Page 20 of Psycho Pack

"Ignore him," he mutters to Ivy. "He's not worth your time or energy."

"I beg to differ," Valek retorts.

Plague kicks him in the ribs. I ignore the sounds of them scuffling behind us. Guess Plague could use a distraction from having to show a goddamned emotion for a change.

Not like he's gonna be able to squeeze in now that Thane has his hands on her anyway. He's looking at Ivy she's the most precious thing in the universe.

And she fucking is.

After everything we've been through to get her back, after thinking we might never see her again...

My ribs hurt like fuck as I shift closer, but I don't care. Her scent's the purest damn drug. Feels like I'm actually getting high off it. Her small hand finds mine, fingers intertwining, and the simple contact sends electricity through my whole body. She squeezes gently, and I squeeze back, careful not to crush her.

"I missed you," she admits in a whisper, those sea-green eyes meeting mine. The raw honesty in her voice hits me like a punch to the gut.

"Missed you too, kiddo." My voice comes out rougher than I mean it to.

Fuck, I'm getting soft.

A louder explosion than usual rocks the facility, showering us with concrete dust. Guess the shit's hitting the fan upstairs again. "We gotta go," I say even though I really, really don't want to.

"Agreed," Plague adds, materializing next to us.

"Let's move," Thane says, taking Ivy's hand.

Even Valek starts standing up, clearly dizzy from the effort.

Cool.

For once, we're all on the same page.

Then Ivy pulls away from us. "Wait," she says. "We have to find the Knight first."

"What? No! Why?" Thane growls, snapping out of the trance Ivy's scent just had him under.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," I say, dragging my hand down my face. "You want to go back for that walking rabid tank?"

"I promised," Ivy says, her chin lifting in that stubborn way that makes my chest tight. "And he's not a rabid tank. He's like Wraith."

Wraith holds his palms out in clear offense.

"Did you miss the part where he almost turned Thane into a pancake?" I gesture at our leader, who's still spitting blood onto the floor. "No offense, bro, but you look like shit."

"None taken," Thane grunts, wiping his mouth. "And she's not going anywhere near that monster again."

Ivy's eyes flash with defiance. "That 'monster'is from the same lab as your brother."

Thane flinches like she slapped him.

Hell, might as well have.

"What do you mean?" he asks, his tone wary, as if he isn't sure he wants to know or not.

My jaw drops as Ivy's words hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. "Wait, you're saying Wraith was...?"

"Experimented on. Like the Knight." Ivy's eyes burn with that fierce fire. "I overheard enough while I was in there. Ask Valek if you don't believe me."

We all turn to look at the psycho, who's grinning that infuriating grin. His might actually be a little bit freakier than Wraith's, and that's saying something.

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