12. Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Royal
“ S he won’t leave my sight, Royal. I’ll protect her with my life,” Ella says, trying to assure me as she waits for me to hand over the most important little girl in my life.
We just got her back, but to make sure she’s safe, we have to send her away again.
It’s not fucking fair.
Em seems to understand the gravity of the situation because this little ray of sunshine pats my back soothingly like she needs to console me. It warms my heart just as much as it shatters it. She shouldn’t have to understand these things at this age. She should be upset. She should be the one needing to be reassured and consoled. Even if everything else King has done was irrelevant, this would be reason enough to string his innards around the playroom like a Christmas garland.
My arms tighten around Em, squeezing her one last time before pulling back to look into her bright green eyes– just like her mother.
“Okay, Little One. You’re going on an adventure with Aunt Ella now. I need you to do exactly as she says. Laurelyn will be with you, too. We'll come get you as soon as we can.”
“Pinky promise?” Her little eyes stay on mine as she raises her tiny finger between us. Emotion bubbles in my throat as I grip her little pinky with mine.
“Pinky promise.”
Alek and Maddox have already said their goodbyes, and my eyes find their matching watery smiles as they watch me struggle so much with this.
“Ella…”
“I’ve got her, Royal. I swear. Do you need me to make a pinky promise, too?” Her tone is playful, trying to lighten the heaviness of the shitty situation we have all found ourselves in. But at least she’s alive–back in our arms, even if we have to send her away to protect her. It’s just for a little while. Until we find her mother and deal with King, then she’ll be back, and our family can breathe.
Kissing her forehead one last time, I allow Ella to pull her from my arms. It still feels like she’s pulling a part of my soul from my chest, but I know it’s for the best.
“With your life, Ella,” I whisper.
It’s a command and a plea— one I know she will honor until her last breath— not for me but for her best friend. She will protect Raena’s child no matter what.
“I love you, Em. We’ll see you soon,” I say as Ella nods and turns for the car. Laurelyn and Jasper are already standing beside it, waiting for us to finish our goodbyes. Snow and her remaining men stand close by, and I know they are struggling with sending one of their own away, too. Em peeks over Ella’s shoulder, her toothy smile big and wide as she waves to us. Then she disappears, and Ella straps her into the big kid car seat that her mom acquired from somewhere.
My brothers surround me as I run my hands down my face, wiping away the unbidden tears. When my hands return to clenched fists at my sides, Alek and Maddox each grab one, intertwining our fingers. Their silent support hits me right in the gut. We all watch the taillights fade into the distance, taking our little girl with them.
I don’t cry. Ever. This makes twice in one day.
The sad part is… I don’t think it will be the last time.
My control is slipping without my Dark Angel here to rein it back in.
The sun has faded into the forest and risen again three times since we sent Emera to White Harbor. Yet, we’re down in our basement, talking ourselves in circles about how to find Raena without getting ourselves killed. Ronan and Dax just took Snow upstairs to get some rest in my room– I won’t be sleeping anytime soon anyway. We’ve barely slept at all.
Even though we outsourced security, calling in a favor from the ‘Brothers’– that alone should ease my mind, but it doesn’t– it’s not enough. We’re all just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Maddox paces back and forth, pulling at his hair like a madman. Alek is on his phone, running through our contacts for any trace of our girl or chatter about our missing men. My head doesn’t want to believe they would’ve betrayed us, but my gut screams that’s exactly what happened. The alternative is they are dead, and I don’t like that option much either. If they did betray us, they won’t enjoy being on the other end of the Shadow’s wrath– or Maddox’s blade.
Bringing the glass tumbler of whiskey to my lips, I down the remaining amber liquid. It’s not enough to numb the empty hole in my chest, just enough to calm the fury as the burn slides down my throat.
Three fucking days!
God only knows what Raena has endured with King. I wish I could drown myself in this bottle of whiskey, but that won’t help her– or any of us.
My mind is out of control, spinning in exhaustion and anxiety. I need my Angel back. Now. I need her to be safe. Back in my arms. Home .
King has to know by now we’ve taken Em. And since we haven’t heard a word from him, I have a feeling he has been taking that anger out on Raena.
Pain shoots into my palm as the glass breaks under the strain of my fears, but I don’t feel it– not really. Blood pours out around the shards I’m still clutching in my grasp, dripping onto the concrete floor. I stare blankly, mesmerized by the sight. My head swims– muffled voices getting closer to me, but I can’t make out any words. Just the questions screaming in my head. More questions and no answers. This is too heavy. I can’t breathe with the weight of my failure sitting on my chest like a boulder.
“Snap the fuck out of it.”
My head jerks to the side, heat spreading over my cheek, snapping me out of my trance. I look up to see Alek’s worried face as he grabs my injured hand, pulling the bloody shards out and wrapping it in his shirt he must have pulled from his body since his tattooed chest is now on display.
“What the fuck were you thinking? You almost cut your hand off, Royal. Pull it together. She needs us to keep it together. For her– and Em.”
“I don’t know…” I trail off, unable to focus on anything beyond the pressure building in my chest. “I can’t breathe without her, Alek. I. Can’t. Fucking. Breathe.”
I beat my good hand against my chest as I try to catch my breath. Maddox stands behind him, still pulling on his hair as his wild eyes bore into mine, begging me to help him. He’s losing it too. But I can’t help him when I can’t even control my own fucking breaths. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to keep my family safe. I don’t–
“Enough!” Alek shouts, his deep voice ricocheting off the walls in echoed waves. It shatters through the flood of emotions drowning me– dragging me back to the surface. He secures the shirt around my hand with a knot, then grips my hair from the root.
“Look at me,” he growls, and my head darts up to stare into his golden-brown eyes. “You’re both spiraling. And Raena needs us. Em needs us. We can’t save anyone if we lose ourselves.”
He lets go of my hair, my chin hits my chest, and he steps back, running his hand down his face. Maddox moves around him to kneel next to my chair. I don’t know what the fuck is happening, and right now, with my mind fractured, I don’t have the willpower to ask. So, I relinquish all of my control and dominance to Alek.
“I can’t… I don’t…” I whisper through my heaving breaths, trying to speak, and I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.
“Let me help you,” he whispers, stepping closer and pulling my hair again. It’s not a question or a plea. It’s a command. Pain prickles along my scalp, and the sensation shoots straight to my cock as he stares straight into my eyes. A groan slips between my lips.
“Fuck.” Alek groans, kicking the glass away from my feet.
I’ve never submitted to anyone in my life. Somewhere, buried deep beyond the weight suffocating me, I want to protest. But I can’t move the boulder enough to find it.
Maddox crawls in front of me and kneels at my feet, laying his head on my lap. I’ve never seen this side of him seeking comfort from me like this. He’s hurting just as bad as I am.
My unwrapped hand moves to his messy hair, the strands filtering through my fingers as I rub his head, soothing both of us. It’s easier to breathe with his hands caressing my leg.
“I need her,” Maddox whispers.
“I know,” I tell him. “So do I.”
“Help me, Sir. Please.”
Maddox’s broken plea does me in, my cock twitching in my sweats as he reaches for my waistband. My hands tighten in his hair. This is what I need right now to calm my racing thoughts and ease the hopelessness. We both do.
“You need my cock, Maddie Baby?”
“Please. Make it stop. I need both of you.”
My eyes lift to Alek’s, and a silent question passes through the air. His jaw ticks as he makes up his mind.
With a single nod, the energy in the basement shifts, like static crackling, before everything comes into focus. My hand tightens in his hair, and my lips meet his ear as I pull him up by his hair, and he groans, enjoying the bite of pain.
“Get on the mat,” I growl.
Maddox scrambles to his feet, moving with my hand fisting his long curls until his knees hit the training mat, and I move to stand in front of him, Alek coming to my side. Looking down at our broken brother, chaos raging in his eyes. Maddox reaches for my waistband once more, but I slap his hand away.
“You’re not in charge here,” I say, circling him. That familiar control snaps into place as I grip his throat from behind and kick his legs apart. My cuts press into the makeshift wrap as I squeeze his airway. “You’re going to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?
“Yes, Sir.”
“Good boy,” I growl into his ear, dropping to my knees and pressing my body into his back. “You’re going to take our cocks like a good little pet. And if you’re really good, I’ll let you come.”
He moans and presses his ass back into my straining cock, begging for it.
“Alek, fuck our little pet’s mouth.”
He steps forward, seeming to search Maddox’s eyes for any hint of hesitation. He must not find any because his eyes darken to molten chocolate as he slides his hands into Maddox’s curls and growls.
“Take my cock out, Maddie Baby.”