Plucking a small twig off with a few green leaves, I spun it around as Whisper arrived.

The giant beast nudged me in hello before commandeering the lounger I’d just vacated. Turning to face him, I ran my thumb over the leaf and wondered.

Unfortunately, wondering always got me into trouble.

“If she’s not like the others...if she’s telling the truth...does that mean I could use her?”

Whisper yawned and rested his head on his huge paws.

“If she’s really not here to hurt me then...she could be the key to getting out of here.”

His eyes locked onto mine, his head coming up again.

Crushing the leaf in my fingers, I let it fall.

It didn’t matter if I didn’t trust her.

It didn’t matter if I still suspected her motives.

As long as I manipulated her, she could be useful.

My fingers tightened into a fist, once again glad that I’d systematically destroyed every camera and listening device in this place. They’d buried me under surveillance, and it’d taken years to uncover them all. But now...now I was fairly confident the only eyes and ears they had were the drones that flew overhead.

Looking upward to make sure the coast was clear, I whispered quietly, “I’ve had everything plotted for almost a decade. I’ve been ready to make this move for far too fucking long. I’ve just been missing the catalyst.”

Going to the panther, I sat down beside him and scratched his ear. He purred instantly but my thoughts were elsewhere. On potential freedom and possible escape.

It could go spectacularly bad or...deceptively easy.

Either way, my suffering could end forever.

Digging my fingers into his thick ruff, I muttered, “If I use her, I could be free.”

Whisper huffed under his breath, and I took it as approval.

“Alright then, let’s do it.” A wash of warmth crashed over me that had nothing to do with the drip of poison from the vitalsync core. I shuddered, clutching my heart, confused and afraid.

I braced myself for yet more pain. Perhaps this was a different concoction than usual, something that would deliver a different kind of agony, only...I burst out laughing.

“How about that?” I shook my head. “I’m actually feeling something other than hate and despair. I’ve completely forgotten what hope tastes like.”

Whisper rolled his eyes and stretched.

How sad was it that I barely remembered what hope felt like?

Fury and revenge kept me surviving but such things stole all joy from living.

But now?

Fierce determination settled in my bones.

No matter who she was.

No matter why she was here.

I would use her to escape.

And if the day came that I succeeded, I would thank her by not killing her.

All while I went on a killing spree to murder the rest.

Chapter Eighteen

I FELT HIM ARRIVE BEFORE I SAW HIM.

Felt the way the air flexed with warning that a predator was on the prowl, prickling my nape with instinctual fear to hide.

I guessed the time was close to two in the morning.

I’d heard a scream an hour or so ago and wished sleep would take me away. However, if Lucien was visiting me at this time...perhaps he’d rethought his command of me serving him and had come to end me instead.

Two golden orbs appeared in the dark, eyeshine acting like glinting mirrors.

“Oh, it’s just you.” I exhaled and rolled over, facing the giant beast as he padded across the cream and white woven carpet, leapt onto the bed, stepped over me like I was a log, then flung himself down with a dramatic groan.

Flipping over to face the panther, I grinned. “Hello.”

Whisper yawned, giving me a close-up look at his scarily sharp teeth.

My heart quickened but it didn’t stop me from reaching out and sinking my fingers into his thick, luscious fur. The faintest whiff of sourness and briny copper tainted him, the scent rather strong thanks to Whisper’s warmth.

My nose wrinkled and fresh fear ensured sleep would once again remain elusive. “Did you two go hunting again?”

Almost as if he understood me, Whisper licked his giant paw where something had matted his silky coat—removing the evidence.

So Lucien had killed another girl.

Was she one of the hopeful assassins or eager concubines? How could I stop him from harming the women who were like me and had been dragged into this mess by accident?

My head pounded at the thought, but the pain was nowhere near as bad as before.

Rolling onto my back, I stared at the lofted ceiling while Whisper had a bath beside me. “You know, after your master left this morning, I hoped it was just a coincidence that I was feeling okay. I’ve had a few of those blackouts before and I always come around without intervention, even if I do feel absolutely awful afterward. However...” I glanced at Whisper. “I can’t lie to myself anymore.”

Sitting upright, I hugged my pillow and rested my chin on it. “All day I’ve felt...better. Not the usual wiped out exhaustion. My headache has faded considerably. The pressure behind my eyes has gone. My stomach isn’t threatening mutiny. And I haven’t been dizzy.”

Whisper continued bathing, his ears flicking as he listened.

“Why is that?” I asked quietly, almost as if Lucien was close by and eavesdropping. Which he could be for all I knew. He could have cameras and microphones in every room. Those drones flying overhead could all report to him.

Yet...something told me that the fortified walls, electrified fences, and buzzing drones were part of the design to keep him in.

“What the hell did his blood do to me? What’s so different about him compared to every other human on this planet?” I frowned. “And if it actually does have healing properties, then why did those men throw so many women in here all trying to kill him?” I scowled. “Didn’t Lucien say that if he dies, Brimstone Industries dies too?”

I pouted, wishing for the first time in a very long time that I could access the internet. I wanted to research who Lucien Ashfall was. I wanted to start piecing together this puzzle before the mystery made me go mad.

“What exactly is Brimstone Industries?”

Whisper finished his bath and growled quietly.

“What?” I asked, reaching to scratch his neck. “Am I not allowed to ask questions?”

The soft burn of his eyes looked like smouldering coals. The faintest glint of red still lingered on his muzzle.

My stomach clenched, wondering which girl had died tonight.

“Your master’s a menace,” I murmured.

He chuffed and sprawled out, taking up most of the bed. His eyes closed and jealousy built. I was jealous of a panther as he slipped so quickly into dreams.

Snuggling down beside him, I tried to borrow his zen-like calm.

It was no use.

My eyes popped wide again. “He said he wants me to serve him.” I poked the panther. “What exactly does that mean?”

Whisper huffed and shifted, placing his heavy head directly on my belly. He weighed me down, claiming me as his eyes closed again.

The closeness of his teeth. The heavy anchor of his jaw. It ought to send my nervous system into a freefall and yet...as his breathing evened out and the softest purr vibrated in the night, my eyes drifted closed.

My questions unspooled into soft clouds.

And incredibly, I slept.

* * * * *

The black stone palace loomed up ahead.

I’d dawdled as much as I could. I’d gone the scenic way through the meandering pebbled pathways and tried to think up a way to refuse serving Lucien Ashfall.

But the reality was: if I wanted to stay alive, I had to obey.

And so...I’d opted for clothes that wouldn’t cling or make me feel claustrophobic, just so I could get through the day. A pair of loose linen trousers, white blouse, and leather sandals wasn’t exactly first-day work attire, nor was it professional to leave my long black hair loose, but I’d used every trick to ensure I wouldn’t suffer another episode and pass out.