Bound By Blood: (The Betrayed Series Book 2)

by Victoria Renteria

  “She’s a strong one, though. Tough as nails. She’s lucky as hell to have a man like you come along and love her as fiercely as you do. I couldn’t have chosen better if I’d have picked myself. Hell, that’s something a parent dreads most of their life: the moment their son or daughter brings home someone. Not knowing if they’re good enough, wondering if I’m going to have to use those special skills I have . . .” He pauses, letting the words hang in the air. After a moment, he chuckles, noticing my wide-eyed stare.

  “Kidding, son. Kidding. As long as you don’t hurt her . . .” Glaring, he points a finger at me.

  “Understood, sir.”

  He smirks at me briefly before his tone becomes serious. “Don’t live with my regrets. Take all of the mistakes you made in the first marriage and learn from them. I’m going to tell you a secret I told Kylee when she was little. Knowledge is power. Use it, allow it to fuel you, and educate you. With it, you can become a formidable force, untouchable. Together, the two of you can be a powerful couple in our world, one to be reckoned with.” He nods, signaling he’s finished.

  Taking a drink, he relaxes into his chair as the waitress comes over to chat with him. Knowledge, power, regret, untouchable, all hefty words that carry weight floating around my skull. Is it feasible? Can I learn from my past mistakes, putting them to use for the better? Or am I doomed to repeat my mistakes and further injure my Goddess? First things first . . . I have to get her back.

  PAIN RICOCHETS THROUGH MY ABDOMEN, tiny lightning bolts zapping my lower belly repeatedly. Hysterically, I inhale, desperate to breathe through the pain as another twinge rips through my belly. Grunting, I roll over to my side, clutching my stomach. Pain . . . there’s so much pain. Why . . . Why am I in so much pain?

  Panting, I try to sit up when another pang hits. My back bows, lifting from the mattress as a low groan is torn from my throat. The agony lasts for what seems like an eternity, one moment rolling into the next. Time stops as my thoughts spin out of control. What’s wrong with me? Something isn’t right.

  Oh God, please let her be okay. I’m not sure when I started calling Violet a her. Oh God. I called her Violet. My chest constricts as a painful tightness cinches my heart. Biting down on my bottom lip, I grip a fist full of the mattress as white-hot shards of vicious agony shred my insides.

  Blowing out a breath, my cheeks huff, panting with each exhale. Bracing myself on my arms, I push myself up one inch at a time. Spots pulse, flashing bright colors that dance before my eyes. Coming to a sitting position, pain rockets through my lower half. Digging my teeth into my lower lip, I fight back the tears choking me. Warmth gushes from between my legs, inundating me with hot sticky fluid.

  Images of what could be happening pulse, flashing boldly through my mind. Holding my breath to avoid the scream of panic I desperately want to let out, I do the unthinkable. Squeezing my eyes shut, I silently offer up a prayer. “Please, God, let her be all right. Don’t take her away from me. She’s all I have left of him.” My whispered plea breaks my voice, cracking in the early morning air.

  With quavering hands, I reach down, hesitantly touching the viscous fluid with my fingertips. First opening one eye then the other, I lean my fingers into the dim light. Gasping, I desperately try inhaling oxygen into my deprived lungs, but it’s no use. The scarlet smudge on the tips of my fingers is too much to bear.

  “No!” The wail I’d fought so hard to keep hidden leaves me without a second thought. My pained cry rouses the girls from their slumber.

  “What is it?” Key’s worried voice whispers. I’m frozen like a block of ice staring at the crimson smudge staining my fingers.

  A shocked gasp echoes from the distance. “Oh no!” Are’s concerned voice breaks into my startled state.

  “Are you all right?” Nari asks, her tone grave as she studies me closely. Fate chooses that moment to intervene, another round of pain rebounding through my lower abdomen. Fiery tendrils swirl, grabbing ahold of my muscles and burning me from the inside out. My head falls back on a silent scream as Nari directs Hye to go for help. Hye runs to the door, banging furiously. With gentle hands, she delicately lays me back onto the mattress. Her eyes meet mine, a sympathetic sadness emanating from her.

  Gritting through the pain, I ask between pants, “H-How b-bad is it?” She’s silent for a moment, searching my eyes as if contemplating whether she should tell me the truth. Not wanting her to lie, I push out on a ragged breath, “P-Please, I need to know.”

  Her voice is grim, her expression grave as she replies, “You’re lying in a pool of your own blood. I-I’m sorry.” Her voice wavers just a bit at the end.

  A broken feeling takes up temporary residence inside of me, dizziness swarming, threatening to consume me. No, I mentally chastise myself. I can’t think this way. For . . . Violet’s sake. The door flies open, my mother charging through the entryway. Her cold eyes find me instantly; shock registers for a moment before she quickly barks out orders.

  “Call the doctor, now! Tell him he has ten minutes to arrive or I will personally see to it that he is cut up into tiny pieces and fed to the dogs. Jeong, carry her into the room down the hall that we use for medical emergencies. And be gentle with her . . . or else.” Her threat hangs in the air, her cold voice echoing off the walls.

  Jeong’s strong grip reaches underneath my frail body, jarring me, causing pain to ripple intensely through my muscles. “Shhh, Agassi, it will be all right,” he croons.

  His voice slithers, descending upon me like snakes in a bottomless pit. The idea makes the nausea in my stomach rise, climbing up into my throat. Clamping my hand over my mouth, I desperately try to quell the queasiness raging within me. My head lolls, rolling to the side as we wander into the room.

  My mother’s voice is rigid as she commands, “Place her there on the table, and do not return until you have the doctor.” Doing as instructed, Jeong places me on the table. The sickness I’d worked so hard to tame rushes to the surface.

  My words are choked out in a rush hardly discernible through my gagging. “I-I’m go-onna be s-sick.”

  My irises dilate, widening in surprise as my mother rushes to my side, bucket in hand. Brushing my hair away from my face, she holds the small tin bucket steady while I vomit the meager contents of my stomach. When the retching subsides, she removes the bucket, placing it on the floor with a thunk. Groaning, I flop onto the crude table, trying to ignore the searing pain in my nether regions.

  “What have you done?” she demands.

  The pupils in my eyes dilate, swallowing up my irises completely. Unease filters into my bloodstream. Unable to form a response to her ridiculous question, I remain silent. Maybe if I look deep enough, peering into the depths, I can see the demon that’s harnessed her soul. Pressure builds behind my eyes, threatening to explode. Finding a spot on the wall, I stare, hell-bent on avoiding her at all costs.

  “For your sake, you better hope you’re not losing my heir.”

  Choking back a sob, I fight the urge to respond. Her heir? Is that all she can think of? What about Violet? She’s my only link to Alex. That beautiful soul created in the heat of passion. The one I’m supposed to care for and nurture for the rest of my life.

  Waves of nausea strike me, charging like a bull on a rampage. I’m finding it more and more of a challenge to ignore the pain and illness ravaging my body. The door to the room creaks open, an older Korean man shuffling in. His face is round with black-framed eyeglasses perched upon his nose. He appears to be haggard and worn as if he’s run ragged. Behind him, Jeong pushes an ultrasound machine into the room.

  Tensing, every muscle goes rigid as I grasp the sides of the table. All of the sudden, fear grips me tightly. I don’t want them to touch me. I’m afraid, deathly afraid, terrified of what they might do to her. I can’t lose her, I don’t want to lose her.

  Shaking my head violently, my words are hysteric. “No! No! Don’t! Don’t come near me!”

  “Be quiet, Ttal,” my mothe
r hisses.

  Pointing in my direction, she gives the doctor his orders. “Check her. Find out what is wrong. Do anything possible to save my heir. Do you understand?” The underlying threat in her voice doesn’t need to be spoken. He nods, shuffling his feet toward the table.

  Violently thrashing, I scream, “NO! DON’T! PLEASE!”

  “Hold her down, now!” my mother shouts to Jeong above my screams.

  Jeong’s impenetrable grasp holds me firmly in place while the doctor un-compassionately inserts the wand into my cervix. I grow still as pain slashes through my midriff, a moan sliding past my lips. A quiet stillness befalls, descending upon the room while the doctor violently shoves the wand left then right. Over and over he continues his assault on me while pressing down on my belly, feeling for something, anything. The agony is increasing with each moment that passes, transforming from pain to a sadistic form of torture. Focusing on the wild breaths sawing in and out of my lungs, I count them one at a time.

  A wild and unruly need to disappear and pretend this isn’t happening pushes around the edges of my subconscious. It’s no use. It’s not like I could even break away to climb off the table. Fighting back a sob, my eyes land on the doctor removing the wand from my cervix. Bile rushes to the surface when he removes it. The white wand is coated with a red sheen from the tip to mid-center. Oh God. That’s my baby.

  Gagging, I heave large dry spells of air. The doctor’s raspy voice cuts through my gagging. My panic rises with each word he speaks, the dark shadows I once feared nothing compared to this.

  “Her body has rejected the embryo. She is miscarrying. I could not find a heartbeat. What would you like me to do?” He never looks at me or addresses me, only stares into my mother’s dead eyes.

  Her lifeless gaze falls on me as she goes into a fit of rage. “Y-You couldn’t even do this one thing right! The one thing you were born to do, and you cannot even carry it out without screwing it up. What good are you?” The anger raging in her system turns her olive skin a deep shade of pink.

  Breathing heavily, her angry tone cuts deeply as she says, “You aren’t even a woman. You can’t even carry a child properly.” Looking down her nose at me, a maniacal laugh escapes her.

  With laser-like focus, she drills the doctor with her wildly ferocious gaze. “I want you to rip the thing from her body.” Her gaze lands on Jeong, who flinches slightly.

  “When it is finished, throw her in a room by herself. I will break her yet.”

  Spinning, her heels click furiously as she speeds toward the door. Stopping, she turns to face me.

  With features carved from granite and a voice as cold as ice, she says, “You will become pregnant again. I will have an heir, even if I have to treat you like one of those American breeding mares your father used to love so much.” Expelling a breath, her icy stare lands on me. Involuntarily, I shiver.

  “Make no mistake about it, Ttal, it will happen whether you wish it or not. This is my world, and you will never escape.” With her parting words, she exits the room, slamming the door behind her.

  Terror grips me, squeezing the breath from my very lungs. This can’t be happening. It can’t be real. There’s no way my baby isn’t alive and my mother just told them to cut her from my body. With wild beseeching eyes, I stare at the doctor, who’s coming toward me with a speculum. Cringing, I begin struggling and flailing, trying anything to get away.

  The doctors grating voice fills my ears as he says, “Do not move, or it will make it worse when I do the D&C.”

  “P-Please don’t. Please, I beg you. Don’t do it! It’s not necessary.”

  His eyes reach mine and hold a note of understanding, while his voice harshly contradicts them. “It is, Agassi. It is. Now hold still. I would hate for you to be injured during the process.”

  Inserting the speculum, he sprays something cool inside of me. But when I ask what it is, he just ignores me as if I don’t exist. Hot tears emerge, wetting my cheeks as he settles between my thighs. Taking a deep breath, I silently whisper an apology to my unborn child. I’m sorry for putting you through this. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you. But most of all . . . I’m sorry for not being strong enough.

  Gripping the table, my back bows as a primal scream is ripped from my lungs. Razor sharp pains drag along my cervix. It’s as if I can feel him draining the life from inside me, taking her very essence. Every slide of the curette takes a piece of my heart, my soul, along with the embryo of my unborn child. The pain scouring through my body slices my insides to shreds, leaving nothing behind.

  Slash after slash scrapes against my cervix, the pain a never-ending stream of agonizing torture. Tightness constricts, holding my lungs hostage as blackness slowly seeps its way into my vision. As my eyes begin to flutter, succumbing to the blessed numbness, my heart frays, shattering into millions of tiny pieces. I once thought I’d been broken, betrayed by my own blood, but I was wrong. This is so much worse. There is no coming back from this.

  EFFICIENT, THAT’S HOW I LIKE things done. Quick, effective, and efficient. Furrowing my brow, I scowl at Colonel Parker for the third time. This is going to end badly. I can feel it like one of those scabs you pick at so much it festers and becomes infected.

  “This is stupid,” I mutter so only I can hear.

  It’s like watching the A-Team get Hannibal dressed only without all the cool theme music. I always have a plan he says . . . A really stupid one, apparently. He’s bound to be noticed even in that getup. My eyes dart back to the Colonel, perusing the prosthetic mask and makeup being applied. Annoyed, I huff out a breath. All right.

  Maybe not in that getup. Who knew the Colonel was so . . . crafty? Irritation beats at my already frayed edges. It’s still a stupid plan. If he’s recognized, this whole thing could blow up. Sang-Hyun’s our only chance at finding her. He’s my last resort.

  Well, I feel like he’s my last resort. No matter what happens tonight, I’ll never stop. Not until she’s in the safety of my arms again, and once she’s there, she’ll be lucky if I let her leave to go to the bathroom. Growling in frustration, I pace the room. The Colonel looks at me out of the corner of his eye.

  “Stop fretting, everything is going to be fine.” His confident tone does nothing to soothe the beast within.

  “I don’t see how. This plan is risky. What if someone figures out who you are?” I retort. Still pacing, I prowl the space like a caged animal.

  “They won’t. Besides, this is much better than Casa-Noah over there dressing in drag.”

  “Hey! You don’t know what you’re missing. My hot Mexican ass and these sexy legs in a tight skirt . . .” Tossing the Colonel a wink, Noah runs his hands sensually over his body. “Mmm mmm mmm. Finger lickin’ good, Big Daddy P. Finger lickin’ good,” Noah quips, a huge grin slathered on his face.

  Growling, I pound my fist into the coffee table. The frustration that’s been festering since the day she disappeared is bubbling to the top. Sam takes several strides in my direction, his massive frame filling up the space. My chest heaves, each choppy exhale pushing my sternum out further.

  “What!” I snap.

  Sam’s 6’2” frame seems to grow before my eyes, his ebony skin drawing taut as he pulls his arms across his broad chest. Looming over me, he hovers, watching silently as I struggle to regain discipline and control. After a moment of watching me struggle, he says, “You done having your break down, princess?”

  Princess? Did that fucker call me princess? A smile tugs at the corner of Sam’s lips, amusement hidden in the depths of his irises. Running my tongue over my teeth, I take a moment before I respond. “I’m not a princess.”

  Laughter rings out across the room. Deep bellowing laughter, the kind of laughter from a memory you talk about for years to come. One of those rich bonding moments, where memories are made and you can’t help but laugh at it years down the road. Sam’s smile broadens as he raises an eyebrow in my direction.

  “Out of everything I said, princess i
s all you got?”

  Scowling, I cross my arms over my chest. It’s clear I’m pouting like a petulant child from the look on Sam’s face.

  “It’s not all I got,” I reply.

  Sam lets out a chuckle and steps forward, clapping me on the shoulder, his expression growing serious as he says, “AJ, we’ve been friends a long time, man. Hell, you’re my best friend, you know that.” He swallows, taking a moment.

  Sam’s right. We are best friends. Have been since basic training. We’ve been through everything together, and I mean everything . . . and Sam has dealt with some nasty shit.

  Inhaling once, he continues, “I know this is difficult. Hell, you were there for me when . . .” His face contorts, twisting in pain.

  “You don’t have to talk about it, man. I was there. I remember.” My voice is thick with emotion as I stare into my friend’s eyes.

  Nodding, he says, “What I’m saying is, you’ve not been yourself lately. I understand why. I really do, but that’s not who she needs right now . . .” I bristle at his comment, cutting him off before he can finish.

  “What do you mean what she needs right now?” Irritation weaves its way into my tone.

  “Calm down, AJ. Let me finish, man.” Blowing out a breath, he continues. “What I’m trying to say is she doesn’t need this version of you. The man who’s on the verge of losing his sanity . . . the princess losing his shit. She needs the proverbial knight in shining armor.”

  I scoff at his comment. “I am no knight in shining armor, my friend.”

  Sam smiles broadly, his white teeth gleaming against his ebony skin. “No, a knight you are not. A badass motherfucker that will storm the castle and kill every last son of a bitch in there to save the woman he loves . . . now that you are. You’re trained for these situations, but you’re letting emotions guide you. Let me help with that. Lean on me, talk to me. Don’t bottle the shit up, man. I’m your best friend; it’s what I’m here for. Right now, though, put the princess away and bring out the killer. I need the Alpha. I need the death bringer. She needs them. We all do.”