Dark Lessons

by Julia Sykes

  Natalie.

  I shoved off Sam and started sprinting toward the sound.

  “Wait!” I was vaguely aware of her calling after me. “You don’t even have a gun. Jason!”

  A second scream tore through me, closer this time. I reached the end of the long corridor and flung my body against the metal door that separated me from her. This one wasn’t locked, and it swung open easily, banging against the wall as I burst into the room.

  I paused for one moment of absolute horror. My sweet kitten was naked, strapped down, her legs spread wide. And Alex was beside her, his hand pumping his limp dick as blood ran down his face.

  An inhuman, feral sound ripped up my throat, and I launched myself at the fucker who had hurt Natalie. He turned just before I collided with him, his eyes widening in shock as I took him down. I didn’t give him a second to recover. There were so many more efficient, less messy ways to kill a man.

  Alex didn’t deserve any of them.

  I pulled my fist back and smashed it into his jaw, enjoying the feeling of the bones crunching as ruby droplets sprayed from his lips. I took another shot from the opposite side, ensuring he’d never open his mouth again.

  He coughed and spluttered, his hands groping at me in blind pain.

  I wasn’t nearly satisfied. I reached between us and grabbed his balls. I dug my fingers in, pulled, ripped. Dark pleasure flooded me when I felt something rupture. He screamed.

  Natalie’s ragged cry tore my attention from him. I stood immediately, going to her.

  I was vaguely aware of the sound of a man choking on his own blood beneath me, but I only had eyes for Natalie. Her beautiful face was contorted in pain, her body slick with sweat.

  “I’m okay,” she said before her back arched on a ragged cry.

  I cupped her cheeks with bloody hands. “What’s happening? How do I make it stop?” I ripped away the wires that were stuck to her skin, but still she shuddered and groaned.

  “It’ll pass,” she said through clenched teeth. “I’ll be okay.” Her eyes strayed past me, looking at something behind me. I turned in the direction of her gaze. Her collar lay on a metal table beside where she was restrained.

  I reached for it, my fingers fisting around it. “What can I do?” I asked, helplessness settling over me as she writhed and shuddered. “Backup is on the way. There will be a medic. Just hold on for me.”

  Her fingers splayed out as her wrist jerked against the cuff that held her immobile. “I want it,” she choked out.

  I lifted her collar. “You want this?”

  “Yes,” she said, her voice strained with pain. “Please. Just stay with me.”

  “How do I make the pain stop?” I urged, desperate to end her agony.

  “It will. Eventually. Please…” Her fingers reached toward the collar again.

  “Okay, kitten. Okay.” Wet heat poured down my cheeks as I buckled the slim strip of leather around her neck. I traced the line of it, my thumbs grazing her throat.

  She groaned, a tortured sound that tore at my soul. “Thank you.”

  A long sigh left her chest, and her eyes slid closed. Her body began to convulse.

  “Help!” I cried out brokenly. “I need help in here!”

  People poured into the room, the space suddenly cacophonous. But none of the babble could override the sound of her screams. Medics closed in, pushing me away. I stepped back so they could tend to her, knowing I was powerless to do anything.

  Her tormented cries echoed inside me, tearing at my soul as I sank to the cold floor in despair.

  Chapter 26

  Natalie

  Fear flooded my system as consciousness returned. Not fear for myself, but for him.

  “Jason!” I cried out, jolting awake.

  A strong hand settled on my shoulder, pinning me down. I shrieked and tried to twist away from Alex.

  His fingers tangled in my hair at either side of my head, a tender but firm touch that grounded me.

  “Easy, kitten. I’m right here.”

  My blind panic melted away, and I focused on Jason’s perfect face. His expression was drawn with worry, but he didn’t appear to be in pain.

  I looked around wildly, trying to get my bearings. I lay on a hospital bed in a real hospital. I could hear the bustle of people around us, and the ceilings were white, without any exposed piping.

  “You’re safe,” Jason promised. “He’s dead. I’ve got you.”

  “Alex?” I asked, casting my mind back. “He’s dead?”

  The needle sliding into my arm; Alex’s bloody hand pumping his cock; pain consuming me.

  Jason…

  Jason had burst into the room like a naked god of vengeance, ripping my tormentor apart with his bare hands.

  “You killed him,” I said. It wasn’t a question.

  Jason nodded, his lips twisting with disgust as his eyes clouded over. “They tried to save him, but he didn’t make it. He’ll never hurt you again.”

  I touched his tight jaw. “What’s wrong?”

  He blinked and focused on me again. “Alex was our only lead on Division 9-C, the people who took you from me. Nathaniel and Elena are getting psychiatric care, but they’re in no condition to be answering any questions. They’re still loyal to Alex.” The fine lines around his eyes deepened. “But I had to kill him. I couldn’t let him live. Not after he…” He swallowed hard. “Not after what he did to you.”

  I shuddered. “I didn’t want you to see that,” I said quietly. “I didn’t want you to know.” Something awful occurred to me, and I clutched at his shoulders. “He didn’t hurt you, did he? Before I woke up, did he…” My eyes burned, and I was unable to put into words the horrors that were running through my mind.

  Jason’s fingers stroked through my hair in a reassuring motion, but his muscles remained tense. “He didn’t touch me. But I would have taken the pain a thousand times over if he would have spared you.”

  “He was never going to let me go,” I said. “He would have used me against you. He would have broken you, too.”

  “You’re not broken,” he countered fiercely. “You’re mine, and you’re perfect.”

  I was far from perfect. I was damaged, scarred. But with Jason, I felt whole for the first time in years. I could face anything, as long as he kept me firmly in his protective arms.

  “I’m glad you killed him,” I said softly. “Thank you.”

  He grimaced. “He should have suffered more.”

  I cupped his cheek in my hand, smoothing away the harsh lines around his mouth with my thumb. “He’s gone. That’s all that matters.”

  “But now we can’t find the people he answered to. He couldn’t have been operating on his own, with only you, Nathaniel, Elena, and Trent. There has to be a larger organization behind this. How did they know where to find you when you went out on your test mission? Alex couldn’t have orchestrated all that by himself.”

  “I’m sorry,” I replied, wishing I had answers. I needed them, but not as desperately as Jason seemed to crave them. He wasn’t content with his vengeance on Alex. He wanted to punish everyone who had ripped us away from each other. “I’m sorry I don’t know more,” I continued. “I only ever answered to Alex. He made me think I was working for the greater good. The things I did…” I trailed off. I’d killed people in cold blood, a robotic assassin. How many of them had truly deserved it? And what would Division 9-C have gained from my actions?

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Jason promised me. “Nothing that’s happened is your fault.”

  “I know,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure how I’d cope with the knowledge that I might have been doing evil things for years, but as long as Jason supported me, I could make it through anything.

  That moment, a doctor entered my room. I shrank back at the sight of the white coat, dark memories stirring. I didn’t like being in the sterile environment, barely clothed in my hospital gown.

  “Miss Simmons,” the doctor said with a warm smil
e. It reached his rich brown eyes, but that did little to quell my unease.

  Jason’s fingers closed around mine, squeezing reassuringly. And his other hand continued to pet my hair, tethering me to him in a silent promise that he would take care of me.

  “I’m glad you’re awake,” the doctor continued. “I think you’re ready to move to the psychiatric ward. Considering your trauma, you’ve been recommended for—”

  “No,” Jason growled, his hand tightening on mine. “She’s coming home with me.”

  I clung to him. “Yes,” I agreed. I didn’t want to be locked away again, especially not in a hospital. My skin was beginning to itch with the need to escape into the fresh air, my instincts driving me to seek freedom.

  The doctor hesitated. “I don’t know if that’s best. Miss Simmons is—”

  “Coming home with me,” Jason finished for him, his eyes flashing in warning.

  “Are you family?”

  Jason glowered. “I’m her…” He couldn’t seem to find the right word to describe what we meant to one another. At least, not one the doctor would understand.

  “I’m his,” I said firmly. “I’m going home with Jason. I’ll see a psychologist for private sessions,” I added quickly. “I know I need to work through… everything.”

  The doctor sighed, capitulating. “If it will cause you distress, I won’t force you to stay. I’ll refer you to an excellent psychologist. She can make an appointment for you immediately. I’ll get you her contact details.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  He nodded and left the room to see to the arrangements.

  Jason seemed to forget about him immediately, his bright green eyes fixing on me in wonder. He traced the line of my jaw, my cheekbone.

  “Mine,” he said softly, as though he wasn’t aware he spoke the reverent word aloud.

  I turned my face into his touch, basking in his warm strength. “Yours,” I agreed, kissing his palm.

  He closed the distance between us and captured my lips with his. I opened for him, welcoming him home. Together, we could face anything, overcome all the terrible things that had separated us for all those painful years. Jason belonged with me, and I belonged to him.

  Epilogue

  Jason

  One Week Later

  “Oh darlin’, are you sure you won’t come back home to North Carolina with us?” Natalie’s mom pleaded, lingering at the threshold to my apartment. She seemed reluctant to leave her daughter, as did Natalie’s father, who was still hugging her after a full minute.

  The Simmons had been in Chicago for a week, having flown in as soon as they found out their daughter was alive. They appeared to have aged much more than five years since I’d last seen them at Natalie’s funeral. There had been tears of joy when they reunited, and they couldn’t seem to stop holding their only child, who they’d thought was gone forever.

  Natalie had appeared bewildered by their affection, but by the end of the week, she returned their embraces with equal ferocity. I remembered what she’d told me about her parents being withholding, but that seemed to have changed now that they miraculously had her back in their lives.

  “I’m staying here, Mama,” Natalie said, sounding apologetic but not regretful. “Jason will take care of me.”

  She extricated herself from her father’s embrace and returned to my side. I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her close. Mrs. Simmons studied us for a moment, then nodded her approval.

  “Yes, I think he will,” she said. “But promise you’ll come visit soon. And call us every day. Please, honey. I need to hear your voice.”

  “Of course I’ll call,” Natalie promised. “I love y’all.”

  Her mother approached to plant one final kiss on her daughter’s cheek.

  “We love you too, sweetie,” her father said, his voice thick with emotion. “We’ll talk to you as soon as we get back to Raleigh.”

  “Yes, please call to let me know you got home safe.” Natalie’s accent was more pronounced around her family. It was adorable. And more than a little sexy.

  When her parents finally left, I pulled her against me, holding her tight as I smiled down at her. “Such a sweet Southern belle,” I said. “Why don’t you talk to me like that?”

  She grinned. “I tend to lose most of my accent when I’m not in the South. Why? Do you like it?”

  “I love everything about you,” I said earnestly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting us. “I need to get this,” I said, releasing her reluctantly.

  I glanced at the caller ID, surprised when Dexter Scott’s contact details came up, not Sam’s.

  “What do you want, Scott?” I asked in clipped tones. “Sam was supposed to call with an update hours ago.” I was careful not to mention the name of Natalie’s division aloud. She was aware that Sam was helping me track down the people who had hurt her, but I preferred for her to focus on her therapy, not the investigation. I could handle that for both of us.

  “Sam’s missing,” Dex growled.

  “What?”

  “Are you fucking deaf?” he demanded with uncharacteristic anger. “One of my best friends is missing, and it’s your fault. She was doing off-the-books research for you, and now she’s gone. She hasn’t answered her phone in days.”

  “I talked to her yesterday,” I said, but worry nipped at me. “Maybe she just doesn’t want to talk to you.”

  “I just got to her apartment. She’s not here. Her phone is going straight to voicemail, and she’s not at the office.”

  “Maybe she’s somewhere else,” I countered.

  “You know how she is,” Dex snapped. “She never leaves her apartment unless she’s coming in to work. She’s not the type to socialize.”

  That was true. The little geek preferred to lose herself in online games when she wasn’t working. It wasn’t like her to go out on her own. She was painfully shy around new people. Hell, she was still skittish around me, and I’d known her for years.

  “I’ll try calling her,” I said and hung up on Dex.

  As I found her contact details, I hoped that she was just finally sick of Dex’s painful company and had decided to kick him out of her life. Maybe she was out on a date.

  My gut twisted when the call went straight to voicemail, just as Dex had said. I disconnected and slid my phone back into my pocket.

  “What’s happening?” Natalie asked, her tender touch on my cheek grounding me.

  I kissed her forehead, reassuring her. “Nothing you need to worry about. Sam’s taking a day off, and Dexter can’t deal.” I wished I could be certain of that, but doubt chewed at my insides.

  “Oh,” Natalie sighed in relief. “Okay. She deserves a day off after everything she’s done for me.”

  I nodded, locking my worry away for a moment. I couldn’t leave Natalie to go into the office and check to see if Sam had hidden herself away in the archives or somewhere else obscure. It wasn’t unheard of for her to get so caught up in work that she zoned everything else out. I’d try to call her again in an hour.

  For now, I wasn’t leaving Natalie’s side for anything. Alex might be dead, but she still woke up screaming in the night. She needed me to stay close, to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay. I’d taken an extended leave of absence from work so I could care for her. I’d have quit altogether, but I needed my contacts at the Bureau if I was going to find the people who had kept my kitten from me for five years. Once we had a lead, I’d go back into the field. Until then, I wasn’t letting Natalie out of my sight.

  I sank my fingers into her hair, reveling in the silken feel of it against my skin. I couldn’t bring myself to stop touching her, to stop reassuring myself that she was alive and whole. I had her in my arms, and I’d never allow her to leave them again.

  And she didn’t seem to want to. She leaned into my touch, purring as I massaged her scalp.

  “Sweet kitten,” I mur
mured. “It’s getting late. You should eat something.” Her wellbeing was my top priority, and she seemed to relish when I took care of her as much as I reveled in nurturing her. She needed me, just as I needed her.

  “I’m not hungry,” she said.

  “Kitten,” I said sternly. “You know it’s my job to look after your needs. And you need to eat.”

  Her arms twined around the back of my neck. “That’s not what I need right now. That’s not what I want. I want you, Master.”

  A low groan left my chest. I couldn’t resist her when she molded her soft body against mine and stared up at me with lust in her lovely eyes. The sound of my title on her tongue was painfully sweet. My cock instantly stiffened, aching to get inside her and claim her hard.

  She arched up into me, and I met her halfway, crushing my mouth to hers in a fierce kiss. I’d never get enough of her: her scent, her flavor, her touch. Her love.

  “I love you so much,” I said against her lips, my breath coming fast and my heart racing as though I’d sprinted a mile.

  She smiled against my mouth. “I love you too. Can I have my collar back now?”

  She’d taken it off while her parents visited, and neither of us had liked it. I needed to see it around her throat as badly as she needed to feel it there.

  I reached into my pocket and retrieved the thin strip of leather. With careful, worshipful hands, I buckled it closed at her nape. My forefinger hooked through the silver ring at the front, and I tugged her toward me, capturing her lips again.

  Natalie was all mine, always.

  The End

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