23. Chokehold #2
My hand shakes as I place it against the door of Ryn’s lab, and I take a second to shake off my anxiety.
I don’t have the time for it right now, and the closer I get to Ryn, the angrier I get that someone would dare to lay a single fucking finger on her.
I wonder how bad another murder charge will fuck up my probation. No time like the present to find out.
Nodding once to myself, I push open the door and steel myself against whatever might be waiting for me on the other side.
My eyes immediately land on my shadow shield, still in place over two procedure tables.
I squint, stifling a gasp as I recognize Sam on one of the tables.
Sam, and…a fucking child! I check to make sure they're stable through my shadow, and sigh a breath of relief when everything checks out normal. They must be drugged.
My orbs flare, and my heart pounds against my ribs as I try to control the shadows now flicking out like whips around my feet as my fury mounts. On the bright side, Ryn isn’t strapped to one of the few other empty tables. Not so bright side, where the fuck is my woman?
“Ryn?” My voice is harsher than I intended, but I can just feel the barest hint of fear coming through our bond—which means Ryn is close, and she’s scared. “RYN!”
My steps echo through the lab as I move farther into the room, keeping Dr. V and the kid in my peripheral vision as I glance around for any sign of Ryn.
This is weird, right? A door clicks shut, and I spin around to see someone coming out of the en suite.
My heart feels like it’s swelling up in my chest as I walk toward them, and then, I let loose a breath.
“Ryn?” She’s here. She’s fine. I soak in the sight of her, bidding my nervous system to calm the fuck down now that I have eyes on her and she’s clearly okay.
“Hey, baby. Thanks for coming so fast.” Ryn lets out a big breath and hurries over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face against my chest. I’m frozen to the spot, and it feels like it takes ages for my orbs to lower to the top of her head, and my arms to slowly return the embrace.
“You’re—You’re okay? What happened? Why did you—what happened, Ryn?”
She squeezes me tighter and starts rubbing little circles on my back, no doubt trying to settle my heart rate, but goosebumps break out over my skin. I–I want to push her away? What the fuck is happening?
“It was awful, Seth. Saskia was here. She attacked me. Said she was going to hurt Sam and the girl if I didn’t give her the stones.
I–I had to stop her, so I used my necklace to protect them and started casting everything I could think of.
She must have slipped away in all the chaos.
I didn’t want to chance anything in case she came back, so I left the shield up and contacted you.
” She pulls away some and looks up at me through her lashes, her grey eyes glittering with unspilled tears.
My heart squeezes painfully at the sight as she continues, “This isn’t over, though.
She said Darro is the one pulling the strings.
As long as he lives, he'll be a threat to me. To us. You’ll help me, won’t you? ”
Her hand trembles as she cups my cheek, and a shiver runs down my spine. I swallow before nodding slowly, “Of course I will.”
A hesitant smile stretches her quivering lips, and then her eyelids flutter shut as she leans in for a kiss. I run my fingers along her clavicle, tracing the barest outline of it, and slide my hand up to cup her delicate neck, tilting her chin back while tightening my free hand around her waist.
She lets out a breathy little moan as I pull her tighter against me.
With my heart pounding in my ears and my shadows wrapping around her legs, I tighten my fingers and fucking squeeze.
Her eyes fly open, widening comically as she chokes against the sudden lack of air supply.
My lip curls as I squeeze tighter, using my shadows to wrap around her bottom half and hold her in place.
My chest is rising and falling more rapidly now, and every point of contact with her makes my stomach churn.
“Where is she?” Rage turns my voice into a menacing growl.
Her eyes swim with fear as satisfaction courses through my soul bond—and knowing that wherever she is, the real Ryn is watching and approves, spurs me on.
Shadows continue to wrap around this pretender, and I let them squeeze painfully tight. “Where is my Ryn?”
I loosen my hold around her throat just enough to let her speak, and she sucks in a shuddering breath and then croaks out, “Please! Baby, please—look, it’s me!
” Her hands, which were clutching desperately around my arm, reach out toward my chest, and I snarl, tightening my hold on her throat once again.
“Don’t fucking touch me! Don’t you dare touch me with her hands.”
Her eyes flash, and she attempts to nod, but I’m done playing her stupid games. “You have ten seconds to show me where my mate is, or I'll crush your fucking larynx.”
“Oh, dear.” A bored voice drawls from behind me, and fake Ryn’s eyes grow, somehow, even wider. “I’m going to have to insist that you stop doing…that.” I turn just in time to catch Kier Darro gesturing lamely to where my hand is clasped around fake Ryn’s throat.
This asshole has the worst timing in the history of the universe. He sighs dramatically and tsks, “I’ve dabbled in enough breath play to know if that were your goal—you're doing it wrong, and domestic violence really is so prosaic.”
“This isn’t Ryn,” I grit out, watching as the Unseelie prince slowly strolls closer, tilting his head and pursing his lips at my words. He stops about an arm's reach from us and looks at me dully, as if I’ve lost my marbles and he’s annoyed he has to help collect them.