Page 15 of Revenant (Spirit Realm #2)

HICKS

M y head pulses with the heavy beat of my heart, and my brain scrambles to recall what the fuck happened. I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself to drink so much that I would have a hangover. The only time it happened in the last two years was…when Rue disappeared.

Just thinking her name has my memories surging back, and I mentally groan when I recall Jameson meekly handing himself over to the hit team that came to collect us. He fucking walked up to them with his arms out, begging to be captured. I understand his reasoning, I really do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to smack him for his idiocy.

The constant aggression I did my best to shove deep ever since Rue was taken surges through my veins, and I grit my teeth at not being able to vent my wrath on the fuckers responsible. The four of us had a shot of taking the assholes at the bar…until he surrendered.

Three of us might have been able to handle it, but we couldn’t risk taking any damage if we wanted to rescue Rue. With gritted teeth, I ordered the others to stand down, even though it galled me to do it.

It had been a fucking trap, and I wondered where it had all gone wrong.

Or if we were betrayed from the very beginning.

Two guards approached each of us cautiously, and I clenched my fists, a muscle in my jaw jumping at the effort to keep from lashing out. In less than a minute, we were zip-tied and hauled none too gently outside. Though Gunner and Ellis remained stoic, I mentally cursed every step we took, while Jameson practically pranced toward the waiting vehicles with a cheerful whistle floating behind him.

The guards eyed him warily as they shoved us toward four different vehicles, none of them putting away their weapons. When they popped the trunks, a snarl curled my lips, and I refused to take another step.

Apparently, my cooperation wasn’t needed.

The next thing I knew, pain screamed through my body, every muscle convulsing until I feared my very tendons would snap from my bones, then blessed darkness consumed me.

From the way my neck twinges, they must have shoved me into the smallest fucking trunk available. When I break free, I have every intention of hunting the bastards down and bending their bodies into human pretzels, relishing the prospect of breaking their bones to do it.

I crack open my eyelids, expecting the worst…

And am met with the most beautiful sight I’ve seen in months—Rue.

I don’t move, afraid she might be a figment of my imagination. When I stay up too late too many days in a row, I swear I can feel her presence. My eyes burn when I refuse to blink, terrified this might be a dream, and I want to savor it for as long as possible.

I’m supposed to be the leader of our family, unemotional to ensure the best decisions for the group. That’s impossible with Rue. She makes me frustrated, furious, and horny all at the same time. Rational thoughts are impossible. Whenever she’s near, I don’t know if I want to spank her or fuck her, possibly both at the same.

My cock hardens at the thought of her naked and bent over my knee. I close my eyes, swallowing hard, doing my best not to lunge at her like an animal. Then I snap my eyes back open a second later, afraid she might disappear.

It’s the bite of straps gouging into my flesh that says this is not one of my dreams.

That’s when I realize she’s sitting in a chair by a counter and some doctor is drawing blood from her arm. From her pale complexion and the number of vials already in the kit on the counter, the fucker is trying to drain her dry.

A glance shows we’re in a fucking lab of some sort. The rest of the guys are present and similarly strapped down. Gunner twitches but doesn’t wake. Jaceson appears a little worse for wear, but I consider it a small miracle that he is still alive. That’s all that matters. Ellis and James are still out cold. After months of anxiety and stress, the men look almost peaceful.

Rage bleeds through my veins at seeing them captured, at the mercy of that sadistic bastard. To keep from losing my shit, I focus on Rue.

A growl rumbles in my chest that the fucker would dare do testing on her. It’s one of her worst fears, directly after her father, and I barely resist the impulse to stab him repeatedly until every last drop of blood is drained from his body. “Leave her the fuck alone,” I snarl. I lunge up, only to be yanked back down by the straps across my torso.

Rue’s gaze snaps toward me, and her teal eyes pierce my soul with the ease of a blade. She’s different from the last time I saw her. Her features are sharper but no less beautiful. Her eyes are turbulent. Harder. Scenario after scenario flashes through my mind at what she had to endure without us there to protect her, each case worse than the last.

They’re the same nightmares that I see every time I close my eyes.

I can’t sleep for more than an hour or two before I wake up, sweating from the horrors.

“Ahhh, you’re awake.” The doctor doesn’t even bother to look up as he finishes filling the last vial. It’s only when he snaps off the rubber strap around her arm and closes the specimen case that I relax infinitesimally.

“I should thank you for your interference.” The doctor discards the needle as an afterthought before he bothers to look up. The complete lack of humanity in his expression is like a fist to the chest. We are not people to him, which means he won’t hesitate to do whatever he wants to get answers, if that wasn’t already blatantly clear.

Any hope to appeal to his humanity would be futile.

“If it weren’t for you and your men foolishly trying to rescue Miss Rue, my studies might have been delayed for weeks, if not months. So, you might say that I owe you a thanks.” The smug tone of his voice clashes with the cold calculation in his eyes.

The bindings around me flex as I battle the impulse to throw myself at the smug fucker and erase his existence from the planet. Ellis created this nifty little chemical solution that has the ability to melt a person into sludge. Even their bones liquefy after a few hours. Only I want this psychopath alive when I dissolve him bit by bit, the need to extend his death for as long as possible a primal urge.

Picking up his specimen case, the doctor pauses by Rue’s chair, and my chest bursts with pride when she sits without flinching, as regal as a queen. Pride morphs into fury when he lingers a little too close, his expression a little too pleased with himself, and I struggle in earnest against my bindings.

“Remember our bargain,” he murmurs, malicious glee darkening his eyes.

Not to be intimidated, Rue lifts her chin, staring the bastard down without batting a lash. “Remember your promise, and we won’t have a problem.”

“Yes, of course. We will begin tomorrow. That should allow you enough time to acquaint your gentlemen friends with the rules of our agreement,” he counters without missing a beat, dipping his head imperiously before striding toward the door. He pauses a moment, looking back at my family, then his gaze lands on me. “If you cross me, Rue will suffer for your foolishness.”

My gut churns when he flashes a mocking smile in my direction, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out the asshole is lying through his fucking teeth. He has no intention of ever letting us go, he’s just using us as bargaining chips to force Rue to do his bidding. Helplessness threatens to overwhelm me, and I’m breathing hard, rocking back and forth as I try to break the straps and snap his fucking scrawny neck.

One blow, and the old man would crumble.

I can almost taste his pain.

The door barely shuts behind him before I wrench my head back to glare at Rue. “Untie me.”

I wince when my demand comes out harsher than I intended, and her eyes narrow dangerously. Rue rises to her feet, never once taking her eyes away from mine as she closes the distance between us.

I mentally wince at my autocratic attitude, knowing that I’m being an ass, but I can’t seem to help myself when I’m around her. Whenever she’s near, I regress to a caveman thumping his chest. While I want to gather her into my arms and beg for forgiveness for the way I treated her, I keep screwing things up.

When Rue pauses next to my bed, I suddenly feel exposed, and not just because I’m strapped to the bed, unable to lift more than a finger. I feel stripped bare under her gaze, the little minx doing nothing to obey me. As much as I try to fight it, my body reacts to her nearness. My skin aches to feel the touch of her fingers, and my cock hardens, begging for her attention.

I’ve handcuffed a few women in my time, I love being in control of their pleasure, but I’ve never understood the appeal of being at the mercy of another person. The mere thought sends my stomach recoiling.

With her so close, my whole body is hyperaware of everything about her, and anticipation is heavy in the air. As I wiggle against the restraints, desperate to draw her closer, I can almost understand the allure of being bound.

I grip the edge of the gurney, almost glad to be restrained, suddenly certain I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from stripping her bare so I could inspect every inch of her for injury. I’ve fucked up so much with her that I need to earn her forgiveness before I’m allowed that privilege, but it goes against my every protective instinct.

When she doesn’t release me immediately, my heart clenches at the trepidation in her gaze, like she’s afraid of what I might do to her if she releases me. The realization hits with a force similar to Gunner kicking me full in the chest.

I’m not sure how to claw myself out of the hole I dug. I sag against the gurney, my head thumping against the hard surface, the tension that’s been holding me hostage leaving me in a rush now that she is back after so long.

“I missed you,” I say gruffly, then wince when she shoots me a dubious look. Yeah, I deserve that. I want to close my eyes and hide from her very justified recriminations, but I’m not a coward. The way I hurt her was unforgivable, and I deserve every bit of her ire. That doesn’t mean I’m willing to let her go.

For the first time in my life, I found a woman who is worth the effort, and I’m determined not to fuck up my courtship any worse. She’s mine, and I will win her over, even if I have to lie, cheat, and kill to do it.

To avoid my gaze, she focuses on loosening the strap across my chest, and I use the time to study her. What I see has worry gnawing at my insides, much like a starving wolf.

Rue has always been pale, but her skin is like porcelain now. She’s lost weight, her curves less defined, her muscles sleeker.

And she is still the most gorgeous creature I have ever seen.

“I fucked up,” I admit, doing my best not to squirm at the unfamiliar sensation of apologizing. “I don’t want you to absolve me of my wrongdoing, I’ll earn your forgiveness for my sins later, but we need to escape first. The only way that is going to happen is if we work together. Agreed?”

I’m barely aware that I stopped breathing as I await her verdict. She fumbles with the buckle, the strap releasing, and she throws it off my chest before working on the restraints pinning my wrists. She studiously avoids looking at me, and it’s driving me fucking nuts.

I want her fire.

I want her quiet, rebellious spirit.

I refuse to believe I broke her beautiful soul with my stupidity.

“Why did you even come for me?” she murmurs, ignoring my plea. The next buckle releases faster, and when she moves to my feet, I barely resist the urge to snatch her to my chest and force her to listen. Instead, I grab the IV in my arm and yank it out, then dutifully work on releasing my other arm.

“I might be an idiot, but I’m not stupid. It didn’t take me long to realize how badly I fucked up.” Defeat slumps my shoulders, and I wish I could travel back in time to kick my own ass. I won’t ever stop trying to convince her that I never meant to hurt her. “I thought I was helping you. I thought I was?—”

“I know exactly what you thought.” She huffs in annoyance, still avoiding my gaze, and I feel lower than a piece of shit on the bottom of her shoe. “You thought I was crazy. You thought I was a danger to your family. I can almost understand your actions.”

I don’t even pretend that I’m not watching her, my battered heart thumping heavily in my chest as I wait for her to strike the killing blow to a relationship I didn’t know I wanted until it was too late. When she finally glances at me, her soul is laid bare, no hint of subterfuge or artifice darkening her bright teal eyes. I was too stupid to see the truth until now.

“I would have understood if you came to me with your concerns. Instead, you set out to humiliate me.” She shakes her head and turns away to work on the bindings around Gunner. I’m frozen solid as I wait for her to say the words that will seal my fate, desperately battling the urge to hold her hostage until she forgives me.

Worst of all, she has every right to want me out of her life.

“I might not know much about family, but I do know they don’t treat each other that way.” She releases the strap across the big man’s chest, then turns her back toward me to work on the bindings around his wrists.

Maybe I should respect her decision and leave her alone, but I refuse to let her go that easily, not when it matters so much. I slip off the table, grimacing when she stiffens at my nearness. I curl my hands into fists to stop from slipping my arm around her waist and tugging her against my chest. My arms ache to hold her close, where she belongs. I bow my head, breathing deeply of her scent, the smell of smoke and flowers easing the tightness in my chest for the first time since she went missing.

“You’re right,” I admit gruffly, then force myself to step around her and work on Ellis’ restraints. “I’m used to being around my brothers and their thick skulls. The only way the stubborn assholes will listen is by cracking their heads together. My brothers are stubborn fuckers. They are so in love with you that I didn’t think they would listen. It didn’t dawn on me that I could be wrong until it was much too late.

“I thought I was protecting you.” Shame burns my skin like I was doused in acid, and I focus on the restraints, unable to look her in the eye. “I was wrong.”

“I will forgive you if you do me one favor,” Rue murmurs, her voice so soft that I think it’s a figment of my imagination. “No matter what happens, I want you to get the guys out of here.”

My head snaps up to find her looking at me, her eyes hard and determined. A growl rumbles in my chest, and I stalk toward her, not stopping until we’re only inches apart. Bending down, I invade her space until I’m right in her face, my every nerve ending lighting up at her nearness. “Never. I won’t make the same mistake twice. I won’t abandon you again.”