Unleashed (Unmemorable Series Book 2)

by A. P. Jensen

  “I need you. Can you take it?” he whispered.

  Cain’s hand slipped between her legs. She arched and spread her shaking legs apart in response. With his other hand, Cain undid the belt of her robe and pushed it open to bare her naked body. Cain’s mouth tightened when his hand brushed over a nasty bruise on her abdomen. She latched onto his mouth and brushed her tongue against his.

  “Focus on me,” she breathed.

  “Don’t worry, you’re all I can think about,” he groaned and slid a finger inside of her. “On my way here, all I could think about was doing this.”

  His thumb pressed on her clit and she convulsed around him. Cain gave her a wicked smile as he slid his fingers in and out of her. She tried to relax. She lay back and let him make her wild. It was good she didn’t have a voice. When he brought her to a blinding climax, her mouth was open and gasping, but no sound emerged. Cain crawled up the bed and thrust into her.

  Before he climaxed, he gripped her hair. “Look at me, Raven.”

  Raven forced her fluttering eyelids open and dug her nails into Cain’s back, urging him on. His eyes were nearly blind with need and his anger filled the air.

  “No matter what happens, we stay together, got it?”

  She raked her nails down his back. “Promise. Now, hurry the fuck up.”

  Her demand would have been more impressive if it wasn’t done in a breathy whisper, but she couldn’t do better right now. Cain took her order to heart and brought it home for both of them. He forced her into a second climax that caused her to make embarrassing wheezing sounds. Cain buried himself to the hilt and came inside of her with his blue eyes boring into hers.

  “You’re mine, Raven,” he whispered as her body relaxed and she dropped into unconsciousness.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Raven drifted in murky waters. Pain, despair and exhaustion weighed her down. She didn’t mind the emptiness. When a spear of light pierced through the darkness, she turned her back on it. She didn’t want to know what lay in wait for her in reality. Right now, she didn’t give a fuck. Against her wishes, her surroundings began to lighten and solidify.

  “Are you there?” a young female voice asked.

  Raven stared down at a pair of dirty, ripped jeans and a nasty gash on a thin, tanned arm. It wasn’t hers.

  What’s going on? Raven thought.

  “We don’t have time,” the girl hissed. “Maggie made a scene so they’d take her away and I can use my power to reach you in a dream. It’s been hell. Don’t you ever sleep? I tried to reach Cain, but his shields are too strong. My name’s Delilah. Maggie told me to contact you.”

  Raven’s attention sharpened. You’re with Maggie? She’s okay? They haven’t...?

  “There’s no time,” Delilah interrupted, dirty hands twisting together in her lap. “We’re underground. I don’t know where we are, but we’re alive. There’s five of us here. I don’t know where the others are.”

  Raven tried to align her thoughts, which were scattered and unfocused. Can you estimate how many hours you drove from Texas to where you are now?

  “We didn’t drive. There was a Transporter and they used planes. That’s why Cain won’t be able to track us.” Delilah’s eyes blurred with tears. “I can’t die. I haven’t made out with Brandon yet.”

  Delilah, listen to me, Raven ordered. Do you recognize any of your captors?

  Delilah let out a whimper, but managed to say, “Angel was here for a time. Maggie spit in his face.”

  Raven didn’t know how to react to that. What did he do?

  “He laughed and walked away.”

  Raven felt a trickle of hope. What about you? How are they treating you?

  “One of the guards scares me. He comes down and cuts us when Angel isn’t here. Maggie says you’ll kill him for us.”

  I will, Raven vowed.

  “They keep Maggie with us so we can’t use our powers.”

  Those smart bastards. Can you look around for me, Delilah?

  Delilah raised her head and looked around the basement. There was a naked light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The walls and floor were made of concrete. There was a wooden staircase on the opposite end of the room. Pipes for plumbing lined the walls. Delilah and three others were in a huge cage built out of metal.

  “You have to hurry,” Delilah whispered. “Maggie says Angel’s been planning this for years. He’s coming for you. He needs you for...”

  The door at the top of the staircase opened and the connection with Delilah severed abruptly.

  ***

  Raven lurched up in bed and swung her fist through empty air. She was in her room at the Unmemorable mansion and she was buck naked. She tried to call out for Cain, but her voice was nonexistent. Her sex session with Cain probably burned out her vocal cords. Sleep tugged at her, but she didn’t give into it. Two weeks ago she didn’t believe in magic, but a couple of hours ago she saw a man morph into another person. Raven didn’t question the dream with Delilah, she didn’t dare. She stumbled to the bathroom to get dressed and called out on the telepathic line to her personal group of Unmemorables.

  Does anyone know where Cain is? He was the only one who could confirm if Delilah was real.

  When she walked back into the bedroom, she stopped in surprise when she saw Bones. He was dressed and looked good as new. His eyes narrowed on her throat.

  “I heard I missed some action,” Bones said.

  She resorted to the only method of communication she had. You’re okay?

  Bones gave her a curt nod. “The potion I took did its job.” His eyes narrowed. “Did you have to destroy my car? Shit.”

  She jabbed her finger at him. “I saved your life, asshole!” she tried to say and then remembered Delilah. She waved her hands frantically and hopped from foot to foot as she tried to explain the dream in a soundless whisper. Bones stared at her as if she offered to belly dance for him.

  I think I had a dream about one of the hostages, Raven said telepathically, exasperated. Where’s Cain?

  “They’re in the basement,” Bones said.

  Basement?

  Bones’s mouth twitched. “I heard you called it the dungeon.”

  She flapped her hands at him in a “well, are you gonna take me there or what?” way. Bones shook his head and walked with her to the elevator. The air still smelled like smoke, but it wasn’t as strong. Once they were in the elevator Bones didn’t hit one of the numbers on the keypad. Instead, he typed in a code. The elevator bypassed the first floor and kept sinking. When they passed the foyer, her stomach iced over. The walls were covered in soot, ash and blood. Armed Unmemorables dragged bodies out of the mansion while others cleaned up the mess on the floor. The elevator passed three underground floors before it stopped.

  How many were killed? Raven asked, dreading the answer.

  Bones gave her a strange look. “No one.”

  She stopped in the middle of a black-carpeted hallway. No one? she repeated in disbelief.

  “Unmemorables are bred for war.”

  But I kicked their asses!

  Bones gave a small shrug. “You’re an Unmemorable who has experience in the field.”

  Big Daddy? she asked, remembering him being hit.

  “He’s alive,” Bones said shortly.

  Raven felt tears burn her eyes. Sunshine was Big Daddy’s heart and he was gone. She couldn’t get the terrified look on Sunshine’s face out of her mind. Why hadn’t she listened to him? Was anyone else taken?

  “No.”

  Raven started down the hallway and paused in front of three steel doors with a tiny glass rectangle at the top. Bones gestured to the one on the right. She went on her tiptoes to look inside. The bottom dropped out of her stomach. Big Daddy, Cain, Gerald and Jackie stood in a dimly lit room surrounding a man in chains. The man’s face was so disfigured she couldn’t begin to figure out what he used to look like. What disturbed her the most was the fact that Cain’s hands were swollen and coated with bloo
d. None of the others had participated in making the prisoner look this way. Cain had the sleeves of his peach-colored shirt rolled up on his forearms. Tiny flecks of blood spotted his chest and throat.

  Raven dropped down and yanked on the door. Bones brushed her aside, typed a code into the keypad and pulled it open. The men turned when she walked in. The air down here was cold and the taste of blood and metal permeated her mouth. Cain had an expressionless look on his face that she didn’t like. Big Daddy’s eyes were glazed as he looked through her. Pain zipped through her chest.

  I’m sorry, Raven said telepathically and didn’t know if he was on the same frequency. Either way, Big Daddy didn’t respond. She looked to Jackie who had a somber look on his face.

  “Look who decided to join us,” Gerald drawled.

  Raven ignored him and walked over to Cain. She reached out and grasped his forearm. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a soft hiss of sound. She rolled her eyes and waved one hand at Jackie and Bones.

  I can’t talk so you have to speak for me, Raven ordered.

  “No!” Gerald snapped. “It’s our greatest asset.”

  Raven sent him an impatient look. I think I had a dream about one of the hostages and I need Cain to confirm if it was real or not. If you have a better idea, let me know.

  Gerald folded his arms and mumbled under his breath. She turned to Jackie and said telepathically, Does Maggie have a friend named Delilah who can contact people through dreams?

  Jackie sighed before he repeated the question aloud. Cain’s eyes sharpened and he looked between her and Jackie before he nodded.

  “I know Delilah. How did you know about her power?” Cain asked.

  Delilah connected to me somehow through a dream. The reason you can’t track them is because they used the Transporter and planes. They were in a basement. Delilah doesn’t know where they are. Maggie made a scene so they’d take her away and Delilah could contact me, Raven said quickly.

  Jackie relayed her message and Cain’s eyes speared hers. “Did she tell you anything else?”

  All five of the kids are in the basement. I don’t know where the other hostages are.

  After Jackie repeated what she said, Cain nodded. Raven finally looked down at the man who was shackled by his wrists and ankles to the floor. It looked like a medieval torture chamber. It was clear that the man had been beaten unconscious and Cain had done the honors.

  What’s going on? Raven asked.

  He’s a soldier from the Battalion, Jackie replied silently.

  Did he say anything? Gerald snorted and she turned to him. What?

  “What’s going on?” Cain asked, eyes moving between them suspiciously, not privy to their silent conversation.

  “Cain here does what he does best,” Gerald said.

  She blinked and tried to say, “What?” but it came out like a frog croak.

  “Cain not only puts money in the bank for the Council, he’s also their hit man and interrogator,” Gerald said with sarcastic relish. “Rich sent Cain on Mission Impossible when he sent him after you, but Cain is damn good at what he does. Not only did Cain capture you and make you believe he wants you, he’s also in a position to offer all of us to Rich on a platter.”

  “Shut up, Gerald,” Cain said.

  He remembers...? she began.

  Cain wouldn’t interrogate the prisoner unless he got Pop and Big Daddy’s hair. We all know Cain knows how to get results, Jackie said quietly. Pop hasn’t given his hair to anyone and he’s not happy about it, but he’s desperate. We can’t track Sunshine with Bones unless he’s...

  Raven swallowed hard. Bones couldn’t track Sunshine unless he was dead. Did Cain find out anything?

  Jackie’s face hardened. Yeah. Angel’s using his own Seer, which is why he tried to put Rich out of commission when they attacked in Texas. He would’ve killed Rich if Cain’s dad didn’t get there in time.

  Did he say where they’re holding the hostages? she asked.

  No, this soldier didn’t know about anything besides the Seer . . . and another thing that Pop won’t believe, Jackie said with a sidelong look at Gerald.

  What?

  This soldier claims that Angel’s got an Unmemorable on his payroll, Jackie finished.

  Raven sucked in a breath and a million thoughts rushed through her mind. One of them was the fight she had with Cain on Christmas. Do we know who it is?

  “No Unmemorable would ally themselves with the Battalion,” Gerald snapped out loud.

  Raven glared at him. Apparently, that’s not true.

  “Whoever it is will bleed,” Big Daddy promised.

  Gerald jabbed a finger at her. “You. It’s your fault we’re falling apart at the seams! We were fine for centuries before you showed up.”

  “This has been prophesied,” Cain cut in. “War’s coming and if you don’t want the Battalion to pick you off one by one, you have a decision to make. Angel’s splitting up the hostages and leaving trails all over the continent to send me on wild goose chases. What do you want to do?”

  Jackie and Gerald stared at one another and though she couldn’t hear anything telepathically, she knew they were having an argument. Both of their faces were strained.

  “If that’s what we have to do, do it,” Big Daddy said.

  Gerald looked at his brother and there was more communication Raven wasn’t privy to. After a few moments, Big Daddy shook his head and his red-rimmed eyes burned.

  “You get my boy back,” Big Daddy said. “I don’t care what we have to do.”

  Gerald was silent for a moment before he looked at Cain and nodded. “Make the call.”

  Cain herded Raven to the side. She was very aware of the fact that he didn’t touch her with his bloody hands.

  “You’ve been communicating with them telepathically since Utah, haven’t you?” Cain asked.

  Raven shrugged. She didn’t want to let the Unmemorables down by revealing their biggest secret. Now it didn’t matter. Things had changed. She searched his face, trying to piece together her Cain with the hit man/interrogator standing before her. Cain glanced at Jackie.

  “Get her out of here. She needs sleep before they get here,” Cain said.

  Raven opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but Bones and Jackie shuffled her out the door. She dug her heels in a bit too late. Before she could protest, they were back in the hallway. She stomped her foot and waved her hands.

  What’s going on? Raven asked.

  “Council’s coming,” Bones said.

  Her mouth dropped. Oh, fuck.

  “Yeah,” Jackie said grimly. “You need to be at full strength when they get here. Let’s go.”

  Raven went on tiptoes to look into the other room. It was brightly lit, unlike the dark one where the Battalion prisoner was being interrogated. This room had five holding cells with a urinal, cot and sink. Belle was huddled on one of the cots. When Raven pointed to the keypad to go in, Bones shook his head and grabbed her arm.

  “We have a lot of work to do before the Council gets here,” Bones said as he marched her down the hallway. “She’s fine. Doc’s seen to her wound even though he bitched the whole time.”

  Why is the Council coming? Raven asked as Bones pushed her into the elevator and pushed the button for the fifth floor.

  “Rich is alive. Pop’s hoping he’s recovered enough to See where the hostages are, but they have to negotiate first,” Jackie said.

  Negotiate what?

  “A truce.”

  She rubbed a hand over her face. Why is everything so complicated in this world?

  Neither answered her. When they passed the foyer again, she pointed to the guys urgently and put up a hand to tell Bones to stop the elevator.

  Jackie shook his head. “We’re cleaning in shifts. Maybe after you’ve slept you can help.”

  She gave him a shove and wagged her finger in his face.

  “You should have your voice back already and you don’t,” Jackie said calm
ly. “Doc says you have a fractured larynx.”

  I want to help. This is my fault!

  “It’s not your fault,” Bones said firmly. “An Unmemorable led Angel’s men here. You have nothing to do with that.”

  Even though Raven didn’t have a voice, she opened her mouth to protest as they ushered her to her room.

  “You think they didn’t see how hard you fought for Sunshine? It was clear the Battalion was focused on you. We couldn’t get to you and we didn’t need to since you went postal,” Jackie said.

  Raven sat when they backed her up to the bed.

  Jackie glanced at Bones. “You should’ve seen her. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen. She just let herself go.”

  “Unleashed Clarity,” Bones said with a nod.

  “You turned into a killing machine. None of us got too close. We weren’t even sure you’d recognize us since you were so far gone,” Jackie said.

  Raven rubbed a hand over her face and tried to hide the fact that it shook. I don’t want to talk about that.

  “Seriously, if you and Cain ever had a kid, he’d be The Terminator. It would be awesome,” Jackie said.

  Kid? Oh. My. God. Okay, I want to sleep. Go away.

  Jackie and Bones stared at her and then Bones’s mouth twitched.

  “She’s freaked about Cain,” Bones said.

  No, I’m not!

  “She is,” Jackie said with a reluctant grin. “She can kill like a Ninja and she’s freaked about a relationship. She’s totally an Unmemorable.”

  Get out!

  “We’ll let Cain know you’re ready,” Jackie said and pointed to his left ring finger. “I’m sure he’ll be stoked.”

  Don’t you dare! she shrieked as they ran out the door, chuckling. If he even mentions marriage or kids, you better hide because you’ll be singing a cappella for the rest of your life!