Chapter 12 Scarlett #2
Normally, I would shut the door and lock it to prevent any interruption, but as it was, I needed her as sane as she could be in the circumstance and having that door shut would be counterproductive.
Especially because I had to give her a shot to counteract the drugs they had given her to help her sleep.
I knew the chances of her speaking were slim to none, but I was well versed in reading what most couldn’t.
I carefully slid the needle into her IV, dispensing the drugs carefully before wrapping the syringe in a cloth, and sliding it into the inside pocket of my suit jacket while I waited.
It didn’t take her long to squeeze her eyes shut, her head moving slowly, heavily. My chin lifted as she tried to shake the fog away, and after a few seconds, she gasped, her eyes jerking open, her breathing panicked as she looked around wildly.
“Careful, my sharpened rose, you may cut yourself on your own thorns.”
Her eyes shot to mine, wide and feral, filling with that rage she had been swallowing down since they brought her here.
A few seconds went by before she relaxed and settled back into the bed, Merlin sniffing from where he sat at the edge of the stand beside her, Lucy inching closer. It was interesting watching her do that. Watching that crack seeping black into her soul retreat just as quickly as it had come.
Swallowing was something most men preferred their women to do, but me? I needed her to let it drip from her lips like tar spilling across the sidewalk.
Her eyes shifted to the window, and I stepped towards her feet, making sure her view was completely unobstructed.
It was difficult, finding a warehouse that had windows but also wouldn’t draw suspicion.
Father dearest, as gracious as he was, managed to find one and had his people cover all the windows with one-way cellophane. How kind of him.
The rose needed her view. Being trapped in a room like that…
I hardened my eyes and straightened my spine.
“I don’t have much time, you know how they are: attached,” I went on quietly.
“You should know that the chances of them locating and killing your dear little buyer are slim to none. Although, I have my doubts that your belief in your precious Claim will waver.”
Her eyes flicked across the window. Not quite to me but enough to let me know that she was listening, that my words were sinking in to some degree.
“I don’t know how much of this will stick in your…healing journey, but I’m sure some of it will get through in bits and pieces. I don’t care much for gentleness, so I will do what I do best; treat you like I would me.”
Her hand found her dog’s fur while she shifted her other elbow closer to the stand, allowing Merlin to jump up onto her arm and scurry up to her hair.
I didn’t find any creature on this planet repulsive, in fact, the truth was, I was happy she had found solace in that room. There was a far greater monster lurking under her skin that could have come to be had she not had at least that one little uncorrupted soul to latch onto.
I would know.
“You were raped and murdered and beat,” I told her.
“The man who was going to buy you was going to sell you to…let’s just say ‘an organization’ of which you would probably never escape from.
You were going to be sold to the highest bidder, beat into submission, and forced to bear children for whoever your owner would end up being.
Don’t ask me how I know this, I won’t tell you, what I will do is give you every ounce of information I can to…
” I looked her over before finding her eyes again, “nurture the thing growing in your soul.”
Her jaw tightened and her hand dug into her guardian’s pelt enough to cause the wolf to look up at her human master in question.
“I saw it before,” I went on, watching as her eyes became more trained on the window, “when I met you in that apartment. A small slice in that soul of yours. You see, anger comes in all shapes and sizes. Some of it wielded by abusers, others by emotionally immature humans, other times the anger sits in the souls of animals, but very few creatures in this world actually know how to wield it. It’s a power, rose, and you have it in spades.
The life you lived helped cultivate it, but not in a way that was useful until now.
“You will be a fine little weapon if you can learn to sharpen that rage, but I know it’s a process, and I am willing to wait, but not for long.”
Her eyes flicked to mine and back, very quickly, but not quick enough.
“My brother is going to do his best to help you, but I have my doubts he’ll do what needs to be done, and I have my doubts that you’re brave enough to allow that anger to become something usable, so we’ll see how this future of yours turns out.
” I glanced to the pup and then to the mouse.
“Who knows, maybe I will finally have someone worthy enough to take under my wing.”
I found her eyes again, watching her watch the city street. The ice in her veins, the way her hair would forever stand on end now, the way every shadow would now be a threat, I could see it. The old girl was dead, and it would do her best to accept that.
My lips twitched into a curl. “It will never stop hurting,” I told her icily.
“It’s up to you how you deal with that.” I straightened and lifted my chin.
“We have so many Initiates being turned, my sharpened little rose, so many people in need of correcting. Perhaps you can help bring Revelation to this sick and decaying world.”
“Azrael?”
My hand tightened around my cane as I turned, finding the bright green cartoon deer eyes of my brother’s Claim.
She frowned, looking from the awake rose to me. “What are you doing?” she asked, walking around me towards the head of the bed.
The rose shifted, trying to keep her eyes on the city street.
“Humming tunes of the end of times,” I replied easily. “Goodnight, rose. I hope you remember what I said.”
The little mouse looked up, accusation and a slight bit of fear in her eyes. “She’s not going to remember this, they have her on pain medication and sleep aids.”
There was enough of a chance that she would, that it was worth the time I spent on it. “Goodnight, little mouse,” I said with a smile, and headed for the door.