Page 10 of Wicked Vengeance

I stand at my full height. The reality of everything we’ve lost today weighs heavily on me. I don’t know what to do. We’ve got to find Raena. We’ve gotta get Em somewhere safe. My chest heaves with exertion, and I realize I must have squeezed my eyes shut because they pop open when Alek grips my face between his big hands.

“Pull it together. We can fall apart later,” he whispers, his minty breath ghosting against my lips as he presses his forehead to mine and slides one hand down to encase my throat. “Breathe.”

His deep, raspy tone and strong grip squeezing my throat center me– grounding me back to the present. His presence calms me, guiding me to inhale and exhale until I can breathe on my own. Without even thinking, I lean into his dominating hold, pressing my lips to his lightly, letting my words whisper over his mouth.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

His grip on my throat constricts as his eyes flare with something I’ve never seen from him before, holding my gaze hostage in his chocolate depths.

I don’t know when things changed, maybe after my Bloody Cherry came into our lives– cloaked in darkness and wrapped us in her light, but I don’t have it in me to pretend anymore.

“Careful, Maddie,” he growls against my lips, his fingers flexing rhythmically until his grip loosens.

The grin that slides across my face makes me feel more like myself. Alek’s hand slides away from my throat, and he takes a step back, adjusting himself before turning and heading for the door. I follow after him until something catches my eye on the floor by the couch. Icy fear runs through my veins like poison, seeping into my system, threatening to set my panic off again, but I hold tight to the calm energy Alek just instilled in me.

“What the fuck?”

Bending down, I stare at an empty syringe. My words bring Alek to a stop before he turns, and his jaw clenches tight when he sees what I’m looking at. Royal and the others turn to me as well.

“They fucking drugged her?” Ella asks, all emotions spilling into the question we already know the answer to.

“Don’t touch it. Ella, get a bag. We can test to see what they used and pull prints from it,” Ronan says, walking over and pulling a cloth off the desk, carefully picking it up from the floor.

Ella grabs a bag from somewhere in the office, holding it open for Ronan to place the wrapped syringe into it, zipping it up and giving us a nod. Royal and Alek’s jaws are clenched tight, both of their emotions waging war within them, like me.

That’s our fucking woman.

Someone drugged her– stole her from us.

I’m going to fucking draw their deaths out as long as their vile bodies will allow. And if they die too quickly, I’ll resuscitate them just to draw it out some more. No one touches my Bloody Cherry and lives.

Fucking no one!

“Pull prints?" Ella shouts desperation and fear bleeding into her tone. "We know this is King! He took her for a fucking reason the first time.

“We’ll find her,” Royal grits through clenched teeth. “And King is breathing borrowed air. He is fucking dead. And so are the fucking men who betrayed us.”

He turns and walks for the door, and that’s when it hits me. Where are the rest of our fucking men? We left four men here to guard the girls. Only two bodies. That means we’ve got traitors in our ranks.

It’s time to clean house… the bloody way.

Chapter 8

Raena

Imust have drifted off to sleep again because I’m startled awake by rough hands gripping my body and picking me up before slinging me over what feels like a man’s hard shoulder.

Groaning, my dry throat constricts painfully, drawing a rough cough from my lungs. My arms ache from the restraints binding them behind my back, pulling my shoulders taut with tension. I can feel the wind on my sweat-soaked skin as goosebumps rise on the exposed flesh. If I had to guess, I’d say I was tossed into the trunk of a car after I was drugged at Twisted.

“Who are you?” I finally ask, making boredom bleed into my tone. However, I’m pretty sure the mystery man can feel my heart beating against his shoulder like a war drum, betraying my fear.

He just ignores me, continuing to carry me like a sack of potatoes until he comes to a stop. Adjusting me roughly on his shoulder, I hear the sound of hinges creaking as a door opens before we move again. The door slams loudly against the frame, shutting us inside– wherever we are– cutting off the fresh wind on my skin.

Nowhere good.

This brute, wildebeest of a man’s footsteps echo as we move, pounding in time with my heart. Even though I know where this is going to end, it doesn’t mean I’m not scared out of my goddamn mind. King almost broke me last time. I’ve just got to stay focused on what’s important. The future. A blood-soaked slaughter with my Shadows– and my daughter– at my side. I’ve just got to hold on and wait for the right opportunity to take him out.

I have no doubt the punishment he has in store for me will be brutal. But I’m stronger now. I’m not the same scared little girl I was the first time he took me. He’s delusional if he thinks I’ll be his docile ‘Little Wolf.’

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