Page 14 of Wicked Vengeance

It’s like a punch straight to my stomach when I think about it. We finally got Em back from him, just to lose Raena. It’s not fucking fair. But this isn’t a fairytale. There isn’t a magic spell to fix this. Only the promise of death– his death. It's the only way his vicious cycle ends.

With blood-soaked vengeance.

I want to smash my fist through this concrete wall– let go of my restraint and bring the beast out to play. But I can’t. I have to be strong– for Em. For my brothers. For Raena. Someone has to keep a level head. Royal and Maddox are too unstable right now. Royal has just gotten a handle on his control, and I’m worried this is going to make him regress. Maddox has never had a handle on his emotions. They’re too vulnerable right now. And I’m strong enough to carry this for all of us.

Trying to get myself under control, I turn back to my family. We’ve got to get the girls somewhere outside of King's reach and quickly. The longer Raena is with him, the more unstable my family will get. Deep down, I know she’s strong enough to hold on for a little while. But for how long? How long until he breaks her? How long until she wishes she were dead? We saw the scars from the first time. She didn’t have to tell me some of those were done by her own hand– I already knew they were. Even if we get her back, will she be the same? Will she come back from this? My mind races with more questions than I have answers to– slowly driving me toward madness.

I have to do something before I lose my goddamn mind. Walking over to my brothers, I waste no time getting to the point.

“We’ve got to get a plan together. Let’s check on Dax and figure out our next move. We’ve got to bring her home,” I say quietly, motioning my head towards her perfect daughter, where she sleeps peacefully on Ella’s shoulder.

Both of them look as distraught as I feel but nod in agreement before we all head back into the med room. Ella and Laurelyn follow behind us, the latter looking more comfortable than when we found her but still very wary of her surroundings.

“How are we doing in here?” Royal asks once we’re all inside.

“Good as new,” Dax responds, sitting up with a wince, trying to play off his pain.

“Yeah, tough guy. Try lying to somebody who hasn’t been shot before. Take. The. Meds,” Ronan says, shoving the little orange bottle towards him.

“They’ll put me to sleep,” he growls lowly, shoving his hand away with a weak push. “And I’m not sleeping until I know Red is safe.”

“You can’t help her if you’re in too much pain to function, baby. Please. Take them,” Snow pleads with him, but he just shakes his head in refusal.

“Do you remember the day you brought her home– how she looked? What she endured then– she should be dead. But she’s not. She needs us. No one even fucking looked for her last time. We promised we’d take care of her. She’s family. The pain I’m in is nothing compared to the pain she is going to endure again if we don’t find her. And soon. I’m okay.”

Dax is already swinging his legs over the side of the bed as everyone resigns to the fact that he isn’t going to relent. And I can’t fault him for it. If it were me in that bed, nothing would stop me from helping my family– not even a gunshot wound.

“What’s the plan?” He asks, gripping the edge of the table with his jaw clenched tightly.

“We need somewhere for Em and Laurelyn to go outside Shadow Forest– where King can’t get to them.”

“Easy. We have a sanctuary. They will be protected around the clock under my orders,” Snow says, looking at Jasper with a silent question before he nods. “Jasper can escort them to White Harbor. He’ll keep them safe.”

Looking at Royal and Maddox, I ask a silent question of my own, earning a nod from each of them. But before I can agree, Ella speaks.

“I’m going too,” she says, tightening her hold on Em in her arms. “I can’t help Raena here…but I can protect her daughter with my life. I’m not leaving her side until Raena is home.”

Relief that I didn’t even know I needed washes over me. I trust Snow and her people, but I feel better knowing that Ella will be a connection to Em while she is away from us.

Laurelyn, who hasn’t spoken since we arrived, finally steps up beside Ella, placing her hand on Em’s back gently. “Where she goes, I go.”

With everyone in agreement, we gather the medical supplies the doctor left for Dax and head out. A tingling hum beneath my skin reminds me of how Maddox describes his manic energy. I let it wash over my body, fueling the blazing need to find our woman.

King has no idea he’s signed his own death warrant now. He no longer has Em hanging over our heads. He’s living on borrowed time– because when I get my hands on him– I’m going to enjoy every second of ripping him apart.

Chapter 10

Raena

The click of Ava’s heels against the hard floor is driving me insane. It’s been hours. Hours of her pacing back and forth in this room– ranting about waiting on King. Thankfully, she’s stopped taunting me with her trips down memory lane. Instead, she’s resorted to mumbling incoherently…and fucking pacing. She’s been like this before– needing her next hit. I can hear her clawing at her clothes as she slowly loses the fight against her addiction.

I haven’t spoken at all. Not a single word. She didn’t seem to even notice my lack of response to her antics. And now that she is this far gone, I’m not even sure she remembers I’m even in the room with her. My shoulders burn from the extended position, and I haven’t been able to feel my hands in a while. I put the discomfort out of my mind, trying to ignore her incessant clicking and fall asleep, but I can’t. I’m about to break my vow of silence and scream at her when I hear the tell-tale sound of the metal on concrete as the door is opened.

My heart pounds against my ribs like hummingbird wings as fear floods my bloodstream, making cold sweat beads prickle along the back of my neck. He doesn’t have to announce his presence. I can feel his gaze slither over my body like the scales of a snake.

It doesn’t matter how much I’ve mentally prepared for this moment. Nothing can truly prepare you for the moment you face the monster of your worst nightmares. But I swallow the fear down like putrid acid. King feeds on the fear he instills… I want him choking on my resilience instead.

“King, baby,” Ava whines, “What took so long… Wh–What are you doing ?”

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