28. Chapter 28
Ragecoursesthroughmy veins, that, and despair. Those wretched wolves stole Demetria and it”s all my fault. It”s barely even twenty-four hours since she went missing and I”m already wearing a hole in the floor of my office. Diego and Bane refuse to talk to me, and I deserve it.
I kept the fact that Demetria is their true mate from them. I denied them and myself from fulfilling the true bond with her, and all for my own selfish reasons. A bond that would have made finding her so much easier. Now we are left having to rely on Achilles and hope he can track her with his magic.
She”s gone, and I don’t want to think about what they are doing to her. The leader intends to forge a blood bond with her, a bond that requires a blood moon. The next one is in three days, the same amount of time Achilles said he needed for his tracking spell.
Fight them, Demetria. Fight until we can find you. We will find you.
We closed the club as soon as Diego and I found Bane in the alley. I”ve told the staff to take a few days off, using the excuse of a ruptured waste pipe in the men”s restroom. A few of them queried pay, but I”ve assured them they will get what’s due even with the closure.
Harley rang my personal line a few hours ago to ask if Demetria wanted to join her for dinner, seeing as she wouldn”t be working behind the bar. I didn”t have the heart to tell Harley that Demetria is missing. I just made up an excuse about her being sick, the same one I asked Demetria to tell the hospital.
My grip on the whiskey glass in my hand tightens and the glass strains under the force. With a roar, I launch it across the room. It shatters as it hits the wall next to the open door, where a hulking Bane is leaning up against the frame. He looks from me to the shattered glass, and then back to me while shaking his head. With a sigh, he turns and walks away.
Running my fingers through my hair, I fist it within my hands. I”m so angry at myself. If I had let my true feelings for Demetria out and let the bond happen, I would have been able to find her already. The connection would have solidified,and I would have known exactly where she was. Instead, I denied us all.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.I scold myself for the millionth time, not that it will do any good.
Muttering as I pace the floor, I think of all the ways I”m going to destroy the wolves who are trying to claim my mate as their own. I will make them pay for crossing onto my territory, for killing Demetria”s friend and others. But most of all, I want to watch the light fade from their eyes as I kill them for taking what is mine.
I have two days to prepare for what is coming, to steel myself to the fact that I might be too late. To accept that I might find nothing left of the woman I”m in love with. Leaving my office, I head to my room and change out of my suit into sweats and a t-shirt. I”ll head to the gym; I need a distraction.
Walking through the door into the gym, I find it completely empty. I have no idea where Bane and Diego are, but that”s probably for the best. I flip on the music system in the corner, and AC/DC”s Highway to Hell blasts through the speakers scattered around the room. Stepping up onto the running machine, I set it for twenty miles. I start at a walk, but it soon becomes a run, and my feet pound against the platform. My pace is rhythmic as I focus on my reflection in the mirror, watching my arms pump up and down at my sides.
The door opens behind me and I watch as Bane and Diego enter the gym, heading for the sparring mats in the center. Diego catches my eye and scowls in my direction, flipping me the bird. Bane doesn”t even look my way as he wraps his knuckles. A broken bone isn”t much of an issue as it”ll heal with blood, but it sure as hell still hurts. Diego follows suit, binding his own hands.
When they are both finished, they enter the ring, tapping knuckles together and getting into position. Bane is all coiled muscles, ready to pounce and claim the win. But Diego, smaller in build than Bane, is wily and fast. And not opposed to taking cheap shots to take down his opponent.
The motion of the machine beneath my feet slows to a stop, pulling my attention from the two men. I step down and make my way to the mini-fridge in the corner and pull out a bottle of water. Vampire or not, we still eat and drink, and definitely still sweat, though considerably less than humans.
I take a swig and turn my focus back to Diego and Bane, watching as the two men clash together. Neither lets the other get the upper hand. When Diego lays a kick on Bane, the giant is quick to retaliate with a hit of his own. I can”t help but study them dance around each other, like a well-choreographed routine. Diego and I come together perfectly beneath the sheets, but these two fighting together is a sight to behold. The mutts won’t know what hit them.
Moving over to the punching bag, I set down the bottle. I don”t even bother to wrap my hands; I want to feel the pain, I deserve it. I strike a few combinations of hits against the leather, not caring when the skin on my knuckles eventually splits. I leave my blood all over the fabric as I circle around the bag. My anger seeps from me as I take it out on my inanimate opponent.
I keep it up for what feels like hours. It leaves my body exhausted and every muscle hurts. My knuckles are a mess as the skin has tried to heal, only to be split open again. With one last kick, the punching bag can”t take anymore and the heavy metal chain that attaches it to the ceiling snaps, sending the bag across the room until it crashes into the weight machine. The rest of the room is empty, I’m not even sure when Diego and Bane left.
Wiping the back of my hand across my forehead, I clear the sweat away, no doubt replacing it with blood. I”m done and need sleep. I shouldn”t have gone so hard on the punching bag, but the pain felt good. Tomorrow I must get the two men who have been my constant companions for the last few decades to talk to me. We need a plan; we need to be ready for when Achilles comes.
Stalking out of the gym, I leave the bag where it rests and head for my room. Once the door is closed, I strip off my clothes and aim straight for the shower. The water is ice cold when I start it, but it soon heats. I let the water run over my hands, cleaning the still open wounds. The blood swirls down the drain until eventually, it runs clear.
When my body is clean, I stumble out of the shower and wrap a towel low on my hips. My body wants blood, but it”s hers I”m craving, Demetria”s. If... when we find her I”m going to tell her everything. If she”ll let us, we”ll complete the bond and then I”ll never let her go again. I”ll show her how to defend herself and protect her from now until the end of time.
I collapse on my bed and let exhaustion drag me under.
We’re coming, Demetria.