by A. D. Ryan
“Do you know why you were there?”
“At first, no. But as time went on, I learned more and more. They experimented on me—on my blood. Bobby seems to think he can blend the races to create some kind of hybrid.”
“Hybrids?” Nick queried. “Why would anyone want that?”
I shrugged. “Think about it, vampires without the restriction of the sun?”
Nick’s eyes widened. “Could they do that? Have they succeeded?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. Bobby said Gianna unlocked the secret. Found the key.” Eyeing me expectantly, Nick waited. “Me. She suspected that the reason none of her trials had been successful was because the DNA of all of the test subjects weren’t cohesive. She figured that because Bobby and I share so many genetic markers due to being related, we’d be the first successful attempt. Bobby planned to test her theory in the first few days I was there, but something stopped him, made him want to wait a few months.”
“What?”
I shrugged. “He never said. He just got this stupid smirk on his face and said they’d experiment and do more testing in the meantime.”
Nick wrapped a hand around one of my wrists and lifted it, taking my hand in his as he used his other hand to brush a fallen strand of my dirty hair from my face. I closed my eyes and breathed him in.
“I am so sorry,” he whispered, leaning forward. “If I’d only been honest—”
Shaking my head, I stopped him. “No. I told you, this is no one’s fault. I went off on my own. I hunted and then heard a girl scream. The second I saw her laying on the ground, I knew it was a trap. I could smell him—Bobby—but I approached her anyway. I should have stayed and talked everything out…but, if I’d have done that, then I never would have found Cordelia.” I smiled and gave a small shrug. “I never used to understand when people would say that everything happens for a reason. Up until now, everything that’s happened has been so awful that there couldn’t possibly be a good enough reason for it, but this? I get it now. This was the reason that everything led up to. It has to be.”
Nick nodded, his expression changing from repentant to happy. “I think you might be right,” he replied, kissing me softly.
Before the kiss could escalate the way it had before our talk, I pulled back. “Would you mind if I showered? As much as I’d like to continue talking about this, I can’t help but think my lack of personal hygiene is a total turn off.” I gave a small, tentative sniff and cringed. “Plus, I still smell a little like the skunk I used as a cover.”
Chuckling, he tilted his head toward the open bathroom door. “Of course. Take your time if you need to. I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”
Once inside the bathroom, I turned to close the door, but my anxiety spiked slightly at the idea of being closed inside a room—even one as spacious and luxurious as this one—so I left it slightly ajar. I stripped the clothes I wore off and tossed them in the wastebasket; I had no use for them after today, and wanted nothing left to remind me of my imprisonment.
Naked, I stood in front of the mirror and took in my reflection. My ribs were showing due to my not eating much over the last couple days, my stomach was slightly distended from what little I had managed to eat, and scars—both new and old—littered my body. The bags under my eyes were prominent, and being held against my will in a mountain fortress did absolutely nothing for my skin and hair. My skin had lost its usual glow, and my hair looked dull and lifeless. I barely even recognized myself.
Stomach rolling with nausea as I replayed the events of my time held captive, I turned away from the mirror and stepped into the shower stall. I headed straight for the waterfall head and turned it on, waiting a couple seconds for the water to warm before stepping beneath the steady flow of water.
After washing my hair and body, I closed my eyes and pressed my hands to the cool tile wall, letting the water flow over my neck and shoulders, wetting my entire body. After days without showering, nothing had ever felt so good. I could practically feel the tension melting away as the water washed it away down the drain. I tried to bury the memory of my time away from the manor for the time being. When it was time to relay the information to Marcus and the rest of the Pack, I would exhume it, but for now I just wanted to focus on the good.
I was home, I reunited Cordelia with her parents, and Nick was just beyond the bathroom door—
I’d barely finished the thought when I heard the door click shut. I pulled out from under the waterfall and whipped around, water flying across the shower stall. My eyes were wide, surprised, and my muscles were tense with fear and preparedness until I saw it was only Nick. I wondered how long I would react to the slightest noise in this way.
His gaze collided with mine as he stepped toward the bathroom stall. He’d shed his clothes already, so he wasted no time before stepping into the shower and approaching me slowly.
My chest rose and fell with each heavy breath I took, and water droplets trickled down my forehead, catching on my eyelashes before dripping onto my cheeks. Nick’s massive strides put him in front of me in no time.
“I’m sorry,” he said, voice low, eyebrows pulled together with genuine remorse. “I know you probably want to be alone, but you’ve been gone for weeks. Even though there was only a door between us, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to see you…feel you.”
Having him so close to me, naked and eyes burning with desire, lit a spark in me. I tried to find the words that could express just how much it meant to me that he was standing there and never gave up hope. The entire time I’d been held captive, I feared I’d never see him again. But there he was. Standing in front of me, fingers delving into my tangled, wet hair, waiting to kiss me.
For now, this was all we needed.
“I don’t want to be alone,” I told him, and with a whimper, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing my lips to his when he leaned forward to meet me halfway. He groaned, encasing my hips in his massive hands and walking me back toward the shower wall. The kiss seemed to last forever. Nick kissed me deeply, his passion and relief almost smothering. My hands slid over his shoulders and down his strong arms until I gripped his wrists, loving that he had come in here after me—like he felt he had to. After everything that had happened—the truth of my attack coming to light, my abduction, and my escape—this was his way of affirming that I was the only thing that mattered to him.
Wanting to keep him close, I thrust my fingers back into his damp hair and held him as I bit his lower lip. He groaned, pulling back just enough to take a breath and kiss his way down my jaw and over the column of my throat. His facial hair tickled more than scratched now that it was longer, opening me up to an entirely new sensation. Slowly, almost torturously, he continued his descent down my body, his hands gliding over my curves—pawing, clutching. Through heavily hooded eyes, I glanced down, watching as he traced each of the scars on my ribs with a fingertip and then kissed them lightly. My skin quivered beneath his lips as he nipped along my hip bones and lingered just below my belly button before standing up again and kissing me deeply.
As the heat between us continued to build, my primal urges took over. My need for Nick consumed me until I pushed against his chest and moved away from the wall with a low growl. My wolf had been forced into submission for weeks, and I could feel her starting to come back from that. She had needs to be met, and those needs just so happened to parallel my own. The loss of control challenged Nick. I sensed his longing to dominate the situation again, but his reservations were noted in the way his hands gently gripped me. He didn’t want to push me beyond whatever limits I might have after everything I’d overcome.
I pushed again, trying to turn us around, but Nick counteracted this with another half step, forcing my back against the wall once more. I interpreted his actions as those of someone who wanted to protect me more than dominate me. He thrust one hand into my hair while the other roughly grabbed my hip, pulling me against him, and I bit his lip. Wh
en he pulled back out of shock, his lips slowly curled up into a mischievous grin as he gripped my upper arms and held me in place. His wolf lay just beneath the surface, too; I could see it in his eyes.
“What are you waiting for?” I demanded coyly.
A low growl escaped Nick as he turned my body around and pressed himself against my back. I moaned every time he shifted against my backside. My body ached for him—needed him. I’d been forced into a weakened state for weeks, and I couldn’t continue to live that way. Not now that I was free.
Nick peppered my neck and shoulder with kisses before biting down. The pain shot down the right side of my body before tapering off into pleasure, my entire body tingling. I placed my palms flat against the wall, bracing myself as Nick adjusted my hips slightly and then eased forward. We groaned in unison, our hips moving awkwardly at first given our positioning as Nick’s arm snaked around my body and between my legs. The sensations that tore through me only increased my cravings. I needed more…
To gain a little more leverage, I pushed against the wall a little harder. I misjudged my own strength when combined with my desperation because the tile cracked and bent inward. I felt bad for about a second before bringing my right hand up and over my shoulder to pull Nick’s face to mine for a kiss.
“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled again, but his words were swallowed up in my anxious lips.
Unsatisfied with our uncoordinated rhythm, Nick grabbed my wrist, pulled away from me, and turned me to face him again. It all happened so quickly, I didn’t have time to pout before he reached forward, cupped my ass, and lifted me off the floor. He pressed my back to the wall again and took me so swiftly, I swear I saw stars and felt fireworks exploding in my veins.
The weight of his body pinned me against the wall. He was solid. Strong. I pressed my hand against his chest, reveling in the rhythm of his swift heartbeat.
I broke away from his lips for a breath so I could get out the words I so desperately needed to say, but he quickly captured my mouth again, his hands gliding down my thighs and pulling me against him again.
My chest heaved as I inhaled deeply, pushing against him. I was acutely aware of every inch of him plastered against me, and every time I said his name, it bounced back at me off the walls, the water falling from the showerhead doing little to drown us out. Nick’s legs began to tire as he worked enthusiastically to bring us both to climax. With one hand on my ass, still holding me up, and my legs wrapped tightly around his hips, Nick placed a hand against the wall to brace himself as his hips moved faster…harder. Feeling my pleasure building steadily, I grabbed his hair and pulled his face to mine, kissing him deeply as he moaned my name against my lips.
My release came first, wave after wave of contentment pouring over me while Nick worked toward his own. Moments later, his hips stilled against me, his legs trembled from exertion, and he groaned with satisfaction as he slowly lowered us both to the floor.
It didn’t matter that the tile floor was slightly cool, I shifted my weight until I was siting next to Nick. Our backs were against the wall, my legs casually draped over his as we caught our breath.
Tilting his head to the left, he rested it against mine and chuckled lazily, his thumb moving back and forth over my hipbone.
“I’m sorry,” he began, his voice still hoarse with lust. “I hadn’t meant for things to escalate that quickly or become that intense.”
I hummed contentedly, a shiver working its way through my body as I recalled the entire scenario again. “Stop apologizing. It was exactly what I needed.” I lifted my head and met his gaze. “What we needed.”
The remorse returned to his expression, and he pushed his long hair out of his face. “I was so scared,” he confessed, his voice fading as he looked away. I studied his profile, noticing the way a muscle feathered his jaw and the amber of his eyes expanded until the blue had been completely overtaken. “After we fought, I wanted to go after you, but figured you just needed some space, so I let you go. After the sun set, and you hadn’t returned, the Pack grew anxious. We tracked you, but only found your clothes and then a pool of your blood around a snare.” His eyes settled on the scar that surrounded my lower leg, and I felt his anger flare.
I shivered at the memory. “You have nothing to feel guilty about.”
“I heard you.” His eyebrows knit together and sorrow registered in his eyes. “I heard you howl, but didn’t think anything of it and just let you go. If I’d have come running…”
I sat up and straddled his thighs. “You couldn’t have known why I was calling out. I get that. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me. I shouldn’t have just walked out like that.”
“You left because I lied to you,” he interjected.
“You lied because you didn’t want to put me through any more stress than I’d already been through. I can understand that.” I paused. “I mean, sure, it took me being captured by my brother and tortured to realize it, but I eventually did,” I said, trying my hand at levity.
Nick wasn’t amused. Thankfully, my stomach growling concerned him more than the events that separated us for the last couple weeks. He stood up and offered me a hand before quickly washing his hair and body. I rinsed off one final time before letting him wrap me in a large, fluffy bathrobe that matched his, and followed him out to our room.
“With almost the entire pack out looking for you, Miranda’s been cooking way too much food—likely with the hopes that we’d all return with you in tow. The fridge is about to burst, so maybe we can put a small dent in all the leftovers before any more of it spoils.” He watched as I dropped the robe and reached into my dresser for a pair of yoga pants and tank top; his forehead creased with concern again as he pulled on his jeans and T-shirt. “You’re too thin.”
“I kept myself from eating much,” I admitted. “They dosed the food with silver to keep us docile. Not eating was the only way I could build the strength to escape.” My voice lowered toward the end; we both knew where I’d learned that little trick, and I hated that it made me even remotely grateful for my experience with Karl.
Nick forced a smile, trying to mask his concern the best he could in the wake of all that had happened. “Well then, let’s get you fed.”
While I knew this was far from over with Bobby still out there, I knew I needed to focus on the present. Nick and I could deal with Bobby and the rest of his vampire coven when the rest of the Pack had returned. Until then, I was going to work on getting myself healthy again. Both physically and mentally.
Chapter14 | shellshock
I stood in front of the open fridge, lifting plastic wrap and tin foil from plates and platters and sampling bites from several different meals. It all tasted so good, and the best part was it was silver-free, so I happily gorged myself on it.
Behind me, Nick chuckled. I looked over my shoulder at him. He was sitting at the island, arms rested on the countertop and hands folded together.
“What?” I asked after swallowing a bite of chicken.
Nick shook his head. “Nothing. I just don’t think I’ve ever seen you this hungry before…not even around the full moon.”
I turned back to the fridge and found some ham. “I’ve never gone this long without eating a full meal before,” I reminded him, piling a few dishes on top of each other and carrying them to the island. I set them down and uncovered each of them. There wasn’t much for vegetables, but cold cooked vegetables didn’t really appeal to me; protein would fill me up and restore my energy.
My body hummed to life as my hunger ebbed, and eventually, I started picking at the food instead of shoveling it into my mouth. Nick was silent, but I could tell he was dying to ask me more about my time away.
“What do you want to know?” I finally asked, feeling a knot form in my stomach.
He shook his head. “It can wait. You don’t need to relive it so soon.”
Sighing, I pushed the almost-empty plate of chicken to the side, a light wave of nausea rolling inside me. Ignori
ng it, I let my adrenaline flow freely as I grew anxious.
“If we’re going to stop them, now is exactly the right time. Everything is still so fresh. Hell, we could be out there right now, retracing my footsteps until we find the compound.” I paused for a moment before pointedly adding, “Which, by the way, is inside a fricken’ mountain.”
With a smirk, Nick stood from his stool and rounded the island. “We’re going to wait,” he told me softly. “Not because I want to, believe me. After seeing what they did to you, I want to rip each and every one of their miserable heads off. We’re waiting because Marcus hasn’t given the order, and I refuse to interrupt him tonight. They just got Cordy back. We need to give them at least tonight.” He lifted a hand and guided a wet strand of hair behind my shoulder, letting his finger trail down my arm. “Besides, Jax hasn’t returned yet. My guess is he’s followed your scent back to the compound, meaning all he’s going to have to do is lead us there as soon as Marcus says so.”
The sensation of his fingers trailing over the skin of my arm caused a fog to form in my head, but that fog cleared the instant I registered what Nick said.
“Wait.” I took a step back to clear my head further. “Jax isn’t home yet?”
Nick shook his head. “I haven’t heard him come home yet, and his scent is only lingering faintly from when we were last home over a week ago.”
“And you’re not freaking the hell out?” I demanded, my voice a little more shrill than I’d intended.
“Brooke, relax,” he said calmly. “We tracked his scent back to where you last saw him. There was nothing there that told us he was in trouble. He does this sort of thing all the time. He’s used to going off on his own to investigate, and he’s more than capable of handling a few vampires. You know that. You’ve seen him in action.”
I believed what Nick was telling me, but there was still this feeling in the pit of my stomach that made me uneasy. It didn’t matter what I told myself, the feeling wouldn’t go away. Only, instead of remaining steady, the feeling swelled until I was covered in a light sheen of sweat and rushing toward the sink to get sick.
