Page 58 of Forever My Siren Luna (The Hidden Cove #2)

“He’s coming,” I tell her, because I somehow know that he is. “I’m Beretta, by the way. I very much plan on being your brother’s next mate,” I offered her a playful smirk, then held out my hand to help her up.

She takes my hand, looking at me like she’s amazed by what she sees. “I’m Cecilia.”

“Cecilia,” I hoisted her up, then held her steady by the shoulders, letting her beast help take control enough to give her steady legs.

She hadn’t felt her Lycan’s strength in some time.

I could tell by the way she wobbled. “Your brother taught me to take what I wanted, and to never surrender it back. You are going to take back your freedom now, and we’re getting out of here. ”

~

Nilo

“Hello!” I screamed for the hundredth time since waking in this sour, battered, shit smelling hellhole.

Blood sprayed from my mouth, foaming and sliding down the side of my face.

“Just kill me, you fucking bastards!” I’ve been strung up ass-naked, arms stretched to either side of the narrow cell, feet shackled to the floor since I woke up getting what smelled like sewer water dumped on me and being pummeled in the back with a silver-laced whip.

Those fucking bastards. They could not let me have any peace from the pain. They didn't have the decency to kill me. They just beat me until I was awake, cackling among themselves at my pain and misery.

My shoulder is dislocated. The bones in one leg are shattered. My ribs feel as if they are stabbing into my lungs, which won’t fucking kill me fast enough.

I don’t know why they kept me alive, but their wicked mutterings about waiting for the alpha to surrender to kill me makes me believe they are using me as leverage for something.

If they are hoping Lachlan will trade his life for mine, they will be disappointed.

That isn’t how we do things. Lachlan knows better than to trust a demon’s word.

If they are keeping me alive to torture in front of my Alpha, I would rather just die now. I’d kill myself if I could, but they prevented me from having any movement, and my beast is being contained with the heavy collar around my neck.

“Pussys!” I let out another gargled yell. “Filthy. Fucking,” I cough out another mouthfull of blood, “Bastards.” Speaking is getting harder and harder.

I will not be used. I keep praying that my lungs will drown with blood, but that wish just won’t be fulfilled. No matter how much strain I put on my body or how hard I struggle, it won't kill me.

My body had become numb from the pain, until I allowed myself to hang slack on the chains in exhaustion. Then my shoulder sends radiating pain through my back, up my spine, making my head pulse. That pulsing in my head is all I can hear, until….

“Keep going, ladies,” a recognizable whisper hissed in the darkness.

When I try to ignore the pulsing heartbeat ringing in my ears, I make out more whispers and heavy footsteps. My goddess. It’s a horde of something coming my way. Desperation for freedom or death travels over me, not wanting to be their plaything or a means for blackmail.

“Watch your step, girls. Irrita, use your magic to see around each corner before we approach. Lotty, take the rear. Elves and fairies, ward the space we occupy. Sound-proof it as best you can. Weres and Lycs, take your beast forms to prepare to fight if we-” The familiar voice went silent for a moment.

“What is it?” a lovely voice, probably the sweetest voice I have ever heard, asked the woman who was just dishing out the commands.

“Do you smell that? That scent?”

I know that voice. I know it well.

My dread leaves me, and I find the strength to start fighting for freedom again. “Beretta!” I hissed loudly, then coughed as blood continued to bubble down my face. “Beretta, you pantiless pirate! I'm here!” I called out with a mouth full of blood.

There is a rushing clatter outside the door, then sparks begin to light along the handle, making it glow a fiery red before it falls to the floor. Beretta pushed her way inside, then rushed to my side with a relieved look on her face.

“Beta! You Beta bastard! I thought,” her eyes are wide in surprise as she takes in my naked body, seeing the brutality I have had to endure. “Shit. I bet you wish you were dead about now,” she staggered back. I must look worse than I thought.

A small gasp caused me to look back towards the door.

The most beautiful woman I have ever seen is standing there.

Though her naked body holds many scars and evidence of past violence, including jagged scars up and down her sides, I’m stunned by how truly perfect the woman appears.

Her red hair and large green eyes add the perfect amount of color to compliment her milky skin.

Her small nose has a sprinkling of freckles, and her lips are a similar color to her hair, looking plump and kissable.

Something inside me stirred when I stared at her. I felt broken inside just moments ago, but now it feels as if I’m whole again, and there is a part of me deep inside that is snapping into place.

The pounding in my head intensified. I barely notice Beretta groaning while fumbling with the lock on the collar, trying to force it apart until she accomplishes that goal, making the thing fall from around my neck with a loud clang.

Then, suddenly, my beast came tearing out from the darkness where he was caged inside me, screaming and snarling in my head, “MATE!”

“Mate,” I whispered, staring at the woman. Her eyes go wide, her bottom lip trembling. She looks…. scared. Why?

Beretta stared at me with furrowed brows, then looked back at the woman. “Cecilia, come help me. He won’t bite.”

The redheaded beauty hesitates, then comes alongside Beretta, an anxious expression cast on her beautiful features.

“Get the shackles at his feet,” Beretta tells her, then gives me a warning look. “Your leg is broken, Beta. Badly. Tell your beast to quit snarling and ogling Captain Jack’s sister here and fix you so we can go.”

My eyes go wide in surprise, and she gives me another warning look before leaning in next to my ear.

“The girl has been here for years. Be patient and heal your ass so you can live to save your mate from being here any longer.”

Years. My eyes stayed trained on the woman as she knelt to force the shackles off my feet, having a harder time with the locks than Beretta.

My beast is still watching her through me, but he is working in overdrive to heal me, desperate to get this woman to safety.

He is having a hard time with the worst of my injuries, but he is desperately trying.

Cecilia is small, but when her gaze moved up to meet mine, I saw a fire in those eyes that led me to believe she is a fighter.

She’s been fighting and surviving for years.

It hurts me to think of all she has gone through, but this is this intense desire inside me to heal her from it all.

She's mine. I had to go to hell to find her, but she's mine, and I will cherish her and make her feel safe for the rest of my life.

I groaned, collapsing to the ground when Beretta freed my bad arm last. Cecilia moves to hover over me, her body and hands reacting on their own to try and find a way to help me. She feels the bond too, but I think she is just scared of it for some reason.

“Bite this,” Beretta shoved a chain in my mouth forcefully.

Before I can spit it out and ask her why, she takes my arm, pulls it out of place and lets it lock back into the joint.

It makes me scream, dropping the chain and glowering at her with betrayal.

Cecilia stumbled back, frightened by my outburst. Some of the women watching from the hall whimper and make frightened mewling noises.

I don’t care about them being scared as much as I do about this beautiful girl right beside me.

I wish Beretta had given me some kind of warning.

“Don’t look at me like that, you big baby. We need to hurry,” Beretta glared right back at me, then moved down to my leg to check the damage. “Cecilia, check his ribs. The bruising looks severe. He won’t heal correctly with a rib lodged in his lungs or other organs.”

“I-I don’t,” she looked scared about approaching me.

“Here,” a dark-haired elvish girl pushed her way into the room, then came to sit beside me. Her hands light up, and she waves them over my chest. The tingling magic soothes as it mends my ribs back in place. She then moved Beretta aside, her eyes glowing brilliantly while staring at my bad leg.

In a matter of seconds, everything feels healed and mended. Now my Lycan is fully focused on Cecilia, just wanting to get her to safety and out of this hellhole.

“Thanks,” I told the elvish girl, though my eyes didn’t leave the redhead sitting and watching a few feet away with a tentative look on her face. The more I stared, the less frightened she seemed and the most gorgeous pink hue started staining her cheeks.

That pirate knobber can’t be the brother of such an angel. Now that I can scent her, her smell is too heavenly to be compared to his. He always smells like rum to me. But Beretta is sleeping with the captain. She would be able to identify his family members better than me, so it must be true.

It’s still hard to believe such an angel comes from the same family as him.

“You good now, or are we going to sit and twiddle our thumbs while waiting for those bastards to come back?” Beretta asked, reaching down to offer me a hand.

“Glad to see you’re as lively as ever,” I groaned as she pulled me up to my feet. I may be healed, but my body still aches.

“Glad to see that you are just alive,” she said with a teasing tone, though I heard a hint of emotion and true relief in her voice. Her eyes are glassy too as she stares at me.

I pulled her in, giving her a comforting hug, knowing she is trying to keep this all together for these women.

It’s a heavy burden to bear, and she found my mate, saved her in whatever way she did from the torture she undoubtedly had to suffer for years.

I selfishly am so grateful I brought her with me, even if we both went through this hell.

I'm grateful to Beretta for so much right now.

She makes a soft choking noise, hugging me back, letting the tension drain from her body for those few seconds that she has her head tucked into my sore shoulder so the other women can’t see.

Then, the cutest little growl leaves Cecilia. She covers her mouth quickly and turns her back.