Inferno-Kat 2 (22 page)

“Don’t move,” he grunted.

As quickly as the guard appeared above her, he fell to the ground with a smoking hole in his chest.

Before she could even contemplate what had happened, Hades was there beside her, lifting her to her feet.

“Can you run?”

Gauging the hot flow of pain surging over her from her limb, she knew it was useless. She’d be surprised if she ever walked again.

She shook her head. “I’m fucked. Leave me. Take the others, and get out.”

“Hey, it’s my turn to be the rescuer, OK? I’ll say when it’s hopeless.”

Squeezing her eyes shut to stem the tears, Kat grunted, “Fine. Be a stubborn bastard.”

The four of them huddled together and stumbled the last few yards to the stairs leading up to the second level. Before they reached the first step, a loud clicking noise echoed around them.

Kat knew that sound. Had heard it many times before.

Glancing up, she saw at least thirty guards surrounding them, all with rifles raised.

They weren’t going anywhere, not in one piece anyway.

Kat sagged against Hades, dark pain swimming in her head and dejection squeezing her like a vise. Gripping his hand, she turned in his arms to look into his face.

“Promise me, if you can get away, you’ll go.” She squeezed his hand tighter, digging in her nails.

She needed his promise before she passed out. “Don’t come for me.”

He shook his head. “I can’t promise that. I won’t leave you
ever
.”

“He’s going to use you against me, Hades. I know he will.” She closed her eyes against the nausea rising in her throat. “You have no idea what he’s capable of.”

“I’ll take my chances, babe. I’m not leaving you.”

Opening her eyes, she smiled. “Stubborn bastard.”

The last thing she felt before she spiraled down into the black unconsciousness was the gentle press of Hades’ lips to hers.

T
he knock at his door came as no surprise. Baruch knew it wouldn’t be long before Kat and her group of miscreants were captured. He’d been sitting in his chair, sipping wine, contemplating the ways in which he could torture every single one of them.

“Come.”

The door opened, and one of his men rushed in. “The fugitives have been caught, my lord.”

Grinning, Baruch finished the last of his wine and stood. “Where are they?”

“The guards took them to a holding cell one floor below.”

“Excellent.”

“Satarah awaits an audience with you, my lord.”

He chuckled at that. What a wondrous turn of events. Only a few days ago, she was holding court like a queen. Now Satarah was at his door begging him to speak with her.

Obviously the woman had learned her lesson. Baruch was not one to be stopped. If he desired Inferno City as his own, he would have it, one way or another.

“Tell her she may enter.” Baruch refilled his cup with wine and sat back down on his chair. This time he would receive her like a king.

His messenger shuffled out, and Satarah limped in. Although still dressed like royalty, she had lost some of her superior essence. Her chin was held high, but he could see the quiver in it.

Oooh, how he reveled in that sight.

“Kat and the others have been captured,” she announced, trying to appear nonchalant. However, Baruch could hear the apprehension in her voice.

“So I hear.” He took a sip of his drink.

“I’m wondering what you’ll do with them.”

“Why the concern? They are
my
prisoners now. I will do with them as I please.”

“I know that you’ll not give me Hades, as was originally promised. So I ask that you gift to me the other two. Onyx and the young girl.”

“Why?”

He watched in amusement as she fisted her hands at her sides and glared at him. She was like a spoiled little brat, angry for not getting her way.

“Because you owe me as much for allowing you into
my
city.”

Baruch was out of his chair and grabbing her by the throat before she could blink. He squeezed her tightly, leaning in close to her face. Her eyes glowed bright in response, but he could see the alarm in the white light.

“I owe you nothing.” He could smell her fear like perfume. Leaning in, he took in a deep breath, nearly swooning from the erotic bouquet. “But as I am in a good mood, you can have the other two.”

Pressing his lips to hers, he kissed her, pushing his tongue into her mouth and biting on her bottom lip. When he broke the kiss, he released his hold on her neck and pushed her away. The taste of her blood like honey in his mouth.

Massaging her neck, she licked the crimson from her lip and continued to glare at him. “You are very kind.”

He laughed. Maybe he wouldn’t kill her as planned after all. She still had some moxie left, some fight still boiling in her veins. Once he was declared lord of Inferno, maybe Satarah could be of some use. She would certainly make an interesting wedding gift to his new bride.

He was sure Kat would find Satarah an amusing servant.

“Shall we go tell our guests about all the delicious plans we have for them?”

Baruch felt like he was floating on air, he was so elated. He finally had in his hands everything he’d ever wanted. A kingdom to rule, a woman to tame, and a man to torture in front of her.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun.

Whistling a peppy tune, he exited his room, Satarah following demurely behind, and followed the long hallway to the elevator to take him down to the holding cells.

H
ades didn’t know how long he’d hung there, naked, from the ceiling, the metal shackles digging into his wrists, before the holding-cell door opened and Baruch entered with a bright, cheery smile on his pale, cruel face.

However long it had been, it wasn’t long enough. He’d hang there forever if he knew he didn’t have to see the Dark Dweller again.

A woman with flaming red hair had followed him in. Hades needed no introduction to know who she was. Satarah glanced at him briefly and then looked away, her eyes glued to the Dark Dweller. That surprised him, considering Satarah’s reputation for collecting large beefy men as pets. She’d looked at Hades as if she was almost embarrassed.

Hades watched his comrades’ faces as Baruch inspected each of them hanging from chains in the ceiling, his eyes shining with glee.

Onyx was hanging naked to his left. He appeared to be a man that had been through this once or twice before. His face was slack and void of emotion.

Leucothea, on the other hand, looked like she’d pass out at any minute. The girl hadn’t stopped trembling since the guards had brought them to the cell. His heart went out to her. Out of them all, she was the most fragile. If she survived this, he wasn’t sure she’d do it with her mind intact.

Then there was Kat. She’d been hung in the middle of the room like the trophy kill. She had been unconscious, until now, the bullet hole in her leg, thankfully, no longer bleeding.

As Baruch neared her hanging form, her eyes snapped open, and she seemed very alert, keenly aware of the Dark Dweller’s presence.

The implications of that made Hades’ stomach clench unpleasantly.

“You can’t escape me, Katarina. When will you learn, my darling?” He ran his hand over her form, starting at her breasts and down to the wound in her leg.

“Get your fucking hand off her.” Hades’ jaw throbbed with the effort to keep his words even, even though he wanted to scream.

Chuckling, Baruch turned and looked at Hades, amusement crinkling his eyes. “Oh, I’m sorry, Hades. Does it bother you when I touch her like this?” Baruch cupped her breast and ran this thumb over her nipple. “She seems to like it very much. In fact, I can already smell her arousal as it drips between her legs.”

Hades ground his teeth as he watched Baruch fondle Kat. He wondered what she was thinking.

He could see her face clench, imagined that she was gritting her teeth by the flinch in her jaw.

But she had yet to pull away, yet to say anything to her tormentor. Was she so injured she couldn’t move? Or was it something else? Something Hades didn’t even want to consider.

Satarah cleared her throat and moved farther into the room, her chin raised high. “Could I have my payment before you entertain yourself?”

Stepping to the side of Kat’s body, Baruch reached out and slapped Kat across the ass like a side of beef. “Don’t you want to watch?”

“Not particularly.” Satarah motioned toward Onyx and Leucothea. “I’d rather participate in my own entertainment.”

Lifting his legs, Hades tried to strike Satarah. “You rotten bitch!”

The action didn’t have the desired effect and only caused him to start swinging. His arms ached from the movement.

She avoided his gaze and took a step farther from him. “Yes, well, we all have our lots in life.”

She glanced at Baruch again. “May I have my toys and go?”

Moving away from Kat, Baruch waved his hand at one of his guards at the door. “Very well.”

The guard rushed over to where Onyx and Leucothea hung, a stepladder in his hands.

Hades took the moment to lock eyes with Kat. He wanted to know what was going on in her head. Did she have a plan to get them out of here? Was she playing opossum?

However, all he saw in the deep green depths was ambivalence.

Once Onyx and Leucothea were brought down from their chains, Satarah instructed her guard to herd them to her bedchamber. Hades watched them being led out of the room, although he imagined they would fare better with Satarah than with Baruch. The Inferno mistress was by far the lesser evil.

As Leucothea passed, she glanced up at him, tears streaming down her sallow cheeks. He saw the fear and sorrow in her face.

“You’ll be OK, kid.” He couldn’t stop his voice from cracking with emotion. He didn’t know if she could endure much more.

Leucothea turned away from him and sobbed into her hands. Onyx came up behind her and put his arm around her.

Hades was surprised Satarah allowed the contact. Where was the ruthless, sadistic woman he’d heard about? Maybe she had finally found more than her match in Baruch. It looked like he might have tamed her.

After Onyx and Leucothea were led out of the cell, Satarah was the last to go. When she was at the door, she glanced back at Kat and then at Hades. She held his gaze. After a few moments, she inclined her head and stepped over the threshold, shutting the metal door behind her.

Hades swore he witnessed remorse in her eyes.

“Finally. We’re alone. Just the three of us.” Baruch wandered back to Kat, moving behind her swinging body. He trailed his hand over her skin as he circled.

Kat tried to remain motionless. The virus bubbled inside her veins. It recognized its original source. It recognized its master. By not reacting, she kept it in check. But it wouldn’t remain dormant for long. It longed to be free.

She reasoned that if she didn’t react, maybe Baruch would give up trying to get her to respond.

With Hades so near, it was becoming increasingly difficult. The pain and anguish on his face was almost too much to bear. She wished she could communicate to him her thoughts. Then maybe he would understand why she allowed the Dark Dweller to touch her, and maybe Hades wouldn’t look at her like he’d been betrayed.

“Why don’t you come over here, motherfucker, so I can rip off your other hand?”

“So much rage, Hades.” Baruch stopped on Kat’s left side, his hand still on her ass, kneading and pinching. “You should save that. You’ll need it later, I suspect.”

“There’s nothing you can do to me that’s going to matter, bloodsucker.”

Chuckling, Baruch ran his hand up and down Kat’s leg. She shivered in response. His touch was becoming more and more desirable. Her flesh was responding to him on its own as if it no longer belonged to her.

“Maybe not. But it’s not me you need to be worried about.” With that, he called to his guard.

“Get her down.”

Kat tried to keep still while the guard unshackled her wrists. What she wanted to do was push the guard aside, rip out Baruch’s throat, and throw her arms around Hades.

She saw the questions in Hades’ eyes. She witnessed the agony. But she was powerless to comfort him. Nothing she could do or say would bring him solace now. It was too damn late for them both.

She suspected what Baruch was planning. He finally had Kat and Hades together. And he was going to use their feelings against each other.

In the worst possible way.

The guard brought her down. She could barely stand on her injured leg, so he had to drag her out.

As she neared Hades, she kept his gaze. She wanted to tell him she loved him. That she’d always love him. However, the words wouldn’t come. They couldn’t help him now. Only one thing could.

As she was dragged past him, she mouthed two words she hoped he understood. Hoped he would know how difficult it was for her to ask. Because she knew it would be the last thing he could ever do.

Kill me
.

Hades’ stomach lurched as the door to the cell closed behind Baruch. The Dark Dweller had been the last to leave, with a condescending smirk just for Hades.

He couldn’t have possibly seen Kat’s lips move, forming those words. She must’ve mouthed something else. He didn’t even want to consider the implications of what Kat had said as she was dragged out of the cell.

Once before, she’d asked him for the same thing. After Damian had bitten her, she made Hades promise not to allow her to turn into one of them, a Dark Dweller. He couldn’t do it then, and there was no way he could do it now. He wondered how she even thought he could get to her now. He was never one for giving up, but as far as he could tell, there was no escaping this time.

They were definitely up shit creek without even a spoon to paddle.

The door to the cell opened again, and three guards marched in. Three of Baruch’s guards. Dark Dwellers, every one of them. Hades doubted they had come to talk.

“Hey, big boy,” the tall, skinny one said, his elongated fangs peeking out from between his thin lips. “Baruch wants us to get you ready for tonight’s festivities.”