Katie's Hellion (Rhyn Trilogy, Book One) by Lizzy Ford Page B

squeezed,
capturing her blood in a small vial. The robed man who had led her
to the hall strode forward and took the vial, then backed away
silently.
    "Verifying your identity," Sasha said with a
polite smile.
    "What do you want with me?"
    "You know what. Your blood is rare. It can
lead us to victory."
    "You’re the bad guys."
    "We serve a different master."
    He said nothing more, as if unwilling to say
more until the identity verification was done. Still hungry, she
ventured to try the vegetables. The broccoli tasted normal, and she
ate all of them. She looked up at Sasha, her heart hammering under
his hungry look.
    The robed man returned and spoke in the harsh
tongue. A look of satisfaction spread over the face of the creature
before her. He gripped her wrist hard, lowering his head. She
wrenched away. His reflexes were like Kris’s, too fast to follow.
He snatched her neck and rose, jerking her off the chair. Her air
supply cut off, she tore at the hand holding her until the skin on
his arm fell away to reveal smooth, black skin more akin to a
reptile’s than a human’s. When the world narrowed, he released her.
She fell, gasping for air.
    "I want you alive, but I don’t care how much
you suffer. You will find I’m a reasonable…man. I offered you the
easy way, you refused. Now that choice is forever gone. You are
stuck with a way less comfortable for you. You’re in complete
control of how much I hurt you."
    His calm words terrified her. She rubbed her
neck, sensing the evil and determination in his tone. He paused a
moment for the words to sink in. She caught her breath and waited.
When he reached for her, she flinched but didn’t fight him. He
pulled her up and gripped her neck, pushing her head aside to
expose the vulnerable skin.
    She closed her eyes, telling herself she’d
survive this and figure out how to get the hell out of there, even
if it meant bartering with the monsters on her cell block. Her
resolve to grit her teeth and bear it lasted until the pain.
    He tore into her neck, and agony seared
straight through her.
     
    * * *
    Rhyn's impotent frustration subsided some
when they returned the human. He didn't know if Sasha would
recognize her for what she was, or if only the immortal meant to
mate with her would see.
    She came back in the same shape as when she
arrived: bloodied beyond recognition. He was surprised she came
back at all --Sasha had no mercy and rarely left his victims
alive.
    Unless he wanted her for something else. What
would Sasha want with her? What was her gift?
    He slapped the wall of his cell, cursing
Death again for not freeing him. He couldn't protect anyone from
Sasha in Hell, and he itched to taste the woman meant to be his
mate.
    The robed man dropped her body on the bed,
sealed the cage, and turned to Rhyn.
    "Your master will see you now," he said.
    Rhyn growled at the robed man, who hurried
away. Sasha's servants wouldn't get within a foot of Rhyn; instead,
they shaped the magic of Sasha's realm around him and gave him only
one direction to go, that which Sasha wanted.
    "Ooh, come out as something different!" Jared
exclaimed.
    He'd amused them and himself by emerging each
time in some other shape. Today, however, he was more interested in
seeing Sasha and hearing about the human than amusing the zoo
creatures. He waited for the barrier before him to lift and then
strode out.
    "A half-breed! Worst one yet!" Jared
exclaimed, hanging his hands through the bars in his cell.
    "Fuck off, demon," Rhyn growled.
    He made his way through the castle with the
black stones as he had many times during his long stay. The twin
moons of the outer banks of Hell were bright. It was always dark
here, and the moons rose and set each day. The fresh air was
welcome after the musty scents of prison. He found some of his
wired energy dissipating at the long walk and change of scenery
despite knowing nothing good had ever come from a meeting with
Sasha.
    Sasha was waiting for him in his