Page 49 of Revenant

Though his tone is calm, his voice is a low rumble that abrades my nerves like sandpaper, and everything inside me screams to run while I have the chance.

It’s not until our surroundings become hazy that I realize the room is dimming. A dark fog skims across the floor, spilling closer and closer to us, like it’s searching for prey. The twinsstiffen, the two of them going back-to-back, as if expecting an attack.

We inch closer together until we’re huddled in the middle of the room. Our breaths emerge like a white cloud in the air, and it’s not until I shiver, my teeth chattering together, that I recognize the signs.

Our discovery is too much for Rue.

She is triggered by the knowledge she couldn’t protect us. She probably thinks she failed us in some way, but nothing could be further from the truth. We decided to come, no matter the consequences.

If whatever they did to us can help keep her safe, I’m all for it.

Eyeing the darkness warily, I turn my back to it and let the others guard us while I try to figure out how to help Rue. I shift until I’m standing only inches from her. My heart clenches when I see her unfocused eyes and shallow breathing. I snap my fingers right in her face, but she doesn’t even blink.

She is staring into the darkness, trapped in some horror only she can see. Refusing to let her face it alone, I cup her jaw and press my forehead against hers. Her skin almost burns at the contact, and I grunt when it feels like I’m touching the surface of the sun. It’s not that she’s warm, it’s just that the rest of the room is that cold. She is the only source of heat. “Rue. Can you hear me?”

The darkness shifts, becomes a little transparent, and I swear things are moving in the shadows. Nothing distinct, almost like my brain shies away from witnessing the nightmares.

“Jace…” James’ voice is low as he gazes into the darkness. “Are you seeing this shit too?”

Jace shuffles closer until their shoulders are touching, and he nods grimly. “The dead that haunt this place. I could see them before, like peering into a clouded mirror. Whatever theyinjected me with is boosting that ability. They look so real that I swear I could touch them.”

When James does that very thing, because the fucker has no sense of self-preservation, Rue’s hand snaps out and captures his wrist, stopping him from touching something I can’t quite see. I’m not sure how she did it, since she never once looked away from whatever captured her attention. I didn’t think she was even aware of what was happening around her.

Then she turns her head, still not looking away from the darkness, like she’s staring down a wild animal that might attack at any second. “Touching bad. Don’t ever touch them.”

James blinks once, forcing his attention away from the darkness. His eyes are so wide that the whites gleam in the dim room. If he is that freaked out, then whatever he saw must really be disturbing. He swallows once, his throat bobbing, before shuffling closer to Rue until he’s tucked behind her.

Rue relaxes at the contact, the stiffness bleeding out from her shoulders, and she leans into him. I purse my lips, tilting my head to the side, and prod Jace. “Touch Rue.”

Jace doesn’t even hesitate to turn his back on the threat and focus on our girl. He nudges his brother, then slips his arm around the front of her waist until she’s pressed against both brothers. He hunches down, resting his chin on her shoulder.

Rue inhales, blinking her eyes slowly, like they’re too heavy to lift.

Following a hunch, I call out to the last two, “Gunner and Hicks, hands on Rue.”

Neither hesitates, no one even blinking that we’re all huddled around the small slip of a girl in our midst. Rightness settles over me. When I peer down at Rue, she is looking directly at me, awareness returning to her eyes, and the anxiety crushing my insides relaxes slightly.

I lean over and press my forehead against hers again, the dread in my gut since she was taken finally easing. Now that we have her back, I’m never letting her go.

Done battling myself, the need to stake my claim like a compulsion, I lower my head and kiss her, uncaring that we have an audience. All that matters is her.

The first touch of her lips is like diving into a clear pool of water—it’s invigorating, something fresh and untouched, where one taste will never be enough. When she leans into me, her hands clutching me close, the rest of the world ceases to exist.

Chapter Nineteen

RUE

It should be illegal for anyone to have so much power over me from a simple kiss. Ellis is supposed to be a nerd—bookish and shy. But, apparently, he puts the same amount of effort into learning how to kiss as he does with everything else in his life. I’m immediately swept away, my body achy with the need for more.

I clutch his shirt, not only to keep my knees from buckling but to ensure he can’t escape. His cock presses against my stomach, the heat of him burning me, and my heart skips a beat at the size of him. His mouth easily takes control of mine, and I submit to his demands. My troubles vanish, my worries disappear, and the only thing on my mind is him.

Hands tighten on my hips as Jameson pulls me back against him until his cock is snug against my ass. Jaceson hums in approval, his arm around my waist shifting until he boldly cups my breasts. His fingers pluck at my nipples, the rough sensations spreading goose bumps across my body.

Gunner guides his hand down my arm, shifting his hold until his palm rests possessively low on my stomach. Memories of him slipping his hand into my jeans make my panties wet, and I clench my legs together, desperate to feel his touch where I need it.

To my surprise, Hicks doesn’t retreat. Instead, he slips the hand on my shoulder higher, not stopping until his fingers tangle in my hair. He then pulls my head back, guiding the angle of the kiss. The slight prickle of pain from his tight grip doesn’t hurt exactly, the ache making me more aware of my body.

I’m standing on a precipice, and I’m not sure if I want to step over the edge or run away as fast as my short legs will allow.

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