My hope that it was only a beating Belanger planned drowns in the tide of rising terror. Even the dreaded fear of enclosure tightening my chest pales into the background. Belanger’s hungry expression leaves no doubt.

He runs his sweaty hand across my pecs. “Nice,” he repeats. “I’m going to enjoy this. Go and lock the door, Collins.” Without taking his eyes or his hand off me, he gives something to the skinny soldier. “And throw this.”

My stomach clenches. Is that the key to the manacles?

Belanger pinches my nipple between his fingers and twists, hard. I bury my cry behind tight lips and jerk violently in the restraints, but there’s no give in the chains and no way to escape his filthy touch.

“Get your cocksucking hands off me, you twisted pervert.”

His chuckle is deep and dirty. “You’re ours now. We’re gonna give the whore what he deserves. You tried to escape, remember? Beat us up. We’ve got bruises.” He stalks around me as he speaks, his eyes tearing strips off my flesh as he ogles my naked body. “That bastard Commander Flanagan doesn’t like it when Blood Servants beat on his Guardians. Doesn’t like it at all. You can kiss your chances of ever getting out of this cage good-bye.”

Vander, standing a few feet away, nods his agreement and snickers. Collins runs back from locking the double doors and joins him. The wolf sits between them, a permanent snarl exposing long canines.

I’m beyond the effect of his words. I don’t know if Flanagan will believe me. He doesn’t trust me, but I can’t deal with that right now. The thud of Belanger dropping to his knees behind me steals my concentration. His stench of stale tobacco smothers my senses. When his dirty hand swipes down my back to the cheeks of my arse, my stomach convulses. I clench tight and struggle in the restraints again. The metal digs into my wrists and ankles, but my efforts are useless. “You sick bastard. I’ll kill you for this.”

I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe the bastard’s going to rape me in front of his men. What kind of place is Flanagan running here? Helpless rage burns through me like bubbling acid. I want to kill something. I want to rip Belanger apart with my teeth and torch every piece of him to a cinder. But I’m helpless. I’ve got no way of stopping this.

Call the Flame to you, precious one.

That stills me. Did I just imagine Prince Alexei’s voice in my head?

Belanger mistakes my sudden stillness for surrender. “Lost your fight? Or have you decided you want a soldier’s cock inside you after all?” I hear the clink of his belt unbuckling.

I can’t do this. I can’t.