Page 61 of Wicked Vengeance

“Wait. I’ll take you out, but you need shoes first, Red,” he says, looking down at my bare feet and the pants that are dragging the floor. “And some clothes that actually fit.”

“Fine. I’ll be two minutes. If you leave without me, I’ll cut your cock off and shove it up your ass.”

“There’s the smartass that I know and love. Hurry the fuck up,” he says, turning me towards the stairs where Alek is already heading.

We race up the stairs, throwing on clothes and shoes in record time. I’m pretty sure I beat the two minutes I promised. Ronan and Dax are waiting by the door when we come back down, and two of the Kohle Brothers are sitting with Snow on the couch.

“Let’s fucking go,” I say, stalking out the door ahead of them. I don’t know if I’m more pissed off or scared. What if he hurts Royal or Maddox? What if he gets away and this fear never leaves? What if it’s never going to be safe here for us? For my daughter?

“We’ll find him,” Alek assures me, keeping pace as we head to the river where he’ll likely follow so he doesn’t get lost. He shouldn’t get far, he lost a lot of blood before I cut his cock off. “I should have just slit his fucking throat and been done with it.”

I mentally beat myself up as we walk along the river with a group of Shadows until the radio one of them is carrying goes off. “We got eyes on him. Follow the river upstream to the cliffs.”

We take off in a sprint, narrowly avoiding dead logs and broken limbs littering the river bank. We spot the flashlight beams first.

“Thank God,” I whisper under my breath when Royal and Maddox come into sight. Standing close to the cliff’s edge, leaning over. “Where is he?” I ask, confused as King is nowhere to be seen.

“He- uh…he slipped.” Dax says when we reach them. “He was on the edge, and just– went over.”

Alek and I pass him, going to Royal and Maddox and looking down. The water rushes over the stones.

“We saw him go over right here, but the river took him before we could get here,” Royal says, pulling me to his side. “It’s over, Angel. There’s no way he survived that fall.”

“Is it really over? He’s dead?”

“He’s dead,” he says, kissing my temple. “Let’s go home.”

Chapter 44

Raena

“Do I look okay?”

I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my entire life. I’m standing in front of the floor-length mirror in the bathroom. My red hair is down, ringlets tamed and bouncing around my waist. The simple black dress stops just above my knees, loose and swishing when I turn. I haven’t worn a dress in years, but Snow brought it up to me this morning before breakfast, assuring me that it would fit.

“You look like a Queen– like our Queen. You’re beautiful.” Maddox spins me, whistling as my dress flares around my thighs. “Don’t be nervous. Sunshine’s going to love you. You’re her mother. That bond is there, even if the memories are buried.”

“Sunshine?”

“I’ve always called her that. She was a ray of sunshine in my life when I was in a very dark place. Plus, she used to make me sing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ to her every night,” Maddox says, pulling me into him, his hard body pressing into my back as he stares at me in the mirror. Tears threaten to build, but I shove them down. I don’t wear makeup often, but I put mascara on, and the last thing I need is black streaks running down my face because I'm such a titty baby.

“I love you,” I sigh, holding his tattooed arms around me tighter.

“I love you more, pretty girl. Now, enough stalling. Let’s go wait with the others downstairs. Our girl will be here soon.

“Okay.” This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for since I found out my daughter was still alive. My chest aches with the need to have her in my arms.

We make our way out of the bedroom, and when we’re halfway down the stairs, the front door swings open. My breath stills in my lungs as Ella walks in, holding my beautiful baby girl. So much for not crying because the tears spring faster than I can contain them. “She’s here,” I whisper, a death grip on Maddox’s hand. He squeezes it back, guiding me down the stairs.

“Rae!” Ella squeals when she spots us, but I’m not the only one crying apparently. Tears stream down her face as she holds onto my daughter, twisting side-to-side. “Emera, there’s someone who wants to meet you.”

Ella points at me as I approach, “This is your Mama,” she whispers, and Emera looks up at me, her green eyes sparkling as she smiles her toothy grin at me. My heart simultaneously shatters into a million pieces and mends back together in an instant.

“Mama,” she says, reaching for me. I don’t think my heart could swell any bigger inside my chest without bursting out and flying away.

“Hi, baby girl,” I choke out, my smile watery as I take her in my arms, holding her close. My knees hit the floor and we stay like that for a while, tears streaming down my face as she lets me hold her until I feel my guys surround us.

“We missed you so much, Sunshine,” Maddox says, wrapping his arms around both of us. Alek and Royal join us on the floor, holding onto us like we might disappear if they let us go.

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