Page 26 of Darkness Falls

A phone rings from the pocket of his pants on the floor. He ignores it the first time, but it continuously rings. He finally steps away from me, before leaning down to grab it.

"Yeah?" He answers his phone before it can go to voicemail, pausing while whoever is on the other side speaks.

I can't bring myself to look up at him. My eyes fall to the floor, and panic spreads through me. This better be Soren's way of interfering. He told me he had something in place.

"You realize it's my wedding night, right?"

Another pause from him gives me the slightest bit of hope that Soren might have come through after all.

"Fine. I suppose you're right; one more night won't be the end of me."

He leans down to pull his pants and underwear back up his legs, and then I hear him fiddle with the buckle. Still, my eyes are trained on the floor. I don’t want him to see any hope in me.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," is the last thing he says before he ends the phone call. He kicks me again, and I grimace. My head finally lifts, and I see him eyeing me with disdain.

He sighs. "This will unfortunately have to wait. I'm needed for some unexpected business. Tomorrow, I'll take my time with you, sweet wife."

Bile threatens to spew out of my mouth over even the thought.

"Go cleanyourself up. You look like fucking shit. There will be a guard waiting for you outside the bedroom door to take you over to your father’s house for the night. I'll be back to get you tomorrow and make sure you're properly cared for." He steps out of the room, and I take a deep breath, thankful to finally be alone.

I give myself a moment before I'm able to stand up and walk to the bathroom. I turn on the shower and step inside, wanting to clean every bit of this day off me and focus on the future. The water pours over my body, and I let the warmth pull me under. I think of Barrett for a moment before glancing down and seeing the initial he carved in my thigh.

I turn off the shower and walk back into the room to look for some kind of clothing. All I manage to find is a large shirt that falls to my knees and a pair of men’s boxers. It's not ideal, and these are, no doubt, Damien's clothes, but I can grab something of my own when the guard escorts me back over to my father’s house. I don’t want to be there either, but it beats being here.

Once I have the clothes on, I sigh and open the door to find the guard standing there waiting for me like a good pet. I know some of them have to see what’s been done to me, yet nobody lifts a finger to help. It’s disgusting.

Chapter 13

Sebastian

Waiting until today to bring Callie home has been difficult. As much as I don’t want to admit it, she grew on me, and the house feels empty without having her there. Barrett and Kyler have been bitching nonstop, and while Barrett has agreed with me for the most part, they want her back more than anything.

We tried getting her out one other time, but everything went to shit. There were too many people on alert. Dying won't save her, so we pulled back to reassess. We’re good at what we do, but when there are three of us against an entire society with a guarded presence, it makes things a bit more complex. It makes me sick thinking about what she may have endured, but she's strong. She will pull through.

The wedding is over. I'm sure Gabriel and Damien assume they’ve won and that the threat to Callie escaping their little shit society has diminished. That couldn't be any further from the truth. I’ll be walking into the compound today like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

I look down at the faint outline of the raven burned on my wrist. The reddened skin still appears angrier and morepronounced than it should. It took us some time to acquire a brand in the same shape and size as the one Rogue uses, but as soon as we did, I seared it right onto my wrist without hesitation.

The brand is something members are required to show upon entry to the compound. It's their own personal security method that they believe to be flawless. Technically, because of who my father was, I am a member of this disgusting excuse of a society. If I do end up being questioned, they can’t refuse me entry.

Barrett and I chose to leave Kyler behind in Braxton Falls. No matter what he thinks, he’s still not at his full strength. We drugged his spaghetti and locked him in the cell under the pool house after he fell asleep. I don't feel bad about it either.

He was livid when he woke up, but he will get over it. He was even more pissed when he found out we didn’t get Callie out before she got married. It’s my job to ensure my family is safe. I failed at that already, and it won't happen again. Getting her out wasn't safe until now.

Ky can do whatever he needs to in order to make it up to her when we get back. On the off chance that something happens to us, Barrett programmed the locks on the cell to disengage after four days. Kyler can swoop in and be her hero. Nothing is going to happen to us, though. Barrett is posted safely on the outskirts of the woods, waiting for me to find him once I get her. I'm hoping she will forgive us for not coming sooner.

I hear Barrett in my ear. "You're cleared to make your way to the gate."

"Got it. I'm slipping the earpiece into my pocket for now. I'll let you knowonce I'm inside," I tell him before doing exactly that.

When I get close to the gate, there's a long line of people and cars crowding the entrance. I step out of the tree line with my phone up to my ear, pretending to be on a phone call.

"I don't know where you put them. I checked the tree I was fucking you against last night, and I didn't see anything."

Everyone looks exhausted from their night of partying and celebrating. Eyes land on me but dart away as they hear my words. They don't need to know there's nobody on the other side of this phone call. Members of the guard are sprinkled throughout the crowd, and I catch a few of them eyeing my wrist, but none make a move to question me.

I continue talking on my fake phone call. "Maggie, I don't know what you want me to tell you. It's your fault. I'll buy you new ones when we get back home. I'm coming back in to grab you so we can leave. Make sure you have the camper packed. I have shit to do."

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