Chapter 31
Valentin
We stripped the hotel room clean. Searched light fittings, mirrors, vents. Didn’t find a thing.
Whoever’s been watching Revea hadn’t found her here.
We packed up anything that looked like it belonged to her, which wasn’t much. I don’t think she even unpacked. But seeing her room like that, imagining her distress, scenting slivers of her burnt scent… has us desperate for blood.
Those images of Revea attached to that email, the ones of her asleep in bed… the steering wheel creaks beneath my grip.
I’m driving us home after the search. Sylvan’s in the back, working on his laptop again. I know he’ll track them down—whoever sent the email, whoever took those pictures. Because when Sylvan is focused, fixated the way he is right now, no thread remains untouched.
Luc’s in the passenger seat, trying his best to calm down Rue, who’s yelling at him through the phone.
“Listen, I’ve told you what we know, we’re on it. Revea’s with Kaiden, and she’s safe. I… No. Because she doesn’t want you to know where… Oh, I don’t know, maybe because she’s fucking terrified they’ll find her again? Ever think about that?”
I glance at my brother. His jaw is clenched tight as he shakes his head.
After a brief pause, Rue’s voice returns, but it’s much quieter.
“I know, man. I know.” Luc pinches the bridge of his nose, eyes shut. “As soon as she’s ready, I’ll get her to call you. It’s okay, I get it, she’s your sister. Okay, speak soon, bye.” He drops his phone into the central armrest slot. “Fuck me, I need to see Revea.”
“Me too,” Sylvan throws out from the back, still typing.
I don’t say anything. The bond is already filled with too much tension, and I need to focus on driving.
Besides the sounds of Sylvan working, we’re silent for the rest of the way, which isn’t unusual for Sylvan and me, but for Luc…
In my peripheral, I watch him. His body’s tense, threading a knife between his fingers, tendons of his neck taut as he stares ahead.
I barely get through the final security check for the house when Luc’s jumping out the car. He’s already inside by the time I’ve parked.
“For fuck’s sake,” I murmur, grabbing my duffel bag from the back seat and following quickly.
His alpha is too close. The last thing Revea needs after all this is my brother barrelling in.
I scan the empty living room, head straight to the stairs, then freeze.
Revea’s sweet, dark cherry scent seeps into the air, but it’s cut with a potent sour note.
I follow it to Kaiden’s room, finding him with a hand on Luc’s shoulder. My tight chest eases.
“She’s okay, Luc.” His voice is low and calm. “Her body’s fighting a virus. She just needs to rest.”
Kaiden clocks me as I enter. “Has she drunk anything?” I ask a little breathless, moving closer.
“Not much. But her vitals are good.”
I nod, slipping past them both and kneeling beside the bed.
And there she is.
Pale, exhausted, and right there. After over a week of nothing but phone calls and texts, I can touch her again.
I place my hand on her forehead. Fuck, she’s boiling. Nothing like her heat spike; this is her body fighting infection.
“Luc, can you grab an IV from the medical fridge downstairs?” I don’t catch his response because he’s already gone.
“She needs an IV?” Kaiden brushes a damp strand from Revea’s face.
“A precaution. Means we won’t have to wake her.”
He hums his agreement. On the side table, I notice he’s already gathered cold water and cloths, and while I’m checking her pulse, he places a fresh one over her forehead.
Luc returns quickly. When I pull back the cover, we’re all hit by her scent again.
Fuck, she smells so good, too damn good for someone fighting a virus. But we’re all too preoccupied to enjoy it.
I carefully lift her arm; she doesn’t even flinch, eyelids barely flutter.
“I don’t like this.” Sylvan appears out of nowhere, sitting down on the king-size bed across from me, laptop balanced in one hand.
When did he even enter the room? My instincts are completely fucking shot. All I can focus on is her.
His gaze darts over her still body. “I don’t like this at all.”
We remain silent. Our bond tight, rumbling. We don’t need to voice how we feel.
I carefully scoop Revea into my arms, bringing her closer to the edge of the bed, then start prepping the IV bag.
“We’ll destroy them.” Luc’s sudden words rumble through the room.
No one responds.
I clean the bend of her elbow with an antiseptic wipe and slowly insert the needle. Only when the line is secured with medical tape and the faint, rhythmic drip begins do I feel like I can speak.
“Find them, strip them, drop them in the desert,” I suggest, remaining knelt beside her.
“Not enough.” Kaiden’s voice is low, dangerous. “They don’t get to disappear. We make them suffer. They wanted to make an example of her—we’ll do the same to them. Public crucifixion.”
“Agreed.” Sylvan’s gaze is locked on Revea. I don’t think he’s ever looked away.
“We have enough to do that, Syl?” Luc asks.
“I had enough an hour ago.” Without removing his gaze, he turns his laptop screen to us. It’s filled with lines of white code. “This is extra.”