The body she controlled ached with every movement, but she pushed it harder. The weak man taking hit after hit from her had kept her inside the cell of Adelaide’s mind for too long and now she’d get her revenge.
Like a genie in a bottle, she’d been set free.
“Adelaide,” Christian said, blocking another kick to the face. “I know you’re in there. I know you can hear me.”
The monster used the voice hidden from her for years to reply. “She’s gone, Christian. There is no Adelaide. Only me.”
His face sank, his expression clearly showing the fear he’d been trying to keep to himself. “It’s not possible.”
She laughed. “You look scared, my love.” She kicked him in the stomach, taking advantage of his fear as he plummeted to the floor. “And now, I get to have our revenge.” Slipping to her haunches, she gathered the knife Adelaide had brought with her and crawled closer to him.
Christian didn’t back away, his eyes fixed on her. “You don’t want to do this. I can help you.”
A scream penetrated her ears, forcing the monster to drop the knife in surprise. She looked around for the source, her eyes fixing on the cop bleeding heavily onto the maroon carpet. But it hadn’t come from him. The scream had been feminine. No other women occupied the house.
The monster froze, a smile crawling across her face.
Adelaide.
“My, my,” it said to the voice inside. “You’re learning quickly.” A chuckle bubbled at the monster’s lips, but it gasped as a sharp pain behind her eyes nearly blinded her. It seared through her vision, distorting everything in sight as she blinked back the water pooling in them.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
She had control now.
White-hot flames licked against the walls of her skin from inside, pushing the breath from her lungs. “No,” she said, pushing back. “You can’t.” Breathless and amazed at how quickly Adelaide had caught on to what had taken her years to learn, the monster fought against the pull to go back inside her cage.
Another scream ripped itself from her throat as she collapsed onto all fours.
She had only a moment to plead for Christian’s help, but he didn’t move, his expression solemn.
“You have no idea how strong she is,” he whispered.
“I am her!” she growled, her fists clenching tightly. The monster let her fingernails dig into the skin there, hoping against all hope it would distract Adelaide enough to keep her caged. A blazing white light covered her vision and the monster sensed the distraction wouldn’t work.
* * *
Her breathing grew uneven as he looked over to her. Marcus wasn’t sure what the hell had just happened, but he knew enough to realize the fight hadn’t ended.
Adelaide had won.
Pushing himself from the carpet, he winced as the pain in his side nearly brought him to his knees. He’d never been stabbed before and it wasn’t something he ever wanted to experience again. His service weapon was easy to find, and then he pulled out his phone.
He’d have to answer for the damage, but the more he thought about it, Marcus realized he had a lot to answer for.
“Adelaide?” Wren whispered, pushing himself closer to the woman still on all fours trying to catch her breath.
Marcus raised his weapon. “Don’t even think about it, Wren.” He kept his eyes on his opponent, the throbbing in his jaw taking up almost every thought in his mind. His vision started to blur, but he could hold the weapon steady enough until backup arrived. His lungs struggled to work, his muscles aching as he stepped forward. Blood poured over his right hand, but he’d survive.
He moved closer to Adelaide, ready to turn his weapon on her if she decided to do something stupid. He still couldn’t understand how someone so unstable had survived for so long, but it wasn’t his place to judge. He’d only made Taigen a promise to keep her safe.
Marcus stood motionless for another five seconds, reveling in the victory. He’d apprehended Scott’s murderers, however unconventionally. “This one’s for you, buddy,” he whispered to himself and smiled as the mansion’s front doors slammed in, filling the dark hallway with the flashlights of his ATF brothers and sisters.
“Grant! Are you okay, sir?”
Blinding rays of light assaulted his eyes and he raised a hand to decipher which of them had spoken.
“Agent Grant?”
He’d brought his best friend’s murderer to justice, freed a woman of her oppressor and given a father another chance to know his family. He imagined Scott would be pretty damned impressed and smiled at the visualization of the grin the son of a bitch would sport if he’d been alive. He sobered instantly. The memories of his past would always stay with him, but Marcus decided, staring down at Christian Wren, they didn’t have to haunt him. He could make better memories. He could make a better future.
He could do more good.
“I’m fine,” he answered. “You guys are just in time. And it’s Captain Grant.”
* * *
Her breathing and sight had returned to normal as a pair of strong hands ripped her from the floor, forcing her hands around her back to be cuffed.
“Adelaide Banvard, you are under arrest for the murders . . .”
She watched Marcus carefully, taking in his every move as he bent down over Christian’s duffle bag. Her entire world focused on him.
His hands moved slowly as he unzipped one side and then the other, staring down into it for a moment. Adelaide thought she saw relief spread across his face, but she couldn’t be sure as another agent manhandled her, forcing her to look at the floor.
She listened to the sounds around her, knowing the exact moment when the ATF agents wrenched Christian to his feet. A pair of boots entered her vision and she didn’t have to look up to know whom they belonged to.
Marcus didn’t say a word as he lifted her chin with one hand, the ledger clasped in the other.
Through swollen eyelids and blood she met his gaze, unsure how to proceed. Were they enemies now? Would he visit her in prison? Would he think about their time together as much as she would?
“Thank you,” he said, letting his hand fall from her face.
She wasn’t sure what he’d meant, but rough hands pulled her away before she had time to think about it. Pushed out into the warm Los Angeles air, Adelaide inhaled as much as she could, all signs of her monster and anxiety dormant for the time being.
High walls, solitary, more medication. They all waited for her, but she’d learned how to control her monster, giving her a different feeling of release. They’d become one. She’d grown stronger without blood. She’d won.
Truly free.
Adelaide caught one last glimpse of Christian as the agents forced her into the back of the police vehicle, and a smile spread across her face.
* * *
He watched as the secretary rose from her chair in surprise but didn’t slow as she watched him pass her desk.
“You can’t go in there!”
Marcus leveraged his hands against the thick wooden doors and pushed with all the strength he had left. His blood-coated hands left behind wide prints, but he didn’t care.
Time to finish this.
Catching sight of the district attorney at his desk, Marcus moved forward with his heart speeding a mile a minute. “Collin Rutherford, you are under arrest.” He removed his handcuffs from his belt, opening one side as the district attorney stood at the intrusion. He kept his breathing even, but couldn’t really keep the smile off his face as he pushed farther into the office.
“Excuse me? You’re not allowed in here.” Rutherford set his phone back in its cradle as he stood. “Betty! Who is this? How did you get in here?”
Marcus circled around the desk, ignoring the complaints of the now former district attorney and cuffed his hands behind his back. Reading the politician his rights, he carefully shoved Mr. Rutherford toward his office door and into the waiting hands of his team just outsi
de in the foyer.
His eyes connected with Brent, catching the nod of approval his former partner gave him.
Christian Wren’s ledger had given ATF a dirty politician and a corrupt CEO, but more important, gave Marcus the relief he craved.
“We did it,” he whispered toward the ceiling, imagining Scott could hear him now. “We really did it.” He’d closed his case, his best friend’s murderer behind bars. Marcus followed his team to the waiting vehicles with pride, eager for the start of something new as captain of his own ATF team.
Epilogue
For three months, Adelaide had stared at the same spot on the plain white walls of her cell. She wondered if the staff thought white to be comforting or if they had even bothered to make the hospital’s residents feel at home. Lying on the cold concrete, she tracked her heartbeats for hours, counting each rhythm as if her life depended on it.
The drugs they’d injected her with two hours ago would wear off soon, but until then she wouldn’t move, wouldn’t think. With one slip of her thoughts she could provoke the monster who’d never really disappeared, but she’d become strong enough to handle an episode.
She’d made sure of it.
Before she could try to wiggle her way out of the heavy jacket the hospital kept her in, as was her routine, her padded cell door swung inward, squealing in protest.
Time for her medication.
“Ms. Banvard,” the nurse greeted. “You know the drill.” The round woman stepped inside, a plastic tray cradled between both hands. “Now, I don’t want a repeat of this morning, so I brought him.” Nodding her head back toward the door, the nurse continued her routine, setting the tray on the floor and waiting for her charge to do as expected.
Adelaide kept her eyes on the ceiling as a male orderly she’d never met before followed to help keep her under control.
Strong hands wrapped themselves behind her neck and legs, lifting her against a wall of flesh. Placing her faceup on the bed in order to inject her, the orderly let his hands linger for a moment, unclasping one lock on her jacket. She relaxed into the bed, overcome with his scent. A mixture of soap and anesthetic. The smell gave her a sense of déjà vu. She couldn’t place what it reminded her of, but flashes of shooting her brother suddenly filled her mind. That scent . . .
Her eyes darted from the orderly to the nurse, waiting to see what would happen next with this new turn of events. With one clasp loosened, she could take the jacket fully off. She could find a way out, but all too soon the needle bit into her skin and Adelaide’s head felt light, her body buoyant.
Her mind clouded, her senses growing duller with every heartbeat as her body pumped the sedative. She should know that smell. She’d met this man before, but as her vision narrowed, the ice-cold blue eyes staring down at her let her slip further away.
Pulling down his surgical mask before her eyes closed for the next few hours, the orderly winked at her, revealing the brother Adelaide thought she’d never see again.
About the Author
Award-winning author Nichole Severn writes dark paranormal romance and thrilling romantic suspense. She’s the grand prize winner of the 2014 Heart of the West Contest from the Utah Romance Writers of America Chapter and a psychology graduate from Utah Valley University.
Originally from Las Vegas, Nevada where she spent most days at her grandmother’s house watching X-Men, Married with Children and The Simpsons, Nichole migrated to the Salt Lake City valley to live life as a full-time Romance author.
She resides with her very supportive and patient husband, as well as her terrorist of a toddler, in Utah. When she’s not writing, she’s constantly injuring herself running, rock climbing, practicing yoga, and snowboarding.
Nichole can be contacted through her website at www.nicholesevern.com, via email at [email protected], and at Twitter at @nicholesevern or on Facebook.
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