Doc… I can’t let him get to Doc, not in the wounded state he is in. So what if has a swollen head, and other parts of him are rather large and big in size, too...and hold on just a second, why are my thoughts heading right back to the source of all that pleasure he had given me?
I can’t let this man get to Nolan. Period. I need to distract him, buy enough time for Doc to get help or at least rejuvenate his powers. “I’ll come with you.”
He doesn’t slow down.
“I’ll do anything.”
He laughs. The air wheezes between his front teeth, and the sound is horrible. A drop of sweat trails down my spine.
“I’ll…I’ll let you sell me off.”
“Not interested” He tosses his head. “You’re not a virgin, ergo, you lost your value. You don’t mean anything, your death even less.”
My stupid, stupid plan backfired. No, I don’t regret Nolan taking my virginity. It’s just, I need something more to bargain with, I do, but what? “I’ll serve you.”
His steps slow.
“You can fuck me.” No. No. What am I saying? I’d rather kill myself first. “I’ll be your slave.”
He turns to me. “You may have something there…Red?”
I stiffen.
“Isn’t that what your Fae Corps soldier likes to call you?”
“How…how do you know that?” A cold sensation coils in my chest.
“I was just in time to witness that very tender scene between the two of you in the kitchen.”
“You spied on us?” My skin crawls.
“What do you think? He laughs, making that strange rattling sound. Is it the air escaping between his teeth?
The skin across his face stretches. Clearly, the muscles of his face are paralyzed…or he’s had reconstructive surgery done. A whole lot of it. Enough to leach all evidence of emotion. I’d only heard of how the Fae Corps had hurt him, all but burned him alive. Yet here he stands, fully recovered, thanks to his Fae regenerative powers and of course the surgery; which begs the question, why had he decided to leave the gaps in his teeth?
Is it to add to the overall creepiness of his profile? If so, he is succeeding.
“How did you find us?” I frown.
“I followed the trail. You were bait, and so was he.”
“What do you mean?” My stomach churns.
“I kidnapped you to bring the Fae Corps men into my territory where—”
“They are most vulnerable?" My vision wavers and I shake my head to clear it. Focus, focus on his words.
“And then all I had to do was wait for one of them to rescue you, and you played your part beautifully in that, my compliments to you.”
“So you…you let us leave?" No, it can’t be. He’d hurt Doc…hurt but not killed when he could easily have done so.
He tilts his head.
“You allowed him to escape his bonds?”
Boris claps his hands. “Knew you’d figure it out. My aim is never wrong.” He points from his eyes to mine. “Knew you’d come through for me.”
“So you let us go, then gave us time for what…to alert the others to come?” My heart begins to thud.
“I’ll take down half the Fae Corps in one swoop, kill you, then him, then all I have to do is wait for the others to arrive.”
“I won’t let you harm him.” The thought of him getting his hands on Doc while he is still vulnerable sends adrenaline pumping through my blood.
“You and which army?” He tilts his head.
“Someone mention me?”
35
Doc
“Move, Alice.”
Even before the words are out of my mouth, she drops to the floor, and I draw on the last remaining source of telekinetic energy inside me.
Wrong, so wrong. If I do it, I am going to combust. I’ll go into a negative spiral from which recovery will be much longer. I should protect what little of that source still sparks inside of me. But seeing her with him, seeing the man who had kidnapped her, risked her life, not to mention had tried to kill two of my closest friends, sends rage curling over my skin.
My shoulders bunch and my biceps broaden. I pull on the thin stream of telekinetic energy so it sparks my fingertips, drawing it into a ball, and aim it at Boris.
It hits him square in the chest, then dissipates.
The fuck?
He bares his teeth, and his canines grow. He raises his arms, and tendrils of energy curl over his skin, down to his fingertips which glow.
He raises his palms, and a ball of energy forms and rotates. He throws it at me. It slams into my chest, and the vibrations ricochet down my body. My back slams into the ground, and I gasp.
“Nolan.”
I hear her voice from far away. Alice. She’s in danger, and I can’t let him get to her. It’s my fault. I put her in danger. I had turned my back on her, I had all but thrown her out of the house, told her to leave, and she had. And now she is going to die… No. Not as long as I am alive.
Not as long as there is a single breath left in my body.
I am going to kill him first. I stagger to my feet. My muscles protest, my shoulder screams, and my chest aches like its center has been gouged out with a flaming, serrated dagger. “You have to get past me first.”
“Gladly.” Boris widens his stance, then raises his arms, and I rush him.
Muscles straining, adrenaline pumping, I cover the distance so fast that my feet barely touch the ground.
I fling my entire body weight at him…clumsy, clumsy, but whatever. If I have to protect her with every last breath in my body, I will. I crash into him.
The impact careens us down the slope, across the bushes, and over boulders that tear at my back. We hit the bottom and jolt to a stop.
I try to rise and find my body doesn’t cooperate. When I crack open my eyes, the world spins.
Darkness rushes up to greet me. I push it away and look up to find Boris standing over me.
“You are going to die knowing I am going to take her sweet cunt. I am going to fuck her again and again, and when I am done with her, I am going to kill her.”
“No.” I rasp and shove my elbows into the mud for leverage. I manage to lift my shoulders off of the ground.
He smashes his foot down on my rib cage. White-hot agony spears through my chest and the mating bond screams in pain. No.
“Alice.” I form her name on my lips, but no words come out.
I grab hold of his ankle and shove. My muscles flex, my biceps bunch, but he doesn't move. No, no, no. I growl, and the bastard smiles.
“Sweet. The Fae have defeated me twice. This time I will have my revenge.”
He steps up, putting the entire weight of his body on my chest, and I can’t breathe. Can’t do anything but shudder as I feel the blood drain out. My life. My heart. Her. I can’t save her. I will never forgive myself.
“Alice.” Her name rips from my throat.
Boris’ lips twists. He brings down his other foot, and the world goes dark.
When I come to, the first thing I feel is…nothing. I am a disembodied spirit floating, untethered. It’s like I am staring down at my body, watching Boris turn away and stride to Alice and grab her. She struggles, and he slaps her. Her body shakes, and the impact almost floors her. No, I can’t let him hurt her.
I press up with my arms, only to fall back. Sweat pours down my back. My legs tremble.
“Alice.” I say her name on a breath, but she doesn’t hear it.
She kicks out, and manages to catch Boris in the groin.
Boris’ shoulders bunch. He snarls, then grabs her neck and lifts her off of the ground.
Her legs flail, she grabs his arm, and he shakes her.
Her entire body shudders. He brings her close, then licks her cheek. Anger sweeps over me. My muscles coil, my breathing grows harsh. Blood pumps at my temples, and I straighten to a sitting position. But Boris doesn’t notice.
“I am going to fuck you, little human, and then I
am going to kill you.”
The air around me thins, all of the oxygen seems to be sucked out, and the energy flows up his body, swooping over both of them as he teleports.
Rising to my feet, I lurch forward. If I can make it to the teleportation channel, I can follow them. I must. I reach for them and grab at empty air.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” The scream rips out of me, my legs tremble, and I fall to my knees. Liquid flows down my cheeks. I touch my face and find it is wet. Tears? How strange. I’ve never cried before.
Not when I’d heard my father’s confession, and not when I had killed him. Faced with the consequences of my actions, knowing I may have lost her forever, a burning heat floods my chest.
Bloody hell, so pain does serve a different purpose than to forget. It helps to focus. It fuels the need to crush another, blow him to pieces and save her. Get to her.
The burning sensation in my ribcage gushes out, overflowing my cells, my mind. Darkness screams over me, and I reach for it. I couldn’t save her; I deserve to die.
“Doc.”
A touch on my shoulder makes me shudder.
“What happened here, Doc?
I lift my gaze, and Hawke’s worried features fill my sight.
“Alice.” I grip his proffered arm. “He took her, and it’s my fault.”
36
Alice
Taken. Again? Can you believe my sodden luck?
The geometrical designs soar over us, my guts churn, my head spins, then the vortex spits us out. The back of my head hits the hard ground; the dust rears up and slaps my face. I roll over and over, my shoulders hitting the ground, my knees knocking together until I slam into a wall. I lie there, chest heaving, my breathing coming in pants.
“Nolan.” The sound of my own voice jolts through my head, shoving all other thoughts away.
I use the hard stone barrier to struggle upright. My head spins, and my guts heave. The scent of rotting flesh floods over me and I look up to find Boris towering over me.
“What are you going to do to me?”
Wrong question, not one that I should have asked.
It’s only going to help him lay out his intentions. Not that I have been in a situation like this before, but when you are fighting for your life and you see your man…your mate…brought down by this monster, trust me, you don't care anymore. Not for your own life. Not for anything. Nothing except this burning need to get back to him. I bare my teeth at Boris.
He chuckles. “I can’t sell you, so I am just going to keep you here, until the Fae Corps comes for you.”
“They’ll never let you live after this.”
His face darkens, and anger spools off him in dense, grimy waves. “They tried to kill me twice and failed. The Fae Corps is responsible for what I have become, and I won’t stop until they are dead.”
My stomach twists; my chest hurts. The mating bond… I reach down into myself and find…nothing. "What did you do to him?"
Terror grips me, making it difficult to breathe. I spring up and dive toward him. The next moment, I am hurtling back through the air.
My body bends, my neck twists, and then my head connects with the hard stone wall. Pain lances through my skull, down my side. Blackness claws at the edge of my vision; my throat closes. No, I can’t die.
I need to find Nolan. I slump down to the ground and lie there gasping. The tightness in my chest closes in on me, pushing down. My head spins. No. I am not going to give in. I crack my eyes open to find Boris walking away.
“I am tired of being made into a prisoner, you know?” I wheeze.
He doesn’t answer, just pulls open a door.
Another man steps through. He’s tall, almost seven feet. Almost as tall as Doc.
Broad shoulders fill the doorway.
He wears a suit. A suit? White shirt, black jacket, pants that cling to his powerful legs. His face… I gasp in a breath. Strong, square jawline, high cheekbones, pale green eyes that seem familiar. Goosebumps pop on my skin. I know him, but from where?
He saunters over to me, stopping more than five feet away. His gaze rakes over me, but he remains expressionless. His forehead is smooth, yet the muscles of his body are coiled and ready to strike at the first sign of threat. A chill rolls over my skin and I draw in a shaky breath.
This man will not hesitate to kill.
He will not indulge in the kind of histrionics that Boris does. He will simply focus on what needs to be done and not be deterred from his goal.
“So this is her?”
His harsh gravelly voice screams danger. Lethal. I shrink away from him, then almost groan as every muscle in my body protests.
"She's no longer a virgin." Boris steps forward.
I glare at him. Yeah, that’s right, asshole, I gave away the most important part of me to the only man who was worth it.
“This is the human who the Fae Corps will come for." Boris shuffles his feet. "I have no use for her now, so if you want her—”
The man angles a look over his shoulder.
Boris gulps. His cheeks pale. The hell? What kind of hold does this new arrival have over him?
The new arrival squats in front of me, blocking out the sight of Boris.
The stranger drops his gaze and when he meets my eyes something rolls over his face. A low hum swells from his lips, so fine that I almost miss the notes. The sound ebbs and flows, curves and narrows, and wraps around me in a distant memory of home.
The fine hairs on my nape rise.
A memory tugs at my subconscious mind. He can't be my half-brother can he? The boy I'd known had been thin and lanky, he’d had overgrown hair that brushed his shoulders. He’d had kind eyes. The same color as this man's, but there had been so much love, so much life in them. Nothing like the darkness that lurks in the depths of this stranger's eyes. And yet, that subvocal hum, it's how my half-sibling had calmed me and put me to sleep on so many nights, while my mother had been away earning a living.
My heart begins to race.
I open my mouth to ask and he shakes his head.
I bite my lips. I am not sure what his game is but it's clear he's trying to reassure me. I am not sure why but I'll take every break I get.
I force myself to meet his gaze, then lower my head in a nod.
He straightens, then turns and walks toward Boris, his gait casual, steps evenly paced. “She’ll do, to set the plan in motion.”
Plan? What plan?
I gnaw on the inside of my cheek. Best to stay quiet and see how this plays out. Besides, the more intelligence I gather, especially on this stranger, the more I can share with Doc. I rub my chest. He has to live. He will live. Haven't I heard that amongst mated Fae pairs, if one dies the other dies too? And Doc had definitely mated me. He had. The mating cord that had imprinted into my chest was not a lie. Even if I can't feel it right now, I am alive. So he must be.
I cower against the wall, fold into myself, and try to take up as little space as possible.
“That was not our deal.” Boris whines, “I’ve already risked my life twice in trying to lure in the Fae Corps. It’s getting dangerous for me and—”
The stranger moves so fast that, before I can blink, he’s shot out an arm and grabbed Boris by his neck. He lifts Boris off of his feet…and I gasp.
Boris is no light weight, and the stranger did not even pause mid action. He's as strong as the Fae Corps men.
“You will do as I ask.” His voice lowers, so cold, so menacing. Goosebumps dot my skin.
My heart beats faster, and my mouth goes dry. How did he get so strong? Clearly he's stronger than Fae. My brother had been as human as me. But this guy, he's much more than that. He's stronger than anything or anyone I have seen or heard of. Who or what is he? And if he is my brother, how did he get this way? A slave trader? No, that's not possible.
Boris’ arms and legs twitch, and his eyes bulge.
“Do you understand?”
Boris makes a strangling sound.
“Is that a yes?”
Boris jerks his chin.
The stranger who could be my half-brother drops him, and Boris crumples to his knees.
The man brushes his palm against the material of his pants. “Get her cleaned up.”
“But…” Boris gasps. “She’s not a virgin.”
“The clients won't know better."
“And when they find out?" He keeps his gaze lowered.
“I'll kill them before that happens.” He leans forward on the balls of his feet, and Boris winces. His throat moves as he swallows, the stink of ammonia fills the air. The hell? Did Boris piss his pants?
What hold does my half-brother have on him?
“This time we’ll go according to my plan, and no slip-ups.” The stranger fixes his gaze on Boris. “You have one chance left.”
He swivels around and walks toward the exit.
“Gabriel,” Boris calls after him.
My heart lurches. My half-brother's name had been Gabriel. It is him. It has to be.
“What if it doesn’t work?” Boris shifts his weight from foot to foot.
The larger man pauses, then turns to rake his gaze over me before glancing at Boris. “Then you die with her.”
Doc
“I need to go to her.” The words echo around in my head.
Rage tears at my composure, pressing down on my shoulders.
I strike out, but my movements are sluggish. Something…someone is holding me back.
“Let me go.” Fear rips through me; sweat pools in my armpits. I gasp out a breath, and my throat burns. My thigh muscles spasm, and I kick out with a leg and connect with something.
“The fuck, Doc?” A growl rolls through the air.
Despite the anger that laces the tone, I recognize it. My shoulders slump. “Hawke?” I force my eyes open.
Sure enough, the other man cradles his arm and glowers at me.
“Sorry, man, I thought… I thought…” That it was her and he was taking her away…Boris, our asshole former General had kidnapped her again, and I had let it happen.
Seduced by the Fae Page 15
