33. Maddison
Maddison
Kai’s arms are iron around me. His steady arms hold me tight to his firm body, his heat seeping into my freezing body.
My cheek is pressed to his chest, to the hard plane of muscle beneath torn fabric.
His heartbeats steady and slow against my ear.
Not fast and panicked, not anything that would match the way my pulse is stuttering and falling over itself like it can’t decide whether to keep going.
The room spins anyway.
The fluorescent light above us hums like an angry wasp, echoing in my head. The light burning into my skull every time my eyes flutter open.
“Stay with me,” Kai says, voice low. His breath dusts over my hair.
I try to nod, but my head is too heavy, neck too weak. Every cell in my body feels languid.
I grit my teeth. If Kai can be strong for me, I can be strong for him.
“I’m... here,” I manage.
Kai’s grip tightens as he leans over and grabs something on the ground. Lifting it, he presses a blood-slick knife into my hand. My fingers wrap around the handle.
“Sink it into any motherfucker that gets close enough,” he growls, grabbing the second knife for himself.
My breath stutters as I look at the weapon that is tainted with my own blood. Could I really use it? Even if it meant getting out of here and seeing my devil.
My grip tightens as I come to a conclusion.
Silent as the night, Kai moves through the shadowy corridor with me in his grip. My eyes dart around in the dark space. Hallways and ramps, stairs and crevices lead every which way. It’s like a damn maze, every single turn leading to ten more.
Kai doesn’t stop to think, taking each turn with confidence. Until voices rattle in the small space. He falls against the concrete wall, damp with dripping water, his dark eyes flicking to mine. If he’s scared, he doesn’t show it.
Heavy steps echo down a corridor to our left. Then a man’s voice, close enough now that the sound crawls up my spine.
“... swear I heard something...”
Kai goes still in a way that makes him feel inhuman. A predator waiting in the shadows.
I cling to him, my arms wrapping around his neck.
The man’s footsteps pause. I can see boots in my blurred vision, two pairs. They are so close I can hear them breathing. My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure it’ll give us away.
Before I know what is happening, there is a flash of metal.
Hot liquid sprays over me as I hear the sound of metal against flesh. One of the men drops to the ground with nothing but a grunt before Kai is onto the next one. More blood soaks my skin, the copper scent clogging my nose.
This man chokes on the gash in his throat, clutching at it as if he can stop the blood from pouring out of him. It’s a wretched sound... and it satisfies me.
I’m too tired to care how that thought makes me feel.
But when I look into his dying eyes, I smile.
Kai moves again, running up the ramp the two men came from. It’s slippery and wet, mildew growing on all the surfaces, but his footing is sure.
Higher and higher we go, choosing every ramp or staircase that goes up. Even the air has changed into something less rotten. My heart thrums a hopeful beat.
Which makes realising we hit a dead end all the more defeating. The hope dies in my throat.
At the end of the corridor stands a thick steel door, its surface mottled with rust and peeling paint. My eyes zero in on the heavy chains looped around the handles and fed through a welded bracket on the wall.
Kai slows to a stop, and for a second, we just stare at it. So close. We are so fucking close; I can feel it. I know daylight is on the other side of that door, and I’m aching for it. Every second I spend locked in here is making me feel like a trapped animal. And I’m suffocating slowly.
I need to get out of this place. Now.
Kai shifts me in his arms and steps forward anyway, testing the chains with the edge of his knife, his hand moving with skill even with his ruined wrist. They rattle loudly, the metallic clank echoing down the concrete throat of the tunnel.
We both freeze, and Kai curses under his breath.
“This isn’t it,” I whisper, my voice weak.
He doesn’t answer. He presses his shoulder to the door, testing it with brute force.
The chains don’t budge. His jaw tightens, and this close, I can see the strain on his face. Sweat beads along his temples and his wrists are swelling badly now, the skin stretched tight and angry where he broke them. His fingers flex around the knife with his remaining strength.
“Kai,” I whisper.
He shakes his head once, already scanning the walls, the ceiling, the corners of the landing for another path.
“Kai,” I repeat, firmer. “Put me down.”
“No.”
“You’re hurt.”
“Kai,” I plead, my voice laced with urgency.
Finally, his eyes flick to mine, those dark, intense eyes boring into mine. I can almost see him thinking as he weighs our limited options. Then he exhales sharply and lowers me to the ground.
My good leg takes my weight first. Pain rips up through my thigh as the injured one follows. I grit my teeth so hard my jaw pops, refusing to make a sound. The concrete wall behind me is damp and cold, soaking through the thin fabric of my dress as I lean back against it.
I force myself upright, putting everything onto my good leg, as Kai steadies me until he’s sure I won’t fall.
“Stay here,” he murmurs, and in my delirious state, I almost laugh. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. “I’ll find a way out and come back.”
Panic filters through me, even though I know it’s the only option we have right now. Kai has been my rock since we were trapped here, and I don’t think I can do it without him.
“Promise?” I whisper, and I hate how weak I sound right now.
He meets my eyes, his scared hand coming up to cup my cheek. “With every fibre of my being.” His words are sure, and I believe him.
Then, before I can blink, he disappears into the shadows. The quiet that follows is suffocating, and my breaths sound so loud in this tiny alcove.
Water drips somewhere, and the hum of distant machinery vibrates faintly through the walls. My leg throbs in time with my heartbeat, a deep, relentless ache that makes my vision blur at the edges.
And then I hear it.
A low rumble.
At first, I think it’s an echo from the building, or blood rushing too loud in my ears.
But it comes again. Deeper this time. A mechanical growl that rolls through the concrete and into my bones. A sound I’ve come to love.
The vibration from the motorcycles pulses faintly beneath my feet, and my chest tightens so hard it hurts.
Ash.
The sound builds, distant but unmistakable. The roar of an engine sounds like a living, breathing beast. It sounds like power.
Tears sting my eyes.
Maybe I bled out on that rusty chair, and this is some cruel trick of my dying brain. Maybe this is heaven.
But Devils don’t go to heaven.
My head snaps to the side when footsteps scrape against the ground.
Not Kai. No, this man wears a different leather vest. In the dim light, he looks like a monster, tall and thick, and eyes that don’t have a light to them.
His shaved head turns towards me, and he slows when he sees me propped against the wall, blood-soaked and swaying. His face twists into a delighted sneer.
“Well,” he drawls, a crooked grin splitting his face. “Would you have a look at this?”
His eyes drag over my leg, my face and the knife in my hand.
“Boss is going to have a right old laugh when he realises a pathetic, little thing like you attempted to escape all on your own.”
I lift the knife, my arm shaking, but I refuse to drop it.
“Go away,” I rasp.
He laughs, cocking his head to the side.
“You can barely stand,” he says, taking a step closer. “I almost feel bad.”
“I said, go away.” My teeth grit, and for once, my words come out with some strength behind them.
Strength I draw from that faint rumble that I can still hear. Even if I am dead, or if I am dreaming, I can be strong. I can be the girl Ash believed I could be. And if I die, then I’ll go fighting.
He shakes his head slowly. “Even covered in blood and bruises, you still look fucking delicious. Boss said we can’t kill you, but he said nothing about having a little taste.”
Something inside me goes very, very still.
All the fear burns out.
All that is left is anger. A red-hot fury that bubbles inside my stomach.
He steps into my space, reaching for me with his gigantic hands, and my knuckles ache as I squeeze the handle of the knife with every ounce of strength I have.
When his hand grips my hip, I scream. The sound rips out of my chest, raw and feral. I lunge forward, ignoring the scream of agony in my leg, and drive the knife upward with everything I have.
The sound of the knife sinking into his neck is final.
Hot blood explodes across my hand, my chest, my mouth. Blood coats my tongue, spraying over my face, metallic and warm.
His blank eyes go wide in shock.
I yank the blade free and plunge it in again. This time deeper.
He makes a choking, wet sound as he stumbles back, hands clawing at his throat. Blood pours between his fingers, coating the concrete at our feet. I refuse to take my eyes off him.
A thud sounds as he drops to his knees, gasping and drowning in red. His gaze locks on mine as he bleeds out, and I smile. A small, victorious curve of my lips as I fall back against the wall. The pain in my leg faded with the adrenaline coursing through my body.
And understanding dawns on me. Ash’s killing instinct. It isn’t madness or cruelty. It’s clarity. It’s knowing that someone who meant to hurt you is losing.
It’s control.
The rumble of the motorcycle grows louder in the distance. Footsteps approach fast from the other corridor, and I raise the knife again, ready for whoever is about to round the corner.
Kai appears, chest heaving slightly. His eyes frantically scan me up and down, searching for new wounds. They paused at the smug smirk on my face before slowly dropping to the now very dead man on the floor. He blinks once before bringing his eyes back to me. For a second, he just stares.
Then something like pride flickers across his face.
“I found a way,” he breathes, lifting me easily into his arms. My body protests, but I wrap my arms around his neck anyway.
We move fast.
Down the side corridor, up another ramp slick with water and grime. The air changes as we climb. It’s colder. Fresher. Less suffocating.
I almost sob when I see the faint strip of light ahead. Kai takes the last set of stairs two at a time, boots slamming against the metal. My heart pounds so hard I think it might break through my ribs.
The stairs spill into the underside of a shipping container, its metal walls vibrating with the sound of engines and shouting outside.
Kai pushes through a half-open container door, and we burst out into the grey daylight.
Rain kisses my face, and the air is sharp with salt. Shipping containers tower around us.
And there...
Across the open stretch of concrete...
Is my Devil.
He stands in front of a dozen of his men, black leather soaked from the rain, gun raised and pointed at Zeke. Zeke stands a few metres away, calm as ever, men fanned out behind him.
The world narrows to only Ash. Only the man who snarls at the enemy. His shoulders are rigid, and his jaw is clenched, blue eyes blazing with something feral and unhinged.
He looks like the devil.
He looks like mine.
“Ash!” I scream. The sound tears out of me.
Kai lowers me instinctively as I wrench myself from his arms. Pain detonates through my leg as I sprint, but it’s a background thought. I can barely feel it. All I feel is him.
Ash’s head snaps toward me. His eyes widen. For a second, I think he’s not real. That I’m hallucinating. That this is my brain’s final mercy before everything goes dark.
“Ash,” I sob.
He runs to me, and the world tilts violently. His arms catch me just before I hit the ground, both of us falling to our knees on the ground.
They’re real. Warm, solid arms holding me.
“Angel,” he rasps. His voice is raw and wild, his eyes scanning me from head to toe.
I can only imagine what I look like, crimson staining my white dress and my skin. My hair is matted with the stuff.
My hands fist into his jacket as everything fades at the edges.
“Ash,” I’m crying. Ugly, raw sobs heaving out of me. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
His head shakes, hands cupping my cheeks as he takes me in. He’s looking at me as if he’s also unsure if I’m real or not.
“I never should have chosen my father over you. Never. I love you, Ash. Only you.”
His lips crash against mine, so warm and real, before his forehead falls against mine.
“You’re here,” he whispers. “You’re here, and I love you.” His lips press against mine again, and it feels like heaven. “I love you. I love you; I love you. My sweet, perfect angel.”
Tears run down my face, collecting rain and blood with them. But then I hear a voice that has me freezing.
“You have your girl back now,” Zeke grits, obviously thrown by the fact that his bargaining chip escaped. “Now give me the drive.”
Ash hardens in my grip, his body turning to steel before me. His head slowly turns to the side, hate burning in his eyes as he regards Zeke.
“The drive?” His words are predatory, unleashed fury vibrating behind each word. “You want the drive?”
He stands, his powerful hands gripping me and helping me stand with him, stabilising me the entire time. Like he knows the injuries I have.
“You brought me to the grey zone to do business. But I think you’re forgetting one very intrinsic detail of the grey zone,” he growls, one hand clutching me tightly.
Zeke’s eyes are dark, glaring at us both.
“You hurt a Devil. You violated the order.”
“She’s not a Devil,” Zeke grits out. “No rules were broken.”
Ash goes to open his mouth, but a voice speaks over him.
“She certainly is,” Kai announces, standing on my other side. “She’s ours in blood, spirit, and flesh.”
The look Ash gives his second fills my heart with pride. And then the sound of a bullet rings. It feels like the world moves in slow motion as Zeke falls to the ground and Ash scoops me in his arms, covering me from the bullets that begin flying.
If one caught me now, I’d be okay with it. Because I have my Devil again. And he loves me.