Chapter 17 Mercy #3
A muffled scream fell from her lips; he swallowed it, his fingers diving between her thighs.
She came undone in a rush of stuttered moans, and she swore the very air warbled around them, shadows stretching. He didn’t stop. Breathless, she grew lax, letting him work into her body to seek his own release. Her eyes drifted to the side, finding a strange shape on the wall.
A man-like shape.
Rhyden’s hips snapped, bruising her insides.
The silhouette flickered over the wall, a hand reaching out for her.
Fangs teased the thundering pulse point at her neck.
Rin tilted her head to the side, eyes on the shadow as she whispered, "Drink from me."
Rhyden was too undone in his chase for pleasure to focus closely on why Vesperin was so willing to let him drink from her.
She felt like heaven around him, clenching, warm, tight. Fuck.
Rhyden’s nose swept down the side of her neck. The blood racing in her veins roared in his eardrums. He licked the sweat from her neck, hips stilling. He opened his mouth wide. Finally—
His fangs pierced her flesh with a low pop. Her warm, cherry-scented blood filled his mouth in a surge of ecstasy.
As he drank greedily, she clenched around him. Her nails cut into his shoulders, and he fucking loved it. He wished she would scar his physical body forever, something to match the scars she’d left on his Soul.
He could fuck her for eternity, leave her unsatisfied and dripping in his bed, and it still wouldn’t be enough for his revenge.
His senses grew hazy, body languid, unresponsive. He groaned around her neck, realizing his fangs had come free. Red stained the sheets and his mouth and her pale skin.
Rhyden was shoved to the side—too easily, unable to fight it.
His cock slipped out of her, and he groaned, limbs useless, eyes half-lidded.
He blinked blearily, and her face came into view, cheeks flushed, teeth digging into her swollen lower lip.
Her white hair hung over her face as she stared down at him.
"I’m sorry," she said, but the words were too echoey.
"What… did you… do to me?" he slurred.
Vesperin lifted his arms above his head. Something tightened around his wrist. He jolted as panic crept through the daze.
Rope.
"No." Rhyden strained against the bindings. She looped them through the headboard, forcing his arms above his head. "Vesperin! Vesperin, goddamn you for this!" he slurred. "Come here… come to me, Vesperin!"
Her face came back into view. Through the blur of his eyesight, he saw the tears in her eyes.
"I trusted you," Rhyden managed to get out past the numb tingling in his lips. His sluggish mind worked to understand:
She’d done something—taken something—tricked him into drinking from her.
Vesperin’s delicate hand touched his cheek. "This is not betrayal. This is to keep you safe, even if you hate me. I don’t want anyone to get hurt for me, not anymore." She bent down, and he felt her warm, slick lips kiss his temple. "I hope you can forgive me for this," she whispered.
He blinked. Everything went out of focus.
When Rhyden opened his eyes again, he felt a warm sheet being draped over him, and Vesperin stood at the weapons wall, pulling free ammo cartridges.
Blinked again, and she was at the door, staring at him with longing in her eyes, breaking through his drugged haze.
Anger swelled within him.
"When I get my hands on you, you better run."
Rin left Rhyden lying on the bed, tied up, with the sheet draped over his lower half. But the image of his hard length, glistening with her arousal, haunted her as she crept through the dark forest of Nova Zone 21.
The space between her thighs was still sore, sending pleasant aches tingling throughout her body with every move.
She had been worried it would be hard to rediscover that hidden place, where the hangar doors had lain, but not at all—she merely had to follow the armored truck that drove over the rough terrain.
Now, Rin lay in wait, the tree bark rough under her palms, thighs burning as she hugged the large branch she was perched in. Her white hair was in a tight bun, small strands slipping free to brush her cheeks. She bent forward, hidden by the dark canopy, watching the scene below.
Two women exited the vehicle, both dressed in the same dark clothing she’d seen the guards wear.
They walked to a slanted boulder, tall and imposing. Its shape was unnatural, and that fact was only cemented as one of the guards placed a hand on it, revealing a keypad. She typed a code in—it was too far for Rin to make out the numbers—and a small door hissed open.
One guard entered, and the other stalled, as if in thought, patting her chest. Her curse carried up to Rin. "Fuck. I forgot my badge. Go on without me."
"Make it quick, Arya," the other warned. "I’m not going to cover for your ass."
"I know."
The door shut, and the woman—Arya—turned back to the truck, a rifle slung over her back as she walked swiftly. It put her right underneath Rin, where she perched in the tree.
Rin lifted into a crouch, her palms on the bark to keep her balance, then she dropped, tucking her legs.
Rin fell right on top of the woman. The impact jarred her side.
Echogun in hand, Rin twisted it, shoving the muzzle right under the guard’s chin.
She wore a dark cap, concealing her face.
Her green eyes were wide as she stared up at Rin.
"Who the fuck are you?" the guard questioned sharply.
Rin jammed the muzzle hard against her, feeling sickness roil in her gut. If it came down to it, could she shoot?
Her fingers tightened on the grip. No, she would. Because this woman knew exactly what was done here at the lab.
"No one you need to know." Rin reared back her arm and slammed the butt of the gun right into the guard’s temple, knocking her unconscious. In the quiet, she whispered, "But I am sorry."
Rin made quick work of dragging the guard deeper into the woods, tightening the extra ropes she’d stashed in her bag around her arms and legs.
She shoved a wadded-up cloth into her mouth, then wrapped duct tape around her head to keep her silenced.
It was a shit place to leave her—Rin didn’t really have a choice.
She had to get the guard far from the truck to buy time.
The forest air shivered over Rin’s skin as she quickly removed her clothing, swapping it with the guard’s.
Her nipples were pebbled in the night, and the thin fabric of her panties felt nonexistent, still damp from her and Rhyden’s intimacy.
The shadows stretched and yawned. This time, there was no ignoring the shape of a man’s silhouette, reaching for her from between the trees.
Rin paused, one foot raised, poised to step into the stolen cargo pants.
"It’s you again, shadow. Stalking me," she breathed. "What are you?"
The shadow retreated, as if scared, and the world seemed to resume, as if everything had halted in its presence.
Rin shook off her confusion. She had greater things to focus on now.
When she stood dressed in the guard’s clothes—cargo pants, a fitted dark shirt with a vest, military-style boots, and the dark cap—she took the tied-up woman’s weapons, slinging the rifle over her back and tucking her own weapons in the pockets of her pants.
She found a wallet carelessly thrown in the passenger seat of the truck, holding a keycard and a small note with a passcode written on it.
That feeling swept over her again. As if everything was just a little too easy.
Rin released a shaky breath, palms clammy, then she made for the boulder, typing in the passcode. The door clicked open with a low hiss, revealing a dark metal staircase and flickering yellow lights within.
The door shut behind her as she descended.
Adrenaline urged Rin onward, through the dark halls.
She kept her chin low, angled from the cameras she was sure were lining the ceilings.
The stairs had given way to a lone door, which she had swiped her stolen keycard on, allowing it to open.
Then came the long, endless halls. White, pristine tiles reflected the fluorescent lighting on the ceilings. Door after door. Each one windowless, locked. She had no idea where she was going.
The feeling of being the last person alive slammed into her. It was like a ghost town underground.
Her thighs twinged with every step. How long was she going to walk?
A low buzz filled the stretching hall, echoing around her. Rin tensed. In the distance, something grew nearer. Dark and moving. She kept walking, head tilted down and shoulders held back, even though she wanted to cower away—she would not.
The rifle was a comforting weight at her back. But could it really make a difference here? When she had no idea how to get out if cornered?
The thing approached, and she realized it was a small golf cart. A guard, matching uniform to hers, drove it. The back was stacked with crates that rattled. When he was close enough, he called, "Soldier! Name? What are you doing here?"
Sweat dripped down Rin’s back. "Peraz," she called back, still keeping pace. She was grateful that Arya’s last name had been on her keycard.
The cart finally caught up to her, and the brakes squealed. She stared at his shining boots, feeling his eyes bore holes into the top of her cap.
"Peraz?" he questioned, and Rin tensed. Oh god. Did he know her? That would make this a hell of a lot more difficult. "Hop on. I’ll take you to your post. You’re late. You know Ander doesn’t like tardiness."
Rin nodded, walking to the back and perching on the small seat next to the crates, instead of the empty spot at the guard’s side. "Thanks." She pitched her voice lower, in case he recognized a difference.
The golf cart squealed as it was reversed, then turned. The ride was smooth, and the windowless doors passed in a blur. She gripped the handle at her hip, holding on as the speed increased.
"You’re awfully quiet. Are you sure I didn’t piss you off the other day?"