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Excruciating agony seized me violently from the darkness. Intense pain wracked through my shoulder. Hands tightened on my legs and arms, holding me in place. My back arched as an ear-piercing scream slid from my lungs, rolling off my tongue.

Jesus, rice on saltine crackers! Fighting against the hands holding me against a cold, smooth surface, I recalled how I’d be on it, or why someone wanted to shred the flesh from my bones.

“Hold her down!” A female’s voice screamed. The voice sounded far away. As if the owner of it stood on the far side of a tunnel, calling out.

“She’s burning up,” a second person replied, this one male.

“She can’t possibly have a fever yet,” a different voice argued.

How many of these assholes were helping debone me? Tears escaped to trail over my face. My screams didn’t stop. They wouldn’t, either. The agony was too much to ignore.

It felt as if something inside of me was struggling to break through my flesh. Fighting against their hold became my only coherent thought. I fought to escape the cruel hands endlessly torturing me.

“Distract her, Savage!”

Winchester?

Why would she want to help my captors?

This was either a twisted fucking nightmare, or my family had betrayed me. Everything felt wrong. The coppery tang from my cracked and broken lips tasted acidic against the dryness of my mouth. It felt like someone had curb stomped my face into the blistering sands of Death Valley during a summer drought.

Music started beside me. It caused discordant thumping to pound in my ears. The cover for ‘Let You Down’ (Piano version) by Tommee Profitt whirred through the room. The soothing sound of fingers moving over the piano traveled through me.

It took too much effort to concentrate on the song, as well as everything happening around me. Succumbing to the notes of the piano as fingers stroked keys forced me to relax against the hard surface I’d been placed on.

Soon after the piano keys ended, ‘ The Night We Met’ by Lord Huron began playing. My mind tried to grasp the words, failing. My brain felt fuzzy, as if I’d been drugged. The voices around me were threaded with the lyrics of the melody. Fighting through the fog wafting throughout my skull, I strained my ears to decipher between the song and voices, then flinched as agonizing pain ripped through my shoulder blade.

“They’re not stopping,” someone muttered next to me. “They’re waiting for someone, or maybe for something to happen. I, for one, would like to know what the fuck that is sooner than later.”

“Focus on saving Remington, Ruger. You can’t worry about what’s happening outside. Not while saving our baby sister’s life.” Savage sounded sad. As if she’d already begun grieving my loss. The tremor in her voice caused my eyes to open, causing a kaleidoscope of colors to blind me.

“Do something, Ruger. She’s still fucking mortal. We cannot lose her or the babe,” Winchester ordered, voice firm yet her fear was audible in the demand.

“Remi?” A palm cupped my cheek, which I assumed belonged to Savage.

Parting my lips, I fought to get words out. No matter how hard I tried, only marbled gibberish came out. Fear struck through my heart with the inability to produce anything other than whimpers and incoherent speech. Eyes widening, I struggled against the hands holding me down.

“It’s going to be okay, honey. We’ve got you,” Savage promised, but I heard the hesitancy to lie to me as she’d spoken. “Stop struggling. You’re safe with us.”

“Don’t downplay it or lie to her. Remington is one of us, Savage. She deserves to know the seriousness of what is happening.” Ruger’s stressed tone issued dread to pulsate through my veins.

Ruger was a trained medic, one who’d served in countless wars throughout his lifetime. When I was around five years old, he’d taken me with him to one of the largest waterfalls I’d seen in my life. On our way home, we’d come across a horrific accident between a big rig and a few other motorists.

I’d stood beside him sobbing, while he’d pulled victims, gravely wounded, from crushed vehicles. Never in my life had I ever been that bad before.

The people he’d pulled from the wreckage were more mangled than their vehicles had been. To me, it felt like each person he’d dragged out was worse than the one before.

My brother hadn’t faltered in his gruesome task. He’d dominated the scene with calm, mindful clarity. Amid that crisis and the chaos, he’d persevered. I could still hear the controlled tone he spoke to those victims inside my head. Mainly because it wasn’t the one he was using now. His voice shook with fear, which was creating panic to blossom in my chest that threatened to overwhelm me.

“Savage, turn on ‘Fix You’ by Coldplay.” Savage made a sound. As if she intended to ask him something, but he cut her off before she could get anything out.

“Now isn’t the time for worrying about your playlist,” she returned with confusion heavy in her tone.

“I need Remington calm, and I know music will do the job. Music has always soothed her deeper than anything else. We have to get her bleeding under control, and right now, she’s freaked out, causing blood to rush through her veins,” Ruger explained, the tremor in his voice confirming my fear was palpable, as well as quickly spreading through the room.

As Coldplay hummed through the speaker, reassuring warmth washed through me. It triggered my pulse to slow as memories of Ruger and Sig teaching me how to control and slow my breathing to play out in my head. It was more than that, though.

He’d requested the same song that he had sung to me while we’d left the horrifying scene in the rearview mirror on the tragic day. I slowly began feeling safer each time he’d begun the song over, repeating it to the frightened child I’d been.

Now, he was using it to do the same thing. To calm down my frightened, erratic cognizance. His deep, raspy baritone sang the soothing, soft lyrics to me. It finally allowed me to inhale a deep, calming lungful of air. Repeating the motion, I gradually loosened the grip that terror held over me.

“Just breathe, little sister. I got you. No way in hell am I losing you today. Not like this,” he promised as emotion hung to each word, coating it in his vow. “That’s my girl.”

“Next time, maybe lead with that song?” Savage grunted, then something collided into the side of the chateau. “Bloody bastards are trying to make this place a tomb.”

The entire fortification shook as glasses clinked together, as hinges creaked from the cupboard down, slamming open. Turning my head to the side, I inhaled the stench of gunpowder and burned fuses.

It wasn’t until I squeezed my eyes closed, then repeated the action several times to clear the blotting rainbow prisms clouding my vision, that my heart stopped beating in my chest.

They’d placed Nyx’s lifeless body on the table across from the island. It was where they were working on me. Tears seared my retinas, and my bottom lip quivered as an entirely different sort of agony assaulted me.

The warmth drained from my limbs, leaving them numb and devoid of feeling. Bitter, deafening silence clung to her, made louder by her blue lips. A heaviness weighed on my chest, threatening to crush my lungs. The pain felt visceral, as if it were a physical wound that had been inflicted so deeply that it became an endless void of agony.

No sound escaped my lips, even though inside, I screamed until my ears bled. Gut wrenching, penetrating heartbreak tore through me, demolishing my insides and staining my soul. It felt like my heart was being physically snatched from my chest, repeatedly crushed, and then forced back inside. Tears stung my eyes, wetting my lashes as the loss broke me more than anything in my life before now ever had.

My lips parted, then closed without any sound escaping. The reality that she wasn’t coming back stole my ability to speak or feel anything other than the brutality of grief shredding me apart within. She was fucking immortal. It meant she had to come back. That’s how immortality worked, right?

Savage’s eyes followed the path to where mine remained, wide with horror as I stared at the mess they’d created of my best friend. Releasing a heavy sigh, she pushed the hair from my face, then swallowed audibly.

“We know little about nymphs, or how to save them, Remi,” Savage murmured, pushing her slender fingers through my unruly curls. “I’m so sorry. Focus on you for now. You’ll have time to grieve for your friend later. Once you’re in the clear of dying.”

I felt the tingling at the back of my throat, the one that started before I normally cried. Since I was already bawling my eyes out, it seemed off that it was there. The knot twisting in my stomach caused me to reach for my abdomen, but the same hands that held me down prevented me from doing so.

Lifting my head, I peered at what Ruger was working on. Horror shot through me as I glanced at the gaping hole in my stomach. A broken sob rippled up from my lungs to explode past my lips.

“Stop!” I demanded, but they only turned to stare at me with ink-colored eyes that had matching veins spreading over their faces. “What the fuck?” The sound of flesh tearing forced my attention back to the hole in my abdomen.

Ravens tore at my entrails. Many of the other jet-black colored birds plucked my organs apart as they feasted on my innards. Nausea tore through me as I ripped my regard away from the havoc of them consuming me. Gazing across the room to the table, I whimpered at discovering them doing the same thing to Nyx’s chest wound.

“It could’ve been worse,” someone said, causing ice to sluice through veins. “If my brother were smarter, he’d let me slaughter you all like the animals you are.” The disembodied voice held a deep, sated malice that drifted through the air like acid over flesh. “Don’t worry. Soon, you’ll hand me what I need to kill both of you.”

Closing my eyes, I sent my flames burning through the dreamscape. At least, I was praying it was a dreamscape. His pain filled howl brought a smile to my lips as I added fuel to the flames. The scent of singed hair and burned flesh was strangely satisfying.

The moment I yanked myself from the nightmare, I winced in pain as agony shot through my shoulder. Blinking, I gritted my teeth as I silently screamed from the sheer terror of waking up still wounded.

“Stop it, Remington Alaina. You’ll tear the stitches from your shoulder.” Winchester’s stern tone had my head whipping toward where it had sounded from.

Weakly, I whispered the only question I needed answered. “Where’s Nyx?”

“She’s not entirely dead. Your friend isn’t alive, either. We don’t know what the hell is happening with her, other than she seems to be— sleeping ? I’m uncertain what is occurring with her, honestly. Nymphs are secretive about their species’ healing process. Very little is known about how to aid them during it, honey,” she promised, offering me a watery smile.

That didn’t make me feel any better. It hadn’t removed the fear of losing my best friend, or the one constant in my life. Nyx hadn’t abandoned me to flee when shit hit the fan. She’d stuck beside me through thick and thin.

Unlike my family, Nyx knew how to heal me and what to do in case of an emergency. She knew what to do when my temperature wouldn’t lower quickly enough or when I was in dire need of heat to protect my core temperature. She was my person. It was as simple as that. She’d always been beside me, no matter the cost or consequences she paid for staying there.

“How bad did they hit us, Winnie?” I inquired when she refused to look at me. She’d faced me, sure. Her eyes, though, they looked at the spot beside me. She wasn’t meeting my stare, which meant something was wrong.

“The men who attacked us are very skilled in their craft, I fear. We expected them to use guns, not swords. They snuck up from behind the house and gained access through the back door. Luckily, Colt realized the bullets were merely a distraction to keep us from searching for the shooter. He barely made it inside in time to prevent them from reaching you.” She paused, swallowing repeatedly as she finally held my gaze, offering me a watery smile.

“Where’s Colt?” I breathed, barely above a whisper of sound. My heart clenched, twisting painfully in my chest. Blood pounded inside my head as tears scolded my eyes, trickling down my cheeks as I trembled with fear at what she was about to confirm.

“They were able to cause a distraction by plowing an armored truck into the side of the chateau. It forced us to separate to ensure you were okay while defending the entrances. We weren’t prepared for them to wield steel swords, enhanced with ancient, dark magic. It took time to drive them back to ensure they couldn’t breach the chateau. Once we were certain they were fleeing, we heard a crash from inside. By the time we got to you, Colt was already dead.”

“You’re mistaken. He can’t be dead. That’s not possible,” I argued as my lips trembled as blood started to whoosh in my head, pounding deafeningly. “No, Winchester. It’s Colt. He can’t be dead. We just have to . . . we need to . . .” I searched for an answer, one that would bring my brother back. “Vampire blood could help fix him.”

“He’s gone. Remi, we cannot bring back what we have lost. That’s not how it works,” she whispered past the tears choking off her words. “Colt knew what returning here might end up costing him. He still came here. We all did.”

I moved my head and struggled to rise and go to him. This wasn’t happening to me. I hadn’t wanted them to come here because I knew the price would be too heavy to pay.

“I wasn’t worth his life.” A sob broke from my lips as Winchester turned, sliding her arms around me tightly. I couldn’t breathe through the fist that squeezed and twisted my heart from my chest. Giant, broken sobs shook my chest as I pushed against my sister’s hold, needing to put distance between myself and them.

“To us, you are worth so much more.” The faraway look churning over her features caused the knot in my abdomen to twist.

“I don’t know why I am. I’ve not done anything to earn that from any of you,” I whispered through the pain tightening in my chest.

“Our childhood was much like your own. We were forced to live in total darkness. Roslyn beat us, starved us, and as each one of us broke, she began shaping us into weapons to wield against her enemies. I never gave her a chance to cage you as she’d done to us.” Flipping her thick silver braid aside, she released a strained exhale.

“The day you were born, well, we felt what it was like to have the warmth from the sun shining on us for the first time. You lit up our world, honey. Even though we’d escaped Mother’s clutches, you drew us back here. The others came and went, but I stayed because I knew what she intended to raise you as she’d raised the rest of us. Someone had to remain here to protect you, so I did. I delivered it to you myself, Remington. She didn’t even ask if she had a son or a daughter before she left you with me. She didn’t care either way what she’d delivered, but I was happy you were a girl.”

“You named me,” I stated, not needing her reply to know the answer. When she started to reply, I shook my head. “It wasn’t a question, Winchester. You’re the only person in our entire family who has ever used my middle name. Hell, other than Nyx, you’re the only person who knows what it is. Plus, I’m the only one of her children who has one.”

“I wondered if you’d figure out that I’d been the one to name you. I wanted you to know that you were loved. Roslyn never provided us with actual names, Remi. She named us after the gun she trained us to shoot with. Until we had proven ourselves to her, we weren’t worth one.”

Snorting as I wiped away the tears still covering my face, I shook my head. “That’s sad. But it doesn’t change that my life isn’t worth more than any of yours. Plus, you cannot expect me to sit around and wait for them to return. I won’t do it. I just won’t.”

“If you go to him, I won’t be able to save you from him.” Tears escaped from her icy-blue eyes. “We’re not strong enough to fight off the order and Van Helsing knights. Hell, you couldn’t leave with him if you wanted to do so right now. The order is still outside. They’re waiting for you to do exactly what you’re thinking about doing right now.”

“They’re not ready to fight both, either. Maybe it’s time we stop fighting one another and start fighting beside one another, Winnie. Rhys won’t agree to an alliance, but he’d do whatever it takes to ensure his child’s safety.” Opening her mouth to argue on my behalf, I held up two fingers as I leaned back against the pillows, wincing. “I trust him not to harm me. Plus, I have insurance that promises he won’t be able to harm me for several months.”

Winnie’s eyes lowered to my abdomen, grinning. “I taught you well, kid. Maybe too well,” she admitted. “Still, I don’t like this plan. I don’t like the idea of you being at Van Helsing’s mercy. Remington, I raised you. You’re the closest thing I have to a daughter. If it’s between losing you or fighting our way through this shit, I’d prefer to fight our way free.”

“They killed Colt, then they could kill you. We are at an impasse, Winchester.” Watching her face tighten in confusion, I tilted my head, offering her a sad look. “You see, if staying here means I lose any more of you, then I choose to leave. I’ve already considered my choices. I’d chosen him. Rhys is prepared for this fight. Plus, he won’t hurt me. You must let me go. I’m no longer a child who can’t protect herself.”

“I hate that you are right, Remi.”

“You just hate being wrong,” I whispered thickly, smiling sadly. “I’ll be fine. I always land on my feet, even if I trip. Your house needs you more than I do right now. Our siblings need you to be the head of our house. Me, I’ll be fine.”