Her Villains Chapter Eight Bonus Lock POV

Her Villains

By Jade Presley

 

 

 

Chapter Eight

Lock

 

My skin feels too tight for my body. An unsettled feeling scrapes its nails along my spine.

The glass walls keeping me contained seem to be shrinking.

I inhale deeply as I pace the length of the room, having conjured all I can—a few pieces of furniture, books, a bed—to make this miserable cage at least comfortable.

Part of the plan, I remind myself. The logic does little to help soothe the mounting panic pulsing at the back of my throat.

Trapped like a wild animal awaiting execution.

Talon could’ve at least given me a window so I could see the sky.

My pacing quickens, and I roll my neck in an attempt to rid myself of the tension gripping my muscles. I hate wasting time almost as much as I hate being trapped.

My father delighted in locking me in chambers anytime he felt I misbehaved, which was every other day growing up. He’d leave me in them for days at a time, cutting me off from my brothers, from the night sky I loved so much.

I underestimated Talon’s hatred. I didn’t think he’d leave me unattended down here for so long. If I don’t speak to someone soon, I’m going to slip into madness—

Jasmine and something crisp, like frozen rain, wafts on the air that flows through the vent in my glass chamber.

I know that scent…

“Are you lost, darling?” I ask before Cari rounds the corner.

She gasps, her eyes flaring wide as she takes in my accommodations, unable to see me as I hide in shadows of my own making.

The female is just as stunning as she was when I followed her in the Air Realm. Her blue skin looks like pure satin, her long hair drawn away from her face, showing off her bare neck, her full lips parted on a rushed breath.

I can feel the uncompleted bond pulsing between us, a band of light that ripples with faint hints of her emotions, sending them straight into me. I expect to sense fear, terror, anger, or anything resembling disgust.

Nothing but intrigue pulses down that bond.

Well, we’ll have to test that—

 I materialize from the shadows, slamming my fist against the glass hard enough that she stumbles backward. She gathers herself quickly, her eyes trailing the length of my body before returning to my eyes. And sun save me, she sees me. She doesn’t turn away in horror, doesn’t run the opposite direction, doesn’t call out to one of my brothers for help.

 Tilting my head, I study her a bit more, reaching down that bond and sensing the chaos in her mind.

 “You are lost,” I say, dropping my fist from the glass. I can sense it. She’s battling something internally that has her at a loss for answers.

 “I’m…” She glances around, taking note of the hallway she’s wandered down, likely assuming I mean she’s not where she’s supposed to be. “Yes,” she finally admits.

 A bolt of curiosity and desire trembles down our bond, and I can’t stop the smile that shapes my lips. Her eyes fall to my mouth, and heat buzzes between us, a demanding ache I can’t ignore. She steps closer, reaching up to touch the glass with careful movements , as if she’s tracing the features of my face. The move is so natural, so unafraid, I can’t help but be surprised.

 “Not used to people stepping so close to your cage?” she asks, dropping her hand. I do my best to school my features.

 “Most are too afraid to get close to me,” I answer, not bothering to lie to her. I’ve lived my entire life being feared by others. Having the ability to slide in and out of minds at will makes people wary of me.

"Hmm,” she says, wholly unaffected by my statement.

 Sun, she’s a fearless little thing.

 I like it.

“Not you, though, darling,” I say, purring the term of endearment. “Have you come to let me out to play?”

I hope she has. It’s growing so damn dull down here.

“Maybe I’ve come to return the favor you bestowed on me the other day,” she says, running a finger down the glass again. I track the move, suddenly feeling like she’s the gravity tethering me to this life. “A knife to your throat?”

“Oh,” I say, the image making heat streak through my blood. “I’d love to watch you play with blades.”

“Lock,” she whispers my name, and I swear my knees threaten to buckle. I’m ready to drop to them if it gets her to keep saying it.

“Mmm,” I murmur, allowing my desire to roll down our bond, testing to see if she can feel it as much as I can. “Say that again.”

“Why did you risk capture?” she asks, visibly swallowing.

“Who says I did?”

“They’ve been searching for you for a year,” she says. “Your brothers and the All Plane guard.”

“Both love to task themselves with impossible missions,” I say.

The wrong missions is what I should’ve said, but she’s not ready to hear that. My brothers…if only they could see what’s right in front of them. See that I’m not the enemy.

“You evaded them the entire time,” she says, tilting her head. “Why risk taking me? Drawing their attention?”

I grin, delighted at the way her mind works. “Clever, darling.” I shrug. “I let them take me.”

“Let them?”

“Of course. If I didn’t want to be found, I wouldn’t be.” Surely she knows enough about me to understand that. As much as I hate being here, I need to be.

“Why?” she asks. “You’re wanted across the realms. Your legend has reached the Shattered Isle. Why let them take you now?”

My grin widens at her calling me a legend. If she let me out of this cage, I would show her just how legendary I can be.

“Maybe I heard about a certain bonding ceremony and felt it was within my right to take part,” I say, testing her, seeing how much she can handle.

Judging from the way she responded when I held a dagger to her throat a few days ago, she can handle so much more. She’s fierce, powerful. I felt that in the few precious seconds I entered her mind.

“Maybe I grew tired of hiding,” I add when she doesn’t respond.

“Tired of murdering innocent people in their sleep?” she snaps, and my body tenses.

I lock down every reaction threatening to break free—the rage at her accusation, the hurt, all of it. I shove it down so she can’t sense or see it. But I can feel it, and it stings.

“Rumors are rarely true,” I bite back.

“Usually rooted in truth,” she fires.

I lean down, having to bend to meet her gaze directly. She’s so tiny, and seemingly delicate, but only a fool would think her weak.

“People believe what they want to believe,” I say, doing my best to swallow the pain squeezing my heart like a fist. “How easy it is to call me a monster when there is a pane of glass between us.”

She tips her chin up in defiance. “Forgive me if I don’t weep for you.” She narrows her gaze and runs a finger across her neck.

I track the move, my blood on fire.

“You seemed content to slice my throat the other day,” she continues. “Are you saying you’re not the villain people say you are? Your own brothers have you locked away—”

“I never said they were the smartest brothers,” I cut her off. “And if you want to cast me as the villain? Fine. You would never try to get to know me, anyway.”

No one ever has, save for my brothers, but even they believe the worst about me. I’m used to it, but for a moment I thought she might be different. A bonded female from the Shattered Isle who grew up with nightmares much worse than me.

It was foolish of me to hope.

“They were never going to let me meet you,” I say, standing back up and striding to a lounge chair that faces the glass. I drop into it, needing to put distance between us, distance from the fool’s hope I’ve obsessed over since capturing her for those few moments days ago. I swore I’d felt something…a connection like none before. Nothing but forced magical bond bullshit.

“I’m here now,” she says.

I smirk. “By your own foolishness.”

She shrugs. “Maybe I’m not afraid of you.”

“Liar,” I say, then tilt my head. “Are you here to kill us all?”

She flinches at the blunt question. I wouldn’t put it past the Shattered Isle king, sending in his sole heir to marry and bond with us, getting our guard down enough to allow her to murder us in our sleep.

“I’m your wife,” she says, grinding out the words. “Your brothers’ wife.”

I study her, taking my time looking up and down her body. Sun, she’s gorgeous. A perfect distraction, a welcome intrigue.

“Talon thinks you’re here to destroy us all,” I say casually, hoping to shake her up enough so she lets the truth slip.

“I’m here to mend the wounds between our realms,” she says, standing up straight and proud.

“Letting me out of here would be a good start at healing,” I say, glancing to where I can just barely see the control panel on the wall outside my cage.

“To do what?” she asks, breathless. “Slaughter me? Your brothers?”

That quickly, I’m against the glass again. She jumps, but doesn’t back away. Not her. She holds my gaze, fire in her eyes and anticipation trembling down our connection.

“Only one way to find out, darling,” I say, allowing desire to drench my tone. I inhale deeply, drinking in her scent, the floral aroma twisting me up in the best way.

Florals and…

Tor.

I can smell him on her, his fire scent mixing with hers.

I wonder if he was enough for her or if she needed more. Something I could easily provide. My cock twitches at the thought.

 “Tor has claimed you,” I say with a huff. “Was he gentle, darling? Did my warrior brother take it easy on you?” I shake my head, sensing something deep inside our bond. A darkness that calls to my own, a need for more than normality. “Was it enough to make you shake? Make you moan? Because from the look of you, you need a bit more danger to make you truly come undone.”

Ice splinters across the glass, slowly spreading from where her fingertips touch. I shudder at the sight, at the sheer power I feel from her.

“Oh, yes, darling,” I say, stepping back so I can study the ice on the glass. “I daresay I’m right.”

Sun, I want her to tell me. I want her to keep talking. To confess all the things I can feel pulsing between us. I want to unravel her in every way possible—

“Cari!” Steel’s voice rings out as he rounds the corner, Tor on his heels.

She draws back from the glass, her arms folding behind her back like she’s ashamed of the power she let loose to play.

Steel’s arms wrap around her like she needs protection from me, and it’s all I can do to keep from rolling my eyes.

“What are you doing down here?” he asks.

Tor cocks a brow at her before glancing at me, silently accusing me of somehow orchestrating her appearance outside my cage.

Honestly, if I could do that, I would’ve done it days ago.

“I was exploring the ship,” she explains.

“No one gave you permission to do that,” Talon snaps as he comes around the corner.

Fuck, now she’s really pissed him off. He already suspected her of being a traitor before, but finding her down here? Conversing with me? It’ll be worse for her now.

Guilt slides through me, and I hate that she’s in this position because of me. I didn’t ask her to come down here, but I didn’t exactly warn her of the repercussions of getting caught speaking to the monster behind the glass either.

“She doesn’t need permission,” Steel snaps, then softens his voice as he looks down at her. “But I wish you would’ve told me. I could’ve—”

“I didn’t need an escort,” she says, eying each of them. “Were any of you going to tell me you locked my fourth husband in a damn cage down here?”

My heart expands mid-beat. It almost sounds like she’s angry about that fact. Angry I’m in here at all…but that can’t be right, can it?

Steel seems at a loss for words, and Tor is giving her a warning look.

“It’s hardly a cage,” Talon groans.

She rolls those pretty eyes of hers, jabbing a finger toward the control panel. “Trapped is trapped. No matter how pretty the room is.”

I grin at her, then cock a brow at Talon. She understands.

“You understand the difficulty of this situation,” Steel says, ever the heart, the reason, the soft wave before the blow. “We’re still trying to figure out the best thing to do,” he admits.

Tor is glaring at me now, and I don’t dare blink away from his scrutiny. I shrug off his silent accusations. If he wanted to know the truth, he’d take the time to ask me—

Talon snatches Cari up by her arm, slamming her against the glass right in front of me.

I stare down at her, barely containing my power at the sight of my brother being so forceful with her. If he hurts her, I won’t hesitate to ensnare his mind and make him believe he’s falling through an abyss for the rest of his fucking life.

“If you ever wander where you’re not wanted again,” Talon growls, glancing at me before focusing on Cari again. “I’ll throw you in there with him. See if you survive that.” Oh, I wouldn’t be opposed to that idea. I suppose I’ll leave his mind alone for now.

He slams a hand into the glass, making Cari flinch and making me almost rethink my plan to tear through his mind before he shoves off the wall, storming out of sight.

Cari pushes off the glass, and my heart clenches at the distance she puts between us. I can feel the anger rolling off of her just as well as I can feel her confusion, her worry. I want to call to her, want to beg her to not go.

To choose me.

To stay with me.

To know me.

But those fantasies are reserved for true heroes, like my brothers. Not for villains like me.

“So,” Cari says, her voice strong and calm, not showing a hint of the chaos I can feel crashing down our bond. “What are we doing today?” She links one arm through Steel’s, then Tor’s, the motion effortless.

My heart plummets into my stomach.

No one has ever so easily touched me, trusted me.

Tor lets out a bellowing laugh, patting Cari’s arm as they guide her away from my cage. “Well played, little wife,” Tor says. “Well played.”

            I step backward until I fall into the chair again, my shadows curling around me, blotting out the sight of a bright and beautiful future…

            One that’s not meant for me.