once delivered a deathblow. Oddly, they merely wounded their prey, knocking them unconscious before focusing on the next opponent. And after what seemed too-short seconds but had probably been minutes, only one human was left standing. The worst of the lot.
One of the warriors stepped forward, approaching him. Though all the newcomers had possessed lethal skill, this one had fought the dirtiest, going for the groin, the throat. He raised his arm as if to render the final blow, but then Gwenâs wide-eyed gaze caught his and he paused. Slowly he lowered his arm.
Her breath caught. Brown hair soaked with blood was plastered to his head. His eyes were the color of brandy, deep and dark, and they, too, were threaded with crimson. Impossible. Surely she imagined the wild glow. His face, so roughly hewn it could only have been carved from granite, promised destruction in its every line and hollow, though there was something almostâ¦boyish about him. A startling contradiction.
His shirt had been slashed to ribbons, rope after rope of sun-kissed muscle visible every time he moved. Oh, the sun. How she missed it, craved it. A violet butterfly tattoo wrapped around his right rib cage and dipped into the waist of his pants. The points of its wings were razored, making it appear at once feminine and masculine. Why a butterfly? she wondered. Seemed odd that such a strong, vicious warrior would have chosen it. Whatever the reason, the mark somehow comforted her.
âHelp us,â she said, praying the immortal could hear through soundproof glass as she could. But if he heard her, he gave no indication. âFree us.â Still no reaction.
What if they leave you here? Or worse, what if theyâre here for the same reason as the humans?
The thoughts filled her head suddenly, and she frowned, perhaps even paled. The fears werenât out of place; sheâd wondered the exact same things only a short while ago. But these were somehow differentâ¦foreign. They were not her own, not spoken in her own inner voice. Howâ¦whatâ¦?
Sharp white teeth sank into the manâs bottom lip as he clawed at his temples, clearly infuriated.
What if â
âStop!â he snarled.
The thought forming inside her head halted abruptly. She blinked in confusion. The warrior shook his head, scowl intensifying.
Distracted as the immortal clearly was, her human tormentor decided to act, closing the remaining distance between them.
Gwen straightened, calling, âLook out!â
Attention remaining fixed on Gwen, the granite-faced warrior reached out an arm and grabbed the human by the neck, choking and stopping him at the same time. ThemanâChris was his nameâflailed. He was young, perhaps twenty-five, but still leader of the guards and scientists here. He was also a man she despised more than captivity.
Everything I do, I do for the greater good , he was fond of saying, just before he raped one of the other women right in front of her. He could have artificially inseminated them, but had preferred the humiliation of forced intercourse. I wish this was you , he had often added. Every one of these females is a substitute for you .
Despite his desires, heâd never touched her. He was too afraid of her. They all were. They knew what she was; theyâd seen her in action the day they came for her. Unintentionally maul a few humans to death, and a girl gained a reputation, she supposed. Rather than eliminate her, however, theyâd kept her, experimenting with different drugs in the ventilation system in the hopes of knocking her out long enough to use her. They hadnât yet succeeded, but they hadnât given up, either.
âSabin, no,â a beautiful, dark-haired female said, patting the once again red-eyed warrior on the shoulder. Her voice was so laden with sorrow, Gwen cringed. âLike you told us, we might need him.â
Sabin. A strong name, reminiscent of a weapon. Fitting.
Were the