Page 25 of Revenant (Spirit Realm #2)
RUE
I don’t fight as Jameson drags me into the cavern where the others are waiting. From the looks we receive, varying from worried to bloodthirsty, my suspicions are confirmed—it’s a trap.
How original.
The number of soldiers is doubled, and I don’t miss that the two guards from the lab this morning are present, their expressions smug. I suspect that when Crystal offered to fight us, they didn’t protest much.
While the fight might be rigged, that doesn’t mean I can’t win it. It’s better this fight takes place in public rather than risk being cornered in private and shanked in the back.
“Since you finally deigned us with your presence, why don’t you join us for the first match?” The asshole who stood back while Gordan tried to barbeque me is glaring at us, but I don’t miss the gleeful anticipation in his eyes at the prospect of blood being shed.
Crystal clings to the man provocatively, practically curled around him as she pets his arm. The smirk on her face is smug, and my hackles rise at how she ogles the guys from under her lashes and licks her lips in anticipation, as if the battle has already been decided.
Gordan stands next to them, his arms crossed, a scowl on his face. Since he is getting exactly what he wants, I’m unsure why he’s so pissed. I squeeze Jameson’s hand and take a step toward the mats when the guard’s grin widens.
“Not you.” He dismisses me with a flick of his eyes, then he points to Hicks. “You first.”
Hicks doesn’t even hesitate to saunter forward, his stride confident as he steps onto the mat. It’s all I can do not to lunge forward, snatch his arm, and beg him not to go. When Gordan stalks forward and faces off against him, I anxiously wring my hands.
The only reason I survived my fight with Gordan was my ability to heal fast.
Hicks was just human yesterday. He doesn’t know the full extent of his abilities yet, and my stomach churns at the thought of him being so vulnerable. If this were a normal fight, he would win, hands down.
This fight is anything but normal.
“Babe, you know that I hate waiting.” Crystal pouts, peering up at the guard and fluttering her lashes. Her hand is curled around his arm, and I can almost see the glazed look enter his eyes. “Why don’t we make things interesting? Gordan and me against the whore and one of her men?”
A cruel smirk curls the corner of the guard’s lips, and I suspect it didn’t take much convincing for him to agree. Heck, she probably didn’t even have to use her abilities for him to approve her request.
“Wonderful idea, little pet,” he murmurs, his hand slipping down the back of her head before he grips her neck almost brutally, then he shoves her toward the training mats. She glares at him, a nasty scowl twisting her features, before she whirls and faces me with a confident bounce in her step. Her grin is a little too wide, a little too manic, and a lot cocky. No doubt the bitch is used to winning when she can just order her opponent to remain still as she beats them.
She’s power hungry, the guard’s little pet, and she doesn’t like the idea of being replaced. I’m not interested in her spot at the top of the food chain, but I doubt she would believe me. People like her don’t understand others who don’t crave power. To them, people are either predators or prey.
Crystal prances onto the mats like she’s walking a runway. The deluded fool acts like she’s in charge, but I know without a doubt that the doctor doesn’t see us as anything but test subjects for his sickening experiments.
Maybe it’s a coping mechanism for her, the need to be in charge of something, but I was raised with such brutality, and everything inside me shudders in revulsion at the thought of becoming like my captors.
All eyes turn toward me, waiting for me to step forward. Gunner growls, clearly wanting to slaughter everyone for allowing such things to happen. Ellis watches the spectators with narrowed eyes, possibly trying to gauge the odds of us leaving in one piece if we try to run for it. Jaceson leans forward and kisses the back of my neck, the action so unexpected that I shiver at the intimate touch.
Jameson nudges me toward the mats, whooping in excitement when I face off against Crystal. “Kill them, pookie! Rip their souls right out of their body.”
My stride hitches at the very real possibility of that happening. I would roll my eyes at the idiot for putting that thought into my head, but he’s just too cute, cheering for me.
“The rules are simple—the first person to knock out their opponents wins.” As I step over the boundary lines painted on the mat, the guard’s voice rings out once more. “Begin.”
The word barely leaves his mouth before Gordan tosses a fucking fireball right toward Hicks. I tense, practically vibrating with anxiety. I don’t even have a chance to shout a warning when I see Hicks already moving.
Fuck! He’s fast!
“Watch your six,” Hicks snarls at me, and I turn just in time to see Crystal stalking toward me wielding one of the guards’ batons. Because why play fucking fair?
She lunges toward me like it’s a sword aimed at my torso. I twist, knocking the plastic stick to the side with my arm so hard that pain reverberates through my bones. Crystal doesn’t back off, lunging again and again, becoming more frustrated each time she fails to land a blow. Jameson yells comments and advice from the sidelines, throwing punches like he’s fighting his own opponent.
One blow gets lucky, the prongs of the stun gun brushing against the outside of my shoulder, and I grit my teeth when it feels like I’ve been lit up from within by a lightning bolt. A growl escapes me—I must be spending too much time around the guys—and I shake off the near debilitating pain.
I’ve seen the guards take down a patient with those batons. They are military grade, specially built to release a burst of electricity with enough power to knock a grown man off their feet. When I don’t flop around on the ground like a fish on dry land, Crystal hisses like a feral cat and swings it at me like a baseball bat.
I catch it in my hand, my palm smarting from the brutal smack of plastic, then I bunch up my other fist and clock her across the face. She stumbles back with a surprised yelp, nearly tripping over her own feet. My knuckles ache, but it’s a good pain.
Movement from the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I yelp when I see a fireball flying toward my face. I twist to the side, knowing I’m going to be too late, when Hicks catches me around the waist and spins us.
The fireball crackles over his back a moment later, and his clothes ignite. I wiggle out of his iron grip, frantically smothering the flames with my hands. Then my movements slow when I realize that while his shirt is burned, his skin is unblemished.
Hicks stills as my fingers trail over his torso, the rough texture of his skin like braille. I trace the tiny teardrop shapes as my mind finally supplies an answer—scales.
He has fucking scales.
Hicks turns, and I gasp when the yellow color of his eyes deepens to a molten gold, the pupils constricting into slits. His fangs and claws are proudly on display, and he doesn’t move as he awaits my verdict.
I say the first thing that pops into my head. “You’re magnificent.”
His grin is immediate and more than a little bloodthirsty, and I feel like I’m truly seeing him for the first time. He gently nudges me aside before stalking toward Gordan with a single-minded focus that is intimidating as fuck when on the receiving end.
Gordan throws balls of fire one after another, backing up a step when nothing seems to slow Hicks down. Fear flashes across his face, then he snarls and holds out both hands, releasing a stream of liquid fire.
My breath catches when Hicks is engulfed…and walks through the flames like it’s nothing more than a nuisance, ashes and bits of clothing fluttering in the air behind him. When Gordan is within striking distance, Hicks doesn’t even hesitate to throw a punch, and I watch in awe as his fist lands with the force of a boulder.
Gordan stumbles back, his breath wheezing out of him. Hicks is a savage fighter, going after him again and again, and I can’t look away from the total annihilation. When Gordan lands a lucky blow, the bones of his hands snap. The poor sap howls and clutches his mangled fingers to his chest.
Hicks draws back his arm one last time, then clips Gordan on the jaw. His lights are out even before he hits the ground. I’m so distracted by the brutal assault that I don’t realize Crystal is creeping up on me until it’s too late.
“Rue!” Gunner barks my name.
I whirl, and the blow meant to cave in the back of my skull cracks me across the side of my head instead. Warm liquid gushes down my face, soaking into my shirt, and I wobble on my feet, like the commands to my body were abruptly severed.
That one moment of inattention cost me.
Crystal wraps her hand around my throat, stroking my skin in a way that has me shuddering. Her touch tingles like she is rubbing Icy Hot into my skin, then she leans in close and whispers into my ear, “Die, bitch.”
Maybe I’m immune to her ability, or maybe it’s because the connection from my brain to my body is offline at the moment. Instead of falling dead at her feet, I place my hand against her chest and push, hard.
I expect her to stumble back a step, and I’m shocked when her body remains stationary.
Her soul does not.
Her spirit launches out of her body and sails through the air. Crystal floats for a moment, her form only a wispy, pale shadow. Her face twists in confusion, then horror slowly darkens her expression. Her body sways without anyone at the helm before slowly crumbling at my feet.
I instinctively know I can put her soul back into her body, but my legs buckle before I can take a step. Just as I crash to the ground, strong arms catch me close, then cradle me tightly. I don’t feel any pain, but the numbness isn’t good. Even worse, I still can’t control my body yet.
“Call Hershamn,” one of the guards barks. “We need to take her to the infirmary.”
There is commotion around me, but I’m not really aware of it. A kaleidoscope of the guys’ concerned faces passes in front of me, but I can’t hear their words or feel their touches. The chill of the afterlife is already working to heal me, but I know from experience that it will take time to knit a cracked skull back together.
When I wake up on a bed, I realize that I’ve lost time. I’m in an unfamiliar infirmary with machines and monitors beeping in the background. A curtain surrounds me, blocking off my view of the rest of the room. The pain in my skull has been reduced to a dull throb, but the wound itself is mostly healed. All that remains is the residual effects, much like a hangover.
A whisper of voices catches my attention, and I realize the hushed conversation must have woken me. I tilt my head to hear better, then stiffen in alarm when I’m finally able to decipher what they’re saying.
“I don’t care what you have to do—lock them up if they leave you no choice. We finally have her where we want her. I won’t allow those kids to interfere with the final stages of my experiment. I’ve lost too much, sacrificed too much to lose it all now.” The cold-blooded snarl in Hershamn’s voice is chilling. “Don’t kill them. They are progressing beautifully, and we might need them later.”
“Yes, sir,” two guards reply in unison, and I imagine them clicking their heels together and saluting. The door clicks shut, and I hastily close my eyes, not a second too soon. The curtains around my bed are yanked open, and it takes all my concentration not to flinch. I have a lot of practice not reacting to danger.
My father is at least predictable in his hatred, while Hershamn is just insane.
How do I keep on attracting crazy people?
I’m so lost in my thoughts that I’m not aware of the doctor leaving until the door clicks shut behind him. My eyes snap open, and I lurch back when I see a ghost hovering near my side. Or I would’ve lurched back if I wasn’t lying flat on the bed. I end up flailing about like an idiot, if the amused expression on the ghost’s face is any indication.
Wait…not a ghost.
The form is a little too solid, a little too real.
“You’re Sue’s sister,” I murmur, my voice slightly slurred. She looks just like the pixie, except instead of black-tipped hair, hers is tipped a baby blue.
You know my sister? Tragic hope fills her eyes, and she leans forward eagerly. Is she okay?
“Okay is relative in this place.” My smile is lopsided as I push myself upright, then grimace when the needle in my arm pulls on my IV. “My name is Rue.”
I’m Mabel.
I yank out the line, huffing more in annoyance than pain. A bead of blood swells for a second before the small wound heals shut. I swing my legs over the side of the bed, wincing when they pass right through Mabel. “Sorry!”
Her form wavers, curling around like smoke, before whirling back into the shape of a young girl. The instant my flesh comes into contact with her, it’s like being dropped into an icy lake in the middle of a Siberian winter, the sudden chill stealing the breath from my lungs.
Mabel grimaces at the contact, her body solidifies, and she sucks in a raspy breath. A second later, she fades back to her ghostly form.
Blahh. She does a full body shudder, as if shaking off the sensation, then hops up to sit on the bed behind her and cocks her head as she studies me. Looks like we’re roomies. Tell me about yourself? How can you see me?
She swings her feet back and forth, her expression eager, and I realize that she’s lonely. Though her green eyes are a tad suspicious, she’s too pleased to have company to voice them. I drag my hair away from my face, grimacing when my fingers tangle in the congealed blood knotting the strands like super glue.
I duck my head away from the cameras before I mumble my reply, avoiding answering her questions directly. Just because she is a ghost doesn’t mean she will keep my secrets. “What would you say if I told you I came to get you out?”
Her eyes bulge, her mouth dropping into a perfect O.
I ignore her for the moment and take stock of my surroundings. I’m still wearing my own clothing, and I consider that a bonus. A glance around the ward reveals a total of six beds, each one occupied by a single patient. The one resting next to me is Mable. We both look down at her too still form, and my eyes widen in shock to see how far she’s deteriorated.
Her pale skin is sallow, her hair limp and falling out, her skin slack on her too skinny frame. A sheet is draped over her chest, her arms resting at her side, the bedding so crisp, she clearly hasn’t moved in a long fucking time.
She looks like a wax doll.
No one has been home in a while.
A few of the others are set up with ventilators, but the majority of them look like they merely went to sleep and never got up again. “What happened to you?”
We’re the forgotten. She gazes down at her still body without a change in her expression, as though she’s looking at someone else. The ones that no one will miss if we disappear from the world.
“That’s not true,” I protest, but it’s weak. “Your sister hasn’t forgotten you.”
Maybe she should. Mabel whirls away in agitation, her voice harsh. She would be better off without me in her life.
I wince at the vehement tone, her ghostly appearance fading until she’s barely visible, like she’s willing herself to give up and fade out of existence.
I’m quiet for a moment, remembering a time when I thought the world would be better without me. “I thought the very same thing once, but I bet your sister wouldn’t agree with you.”
Her expression crumbles, her shoulders wilting in defeat. She is here because of me. They caught us because I was showing off. I’ve always been a little too fast, a little too strong. I picked the pocket of the wrong person, and it landed us here. A single tear trickles down her cheek, and her voice cracks when she speaks. They did things to her—unspeakable things.
“Then help me get her out of here,” I plead, sucking in a pained breath when I push off the bed and stand. For a moment, the room spins, and I grit my teeth against the need to pass out.
Mabel studies me for a moment, as if gauging my sincerity, then her shoulders slowly straighten, and her form solidifies. I can do that. What do you need from me?
I peer past her and look down at her still form. “What do you say we get you back into your body, then get the fuck out of here?”