CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Sara
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Tibby howled into the air, jolting me from my relatively dreamless sleep.
The lack of nightmares was almost more disconcerting than the actual nightmares. This time was different. I saw a single figure, over and over. I couldn’t see their face because of a bright light shining behind them. And wings, this thing had wings. They tried to call out to me, but every time I tried to respond, I had no voice.
I rolled over, feeling around the big empty bed. My eyes snapped open suddenly. “Tibby! You’re out of jail!”
She grinned, her eyes crinkling. “Yup. For good behavior. Who knew?”
I laughed, and she fell back onto the pillow next to mine.
I noted the empty room and lack of testosterone. “Where are the guys?”
“Andras went to a cult meeting, the bad kind. Levi went to the firehouse, and Ty is downstairs attempting to make breakfast.”
I laughed, then sighed when I realized she left one name out. “And Dev?”
Tibby shook her head. “Still MIA.”
I should have expected that. “I’m guessing he dumped his phone, or you’d track it.”
She nodded. “He dumped it at the bar. I’m watching the cameras there too, just in case.”
“So what’s the plan for today?” I rolled out of bed, heading for the bathroom to brush out the morning breath and my very fucked hair. My muscles ached, and even the slut between my legs, Miss Mina, was surprisingly quiet this morning.
Tibby followed me into the bathroom, sitting on the edge of the clawfoot tub. “I’ve got footage to go through from last night. I didn’t see anything strange, but after Dev took off I was kind of sidetracked. Oh, and your key thing is missing.”
I spun toward her. “What? How?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know yet. It was locked up with all of Ty’s creepy torture toys and now it’s gone, according to Andras. There are cameras everywhere so it’s gotta be someone from the party working for the bad guys.”
Andras was probably freaking the fuck out. Someone stole from his own home. Maybe the party was a bad idea. I went to the closet and pulled out black leggings and a cozy burgundy sweater. I slipped on a pair of fluffy slippers and followed Tibby to the kitchen.
The scent of sausages wafted through the air, and my mouth watered. We rounded the corner into the kitchen and found Ty at the stove, scrambling eggs. My mouth watered for a whole new reason as I took in his muscular, tattooed back. He wore low-riding, gray sweatpants, and his dirty blond hair hung loose and wavy around his tattooed shoulders. The dark-green, bat-like wings rippled across his broad shoulders as he cooked.
Tibby hopped on a barstool at the island. “Damn, cool wings, Ty.”
I walked around the island to the beautiful, muscled man behind it, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Good morning, monster man,” I murmured, biting his back playfully.
He growled, half turning, and gripped my throat, shoving his tongue into my mouth hungrily.
“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up, pet.” He grinned, looking down my body. “I’m starving.”
“TMI,” Tibby yelled, making me laugh. “Just give me my food so I can eat peacefully in the dungeon.”
Ty chuckled darkly, dragging his hand down to squeeze my ass. He dropped his spatula and gripped my waist, hoisting me up onto the island. “Stay.” He returned to the stove and fixed a plate of food for Tibby, full of cheesy scrambled eggs and round sausages.
Tibby snatched the plate and made gagging sounds as she left the room. “I’ll let you know if I find anything on the camera footage. But later we are having girl time in the theater room with no boys.”
I laughed. “Deal!”
Ty shut off the oven and stalked toward me, placing his hands on either side of the marble countertop and caging me in. “I did not agree to this rule.”
I shoved his chest, but he didn’t budge. “Yeah well, I’m the boss around here, dude. Get used to it. Now gimme my breakfast.”
Ty smirked, his eyes sparkling with the devil’s intent. “Me first.”
He grabbed my legs, hoisting them into the air, and I flew backward. He caught my head just before it slammed on the counter. Then his hands pulled down my leggings, revealing my bare pussy. That horny bitch pulsed as Ty stared greedily between my legs.
“If you insist,” I panted, my hips bucking in his arms as he spread my legs wider.
Ty slid two fingers along my pussy lips and growled his approval. “You’re so fucking wet, little vixen. And all for me.”
I moaned as his fingers dipped inside me so, so slowly. My hips arched off the counter at his touch, and he took advantage of the angle, bringing his mouth down on my clit. All of the blood in my body rushed straight to my core as he licked and sucked the life out of me. His fingers moved faster, deeper. As his teeth grazed my clit, I cried out with pleasure. Ty slipped his fingers out and gripped my thighs as he shoved his tongue inside me. My pussy clamped around it, the orgasm washing through me as I came in his mouth.
“Oh fuck, Ty,” I murmured, my body twitching with happiness.
He licked up my center and gripped my throat, pulling me forward and devouring my moans with his tongue. I sucked his bottom lip into my mouth hungrily, tasting my cum on him.
He pulled away slowly, smirking. “Now what would you like for breakfast, babygirl?”
I grinned. “Eggs and sausage.”
Ty snarled, and I laughed. He brought a plate over to me, and I dug into it. I really was starving, and the food was delicious. Ty brought me a cup of coffee as well, and I moaned happily.
“This is the only way I want to wake up now.”
Ty smirked. “That can be arranged.”
I nodded. “Good. I’ll consider returning the favor.”
His eyebrow arched as he leaned against the counter. “Your sassy little mouth is going to get you in trouble, pet.”
I rolled my eyes. “As if that’s stopped me before.”
A buzzing sound interrupted us, and Andras’s voice crackled across the intercom. “Sounds like someone is looking for punishment.”
I glared up at the cameras. “Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting?”
“Stepped out to make sure you weren’t getting into trouble, sweetheart.”
I smiled, blinking innocently. “Does that mean you don’t think Ty can handle me on his own? Apparently we both need babysitters, monster man.”
Ty growled at the camera. “Fuck off, Andras. I’ll make sure she behaves.”
“Try not to murder each other before I get home.”
The intercom went silent, and Ty turned to me, snatching my almost-empty plate and mug of coffee and dropping them in the sink.
I pouted. “Hey. I wasn’t finished.”
Ty turned away from the sink with handcuffs in one hand and a knife in the other. My eyes went wide, and he smiled, a thing of pure evil. “Run.”
He didn’t need to tell me twice when he looked like that. I leapt off the counter, running for the stairs. I raced up and up to the third floor with Andras’s room. I heard his office door click open and grinned, knowing Tibby was aiding me. I shut the door silently and backed into the closet. My ears strained, listening for footsteps. After about sixty seconds, I got bored and started to snoop. I’d never been in Andras’s office. It was always locked. I couldn’t see any cameras either, which meant he wouldn’t know I was snooping.
The phone on his desk started ringing, and, since I was being nosey, I picked it up.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.” Tibby’s voice was hushed. “Listen, don’t talk. I’ve got eyes on all the guys, and you have a very short window. They have your sister at a warehouse, Sara. I tracked Dev there. They’ve been playing us this whole time.”
My heart seized, and I wanted to scream as her words sank in. “Tibby…What are you saying? Are you sure?”
“I think they’re all in on it to keep you occupied before they take you to their fathers. I caught your sister on a camera from the street corner. It’s her Sara. And Dev went in too. The others aren’t there. Levi is at the firehouse, and Andras hasn’t shown up yet. Get away from Ty and go now.”
I whirled around the room. Andras’s office had a large window, but it would be a long jump. “I can’t get out from here.”
Tibby’s keyboard tapped rapidly before she spoke. “Ty is in the gym. If you can get to the main floor, you can sneak out through the kitchen.”
“What about you?” I whispered urgently. I couldn’t lose her either.
“I’ll sneak out too and grab a car. You get your sister free, and I’ll be right behind you with the getaway car.”
I blew out a breath, my heart cracking and darkness settling in. I didn’t have time to feel for the men I opened myself up to, the men who betrayed me so deeply.
“Be careful, Tibby.” I couldn’t lose my only friend.
“You too, Sara.” Her voice sounded nervous, but this had to be done. No time for second guesses.
I dropped the phone and rushed to the door, opening it as quietly as possible. I was no amateur and obviously knew how to be silent as I quickly descended to the first floor. I grabbed two sharp kitchen knives and slipped out the door. I didn’t have an earpiece, so there was no way to call Tibby. I had to trust she would get to the warehouse safely.
I jumped on my bike and grabbed the hidden key. The engine roared to life, and I sped through the city. The warehouse was in a seedy part of town, and I could be there in ten minutes if I ignored traffic lights. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for the others to catch up. Tears burned the back of my eyes as I recalled the pain and anger Dev directed at me at the party. Was he so mad because he fell for me before or after he betrayed me? I didn’t understand. Flashes of all the moments between me and my men invaded my mind. How could I be so stupid? I let them become something more, refused to see them for what they were. Obscuritas fucking Princes. Bastards like their evil fucking fathers. My rage flooded my body, and I screamed at the world for the bullshit I fell for like a fucking idiot.
The warehouse loomed ahead, and I turned two streets down to park my motorcycle out of sight. The cold air did nothing to smother the fire raging through my blood, and I thanked mother nature at least for the overcast day. The dark clouds rolled in as I crept toward the warehouse. I found a side entrance and snuck in as quietly as I could. There was very little light due to most of the windows being boarded up. I slipped down a dark hallway and heard voices echoing ahead. I stopped short as the hall ended at the entrance of a massive open room. There was a chair at the center and someone tied to it with a cloth over their head. My heart raced. My sister was here, before me, after all these years of searching.
I scanned the open space. One guard stood at a set of double doors on the opposite side of the room. He faced away from me, so I slipped into the massive space, keeping close to the walls and in the shadows. The only light in the room shined down on my sister strapped to the chair. I pulled out one of the kitchen knives and, just before the guard turned my way, I sliced the blade across his neck. He dropped instantly, unable to call out before he died.
I grabbed his gun and tucked it into my waistband. There was no time to check for anyone else. I ran to my sister and ripped the cloth from her head as I came around to face her.
My face fell. It wasn’t her. The girl looked up at me with wide, fearful eyes, her mouth taped over. She was roughly my age, but most definitely not my lost sister. Tears fell from my eyes, and I dropped to my knees as the doors opened and ten armed men entered the room.
They were dressed in black, and trained their weapons on me. Dozens of laser sights pointed directly at my heart.
One guard stepped forward. “Drop the weapons and stand up.”
The girl tied to the chair began to shake, tears falling uncontrollably. She was just another lost girl. Like my sister, like me. It was all wrong. And I fell for the trap so easily.
“Did you hear me, bitch?” the dumb fucking guy shouted, and I blew out a breath to steady my nerves.
I closed my eyes and let the rage burning through my veins take root. This is where I thrived. I would get my vengeance. One way or another.
I stood, slowly. “I heard you. And my voice will be the last thing you hear before you all die.”
I aimed my gun and shot out the light above us, plunging the room into darkness. I knocked the girl over, hopefully saving her from a bullet, as I raced toward the men. The idiots were shouting and easy to find. The first two died quickly. I snatched their guns and fired shot after shot, taking them all out as they fired aimlessly into the dark. My breathing remained even as I cut them down. I listened for their screams, relishing in the pain I could give them before I stopped their stupid heartbeats forever.
Two men remained. They called out to each other in a panic, searching for the door to leave the room, and the devil in me laughed at their fear. I crept up behind one of them, slamming my knife into his exposed throat. Blood splattered across my face. I was covered in gore. He dropped to the ground as his life force drained away.
“Please,” the last man pleaded in the dark. “I have a family.”
I laughed, and it sounded hollow and terrifying. “So did I.”
I ran across the room where I heard his voice. His gun fired, and I almost stumbled as a stray bullet grazed my arm. I kept running until I lept at him, smacking his gun away and stabbing his chest with my knife. He screamed. I pulled it out and stabbed him again. His groans turned wet as the blood gushed into his lungs, and I stabbed again and again until my arms grew weak.
I dropped the knife and hung my head, the silence deafening. The creak of a door echoed into the room. I snatched up the dead man’s gun and turned, ready to fire. Light poured into the room from the open door to reveal the monster before me.
“Seraphina?” Ty’s voice was gruff as he spoke my name so quietly, as if he didn’t want to spook a wild animal.
I pointed the gun at his head. “Don’t fucking move,” I snarled at him, but he didn’t listen.
He moved anyway, opening the door wider to let in more light. His eyes surveyed the carnage.
“I told the guys we had nothing to worry about. Our girl could handle a few assholes.” Ty grinned, and I wanted to scream.
“What the fuck are you saying? You did this. My sister isn’t here. It was a trap. Dev…the others…” Tears blurred my vision, and I shouted at him. “You fucking did this!”
I couldn’t see his face clearly, but his voice was low and steady as he raised his hands in surrender. “Seraphina. We didn’t do this. Who told you that? Is Dev here?”
I shook my head, refusing to believe him, and inched closer to him. Ty’s eyes widened as he saw me fully, covered in blood and training the gun on his heart.
“Lies. She saw him here. He’s somewhere. Did they send you in first to subdue me? Thought I would be worn out from the fight by now? Guess again.”
Ty frowned, shaking his head. Our eyes locked, and his widened at whatever darkness he found in mine. He dropped to his knees.
“Babygirl. This wasn’t us. I swear it. We haven’t seen Dev. Andras thinks maybe our fathers got to him somehow.”
“I don’t believe you!” I raged at him, my arms shaking and my heart falling to pieces. “Tell me where my fucking sister is or I will fucking kill you, Typhon!”
Ty leaned back on his heels, his arms wide in surrender. “Then kill me, Seraphina. I will die for you, if that’s what it takes. I don’t have her. We don’t have her. Slit my throat and put a bullet in my heart if you don’t believe me.”
I stomped toward him and pressed the gun to his chest as I stared into his eyes. His beautiful hazel eyes stared back at me with sadness and love. Fucking love. I swallowed as my mouth dried up, and angry tears spilled over again and again. I dropped to my knees, hard, the pain unfelt in that moment, the gun still aimed at his heart. We stared at each other for an endless moment.
Ty slowly brought his hand to my face. He cupped my cheek, his thumb wiping away blood and tears. “My heart is yours, Seraphina. Take it.”
My mind was exploding with uncertainty, and I wanted nothing more than to believe him. I needed to believe him. I dropped the gun and sagged forward as the adrenaline faded. Ty caught me in his arms and pulled my face to his, kissing me with such ferocity I thought my heart was going to explode. He pulled my hair to the point of pain, and I dragged my nails down his arms, making him bleed. There was nothing beautiful or romantic about our joining. It was dark and raw, and I needed the pain. I bit his lip hard, and he growled, tugging my hair harder, making me yelp as he ripped my head to the side.
“Mine,” he growled before biting my neck, and my pussy pulsed with need for more.
“You fuckers couldn’t wait for me?”
Levi’s sudden presence made me jump, and Ty released my hair. We stood and turned toward Levi.
A shot rang out, and my eyes widened as Levi suddenly dropped to the ground. Dev stood behind him, gun in hand. Levi slumped to the floor and the silence was deafening for all of two seconds.
Ty roared in fury and ran at Dev like an angry bull. Dev brought the gun up, and a second shot rang out. Then another. Ty dropped to his knees and cradled his stomach with a groan.
My brain couldn’t comprehend what was happening. Dev shot them. I stared at Levi, unmoving with blood pooling on the concrete around him. And Ty at Dev’s feet, trying desperately to move. I started toward him, but stopped when Dev suddenly turned the gun on me.
“Don’t move.” His voice was cold and distant. The sound stopped my heart. “I tried to stop this. Tried to get you to leave with me. But none of it mattered anyway, and this is how it has to be.”
“Dev, what the fuck are you talking about?” I took a step toward Ty.
Dev didn’t respond, just watched me, cold and unfeeling. I kept going until I reached Ty. He was on the ground now, and I cupped his cheek as he had mine moments before. His eyes opened and he looked terrified.
“Get out of here, Seraphina,” he mumbled the words, pain searing across his face.
I shook my head. “No. I’m not leaving you.”
Dev pulled out a second weapon, and I heard more voices in the distance. “You are, actually.”
Ty growled. “I’m going to fucking kill you, Devon Parrish.”
Dev shrugged. “Not today.”
I looked up at Dev, my heart hurting and shame coloring my cheeks. “You did all this? Why?”
Dev’s mouth turned into a grim line, and his eyes clouded with anger. “Same as you. For revenge.”
He lifted the second weapon and fired. A dart slammed into my chest and knocked me back. I felt the drug coursing through me, numbing my body. Dev walked forward and stared down at me with unrecognizable eyes. We stared at each other until the drug took hold. My eyes closed, and I couldn’t hold on any longer. My last thoughts focused on the one I needed most. My mother.