won’t claim you until I break you. I want to hear you beg me to take you. And then, I’ll consider how good you’ve been before I do. You’ll need to prove you’re deserving of such a fine mate. But I will have you, when you’re more than ready.”

“You’re going to be waiting a long time,” Lia said coldly.

“It’s you who’ll do the waiting, my pet. But you’ll welcome me soon enough.”

A draft blew through the cell, and her head seemed to clear for a moment. She leapt forward, throwing herself against the bars. “Let me out!” Lia tried to shake the bars, but they didn’t budge. They seemed bonded to the rock.

“Come back, pet,” Shade said, leaning back lazily. “We were making such good progress.”

Lia backed away as far as she could, trying to ignore the shaking in her legs. “Stay away from me.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Rising, Shade came toward her. “You don’t give the orders around here. And never to me.”

“That’s right. I’d make a horrible mate. So why don’t you let me go?”

He placed a hand on the rock beside her head, then pressed his body against her. “You’re going to be happy with me, pet. Or you’re going to do a very good job pretending to be. I’ll teach you how. I can be very persuasive.”

She ducked under his arm, diving back toward the cot. The cell seemed to have shrunk. There didn’t seem to be enough room to breathe in here, and anywhere she stood felt oppressively close to Shade. She almost wished the wine would start working again, and burn off the anxiety she felt at being within five paces of him.

“If I didn’t know any better, it would seem like you’re trying to get away from me.” Shade stepped forward.

Lia groaned, curling up on the cot and burying her face. Couldn’t he leave her alone? She felt like she couldn’t breathe.

He grabbed her wrist, just like he had when they first met. Lia yelped and tried to pull away.

“Try to understand,” Shade whispered. “With me, there’s no escape.”

He released her. Lia cradled her wrist, wishing that his words didn’t sound so true. She really was trapped here, wasn’t she? Trapped in the dark with a monster.

“Stop cowering.” He raised a hand, and Lia flinched.

Shade growled. “My mate can’t be a weakling, afraid of a blow. I’m warning you, if the pups you bear me turn out to be cowards, I’ll have to cull them.”

“Get someone else to have them, then.”

“Good, good.” He stroked her thigh, grabbing her knee to hold it in place when she tried to pull away. “More of the fire, I like that. It’s much more fun.”

Was that what this was to him? Some great game? Lia glared at him. She would never obey him, no matter how much wine he poured down her throat.

He watched her, smiling. “Do you hate me?”

“Is that what you want?” she asked.

“You will love me. But it’s more of a challenge if you start off with hatred in your heart.”

She’d give him a challenge.

“It’s only going to get worse, you know. I can’t let Kane or Ronan live. Not even, oh, what’s her name… Della. She’s too unpredictable. I hope you aren’t fond of her.”

If Shade wanted her hatred, he had it. It felt like it was radiating off her in waves. She wondered if it would really be that difficult to kill Shade with her bare hands. As if he sensed it, Shade rose. He went to the bars, wrapping his hand around one and testing its strength. Sighing, he looked into the shadows.

“Do you want to kill me, Lia?”

She stared at him, stunned.

“You don’t have to answer,” he said. “Not really. I can see it in your eyes.”

Lia crossed her arms. “And I suppose you like that.”

He took something from his belt. A long knife glittered in the lantern light. Lia’s mouth went dry. Was she too much trouble for him after all?

Shade bent, and slid the knife across the stone floor. It came to rest at her feet.

“Pick it up,” he said.

She gazed back at him. Surely it was a trap. Or a test. She couldn’t afford to fail.

“No tricks,” he said. His expression was unreadable. “I just want to give you a way out. I’ve had pets in the past who weren’t as… resilient as I’d hoped. I found the most promising one face-down in the pool one morning. I don’t want to waste my time on you if you’re just going to destroy all my work the moment you get a chance.”

So he expected her to kill herself… or submit. But there was a third option. Lia picked up the knife, wrapping her fingers around the hilt. It was now or never. And it had to be now, before the wine drowned her brain again or her courage failed.

Rising from the cot, she threw herself at him. His eyes went wide as the blade pierced his belly. He seemed too shocked to react.

She plunged the knife in twice more, triumphant as blood dripped to the wet stone. Shade let out a gasp of air, falling to his knees.

Behind her, someone laughed. Lia jumped. Shade was standing there, the lantern’s flame dancing in his eyes. He inclined his head, inviting her to look at the scene before her.

It wasn’t Shade on his knees, but Ronan. He was gagged, his hands bound behind his back. Lia felt herself go numb.

“Let me take this,” Shade said, wresting the knife from her grip, “before you do any more damage.”

He threw the knife out of the cell, but Lia barely saw. Ronan’s bonds had come undone, and he touched the wound at his belly with shaking hands. Blood flowed freely over his fingers, which had started to turn white.

“We found him at the entrance,” Shade said. “Trying to rescue you, no doubt. I thought it would be much more poetic if you rid us of him yourself.”

Ronan looked up at her, as if asking her why she had betrayed him. His eyes were glassing over. He was going to fall.

“No!” Lia screamed. She tried to go forward, to grab him, to save him, but Shade held her back. She pummeled him with her fists, but he only smiled, like she was no more than a gnat.

Ronan slumped to the floor. His chest rose, fell, and then ceased to move.

“RONAN!” Her cry rent her own ears, and seemed to echo endlessly. He couldn’t be gone. He couldn’t be.

“Oh, stop.” Shade shook her by the shoulders, then threw her to the cot. “Don’t be hysterical. It’s unbecoming.” He looked past the bars. “Good work, boy. We’ll have you earn your keep yet.”

Though she was barely able to breathe through her sobs, Lia brushed her hair out of her face to see Ronan one last time. She wanted to believe that he was still there, that there was still some life left in his eyes.

But he was gone.

She sat up, her throat constricting. Where was the body, the blood? Where was Ronan?

“Did you like that?” Shade asked. “The boy said it might be difficult, but he delivered. I may even give him full rations this week.”

“What?” Lia croaked. “Where’s Ronan?”

“How should I know?” Shade examined his fingernails. “I don’t follow him like a nanny goat.”

“But that wasn’t him? He’s not—”

“Dead? Unfortunately, no. Not yet.”

Lia lay back, weak with relief.

“That boy was a good acquisition,” Shade said. “I can’t let it get to his head, of course, but he’s rather brilliant for not having any schooling. Neither of those idiot Alphas realized that he wasn’t standing behind me at that paltry feast. He cast an illusion of himself, you see, while making himself invisible. Brought me back a pretty little map of the Twin River den. It’ll be a boon when I invade. No surprises. I might even make him a member of my pack. Sorry,
our
pack.”

Shade sat beside her, pulling her head onto his lap. She submitted, for now. Ronan was alive. That was all that mattered.

He played with her hair, twining it in his fingers. “You’re going to be distressed when I kill your former Alphas, no doubt about that. But if you’re good, I’ll kill them for you.”

Lia tried to pull away from him, but he clamped a hand on her upper arm.

“I know you’re attached to them, you silly little thing. I can fix that. Soon, you’ll only have eyes for me.”

She sat up sharply. “What makes you think that?”

“I know what women want. You all just want to be tamed, don’t you, pet?”

If she heard that word one more time, she would strangle him. “I’m not your pet.”

Shade struck like a snake. He slapped hard, his nails slicing her cheek.

Lia put a hand to her face. Her fingers came away bloody.

“What was that you said, pet?”

She was too shocked to respond.

“That’s what I thought.”

Lia wanted to lash out at him, to slash that smile off his face. Something was wrong, though. Heat coursed through her veins. She had never noticed how strong Shade’s shoulders looked, or the fine line of his jaw. She was overcome by the strangest urge to cling to him, breathe in the scent of his skin and maybe taste it if he’d let her.

Shade held his hand up to his lips, licking off the blood. “I see the wine is taking full effect. Though now you seem to be even thirstier, poor darling.”

Lia panted. Sense and lust warred inside her, and sense seemed to be losing. “What did you do to me?”

“Just a special something that’s added to the wine. Claw’s secret. It’ll make you go into Delirium heat, even without the moon. I’ve heard that it’s worse not being tied to the moon, because it doesn’t wear off when the moon sets.” He smiled, showing all his teeth. “If you drink enough, it can last for days. Or until an Alpha sates you.”

Her heart beat in an odd rhythm, and far too fast. “You can’t keep me drugged forever.”

“I can if it suits me. You have to drink something. It might as well make you go into heat.”

Shade pulled her off the cot. To her annoyance, her body didn’t resist. He pressed himself to her, ran his hands over her skin. Worst of all, she found herself responding to him. Her face heated.

“No need to be embarrassed.” Shade lifted her chin. “Not many can refuse me, in the end.”

His lips were so close. A perverted part of her wanted him to brush them against hers. Her veins seemed to be on fire, dousing all thought. There was only Shade, and she wanted him.

He put a possessive hand on her hip.

She should hate him. Should despise him. He made her think she had killed—what was his name again? She shook her head. It didn’t really matter. Only Shade mattered. The quick pulse of a vein at her throat confirmed it. She needed him.