“What kind of poltergeist are we talking about?”
Victoria shrugged. “One tied to the building by murder or ritual. Regardless, I want it gone. The building is in my city, and I want it. You’re going to remove the pest for me.”
Being honest was dangerous, but I didn’t see any alternative. “I’m not sure I can help you.”
Victoria didn’t even turn in my direction. “Of course you can.”
With another wave of her hand, the vampires across the room parted. Standing in the middle of them was a terrified girl in torn clothing. She was filthy, her hair matted and her skin covered in smudges of dirt.
“You see”—Victoria snapped her fingers and the men shoved the girl toward the fighting werewolves—“this isn’t open to discussion. There won’t be a negotiation. I tell you what to do, and you do it. You’re in my domain now. What I say goes. And I’m telling you that I have a poltergeist in a building that I want gone, and you are going to remove it for me. Simple as that.”
The only thing powerful enough in that moment to tear my eyes from the bitch beside me was the eerie quiet that settled as the werewolves stopped fighting and turned toward the girl who was shaking violently. Their stances changed, and I watched in horror as they became visibly aroused. Their penises went from flaccid to engorged, jutting from their hairy and odd bodies to the middle of their bellies.
“Look at her.” There was an edge to Victoria’s voice now, an obvious excitement. “She’s petrified.”
Wouldn’t you be? God help me, in another time, another place, I would have vocalized the words. Instead, I thought them, swept up in the wrongness of what I was seeing.
“There’s only one thing that can rip mongrels apart during a blood lust,” Victoria continued. “A female in heat. From my understanding, this is her first.”
Anger melted my restraint. “She’s just a child.”
“No.” Victoria’s cruel laugh made me wish I was powerful enough to shove my fist down her throat. “She’s just a puppy—a dog. You keep forgetting that.”
The men forced the girl toward the werewolves, and the Lycae pounced. She screamed as her clothing was ripped from her body and claws left bloody trails in their wake. A few of the vampires inhaled deeply, scenting the blood in the air. Paine’s touch was no longer tender. Now his fingers pressed almost painfully into my skin, a reminder that under no circumstances should I intervene. Unfortunately, as a victim of the same sort of atrocity in my childhood, I was unable to do so.
I attempted to move from my seat, and Paine’s hand kept me right where I was, applying brutal pressure as his other hand rested on my shoulder. I whipped my head around and glared at him.
“You can’t let them do this.”
Victoria laughed when Paine remained silent. “He can’t do anything to interfere with my wishes. Don’t ask for what he can’t give you. If you’ve not learned anything in your time here, remember the old adage—don’t latch on to a man thinking you can change him or mold him into what you want.”
The werewolves at the girl’s back began ripping at her torn pants, and her terrified screams were too much. I began struggling in my seat, furious and determined to do something, although I had no idea how I could help or what I could do to intervene.
“Your anger tastes delicious, necromancer.” Victoria glanced at me and smiled. “You’d like nothing more than to jump into the ring and stop them, wouldn’t you?”
“What I’d like to do is take the chair I’m sitting on, bash it over your fucking head, and make you eat the metal when I’m finished, you sick bitch,” I snarled, uncaring of what danger waited me.