by Skye Jones
“There’s no one new on the roster.” Taking a walkie talkie out of his pocket, he went to press the button.
Oh, shit.
Not even thinking before I reacted, I spun into him, knocking him with my whole weight and sending him sprawling. The walkie talkie went flying, and I leaped back out of his reach. Then I looked at him, took in his suit, his close cut, neat hair parted to one side. I guessed he was a scientist here, maybe even a doctor. Letting myself think about him, not actively trying to get into his mind but merely wondering about his life, his family, loves, interests; I waited for the moment the earth moved.
It happened much more quickly than before. One moment I’d been letting myself think about him, the next the corridor shunted to one side and I was in his head. At first, I let myself get the feel of him. He didn’t give me a sense of danger the way Slim had. This man wasn’t good though, either. He was cold, calculating, and all about doing the job at hand.
I needed to hurt him, but if he didn’t show me any internal pain how would I? Could I infest his mind with my own pain?
He was going to yank the alarm a few feet down the corridor, and I had to try something. I forced myself to think of the worst of the pain when Slim had been flogging my back and pushed as much of the pain and terror as I could into the man’s mind. He stumbled and fell back toward the wall, dropping his clipboard.
A piercing scream rang out and jolted me out of his mind. I stared in confusion at the red flashing light on the ceiling as an alarm rang out. He hadn’t pulled the cord. Shit, had someone already found the room empty and raised the alarm, or had Slim betrayed me?
Not waiting to find out, I turned tail and ran blindly away from the man still stumbling about against the wall. I had no clue where I was heading, but I was fueled by terror and adrenalin.
I rounded a corner and slammed into something hard and wide. I screamed and tried to wrench myself free as vice-like fingers grasped my upper arms.
“Hey, Milly, calm down.” I recognized the voice. It washed over me deep, rugged, familiar.
My body reacted before I could consciously make a decision, and I stopped struggling.
Jackson.
I looked up into his amber eyes, and he cupped my face. He looked down at me, and his face went rigid.
“They hurt you, like in the dreams.”
My brain started with the itching pain thing, and I didn’t want him to see what Slim had done to me because he would go ape shit and most likely get himself killed starting a war with the Ravens.
Knowing more about how to use my powers, I gave an almighty mental push and forced him out.
Oh, God, I could do it.
I could force someone out of my mind if I wished.
“Don’t. Don’t push me away.” He pulled me to him and his voice cracked, shocking me with the raw emotion it held.
I let out a small sob because it felt so good to be in his arms, but we needed to get out of there. Heavy footsteps echoed behind Jackson, and I pulled away to look behind him.
Doc, Ben, and Alex were running down the corridor, and they had my parents with them. And Tils, thank God.
“We need to go, now.” Doc leaned over when he reached us, braced his hands on his knees, and took in a few big gulps of air. “They’ve all been disabled. Sienna hasn’t got that many people here: her little army of thugs, three doctors, one we can’t find, and two research assistants.”
“Slim fucking hurt her, we need to find him,” Jackson snarled.
“No. He’s long gone,” I said.
“Jack, later. We need to go.” Doc glanced at Alex. “He hasn’t got much time left. Neither do we. I threw a gas cannister into the main room where Sienna, two of the doctors, and a couple of her goons where holed up; right now they’re in agony, eyes streaming. In awhile they’ll be able to come after us, so we need to go.”
I had no idea what time of day or night it was, but if the sun was coming up anytime soon then Alex would be in big trouble.
“Come on.” I pulled at Jackson’s sleeve and gave him an imploring stare, and he began moving.
“What are you guys doing here? How did you know where I was?”
Doc grinned. “That tracking chip came in useful, but Jackson already had information on Sienna and what she was planning.”
“We came to save you,” Ben said.
“Yeah, thanks. But I saved myself,” I told him proudly.
“Yes, you did. Told you there was a strength inside you.” Jackson shot me a grin as we rounded a corner.
“The stairs are this way.” Doc barreled through double doors and into a lobby.
The guys took the stairs two at a time, I stared at them, no strength in me at all, then strong arms lifted me. Jackson carried me as I gave into the shock and shook in his hold.
We burst out the doors into the dark night, but there was a sliver of light on the horizon.
“Shit.” Jackson glanced at the light, frowning.
“Do you think we’ve got time, Alex, or should we hole up somewhere for the night.”
“Way you drive?” Alex laughed. “We’ve got time, but make it speedy.”
A big SUV was parked by the edge of the road, and Jackson opened the back door. He carefully placed me inside as if I were made of china. Doc and Alex opened the passenger door and climbed into the front. My mum and dad got into the last row of seats, with Tils at their feet.
Once we were on the road, the car filled with noisy chatter from the men. It was banter and jokes, all tinged with an edge of relief.
I let the soothing deep bass of their voices rumble through me as I dropped my head on Ben’s shoulder and let myself drift off into a half-waking, half-sleeping doze.
The car jerked to a stop, waking me fully, and I lifted my head.
Outside a dark grey light had begun to fill the sky, evident through the tinted glass windows.
“Shit.” Doc turned around and looked at Alex. “You stay here and cover yourself in my coat. We’ll go open the door and then you can dash inside. It’s not full daylight, sun isn’t up, so it shouldn’t hurt too much.”
Alex nodded and took the coat Doc passed him.
“Let’s go. Quick.” Jackson opened his door, and we did the same. Ben poured out of the car with me on his side. We ran to the house, and Jackson opened the door.
Mum and Dad went in first, and they headed for the living room with Tils. Mum walking to a chair and sitting down heavily.
Doc and Ben dashed back to the car, opened the door where Alex sat and pulled him out, still bundled in Doc’s coat, unable to see. They ran him to the door and pushed him inside, where he stumbled and reached out. I caught his arm but he was much heavier than me, and he took me down to the floor with him in a tangle of limbs.
The door slammed closed behind us and Alex struggled on the floor for a moment to get the coat off him. He threw it to one side, looked at me, and started laughing. Sobering suddenly, he gathered me up in his arms and wrapped himself around me, kissing me hard. Next moment, a hand grabbed me and pulled me up.
Jackson had me on my feet, and Doc reached for Alex.
“Sorry to interrupt, but the sun is about to come up, and you’ll fry if you stay here, Alex. Why don’t we all take this downstairs? Get a cup of tea, or something stronger?” Doc said.
“Best idea you’ve had in ages,” Jackson replied.
I went to the living room door and raced inside where I hugged first Dad and then Mum, and then I sank to the floor and wrapped Tils into my arms.
“Did they hurt you?” I asked.
Mum shook her head. “No, but she’s a nasty woman.”
Indeed.
“Mr. and Mrs. Brown, do you mind if we spend some time with your daughter? We need to… debrief her,” Jackson interrupted.
Mum gave a nod and a wan smile. She looked worn out, pale and shaky.
“Of course. I think I need a stiff drink and a lie down. Do you gentlemen have any brandy or similar?”
“In the study, there’s vodka, Scotch, and brandy,” Doc said.
“We won’t be long. We need to find out what happened to Milly while she was there and make a plan of action moving forward. You two help yourself to anything; there’s turkey in the fridge if Tils needs food.”
Mum gave a soft thank you.
She seemed like a different person. I thought she’d had her own wake-up call when she had to face the horrors of this new world. A pang of sympathy for her tore at my heart. It hurt to face up to a reality you’d been avoiding, but reality was all we had now.
“See you both in a bit,” I said.
I headed into the corridor and shook my head at the guys.
“Debrief?” I asked. “Seriously? You need to come up with better euphemisms than that if my parents are going to be living with us.” I thought that after a soothing bath, maybe some lotion, the men would want to make me theirs again, and though my body hurt I welcomed the idea of it, emotionally at least.
“Erm, it is a debrief. We need to make sure you’re okay and ask a few questions,” Jackson said.
He headed for the stairs to the kitchen and Alex’s realm beyond, and the heavy footfall of feet followed us.
We were all heading to Alex’s quarters, and I wasn’t sure what would happen when we got there.
Chapter Thirteen
Milly: No more pain.
We got into Alex’s living area, and Doc threw on the light switch as Jackson walked me through the lounge to the bedroom. Jackson laid me down on the top of the sheets reverentially.
“Take your top off,” he said, voice serious.
“I want to see how badly you’re hurt,” Jackson clarified, and I flushed not wanting to show him.
“Can I have a drink?” I played for time.
“We will make tea in a minute, Milly, when we’ve looked you over,” Doc said.
Tea? I didn’t want damned tea! I wanted vodka, and maybe some kisses, or more. Despite my physical pain, I wanted to forget.
Slim’s dark past still hovered in my brain, a dank stain depressing me. God, if I couldn’t deal with snippets of it, how did he live with the reality of the whole thing day in and day out? No wonder the dude was fucked up.
Jackson made an up and off gesture with his hand, and I sighed.
I sat and pulled my top off over my head, wincing as the cotton brushed over my sore skin.
“Holy fuck, I’m going to kill that bastard,” Ben growled.
“Not if I get to him first.” Jackson stared at my back, his face thunderous.
Alex pressed a finger to my skin, near one of the sore spots and made a hissing sound under his breath.
“Sienna is dead meat,” Doc said conversationally, as if remarking on the weather. There wasn’t any heat to his pronouncement, and when I glanced at him he was watching Jackson and Ben. I realized then he meant those two would be the ones killing her.
“I don’t want anyone hurt because of me,” I said. “And not if it will disrupt the Resistance and the work they are doing.”
Sienna wasn’t my favorite person, and if I ever saw her again I’d slap her into next week, but I didn’t want her killed. Not least because it would put these men in danger.
“She’s gone off the rails,” Alex said. “I doubt she’s even that focused on her work anymore. She seems to be trying to gain power for herself from what Jackson has learned. Plus, this was personal. She hates you.”
“Why?” I’d guessed as much myself, but didn’t understand why she hated me.
“Because she’s in love with Jackson.” Doc jerked his chin at the big guy.
A hot blade of jealousy tore through me. It was stupid because Jackson clearly didn’t love her. Didn’t even care enough about her not to kill her for harming me. But they’d once shared something, and it had meant a great deal to her. I hated that.
“I don’t want you to kill her.” I looked to Jackson. I didn’t want him entangled with her in any way moving forward. There was a fine line between love and hate. I wanted her out of our lives completely. Not someone we were chasing for revenge.
“Why the fuck not? She put you through hell. If we hadn’t got there, and you hadn’t figured out how to use your power, you might have still been tied to that cross.”
“I don’t want to start a war with other groups. I think we need to focus on trying to get into the network and find the cure. There’s another girl there, like me. More than one, but Sienna mentioned one particular girl who has been helping her. We should find her because she sounds powerful, but other than that, we focus on our own shit and getting that cure. It has to be our goal.”
“Right now, we need to focus on getting your back cleaned up.”
Doc headed into the bathroom and started sliding cabinet doors around. “You got a first aid kit in here, Alex?”
“Yes, of course, because vampires need first aid a lot.” Alex rolled his eyes at me with a smirk.
“Be back in two minutes.” Doc jogged out of the bathroom and through the bedroom before I heard his footsteps on the stairs.
Jackson began to undo my jeans, which he gently pulled down my legs. “Let me see the back of your legs,” he said. His voice was soft, not the usual gruff bass.
I didn’t want to let him see; I wanted it all behind me. To forget about it as soon as I could. Oddly, the thing which disturbed me most in the immediate aftermath was seeing inside Slim’s head. His past was awful and upsetting to witness, and I’d delved right in, immersing myself in it to such an extent it seemed as if it partly happened to me.
Could you get second hand PTSD?
Knowing he wouldn’t let it go, I rolled to my stomach so Jackson could see the back of my legs. He inhaled sharply, but Alex surprised me.
“She’s going to be fine in the long run. No broken skin. These probably won’t bruise as they aren’t deep enough. I think he knows what he’s doing. He’s caused her pain and discomfort, but no physical damage at all, and he’s avoided vital areas around her kidneys.”
Jackson stared at Alex as if he’d grown two heads, and I sat up and drew my knees to my chest, hugging my arms around myself.
“He fucking hit her with a flogger and a crop, and he did it without her permission—no fucking safe word, or consent of any sort. He hurt her. She might not bleed or bruise, but make no mistake—he hurt her, and he’s fucking dead.”
Shit. If Jackson went after Slim, he risked his own life and I didn’t want that.
“I saw inside his head. He didn’t want to harm me, and he thought by teaching me, training me, he’d be helping me when I got shipped down to London to do Sienna’s dirty work.”
“Oh, yeah, he’s a real hero.” Jackson shook his head at me. “Why the hell are you defending him?”
I sighed. “Mainly because I don’t want any more fighting, and I don’t want any of you guys hurt. I’m home now, here, safe. Let’s all focus on staying that way from now on. But also…I know this is messed up but when I got in his head I genuinely felt sorry for him. His mother burned him when he was a babe in arms. She beat him, told him he was dirty and evil. Guy never stood a chance. He should be a serial killing psychopath by now, but he’s not as bad as you think. I don’t like him, and if I ever see him again I’m going to kick him so hard between the legs his balls go back inside. But I don’t want a war. And I can get over what he did to me because he means nothing to me. I can let it go because he doesn’t matter, and you do, and I don’t want any of you hurt. I need you all here with me and safe.
“I know you were protecting me by not talking to me, Jackson,” I told him.
He scrubbed at his jaw. “I should have told you, but… ah shit. Thing is, Milly. Doc found out you probably can’t have kids. The second bloods he ran said the same as the first. We won’t know why or for definite unless we have more advanced tests like scans, which we don’t. But the odds aren’t good. I didn’t know how to say it. Doc either.” He took my hand.
I blinked
hard as those damn tears rose again. Sick and tired of keeping my feelings under wraps, I told him, “I guessed as much, and it hurts, but not as much as I thought it would. I mean, what sort of world is this to bring kids into? If I’d married Blake, we’d have been playing at happy families, and probably at some point it would have all come crashing down. And I’ve got something else in my life now. You guys. I love you. Please don’t go off and do something crazy.”
“What did you say?” He’d gone still as statue.
“I love you. God knows why,” I added with a dramatic eye roll. “Life’s been nothing but drama since you showed up, but… I love you.”
I glanced around the room and as Doc walked back in carrying his bag, I declared. “I love all of you, even though you’re all reprobates of one sort or another.” I tried to take the seriousness out of the moment with humor.
“I love you too,” Jackson said. For once not growling out his words.
“We all do,” Alex added.
“Yeah.” Ben smiled at me and came over to sit behind me, wrapping his arms around me as I hugged myself.
“Why don’t you get some rest, rehydrate, and eat, and then we’ll show you how much we love you?” Jackson said.
“How will you do that?”
“Well, put it this way—if you’re still walking normally afterwards, we haven’t done our job right.”
“So crude!” I slapped his arm.
“But true, baby. So true.”
Doc pulled back the covers, and Ben manhandled me under the sheets. Jackson didn’t surprise me at all when he stripped off his clothes and climbed in with me. He wrapped those big arms of his around me and pulled me in close.
“Get some rest, baby. You’re going to need energy because as soon as you feel up to it, we’re all going to claim you.”
I shivered in anticipation, but as I closed my eyes, my men around me, I couldn’t help the feeling things weren’t over for us yet. Not by a long shot.
This world was crazy, violent, and unpredictable.
I wanted to carve a slice of happiness out amidst the crazy, but the world might not let us.
