As We Rise: Savage (As We Rise Saga Book 2) Read online

  Pain bloomed in the darkness. Sky awoke with a jolt from her mark all the way down to her toes. Golden light blinded her already fuzzy vision. A dull ache pounded behind her eyes, and Sky quickly shut them against the bright afternoon light.

  With her eyes squeezed shut, Sky focused on remembering what brought her to this place. Rana had opened the repository and activated the alarm system. Sky then fought Beast’s warriors while Rana evacuated the prisoners. She remembered being on the verge of victory when someone knocked her out from behind.

  Sky raised her head and pressed it against the warm wall behind her. The slight movement ignited the pain in her body again. Her hair pulled at a blood-caked wound on her temple, and Sky shifted her neck forward to relieve the pressure. The second the ache in her head lessened, Sky’s wrists began to burn. Her arms were tied above her head a few inches too high, stretching her figure straight and taut. The weight of her body balanced precariously on the balls of her feet, and her shoulders pulled from the strain.

  A cool breeze enveloped her as a low hum stirred from somewhere on her left. Sky luxuriated in the way it cooled the sweat beading on her skin until she realized just how much skin the wind caressed. Between the battle and now, she had been stripped to her undergarments.

  With that revelation, Sky overlooked the tenderness of her many wounds and opened her eyes, willing them to adjust. A few blinks later, a large room came into focus. Directly across from Sky stood a massive bed piled with furs and adorned with silky fabrics in bright colors that were not native to Kore or Erebus.

  Sky tore her gaze away from the bed and took stock of the rest of her surroundings. There was a sizable weapons chest to her right, but with the locking mechanism engaged, it was useless to Sky. Next to the chest, two massive, fur-lined chairs flanked a small table. Resting atop the table was a jug. Drips of condensation gathered on the sides. Whatever was inside was cold, and Sky’s parched lips begged to have a taste.

  It took every ounce of self-control to pull her gaze away from the tempting liquid and finish her assessment. Directly to her left, there was an opening in the wall she was tied against. She couldn’t see all the way inside, but could make out enough to believe it to be a lavatory. Further down was a squat, metallic device that made the humming noise and produced the cool breeze—yet another device not native to the twin moons—and beside it, the only exit. The door was closed and most likely locked from the outside. Sky wondered if this were a simple hut or a multi-roomed house like the one her family resided in. A single-roomed hut would make an easier escape, but Sky had a feeling that this was the master bedroom in the large compound at the center of Bludhaven proper.

  She squinted again, looking for the light source as the room brightened. Above her, a flap of hide hidden among the beams was pulled back, allowing Sky an unobstructed view of a sun shining directly on her exposed flesh. Sky couldn’t tell if it was Eos or Astraia, but wished she could tell from her limited view. If she knew which star was shining down on her, she could extrapolate how long she had been tied against that wall.

  Her mark continued to shoot pain through her extremities, and Sky growled a series of curses that would make Jo proud. Sky understood the peril she was in, and her mark compounding her problems with extra pain would not help.

  At that thought, the pain subsided and Sky whispered thanks to Luz for listening to her pleas. She was mostly free of pain, but the small relief helped her mind focus through the haze of her misery.

  In that moment, fragments of thought clicked together and she realized that she was tied up, mostly naked, in Beast’s chambers. There was really no other place for her to be. The elder wanted Sky to be his and his alone. He was going to keep her captive until Va’letu, when she would be forced into a union with him. It wouldn’t matter if she was dragged to the ceremony tied up, kicking, and screamed her refusal to all who’d hear. The contract had been signed and Sky would receive no help.

  At times like this, she wondered if Rana was right and the clans were, at their heart, no better than the Elitians.

  Sky reached for the place inside that held Luz’s power and tugged experimentally at her restraints. They didn’t budge, but her already tender wrists complained louder as the edge of the leather cuffs cut into her skin, drawing blood. Beast must have taken her extra abilities into account before tying her up.

  There was no escape.

  Sky waited for the fear to come, but it was nowhere to be found. In its place was acceptance. Not that Beast would own her body, and if he had it his way, her spirit, but she accepted that there was no escape but one.

  Even in her darkest times as a captive, she had never contemplated suicide. In her youth she had feared the great mystery of what happens after death. Even in her drugged state, she struggled to live. At first it was for her son, but when he was taken from her, she lived to honor him. Now, Sky believed she had experienced enough of life to sacrifice herself. The fear of death didn’t sting as much as it had in her youth. Sky had earned the blessing of an Ancient, learned the release of forgiveness, traveled the system, gained friendship, and discovered a love so pure that it healed her soul.

  Sky smiled as she thought of Phoenix. She was so glad to have met him on this journey. He was just as damaged as she, but together they were whole. No other being could understand the horrors she had experienced and still look at her with the tenderness he did. She loved him.

  She turned that thought over in her mind. A few cycles before, she would have feared such a strong emotion, but there was only acceptance in her heart. Sky loved Phoenix, and she was sure he returned her affection. Knowing that she was able to completely free herself, heart and soul, from the ghosts of abuse that had haunted her existence gave her a newly invigorated strength.

  She had regrets. If she died in this room, Rana would be vulnerable, Jo would be down a friend and crew mate, and Sky would never know what would become of her and Phoenix’s budding romance, but she was just as thankful. She took the contentment she felt and let it fill her soul to the brim.

  She was ready, but now she had to think of the logistics. She was useless tied to the wall. Beast would eventually have to untie her, she doubted he would be keen on her relieving herself in his bed chamber when the lavatory was only feet away. When he did, Sky could tap into her power and obtain one of his daggers. She would have to be fast, but it could be done.

  Her mark burned as if it were furious at the direction of her thoughts. Sky breathed through the first notes of pain, but then it exploded into a symphony of agony that she felt to her very core. Voices grumbled outside the door before a booming voice announced that he didn’t want to be disturbed. Dread thrashed in her stomach like a vicious windstorm.

  Beast was there.

  Twenty-Four

  An overwhelming calmness wrapped around Sky as Beast sauntered into the room. The screech of his sword dragging across the stone floor drowned out the calming hum of the cooling device. Sky tried to ignore the amount of blood and gore spattered across his exposed torso as he peeled off his arm bracers, but she couldn’t look away no matter how much her chest clenched at the thought of Beast wearing her friends’ blood as a badge. Beast’s eyes locked onto Sky. Their sorrel depths shone with a ferocious need that made Sky’s throat clench in panic.

  “Sky, you look delicious strapped to my chamber wall,” Beast growled as he sat in one of the fur-lined chairs, facing Sky. Her leered at her body unashamed, and Sky had to force her muscles to remain relaxed.

  Sky did not respond. She didn’t want to encourage him, and so she kept her gaze locked on the wall behind him. In her peripheral vision, Sky could see Beast wiping down the bloody blade in an almost loving caress. After a careful cleansing, Beast placed the blade inside the weapons chest and locked it. For a fleeting moment, Sky glimpsed the array of weapons Beast had collected, many of which were not clan made.

  Then another thought occurred as she allowed herself to scrutinize Beast’s form: What if he di
dn’t have a weapon on him? She couldn’t see any, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t kept one tucked away.

  Beast leaned forward and poured himself a cup of the cool liquid. With languid longing, Sky watched the knot in Beast’s throat bob with every sip. Her dry tongue darted out to moisten her lips.

  “Thirsty?” Beast stood, glass in hand, as he walked to Sky.

  The callused pad of his thumb rubbed against her cracked lips. She hissed as the skin broke and a warm trickle of blood flowed back into her mouth.

  Beast tsked. “Take a sip. I cannot have my betrothed die of dehydration.”

  He placed the cup against Sky’s lips and she warred within herself, but her baser needs overruled reasonable thought. Sky opened her lips and drank down the cold water. The cool liquid soothed the burn in her throat, and she wanted to cry at the blissful relief, but she kept her features stoic.

  After another replenishing glass, Sky’s mind felt clearer. She felt as if the situation wasn’t as perilous as before, but that was just her body reinvigorating itself. Nothing had improved about her condition.

  “Now that you’re more comfortable—” Beast paused as he perused her body again, his lips lifted in a sardonic grin. “We can discuss business.”

  Sky lifted her chin as he approached her, his grin morphing into a sinister sneer. It unnerved Sky how he could act so caring and then flip his switch so suddenly. When he stepped within reach, Beast lifted his hand and struck Sky across the face. Her cheek throbbed in tune with her heartbeat.

  “That was for my men you killed at your bastard’s tomb.”

  Another blow landed on her temple and her vision blackened. Spots streaking in the inky darkness mimicked the effect of stars whizzing by while flying through the void.

  “That was for my warriors you killed today.”

  As her vision returned, he struck her again, this time on the jaw. Sky’s mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood.

  “That was for my warriors I had to dispatch to prove my loyalty to Eltanin. All because of your intrusion.”

  Sky spewed her blood-spit mix on Beast’s face and smiled. Beast growled as he wiped at the crimson liquid, smearing it across his skin like war paint. Sky braced herself for another blow, but Beast tipped his head back and laughed.

  “I can’t wait to break you.” Beast traced her cheeks with his thumbs, following an invisible trail that ended when his hands enveloped her neck. His thumbs pressed against her larynx, cutting off her air. Sky didn’t move until the blackness pressed against the edge of her vision and nature took over. She thrashed against Beast until he let go, and Sky sucked in deep breaths of air.

  “Keep moving like that and we will have to sideline this interrogation until after I have spent myself inside you.” One of Beast’s hands slid down her stomach and cupped Sky between her legs.

  Every molecule in her body wanted to squirm and try to dislodge Beast’s meaty paw, but she kept still. Men like Beast wanted a reaction. They desired to see their prey writhe as they were tortured. Sky refused to give in.

  “You have to ask a question for this to be an interrogation, Elder.”

  “Hmm,” Beast responded, stepping closer until his body was flush with hers and his arousal pressed against her stomach. Sky swallowed the bile that threatened to rise. “You will tell me all you know about the ghost that helped you and that Elitian bitch today. Then you will tell me where she took my inventory. Eltanin will not trade unless I give him flesh.”

  “Why did you betray the clans like this?”

  Sky’s breath whooshed out as he punched her in the stomach.

  “I ask the questions,” Beast roared as she struggled to suck in another breath. His body pressed in until Sky was smooshed between Beast and the wall. Sky felt his chest expand as he inhaled the scent of her hair. He released a groan with his breath. “Answer me.”

  Sky shook her head. Beast could do whatever he wanted to her body, but she would never betray Phoenix and Rana.

  Beast snarled and gripped her jaw painfully. “Why are you protecting him? Do you love him? Have you willingly given yourself to him?” With every question, he squeezed tighter until Sky was sure he’d break her bones, but surprisingly he loosened his grip. “Answer me!”

  “I have given my body to no man willingly,” Sky snarled. “And I won’t start today.”

  They stared into each other’s eyes, neither willing to relent in this unspoken game of dominance. Sky’s mark vibrated in warning as Beast stepped back, still staring. She didn’t have time to consider what her power was trying to tell her; any slip up would have Beast fall on her anew.

  Sky watched in composed horror as Beast’s started to unfasten his belt while his face twisted into a sinister grin. “I cannot wait any longer. You have teased me for years with your indifference. Then those priests took you and defiled what is mine, but I still desired you. Even after you left and your family presented me with your moronic cousin, I wanted you. It was you I pictured underneath me when Tempest was in my bed. Did she tell you that I screamed your name every time I peaked?”

  This time Sky didn’t try to hide her revulsion. It was no wonder Tempest hated her so much, to be considered the consolatory prize and then be treated with such disrespect. Sky wished her cousin could have seen that Beast was the villain, not Sky.

  “You look at me that way and it makes me harder.” Beast grabbed his manhood through his unbuttoned pants and ogled Sky’s body again, pausing at the swell of her breasts. His breath became ragged as he whispered almost reverently, “I will fill you with my seed, and you will bless me with powerful sons.”

  Twenty-Five

  Panic seized Sky’s throat as she watched Beast bare himself. Her mind whirred with various escape scenarios, but she wasn’t fond of her chances. She could attempt her original plan, but now that Beast was stripped of all clothing, it would make finding a hidden knife impossible.

  Somehow Sky needed to convince Beast to untie her, and as much as it pained her, she would have to figure the rest out on the fly. Sky racked her brain for any ideas on how to get him to untie her, and as Beast stalked toward her, his manhood jutting upward as if it was a homing beacon, Sky blurted the first thing that came to mind.

  “Why are you working with the Elitians?”

  Beast grunted a dismissal and pressed against Sky. The heat from his exposed flesh warmed her already sweltering body. He buried his face in her neck, breathing deeply before lapping up the salty drops rolling down her jugular.

  Sky turned her face away. She had to get out of this before Beast violated her. Sky didn’t know if she could handle living through that again, and she didn’t want to find out. As the faces of her loved ones flashed before her eyes, her subconscious locked on Jo.

  Jo had been in many situations where she used her sexuality as a weapon. She wielded her body like blazer and fearlessly forged ahead without remorse. Sky looked deep inside her soul, searching for any resistance to the budding idea forming. Could Sky empty herself of emotion and channel Jo to get Beast to do what she wanted?

  Beast continued to lick and kiss upward while his hands languidly caressed their way south. He tried to mash his lips against Sky’s, but she jerked to the side. Beast grabbed her sore jaw and forced her to look at him.

  “Fighting will only spur me on, little one. I will take my pleasure from you. You can decide how rough I will be.”

  “I don’t want to fight you,” Sky whispered before biting her lip. She hoped the move looked enticing instead of her attempt to fight the gag tightening in her throat.

  Beast leaned back and studied Sky’s face. “This is a trick.”

  Sky shrugged. “I know you won’t believe me if I said it wasn’t, but I won’t fight you if you share with me what you know of the Elitians.”

  “That is the price for your willingness?” Beast’s brows pinched in thought, but distrust still glinted in his eyes.

  “That and you promise that our first time won’t
be while I’m chained against the wall. I cannot relive it,” Sky’s voice trembled with the truth she added to the end. Sky thought of her time with the priests and willed her eyes to well up. She swallowed her shock when she felt the tell-tale pricks of unshed tears.

  Beast looked confused by her emotion, but then understanding widened his eyes before he turned thoughtful. “If I remove you from the wall binding, you will remain tied. I do not trust you, but I wouldn’t want the experience to be completely unpleasurable for you.”

  Sky mentally guffawed at his arrogance, but she simply nodded in agreement.

  “Before I agree to this, you must prove that you want me,” Beast’s voice turned gravelly, and if Sky wasn’t so repulsed by him, she may have thought it seductive. He leaned forward, his lips hovering just above hers. “Show me, Sky.”

  Sky emptied her mind, leaned forward, and softly swept her lips across his. When he didn’t lean in, Sky pressed a little harder, ignoring the way her stomach tightened in disgust. Unlike her kiss that morning with Phoenix, she felt nothing with Beast. It made her feel awkward and extremely self-aware. Sky had no clue if she was doing it right, but she steeled herself.

  This was no time to be timid. Sky opened her lips, taking Beast’s bottom lip into her mouth, and gently bit down. That earned her a growl. When she licked at the seam of his mouth, Beast became unhinged and attacked.

  Once Beast was doing most the work, Sky followed, hoping that whatever she did was enough to convince him to release her bindings. When a warm hand cupped her breast, Sky pulled away.

  Kissing was one thing, but touching set her skin crawling.

  “Does that convince you, Elder?” Sky continued to stroke his ego by using his title.

  Beast gently brushed Sky’s hair away from her face, his callused fingers tracing the tattoo over her right eye. Sky was taken back by the tender caress, and for a fleeting moment she wondered if Beast harbored misguided emotions for her, but when his eyes met hers, there was nothing soft in his gaze. A primal, burning lust stared back at her.