The guard grasped Honor’s arm and tried to take off her sweater. She fought him, and he backhanded her, knocking her to the ground.
Vero helped her up, his pudgy hands warm and gentle. “Fighting only gets you hurt. This will be over soon. Trust me.”
Honor turned her back and changed into the dress, her ears ringing. Her gaze caught on the mating mark on her right hip—a large K with swirling and dangerous looking lines around it. The sight gave her strength and hope. The males exited the door, and it locked loudly on the other side. The general had taken her clothing. Even with the mating mark pulsing on her flesh, she felt vulnerable in the light dress.
And pissed. Seriously pissed.
She turned to look at the women, some of whom appeared as if they hadn’t eaten in a while. “What’s going to happen?” she asked.
A thirty-something brunette with terror in her green eyes approached from the far wall. “I’m Kaisie. We’re not sure, but since there are now one hundred of us, it’s going to happen soon.” She gestured to an older woman with bare, scratched feet. “Jenny?”
Jenny limped toward them. “We’ve tried to get out, but that’s the only door. There are several injured here, and none of us has a weapon. They’ve talked about some sort of circle somewhere, and when they try to move us, we’ll have a chance. It’ll be our only chance.”
Honor tried to dig deep for a courage she wasn’t sure she possessed. “Good.” She’d found the two leaders of the group, apparently. Somebody cried softly in the background, and she could understand. This was terrifying.
Jenny wiped at a scab on her chin. “Some of us haven’t eaten in a few days and lack strength.”
A younger woman, maybe about eighteen, kicked dirt as she walked forward. There were bruises along her neck and shoulders, visible even through the gown. “We’ve tried to fight and we’ve tried to escape.” Tears leaked down her dirty face. “It’s impossible. They’re not even human, so we won’t win. It’s not worth it.”
Honor touched her arm. “I’m sorry about this, but they are going to kill us. The ritual involves one hundred women being killed. So we have nothing to lose.”
The woman just shook her head. “I don’t care.”
“I do,” Honor said, looking around. “Just one more attempt? Please? We have a chance.”
The two women who’d arrived when she had stood and walked toward her. The first one nodded. “We’re in. We can fight.”
There was such a slim chance of survival, but it was all they had. “Okay. Who’s the strongest?” Honor called out. “I figure it’s the newest arrivals. We should go for the strongest guards when they come back, and everyone else run and try to find weapons. Find anything we can use.” She looked at Kaisie. “How long have you been here?”
“At least a month,” Kaisie said, her face pale and her hair dirty in the soft light. “I’m okay to fight, though. No injuries and I really want to hurt somebody.”
Honor patted her arm. “Okay. Do you want to lay out a plan?”
Kaisie sighed, looking exhausted. “My only plan is to fight until I’m dead. Do you have a better idea?”
Honor turned and looked at the women filling the space. “Even though they’re armed, we have greater numbers. Some of us still have strength, so let’s fan out. Everyone who thinks they can fight come forward, anybody who thinks they can run move to the sides, and anybody who’s injured hang back a little.”
Quietly, somberly, the women shuffled into place. Far too many of them were injured. Honor exhaled. “Okay. When those doors open, our only chance is to attack and take them by surprise. Does anybody know how to fly a helicopter?”
A forty-something-year-old woman in the runners’ group raised her hand. She was blond and petite, and her eyes glowed a deep, angry brown. “I’m Alison, and I’m a pilot.”
“Good. We need to clear a path for Alison to get to the helicopters,” Honor said, her chest heating as anxiety flooded her. “If you could get out and find help, we might stand a chance.” Some of them would die fighting. At that realization, her knees nearly gave out, but she hid the terror.
Why hadn’t she told Sam of her feelings?
She threw the thought away, because right now was for survival. “I know you’re tired and scared, but the bottom line is that we don’t have any other options. They are going to try to kill us, so we have to do this now.”
Her feet felt cold and dirty on the ground. She took a deep breath. “I’ll go for the general, and everyone else rush the other soldiers. Somebody should be able to get their hands on a weapon, and then start shooting.”
Kaisie pressed her cracked lips together. “No problem.”
Honor gulped down air. “Shoot to kill. If you’re not willing to shoot, give the gun to someone else. The faster we take them down, the better our chances will be.”
Movement sounded outside the doorway. She stilled and then pivoted, making sure her feet were clear of the long skirt.
A swishing sound echoed through the air.
Kaisie frowned. “What is that?”
The room wavered, and Honor’s vision blurred. Her last thought as she fell to the ground was of Sam’s handsome face. Then, nothing.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Honor was wet. Thunder bellowed and rain slammed the ground outside. Lightning zapped, and the smell of ozone filtered through the air. She seemed to be indoors, though.
She was slumped over her legs, bent at the knees. She blinked several times and then sat up, her brain foggy. “They drugged us?” she slurred. What complete cowards. She tried to focus but the room swam around her.
“Wake up,” Kaisie hissed.
“I’m trying.” Honor struggled, but her knees were hobbled by some odd contraption to the iron-mesh floor. Although the long white gown covered her, the stupid thing was see-through. Blood trickled to the floor on the sides of her legs. The mesh was cutting into her, but she couldn’t move.
“They knocked us out. I don’t know how long we’ve been here,” Kaisie said.
Honor shook her head and finally got the room to clear. They were in a white tent, similar to those used for wedding receptions. She turned and squinted to better study the canvas walls. Except they weren’t canvas. The walls were made of some sort of metal with blades pointing out every inch. Silver, sharp, deadly-looking blades. “Those look sharp,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“When the time comes, those will cut right through us,” Kaisie said, her voice shaking. “I think they’re on some sort of timer.”