34. Revenge Could Be Fun
Revenge Could Be Fun
Eamon
"Is she ready to wake up yet?" I ask the question I've barraged the doctor with every single day since we got Isla out of that fucking place.
"Vitals look good. Herbodyisn't rejecting the blood. The wounds have started closing and show no sign of infection." He looks over the chart before looking at me again, "I do think it's time, but it'll happen slowly."
I know this guy is sick of me and my shit, but he's looking over the mostimportantperson in my whole world. Watching them cut her out of that bloody dress and dress her wounds has haunted me since it happened, and Ican't wash those memories clean until I see her as she's meant to be, full of life and brimming with violence.
"So what does slowly mean?"
"It means," he sets the chart down, reaching for Isla's IV, "that we'll stop the propofol, give her fresh fluids, and she'll start to wake up within the next half our or so. But she'll be groggy and in a lot of pain."
Half an hour. Only half an hour and I'll get to see my girl again. I promised her she'd be okay. And she is. But promising that while she was halfway gone already, there's a chance she's been in this coma, having nightmares so deep in her mind even I can't reach them.Sedation does strange things to the human mind, makingit impossible to swim through.But it's almost over, and she'll never be rid of me again.
"What about the others?" I ask.
He grimly smiles, "Most of them were suffering from acute malnutrition, but other than that, they're okay."
42 people.
42 women and children stuck beneath that cabin, half of them convinced they lived there because the world had ended and that was the only safe place. The other half threatened into silence.
The women who knew the truth criedtears of joywhen we arrived, thanking the entire team profusely.
Those who didn't thought us devils come to drag them into the apocalypse. In a sense, I guess they weren't wrong. I can only imagine the kind of damage it must have done to their psyches to realize they were kept prisoner and that their protectors were really their captors.
Some even now refuse to believe it, wishing to stay in their delusions rather than face the reality of the horrors they faced.
I don't blame them, but I do hope they find peace. I've offered all the funding they could ever need for psychiatric and medical assistance, housing, even created new identities for eachof them.
And all the while I've been doing that, I've spent every second wondering when Isla was going to wake up so that 1. she could see all the lives she saved and 2. so I can kick her ass for being so fucking reckless. Again.
"I'll be right back," I tell the doctor. "I need to be here when she wakes up."
And so does someone else.
Walking out of her room and into the common area, I meet the blue eyes of the most furious little thing I've ever seen. I'm not sure Bel will ever forgive me for letting Isla get this close to her demise, but what was I supposed to do? Isla tricked all of us and ran off half-cocked.
"She's going to wake up within the next half hour or so," I announce to the three of them, hoping thatmaybe this willbe the day Bel doesn't scream at me.
It's not.
I can see her big inhale before the shouting begins. Once again, she tells me that all this fucking bullshit I put Isla through to keep her safe failed in the end. That I caused her pain and suffering, basically put her in solitary confinement just to hand her over to the enemy in the end anyway.
She's not wrong.Every single thingshe shouts at me is something I've already thought to myself. Her hatred and fury will never be able to overshadow the self-loathing I've felt over the last few days. Between Isla healing and trying to manage the dozens of people she found, I'm run ragged and can't even bring myself to ask Bel to stop shouting.
The neighbors have complained several times, forcing hotel management to check on us just to be manipulated away by Fritz. And yet, I deserve all of it. I'll take it as long as she needs me to until she can scream at Isla herself.
Finally, she runs out of steam, tears streaming down her face as she stares up at me. At least she didn't throw anything this time. Her coffee mug didn't survive her anger yesterday, another thing I'm definitely to blame for.
She looks at Fritz, then Caspian, before looking back at me. "What will you do once she wakes up?"
A question I've asked myself a million times. I want to drag her back home and lock her up for the foreseeable future, but she's proven that restricting her will only come back to bite me in the ass. I can't tell Bel that I'm 100% going to bond with Isla. That's for Isla to explain, not me. It's no secret to any of them how I feel about her, but she needs to be the one to tell them that she feels the same.
I go with the only thing I do know, "Well, first things first, she has some unfinished business."
"The business down in the basement?" Fritz asks.
"What's down in the basement?" Caspian turns towards his friend. "What did you do?"
"It's nothing, Cas," Fritz pats his shoulder before pulling Bel into his chest, placing his chin atop her head. "Isla's husband is just awaiting his sentencing."
A growl pulls from my chest at that word. I fucking hate it. "Don't call him that."
He starts to smirk before thinking better of it and relaxing his features so I don't pummel him, "Well, I didn't exactly learn his name. Kyle just said 'Take this one' and pointed me at an unconscious man in the back of the van."
Apparently, cocaine and liquor don't lend to driving a snowmobile particularly well. Kyle found him crashed into a tree a little ways down the road, unfortunately still alive, just battered and bruised and very cold.
"Once Isla is feeling better, she'll decide what to do with him." If it were up to me, he'd be dead already. He's a nobody, but even a nobodycan be dangerous if they're convinced they're a somebodyfor long enough. But I don't think Isla would appreciate me taking away her choice on what to do with the man who forcefully put his hands on her and wascertainly going to harm her in many more ways.
"And then?" Bel cuts back in, knowing I'm avoidingthe question ofwhat happens long-term.
If Isla completes the bond, her blood will be thoroughly tainted. Completely ruined for the Sanctus Sculitis's purposes, but if I tell anyone that, it'll get back to her. And I want her to make that choice because it's something she wants, because I'm whatshe wants. Not because she needs to for her own safety. The bonding might not even work if there's any reasoning behind it besides the desire to be with me forever. It's hard to know; magic is such a finicky thing.
"And then she'll do whatever she wants. I think she's proven to all of us that there's no stopping her from doing anything, no matter how hard I try." I shrug, "Maybe she'll stay here."
"You would let her do that?" One of her brows raises in disbelief.
The ideaof itmakes my skin crawl, not just because that would mean seeing awholelot more of Fritz, but having Isla in my space made it feel whole.The emptiness there without her is unbearable. "There's no letting her do anything. She killed four men and freed dozens of their prisoners, she's a force to be reckoned with, one even I can't control."
"All due respect," Caspian clears his throat, "I fear that keeping her here might do more harm than good. How many of their targets do we need in one place?"
A fair point.One that Ican'treally refutewithoutexplaining tothemthat Alastor has defected and is running interference.That's a betrayal I don't think Bel would ever forgive mefor.But he'scurrentlysitting just a few doors down, watching all the channels the Sanctum uses to find people, sending themonwild goose chases with planted evidence I helped him spread.
We are currently safe because of him, and there's no way I can ever give him the credit he deserves, the forgiveness he craves. This helps, but it won't fix the damage he did to Belissenda and Caspian, no matter how many times he saves them now.
"The hope is that having so many of their men disposed of, and one of their... hiding places exposed will occupy their forces for a while." I don't think Bel needs to hear the words breeding grounds in relation tosomewhere they were going to trap her friend, so I have to dance around the harsh truth of what could have happened if things went wrong down there. Shecertainlyknows, but knowing something and saying it out loud are two very different things.
A quiet, pained groan travels from the other room, drawing my attention immediately.
"She's awake."
Bel wastes no time, practically sprinting through the hall to her best friend's bedside. I follow closely behind, needing to get my eyes on a conscious Isla the second I can.
Her eyes slowly flutter open before closing again, her hand pressing against her temple. She opens her mouth to speak but can't make much more than a coughing sound, her throat dry from days withoutanywater.
The doctor steps in, holding a small cupin front ofher and demanding that she drink slowly and try not to speak yet. Her eyes open again, the effects of the drugs still keeping her groggy and heavy-lidded. The small, pitiful sips she takes make my chest constrict. Isla's strength always made her seem larger than life— like not even deathitselfcould take her. And yet, right now, in that bed, she looks sosmalland helpless.
Bel sniffles, reaching out for her hand and grasping it. Fritz drags a chair over, settling Bel into it so she can bring her friend comfort while she comes out of her coma. The doctor continues to slowly help Isla drink, easing her bed slightly upright. Isla can'tseem tofocus on much of anything, her eyes glazed as they float between open and closed.
She mutters something, and while none of us catch it, the hopeful part of me thinks it sounds suspiciously like my name.
"Eamon," shesays it again, her voice little more than a croak. "Where's Eamon?"
I step further into the room, "I'm right here." My voice shakes as I wait for what she'll say next. Will she scream at me for not protecting her? Will she ask about the people she saved?It would bejustlike her to choose this moment to rub it in my face that she was right andsheoutsmarted all of us.
"You still have something you're supposed to tell me," her voice shakes as she teases me and struggles to chuckle afterward.
The whole room looks at me suspiciously, but she ignores every single one of them. Can't believe she's putting me in this position.
"Right now?" I can feel the blush rising on my cheeks, the show of vulnerability she's asking for in front of her friends.I mean,I guessthey're mine too, except Fritz.
"Right now."
I come closer until I'm towering right above her, looking down at this beautiful, battered and bruised woman who changed everything, not just for me but for so many people. The strong-willed,deeplyloyal mortal that loves deeper than should even be possible, loving so thoroughly that she'll sacrifice everything, even her own morality, to protect strangers.
"I love you," I state, choking on the emotion those words bring me. Overwhelming warmth, an ache in my chest at the thought that I was so close to losing her, a blooming promise that no matter what comes next, she's my partner through it all.The good, the bad, the murderous,I'll be hers for as long as this planet exists.
"What? I couldn't quite hear you," she sleepily smiles.
Little shit.
"I love you, Isla. You are my everything." Reaching out, I smooth the hair off her forehead, adoring her more for finding humor and joy in this moment of vulnerability. Being open isn't something to fear with her, but a journey we'll be making together, even when it'sdifficult. "You are the most stubborn person I've ever met and I love you more than I ever thought possible. I love you so much that I have willingly spent the last four days in a hotel suite with Fritz."
"Hey!" the demon in question pipes up from behind me, making Islacrack up in laughter so hardshe starts to cough.
"Isla," I tell her,leaning in to kissher forehead. "Your laughter, your violence, your endless love for those around you, all of those pieces that add up to creating you, I will cherish and protect them forever. Your specific brand of kindness that sometimes feels like a slap across the face and sometimes a balm over a still-healing wound. Nothing will ever stop me from worshipping the ground you walk on."
Admitting what a softie I am in front of these people isn't my idea of a good time, but Isladeserves to be loved loudly, to have her praises shouted out for the whole world to see. I'll spend the rest of time loving her exactly how she deserves to be loved. Proudly.
"Now, my love," I continue, "I need you to start feeling better because I have something down stairs that needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later."
She looks at me suspiciously, "What is it?"
"Your hu—" Fritz starts before I glare at him, making his mouth shut before he can spout that terrible word again.
"Silas."
"I thought he got away," she says, her heart rate picking up in fear. "He's here?"
With a nod, I answer, "Kyle found him. What do you want to do with him?"
"Revenge could be fun!" Fritz pipes up, appearing at my shoulder. "You can come with me and I'll show you my favorite torture method."
Isla rubs her dry, cracking lips together in thought, looking at Fritz, then me. "Do you think keeping him prisoner will get you any useful information?"
I shrug, "Yeah, probably. He's on day four of cocaine withdrawals, I don't think torture will even be necessary. Just a promise of a bump and he'll squeal like a pig. But keeping him alive isn't worth it if it brings you terror just to think of him."
"But killing him accomplishes nothing."
"Making you feel safer isn't nothing. "If I werethinking rationally,I would have sent him off for questioning.But I've never been rational when it comes to Isla, and I don't plan to start now.
She smiles vacantly, "Give him to Kyle. My appetite for violence has been more than sated, I'd rather his suffering be put to good use than just to appease me. Just make sure you get rid of the marriage license."
"Oh, it went in the fire before we even left the cabin," I grimace at the rage I had felt at even having to look at the thing. "And the photos are being scrubbed from every device they're on, if that isn't already finished. There will be no proof of your sham wedding anywhere."
"What about my parents?" she asks.
"I'm sure they're mourning the loss of Silas as we speak."
"Mourning?" her brows furrow, "I thought you said he's alive."
Iblow out a breath, trying not to laugh, "As I said, I got rid of all the evidence of your nuptials, including his ring, but unfortunately, his entire finger came off with it. If they found it, they'll probably assume an animal of some kind tore him apart."
"That's so gross," she laughs, covering her mouth with the hand not nestled into Bel's.
"Soooo... we don't get to torture him?" Fritz pouts, causing laughter to spill out of everyone in the room aside from the doctor, who seems increasingly disturbed by the people in his patient's room.
It's not the first time I've called on Dr. Smith, and it's no secret to him what kind of work I do, but that doesn't mean he likes it or agrees with the darker parts of my business. Shaking off a shudder, he announces that heneeds to gocheck on the remaining patients.
"How many?" Isla grabs the doctor's hand before he walks away, "How many people did we get out?"
"Forty two. And a half." He smiles sadly at her. "You did a very brave thing, and saved a lot of people. But they have a long road of healing ahead of them."
Her eyes start to water, and she nods. She doesn't even have to say it; I know she feels what she did was worth it. Dozens of lives were saved, andcountless generations were pulled from those grisly fates.I don't think it'sthe only placelike that they have, but wars aren't won in one swoop.
Tyrants are chipped away slowly, piece by piece, and withthe help of Alastor, we've taken away their mostpowerful weapon andnowweakened their hopes of growing their ranks. What happens next will be done in the shadows, keeping the public safe from knowledge that would tarnish their faith in good and evil.
"You've given them their lives back, Isla," Fritz tells her, echoing my thoughts. "No matter what happens next, those people get a taste of freedom because of you."
Tears gatherin her eyesas she looks at him, "Thank you."
He'sanannoyinglittle shit, but I guess he's not so bad.
At the end of the day, he's the only one who figured out what was really going on and managed to protect his girl and mine the best waythathe could when it came down to it.And Isla clearly cares for him, so I'll be fucking nice.
Well, I'll try.