Mated to the Warg (Wargs of the Outland, #1)

Fresh Meat

The hive seemed to shudder, disturbed by something. Guests. Fresh meat. Rowan's mouth went dry at the thought. Both terror and hope zipped up her spine. It was the pack, it had to be!

In an instant, the soldier drones roused from their frozen sates. They scuttled down from the ceiling in droves. There were so many of them. Too many. Hundreds!

How was Rowan going to save Thrax and the others? It seemed impossible. She shrank back behind the rock as vishwa drones swarmed into the tunnels branching out from the throne room. All the exits were seething with hordes of clicking vishwa soldiers. The hive was awake and hungry.

Rowan's eyes darted to Thrax. It was as if he sensed her stare because his head whipped around to her. It was obvious he wanted her to take the chance now, while the queen was shouting orders. To run for the water and get out. There was a perfect beam of light she could run through. Hug the queen's blindspot by cleaving to the light.

He glanced pointedly at the distracted queen and then down to where Rowan could hear the water roaring. He was near the edge and could see what lay in wait for her, even if she couldn't. He gave a commanding nod. Now. His eyes flared. Go!

She felt a punch of urgency in her chest. A shove towards the water. But she shook her head and melted back, ignoring the command he'd thrown down the link. Instead, she pressed her spine against the rocks, her pulse galloping. A moment later, her chance was gone and another wave of vishwa began streaming past her into the tunnel nearby, the one they'd entered through. The nixrath must've been giving off a repelling force because the vishwa seemed to lurch away from her hiding spot as they swept past. It bolstered her.

Rowan sent up a quick prayer to the gods, hoping it was her pack storming the hive. There was no more squall gushing water into the pit traps, as before, to trip the web and throw the hive off kilter. Whoever had tripped the alarm was about to get the full brunt of the hive's force.

"Why are you smiling?" Hessa glared at Thrax.

Though his cock was already beginning to swell with venom, his sharp grin was all fangs, unyielding. "Because you're already dead and you don't even know it."

"Am I?" She stroked Merritt's head some more, cradling him as though he was the egg she'd lost. "Dead?" She glanced around at her few remaining vishwa soldiers, laughing. "I think not, young wargrex."

Now! Rowan commanded herself. It was now or never.

Silently, she wound the chains around her wrist to keep them from clanking, holding the ends in her hands. Then she gripped her mirok dagger tight in her fist, clamped against the snapped iron link. Sucking in a deep breath, she sprinted out from behind the curtain of wet rock. She bolted straight for the queen, mirok dagger poised at the ready. She allowed herself to feel a moment of triumph as she leaped into the air and still the queen seemed unaware. In slow motion, she flew at the queen's unguarded back, light beams streaking in her eyes.

But Hessa whipped around like a snake at the last moment and snatched her from the air by her neck. "What's this? Another fly?"

Rowan gurgled in terror, thrashing in the queen's crushing grip.

As Hessa glared, nose to nose with her, Rowan chanced a side look at Thrax. A mistake she regretted instantly, for the queen took notice.

"Oh!" Hessa crooned, glancing from Thrax's thunderous expression to Rowan and then back again. "How interesting! How delightful." But the vile grin jarred to a wince. She loosed a hiss and snatched her hand back, dropping Rowan as though she'd been burned.

Clicking rang out overhead. As Rowan tried to scramble up, she got a foot in the gut. Pain exploded in her ribs. Then again, this time in her head, as she was kicked towards one of the soldier drones. Thrax roared with fury, but she was shielding her head and couldn't see him.

The drone snatched her up from the ground, hissing in obvious distress as it held her by her chained wrists, as far away from its body as its arms would stretch. Which was a lot. When she kicked out at it, her heel struck it in the groin. It should've laid him low, as it would've done any male, but the creature stood unaffected. Unsurprising because it's drooping cock was in the back. That's why the queen wanted the wargs alive. Even Merritt. Her drones were impotent—moreover, they were her offspring. Hardly males at all. As for Meera and Rowan... well, they were just fodder.

Angry clicking filled the chamber as the soldier drone reached into Rowan's neckline. Out came the rankling nixrath which was promptly tossed out over the water. With a look of woe, Merritt watched his heavy neck chain fly out over the edge. A devouring splash was heard a second later.

Gone. The nixrath was gone. But it'd done some damage before being tossed away. The drone was shrieking, glaring at its singed hand. It looked unsteady and weak, pincers clipping orders at the other drones. A different one scurried over to swap out the one that'd touched the nixrath. The injured one handed her over to the newcomer and wobbled away, pus seeping from its burns.

Rowan clamped her fingers over her thumb ring to hide it, lest it go the way of the chain.

"Is this our stolen wargrix?" Hessa asked Merritt, rocking him lovingly. "No, don't tell me, I already know it is. I only have to look at my Thrax to know."

But Merritt couldn't help himself. "That's her! That's the wargrix! She's the High Lady's daughter, too!"

"Shut up, boy!" Thrax barked, arms flexing with muscle and rage.

Merritt ignored him. "I can tell you anything about them you want to know—I've been to Carthyrk. I can tell you all about his pack!"

"What about your High Lady?" Hessa asked. "Will you aid me past your iron wall? That's what I really want, little prince."

This time Merritt hesitated. "Ah..." His tongue shot out to wet his lips. "Yes," he finally said. A lie. A blatant one at that. Either he was a bad liar, or Rowan's warg senses were honed. Could the queen sense it, too?

"All right, little prince, all right," the queen replied, petting him. Laughing and nuzzling him. "And what shall you have in return for such loyalty?" She walked him around a small section of the chamber as though talking to a beloved child. "How may I reward you?"

"Let me go." Merritt tried to reciprocate her hugs and kisses, but he couldn't hold back the telltale revulsion. "Just let me go and I'll do anything for you."

"As you wish."

"Thank you! Thank you!"

"You're welcome," she said. With that, she chucked him over the edge. The same place she'd had Meera pushed.

Merritt's screaming was ripped short as, with a hard thud, he hit the bottom as Meera had done. Rowan could hear the water surging close by, but there'd been no splash. Just the painful sound of flesh and bone hitting rock bottom. And then Meera's soft voice as she rushed to help a keening Merritt.

"What are you complaining about, my prince?" The queen didn't bother peering down at them. "I let you go, as you requested." She was already heading back to Thrax. But she stopped short, mouth curling. She pinned Rowan with a hungry look. "What shall I do with you, hmm?"

"You already know," said Thrax, his growl raising the hairs on Rowan's neck. "You won't kill her either." He sounded so confident that, for a moment, her heart stilled. A spark of hope.

The queen considered him a moment and then sighed. "You're being such a bore, wargrex." Her finger wagged teasingly. Then she flicked her wrist, dismissing Rowan and the drone who held her. "Fine, fine. Put her with the other two." She glanced at Thrax before amending her order. "But be gentle with this one, my child." The drone nodded and Hessa watched as Rowan was dragged by her chains to where Merritt had just been discarded. "If the wargrex behaves himself," Hessa said, her voice drifting to Rowan, "his wargrix will outlive him." She shrugged, feigning pity. "That is, until it's time for her to nourish the young heirs her mate will give me..." The pity was instantly ruined when she winked at Rowan, crooking her fingers in farewell. "Don't worry, my dear wargrix! You'll see your mate very soon. You can watch me eat him."