Page 28 of Black Widow's Bite

Cain

We searched the fucking docks all morning, looking for the one that Austin had described, close to the water and red on the outside. Wyatt was driving while I looked, my hands burning too hot to hold the steering wheel. We hadn’t asked if she was okay, or if she was even alive. We’d just taken a random tip from a fucking snake and ran out of the house.

I checked on Wyatt as we doubled back to drive through a new section of warehouses, these ones older and more abandoned. His face was drawn and pinched like he was hurting and he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. I wasn’t in any position to judge though, I probably looked the same or even worse. I was achy like I had the flu, the buzzing in my temples nearly deafening. Guilt was eating me up inside, like acid burning its way through my organs. I should’ve been the one to drive her to work that morning, but I’d hurt her, and so she’d gone with Wyatt instead. What if he’d been there already, waiting? I would’ve recognized him. I could’ve stopped this before he’d even gotten close to her. What if I never got to apologize to her for what happened? I was going to kill Jake this time. He wouldn’t get away with this anymore.

Wyatt suddenly slammed on the brakes, nearly sending me through the windshield. I swore and punched the dashboard, glaring at him. “That look red enough to you?” he asked quietly. Iturned to look at the dilapidated building ahead of us, which had a bad coat of red paint slapped on it.

“Good enough,” I muttered, jumping out of the car. Wyatt was right on my heels, and we stayed low once we got close, creeping over to the nearest busted-out window. I looked inside, moving around until I could see past the piles of trash stacked up against the wall. I could see my piece of shit brother walking around, twirling a knife in his hands. There was some sort of plastic storage container next to him, and it looked like it was filled with something, maybe water? My blood burned molten when I saw Addy’s lifeless figure hanging from the ceiling, blood dripping down her body from a multitude of cuts.

“There’s a door over on that side” Wyatt whispered, pointing around the side. I nodded, pointing in the opposite direction. We had a better chance if we came at him from two directions. Wyatt slipped away, circling the building opposite me. I ran as quickly as I could without making noise, searching for an entrance of some kind. Finally, I found a window that had been broken and left uncovered, and I pulled myself inside, landing on the floor in a low crouch. I stayed in the shadows, hiding behind debris as I approached. Jake had dropped Addy to the floor and was pawing at her while she was hardly conscious. My hands curled into fists, and I saw Wyatt’s head briefly before it disappeared. He was close already.

Jake was leaning over her when he suddenly jerked backwards, blood pouring out of his face, and I broke into a run. I saw his look of fury as he stabbed Addy in the stomach, and I lunged without thinking, tackling him hard in the chest. We both went flying, and I landed half on top of him. He scrambled out from under me as I jumped to my feet, and I saw Wyatt dive for Addy beside me.

Jake stood up, smiling manically, his normally handsome face a mess of blood thanks to a very broken nose. “Hey therelittle brother,” he said, spitting a glob of blood at my feet. “I was just getting to know your little girlfriend. She had quite the body. You must be so proud.”

I roared and swung at him, but he ducked my shot, lashing out with his knife and slicing a line down my arm. The wound sizzled, cauterizing itself before blood could leak out, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Look who’s learning some new tricks,” he smirked.

“Come on baby, just stay awake, okay?” I heard Wyatt say, and I turned to check on Addy. Jake took this opportunity to strike at me again, and I just barely dodged his knife. My foot hit a slick patch, and I slammed into the ground, rolling quickly to avoid another strike.

Jake was laughing, tossing the knife from one hand to the other, and I stumbled back as I got to my feet. “You’re still too weak, Cain. You have a soft spot right here.” He punched at his own chest. “If you’d just stop taking in strays, you could’ve been strong enough to beat me.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, trying to keep both him and Wyatt in my sight. Wyatt looked at me, rolling up his sleeves, and nodded towards Jake. I had a sinking feeling he was about to do something really fucking dangerous. Sure enough, Wyatt put his hands on Addy’s stomach, covering the stab wound, and his face contorted in pain. Fuck me, this was going to be too close.

I spun on Jake, and he mirrored my movements, keeping me in front of him. I charged at him, my hands burning hot, and swung a fist at his face. He laughed and rolled off it with his arm. But he’d forgotten the one key thing: I was the Devil, and my skin fucking burned. He yelped, dropping his knife as the skin on his arm bubbled with blisters. Wyatt lunged for him, grabbing Jake’s face and pulling him down to the ground with him. Jake started to scream, a horrible blood-curdling sound. Wyatt pressed Jake to the ground, pinning him down as hepushed every last drop of Addy’s pain and suffering back into him. Grabbing a broken piece of furniture off the ground, I watch as it burst into flames in my hand. I tossed it into the pile of debris stacked in the corner and stared with satisfaction as it lit up, filling the air with acrid black smoke.

“Grab Addy and let’s go,” I told Wyatt. I didn’t trust myself to touch her until I calmed down again. I stepped over my brother, who was still writhing in agony, moaning and clutching his stomach. We left out the side door Wyatt had come through and ran for the car, hearing muffled explosions as my fire found some leftover chemicals. I hopped in the driver’s seat, snatching the keys out of the glove compartment where Wyatt had stashed them earlier. Wyatt set Addy down in the backseat and got in beside her, laying her head carefully on his lap. She was still almost naked and covered in blood, which wouldn’t be easy to explain if we got stopped for any reason.

“Get something to cover her,” I instructed him, peeling away from the burning building. He fished around the back seat for a moment before producing a stained hoodie of mine and hastily tucked it over her like a blanket. Addy’s face was still too pale, and I kept watching her through the mirror until Wyatt gave me a dirty look.

“Focus on the fucking road, man, I’ve got her!” he snapped at me, and I readjusted the mirror quickly, driving as fast as I could without arousing suspicion. It was getting dark by the time we made it home, but I still pulled into the alley beside the building so Wyatt could take Addy in through the basement rather than through the front door. He tossed me his keys, and I unlocked the door for him while he scooped Addy up and brought her down the stairs. I left them to go and park the car, sitting by myself for a moment to collect my thoughts.

I pulled out a cigarette and let the smoke fill my lungs as I inhaled, trying to slow the adrenaline that was still coursingthrough my veins. Jake had to be dead, right? I thought about him lying on the ground, the fire growing, the explosions as we’d left. Once Addy was safe, I would go back there and confirm. I’d check for the body. I needed to see his bones with my own eyes to know for sure. After finishing my smoke, I climbed out of the car and went inside, locking the door behind me.

When I got downstairs, I found everyone gathered around the makeshift room that was supposed to be Addy’s private space. Wyatt had placed her on the bed, and she looked so still I was worried we might’ve been too late. He looked over when I walked in, his face pained. “I don’t know what to do. Should we... uh... dress her?” He looked down at her body, still covered in blood and dirt, some of which was Jake’s from when she’d broken his nose.

“Here, we’ll put this on her for now, just to keep her warm,” I told him, picking up the old hoodie he’d used to cover her off the floor. Wyatt helped me get it over her head, and it covered her enough for now. Addy could change into something she preferred when she woke up. We tucked her into her bed and then closed the little curtain wall around her to give her some privacy.

“Stay out of her bed,” I told Austin sharply, and he nodded sadly, taking a seat in one of the nearby chairs instead. I grabbed a bottle of something off the bar and sat beside him, taking a long drink. I passed it to him as Wyatt and Piper sat down on the couch, and Austin passed it to Wyatt. The bottle made its way around a couple of times, as we told the guys in hushed voices what had gone down at the warehouse. Piper wasn’t at all surprised by our story, and from the looks of it, he’d lived through at least some of it himself.

“That was a stupid fucking idea, by the way.” I shot at Wyatt while he was taking a drink. “If I hadn’t gotten Jake over to youin time...” He just shrugged, his face gaunt in the dim basement lighting.

“She was dying. I had to do something,” he murmured.

“But you could’ve died too.” I snapped, and his eyes dropped to the floor. “It was too close man, you can’t do shit like that to us.”

“I didn’t die, though,” Wyatt replied quietly. “And Addy didn’t either.” We all looked over at the curtain wall, and I wished she’d make a noise or do something to let us know she was okay.

One by one, the guys dropped off to sleep. Austin was curled up in his chair, and Wyatt stretched out on the couch with Piper beside him, using his legs as a pillow. I stayed awake, holding the near-empty bottle in my hands, watching over everyone as they slept.

Chapter 30

Addison

Iwoke with a gasp, my hands groping at my stomach, but there was no longer a knife protruding from it. Instead, my hands met soft fabric. I was wearing a hoodie that wasn’t mine. From the smell, it had to have been Cain’s. I looked around, moving slowly as every nerve in my body seemed to spark with the ghost of pain. I was in my bed, somehow, which made little sense to me. The last thing I remembered was pain and blood. What had happened to Jake? He’d just vanished after he stabbed me like some sort of magic trick, and then everything had gone dark. I shivered, still cold, even now that I was inside and off of the concrete floor. I shifted in the bed until I could swing my legs out and set them gingerly on the ground. They seemed steadier, but I still felt so damn weak. I grabbed the sheets hanging around my bed for support as I stood up. Pushing back the little curtain wall, my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the basement. I could see the guys passed out around the couch, Austin curled up in a ball on the chair. One set of eyes met mine in the darkness, a flash of ember sparking in the grey.

I walked over to Cain slowly and caught him off guard as I sat down on his lap, curling into his warmth and letting it seep into my bones. His body relaxed around mine, his arms coming around to hold me, enveloping me with his warmth. “I’m so sorry.” he whispered in my ear, and I wasn’t sure if he wassaying sorry for the burn on my neck or for his psychotic brother, but either way, the apology wasn’t really warranted. I pressed my face into his chest, my arms wrapping around him tightly. A couple of tears slipped out, staining his shirt, and his hands moved across my back, comforting me. I sat there for a long time and started to doze in his arms. I felt Cain shift and lift me into his arms, carrying me back to my bed. Once he set me back down, he moved to leave, but I grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Please stay,” I whispered, and he hesitated a moment before climbing in beside me, tucking himself against my back with his own back against the wall. His warmth radiated over me, and I closed my eyes, slipping off to sleep again. I guess if Cain did something, that made it okay for everyone else because when I woke again later on, I found Austin tucked in beside me, his arm thrown over my hip. Cain was still pressed against my back, and it sounded like he had fallen asleep at some point, too. I noticed an extra arm across Austin’s waist and saw Piper curled up against him on the other side. I stretched out my legs and brushed up against something with my foot. Looking down towards the end of the bed, I saw Wyatt stretched out by our feet. I think I needed a bigger bed.

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