Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Raegan
Kellan and Aiden join the fight with Creighton, and I use their bodies as a shield to dash past and behind them to the dead agent. His gun isn’t even snapped properly into his holster, so it slides free with ease, and I hurriedly flick off the safety and turn, aiming for Creighton’s head.
“Drop it, or I’ll blow a hole through his skull.”
Kellan’s halfway across the floor, Jackson’s still on the ground a few steps into the cell, and Aiden’s eyes are closed where he’s hunched over against the wall.
And Creighton’s gun is pointed at Aiden’s temple.
Fuck.
If I shoot him in the head, will that be fast enough? How much time is there between when he hears the shot or sees my finger move for him to react? Considering all three of them are down, I can’t underestimate him.
Creighton’s hand snaps out, capturing my wrist and dropping my aim.
I fire, trying to hit him first, but it sinks into the concrete.
The gun heavies in my hand, weighing it down more and more until I can’t hold it anymore, and my grip loosens on its own.
It clatters to the ground. He drags me to my feet easily, and I struggle to escape his hold even though my wrist aches and twinges.
“What did you do to my hand?” I demand, biting back the pain when I try to twist away from him. “I didn’t drop it.”
Blood trickles down his face to his lips, and he licks them clean.
“Oh, but you did. It was too heavy, and your body had to let it go.” I almost gasp with relief when he finally releases my wrist, but then his fingers grip the hair at my scalp as he drags me back against him and holds his other arm to my throat.
The more I fight him, the more tired my body feels. The more sluggish and weak I become.
He laughs. “I didn’t think I’d have to resort to using my gift on some powerless prisoners.
What a fucking treat. I can only imagine what fighting you all will be like when you’re at full strength.
” Creighton smushes his nose into my cheekbone, then takes a long breath.
“Mm... and what a pretty prize you are. I wonder if you’re worth three strong dogs and GE’s president. ”
My pulse accelerates at the unspoken threat, and he chuckles as if he can hear it. Or maybe he feels it.
“Charles will kill you himself if you don’t get your fucking hands off me.”
Creighton throws his head back and laughs.
“That’s cute. His actual order was to bring you to him dead or alive, so.
.. you know... your life is in my hands, Babycakes.
” Dread slips through my veins like ice.
“Though it’d be a shame to see any of you dead before your gifts return.
Can’t say that’s the ending I’m hoping for. ”
“Your gift,” Jackson grunts, his injured leg shaking as he tries to put weight on it to stand. “You steal our strength by touch. Even if it’s while we’re hitting you.”
Of course. And he’s still touching me.
I mentally thank Jack for telling me without telling me.
I need to separate from him and then try attacking without touching him directly.
Considering how long he’s held me compared to making contact with Jack during their fight, it seems like he can control how much to take.
I’m just weak enough to make holding me easy for him, but not so weak that I can’t move or stand.
Creighton smirks. “Figured me out, did ya? See why it’s no fun when you don’t really have a chance to fight back?
” He kicks the door to the cell closed in a single strike.
The heavy door that had taken two hands and a strong effort by his partner to finally drag open.
“Now”—he presses his lips to my ear, and I shiver with disgust—“be a doll and wait for me while I lock your dogs in their cage.” He shoves me forward.
I slam into the unforgiving concrete from his borrowed strength, barely protecting my head.
Aiden stands slowly. Jackson staggers forward, and I worry about the gunshot wound and how much of his strength Creighton’s stolen.
Kellan runs at the door, coming seemingly out of nowhere until he crosses my field of vision.
My eyes catch on a glint of silver in the lighting, and I find the knives Jackson had dropped earlier. One is within reach.
The door clangs when Kellan rams it, but it doesn’t budge from where Creighton leans against it and fits the key into the lock.
I reach for the first blade, touching my fingertips to the smooth metal and encouraging it closer to me without drawing too much attention.
“Careful now,” the agent teases in a singsong voice.
I freeze, my heart sledgehammering as I slide my gaze up.
But he’s looking at Kellan, not me. “I’ve hardly tasted your strength, but I’d be happy to siphon more that I can use against your girl.
” Creighton sticks one hand through the bars, and Kellan angles out of reach.
He laughs and withdraws his hand. “Mm... maybe later. I have a feeling you’ll be a bigger meal, then. ”
The first knife fits under my palm, and I pull it back to me. I slowly rise to my feet with the knife clutched in my right hand. I think Creighton’s about to look at me when Kellan smacks his fist into the bars to grab his attention.
“Keep your filthy hands off her,” Kellan snarls.
Creighton chuckles. “Or what?”
I lift the knife and run at him, throwing my arm down with as much strength as I can muster to stab it into the back of his neck. He turns at the last second, his eyes widening when my arm flies down and the blade plunges above his collarbone.
He gasps. Blood pours from the wound, and before I can rip it out, he snatches my arm in a death grip.
My strength leeches from me fast and hard.
My legs collapse, and whatever damage I’d done to him seems inconsequential to the strength he absorbs from me.
The others are yelling and banging on the bars, calling my name and cursing him if he hurts me, but they’re background noise as I sink backward to the ground, my limbs feeling heavy and useless.
Once I’m on my back, Creighton straddles me, tossing my arm away and squeezing my neck instead, cutting off my air.
But he’s not sucking my strength anymore.
“I think I know what I’ll do with you now.
I’m going to leave you with just enough strength to believe you can fight back, although it won’t be enough to actually hurt me.
Let you struggle a little, ya know? Because I’m going to fuck you in front of them.
It’ll make the fight with them later that much sweeter when they have something to avenge.
And I think the president will be happy if I deliver you in rough shape instead of just dead. ”
“Don’t you fucking dare! I’m going to kill you, you piece of shit!” Kellan roars over the clanging of metal.
“Raegan! Fuck! Creighton, I’ll give you whatever the fuck you want. Leave her alone, and we can talk.” Aiden’s smooth cadence cracks.
Jackson’s trying to pick the lock, his face ashen. How much blood has he lost? We need to get him to a healer.
I drag my tired hand over cold concrete. It’s like moving a bar of pure lead. It takes all my remaining strength and concentration to bring my hand to my side, under my shirt, and to the band of my bra.
Black spots speckle my vision, and I mouth something to Creighton.
“What’s that? I couldn’t hear you.”
I move my lips again, air barely passing through them until he loosens his grip and leans closer.
I grip the knife Jackson had slipped me earlier and shove it through his throat, using his forward motion and whatever strength I have left to do this one act.
Thankfully, Jack keeps his blades honed to perfection, so even with my minimally available effort, it slides into him with ease.
His fingers dig into my neck, choking me as he gurgles on his own blood. As we both fight to survive.
His grip finally loosens. I force my head to the side to gasp for air through the layer of blood.
“Fuck, beautiful! You did so good! Tell me you’re okay. Talk to me.”
“Hurry up, Jackson. I don’t think she can breathe,” Aiden presses, urgency sharpening his tone.
“Where did he put the key? This lock isn’t the usual kind,” Jackson grunts.
I don’t move. I’m still catching my breath. Still feeling weak and filled with bags of sand, that the very idea of trying to push this body off me sounds exhausting.
“Raegan. Say something. Give us a sign you’re okay, beautiful. I’m losing my mind over here.”
I stretch my hand open. Then close it.
Huh. That wasn’t so bad. I do it again. Then raise my forearm.
My strength’s returning.
I offer them a thumbs up. I’m not ready to talk until after I wipe this bastard’s blood off my face.
“We may not have much time before others come to see what’s taken so long. I know you must be exhausted, but we have to keep moving. See if you can find his key and give it to Jackson. We’ll take the rest from there.” Aiden’s voice is pure velvet. I’d really love to fall asleep to it right now.
But he needs me to do something.
Key.
Right.
I push at Creighton’s body and try to roll myself at the same time.
Let gravity finish the job of getting him off me.
He slides to the floor, and I take a deeper breath through parted lips.
The overwhelming scent and taste of copper chokes my lungs, and I hack and spit.
It doesn’t help that my shirt is soaked in his blood. And my face and hair.
“Here.” Something soft smacks me in the face. “Wipe the blood off.” I do as Kellan instructs, clearing the blood from my face and neck as much as I can with his shirt. Even squeezing chunks of hair until I think I’ve gotten what I can until I’m under a hot shower.