CHAPTER 22
WREN
∞
I want to rip his throat out. I want nothing more than to tear him limb from limb, right here in this fucking club. His smug grin as his eyes follow Chess, makes the anger inside of me flare again. I already let my power out once, and I’m sure Daniel is not pleased at that fact. I’m surprised he hasn’t come over to politely ask me to leave, but he probably assumes I won’t actually do anything here.
I won’t…not here.
She clung to me like a broken child…like someone completely fearing for their life. Like a wild animal that had no choice but to seek refuge with an enemy, for fear of a bigger threat. Chess doesn’t need to fear me. I’ll never hurt her…not like this sick fuck in front of me. How dare he call her a whore. He’s the reason she broke in front of me. The strong warrior I’ve seen the last two days, was completely shattered within seconds because of him. I won’t allow it. I won’t allow him to continue to torment her with his existence. I don’t fucking care if it causes a war, I’ll fucking kill all of them.
“This isn’t a negotiation, Jullian. You will no longer have contact with Francesca.”
“You’ve got some nerve, Valkyrie. You think you honestly have any say in what I do? You’re not my ruler and I don’t bend to your power.”
“I’ll fucking make you bend, you insolent fucking mutt. I know what you’ve done to that girl, and you will not touch her again.”
“Oh yeah? You know what I’ve done? Did it get you off, seeing her videos? I’m assuming that was your doing when they disappeared off the website. Just so you know, I’ll be uploading them again, and I’ll keep doing it. Her videos make me some hard cash, and you’re interfering with werewolf business, Valkyrie.”
“I’ll rip your fucking heart out,”
I snarl, stepping towards him. Two of his guards step in out of nowhere and stand in front of me. I’m so focused on him that I didn’t even notice them shifting closer to us. The vampire Chess was talking to, has already scurried off as well, and the club energy has shifted because of our confrontation.
“You can’t,”
he laughs, shoving his hands in his pockets. “This is neutral ground, and you can’t fucking touch me here. I’d be happy to fight you, but you’ll be outnumbered. No one in your ranks would risk a war because of a human. If you keep this shit up, you’re going to create a mutiny all on your own.”
He smirks at me and takes a step closer to stand between his guards. “I can’t wait to see you fall.”
It’s taking everything in me right now to not punch him in the face. He’s right. I can’t actually start anything here because it’s neutral territory for dark worlders. Even humans come to this club, and I’d be risking their lives if they got caught in the crossfire.
“This isn’t over, Jullian. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“Looking forward to it,”
he chuckles before walking away from me towards one of the VIP areas.
All the energy drains out of me. I glance over towards the bar, where Alex is sitting with Chess. He’s bought her a drink at least and I hope it settles her nerves a bit. I narrow my eyes when I see one of Jullian’s pack members bump into Alex. He turns to tell him off, and another one sneaks in behind Chess and pours a vial out into her drink while she’s distracted.
I’m moving before I even realize it, when she grabs the drink in her hand. “No!”
I roar, but it’s too late, the glass is at her lips, and she glances at me as she takes a huge gulp from it.
I’m in front of her within seconds and she’s looking at me confused. “What’s wrong?”
Alex asks, just as confused.
“She’s been drugged,”
I hiss out to him.
“What? When?”
I can already see her eyes glazing over as she starts to sway on the chair. “Just now. I saw one of Jullian’s pack members pour a vile into her drink while you were looking away.”
Alex grabs her glass and sniffs it. He tips it back slightly and darts his tongue into it. “Fuck. We need to get her out of here.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a cocktail. Vampire blood and Float.”
“What?!”
This could destroy her. If the dose of Float is high enough, it could kill her. It’s not meant for humans. It’s meant to fuck up the supernaturals who naturally have a higher metabolism.
“I…don’t feel right.”
Her words are slurred, and her eyes flutter closed. I catch her as she starts to slip from her stool and shift her to lift her into my arms.
“Get the car, Alex.”
“Do you want to take her back to the tower?”
“No. I’ll drop you off at the tower and take her home. She’ll be upset if I take her back to my place.”
“You can’t leave her like this alone.”
“I’ll stay with her until she comes out of it. Fuckers. I can’t believe they pulled this shit here. Grab her purse.”
Her arms are limp around my neck as I gently cradle her against my chest. Alex makes a path for us out of the club, and I wait for him on the curb while he runs to fetch the car.
“Wren,”
she whimpers.
“I’m here.”
Her breathing is already shallow, and I can hear how erratic her heartbeat is. One of the quickest ways to get Float out of the system is with sex, but I can’t even do that for her. Float is a fucked-up drug when it’s used irresponsibly. It heightens everything, especially sexual arousal. Having sex and getting your heartrate up enough, settles the side effects. Exercise would probably work too, but who the fuck wants to run on a treadmill when they’re drugged up and horny.
Alex pulls up and jumps out of the car to help me. He shifts the passenger seat forward and I set her down carefully along the back seat. Her entire body is shaking, and she lets out a whimper of pain, curling in on herself.
“I’m driving,”
I murmur as Alex shifts the seat back and sets her purse on the dash. I’m breaking so many laws right now, speeding down the road and weaving in and out of traffic. I pull up to the front of the tower and grab Alex’s arm as he moves to step out. “What’s her apartment number?”
He pulls out his phone to pull up the information. “She’s on the sixth floor. Apartment number 602.”
“Alright, I’ll keep you posted.”
“Can you handle this alone?”
He says quietly.
“I’m fine, Alex. I’m in control right now.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
He jogs up to the tower and I peel away, heading to the shittiest part of the city. I pull up right in front of the building and move to the other side to pull her out of the back. She looks so much worse already. Sweat is breaking out across her skin and she’s panting heavily.
“Come on, Chess. Stay with me.”
I’m riddled with anger and guilt at this entire situation. What would have happened if I wasn’t there tonight? Would Alex have been able to handle that situation on his own without Jullian actually starting something?
I grab her purse and dig for her keys before grabbing her from the car. I groan at the fact the elevator is out of order when I get inside and start making my way up the stairs as fast as I can. Her door sticks when I get to her floor and the hinges screech when I kick it open.
It’s a shithole.
I can’t believe she’s been living like this for the last twelve years. The apartment is almost bare. There’s a worn-out couch in what I’m assuming is her living room but also a kitchen. Her bedroom doesn’t even have a door, and I stride towards it, gently placing her down on the mattress.
I hear a small meow behind me and glance back to see her cat sitting at the doorway, staring at me.
“Hi, Nyx,”
I say quietly. She surprises me when she walks towards me and starts purring, rubbing herself against my legs. Cats, like most animals, have a natural fear of us. We’re predators to them. I bend down and pet her quickly which seems to make her happy. “I’m sorry your mother is sick, sweetheart.”
I did this. This is my fault. If she dies because of this, I’m going to have to keep my promise to her to find a fucking home for her cat.
“Wren.”
Her voice is barely there, but my head whips around to look at her. She’s weakly gripping into the comforter on her bed as another whimper of pain rips from her lips. I drag my fingers lightly up her calves and she gasps out a breath.
Fuck, what do I do?
I’m cringing at the thought of having to strip her down, but I think if I get her temperature down, it’ll help with some of the pain she’s experiencing. I would throw her in the shower with her dress on, but I don’t want her to sit in wet clothes.
I slowly pull off her shoes and drop them at the foot of the bed. I grip her hand and pull her up to sit on the edge. I draw down the zipper on the back of her dress and I can feel her trying to push me back. “No,”
she sobs. “Please.”
My heart shatters at the broken plea. “I’m sorry, Chess. I’m trying to help you. I’m not going to hurt you…I promise.”
She can barely open her eyes, but I see the tears break through her lashes as I pull the dress down off of her. I’m trying not to look at her, but I can’t help it. My eyes move to the scars along her inner thighs and my anger flares when I see the brand on her rib cage. I can’t stop the ragged breath that rips out of me.
I unhook her bra and slowly pull it off of her. I’m trying my best not to look at her in this way. I feel sick to my stomach that I’m doing this to her without her permission, but I don’t have a choice. I need to do what I can for her to survive this. I unbuckle the holster for her dagger and set it on the bed before pulling her up to her feet.
“Hold onto my neck if you can while I pull your underwear down, okay?”
She sobs quietly but I feel her actually trying to do what I ask. “Good girl, Francesca. I’m going to put you in the bath, okay?”
“Please…don’t touch me,”
she whimpers as she cries quietly.
“I won’t touch you like that. I need to touch you to put you in the tub, okay? I promise I won’t touch you like that. I’m trying, Francesca…I’m trying to help you. Please, let me help you.”
I’m thankful she doesn’t attempt to fight me as I lift her back into my arms. She’s still sobbing quietly but I can feel how limp her body is now. I set her down in the tub carefully and plug it to run the water. I cluck my tongue when even the hot water is running cold. This girl doesn’t even have fucking hot water and has to do a million stairs everyday. Her head rolls to the side and her body shivers as the tub fills.
“Just hold on, baby girl.”
I crouch down next to her and brush her hair back from her face. She rolls her face towards me and is struggling to open her eyes. “It’ll be okay…you’ll be okay.”
“Why,”
she whimpers, closing her eyes again.
“Why what, Francesca?”
“Why did this happen again.”
Her voice breaks through another sob and fresh tears stain her cheeks.
“Let it out, Chess. You’re strong, but it’s okay to be upset. You don’t have to be strong all the time.”
“It hurts,”
she whimpers.
“I know, baby.”
“Just kill me.”
“I won’t do that.”
“Please.”
“No.”
“PLEASE!”
She wails.
“I can’t do that, Chess.”
“Coward.”
I can’t help the snort of laughter at the audacity. She’s delirious and probably dying already, and still has the nerve to call me a coward for not wanting to kill her.
“There’s no reason to kill you, Chess. It’ll be okay. Plus, if I kill you, then I have to find your cat a home, and I don’t think you want to leave her like this, do you?”
“No,”
she sobs again.
I unplug the tub when I notice her lips starting to turn blue. I lift to my feet and grab a towel from her tiny cabinet and drape it over my shoulder while I pull her to her feet. “Can you put your hands on my shoulders for me so I can dry you off a bit?”
She gives her head a small nod and tries to lift her arms, but they drop back down to her sides. I grab her hands gently and settle them on my shoulders for her. “It’s okay…I got you.”
I feel her fingers tighten into my shirt as I brush the towel against her skin before wrapping it around her body. I lift her out of the tub and back into my arms and make my way back into her bedroom. I set her down on the edge and pull back the covers before I pull the towel off of her and shift her under them.
I tug them over her and crouch down at her head. She’s staring right at me with tear filled eyes. I brush my fingers through her hair and her eyes close as she snuggles into the pillow. “Get some sleep,”
I whisper before pressing my lips to her forehead.
I tear myself away from her and head back out to the couch, flopping down on it. I settle my head in my hands, breathing out a harsh breath as everything finally catches up to me. I can’t do anything else for her. All I can do is wait it out and hope that in the morning…she wakes up.