Page 79 of Revenant

I refuse to believe Rue would leave me as well.

No, she will do whatever it takes to survive.

Because she loves me and knows I’m waiting for her.

I won’t stop looking for her, not until we find her. If she wants to run, then we can run away together. I don’t give a fuck if the rest of the world burns down around us.

“This is the last place I saw Rue,” Mabel says, her voice scratchy, then she coughs into her fist. Before Gunner can huff and puff and kick down the door, I dart forward and throw it wide, anticipation riding me hard.

Only to wilt when I find the room empty.

I stalk down the row of beds, throwing the curtains wide and stooping to peer under each cot like I can magically make her appear. When I reach the last curtain, I pause when I see shadows shift.

Pookie wouldn’t huddle behind the drapes like a coward.

Just as the thought crosses my mind, a bright light flares. My eyes widen, and I drop to the floor with a yell. “Down!”

My warning barely comes before a fireball sears through the curtain and bursts into the room with a sizzle of heat that singes my hair. Gunner tackles both girls, accidentally knocking their two men to the ground in the process when he misjudges his size. They land in a pile of arms and legs, mixed with a few grunts and groans. At least that means he didn’t kill anyone by accidentally squashing them. Ellis ducks behind a bed, while my twin dives into the safety of the hallway.

The only one who doesn’t react is Hicks.

Actually, I take that back. The bastard marches across the room like his shit doesn’t stink. It does, I lived with the fucker long enough to testify to the fact. The fireball smacks him right in the chest. The asshole doesn’t even pause when his shirt incinerates on contact, tiny specs of ash and fabric floating in the air behind him.

I roll my eyes at the dramatics. Okay, I fucking pout.

That’s so fucking cool!

And they think I’m the crazy fucker.

Without pausing, he marches through the curtain of fire, then a meaty thump follows and a yelp. A second later, the drapes sag and drop to the floor in a smoldering pile, and we see Hicks holding Gordan against the wall by his throat.

“Where did they take Rue?” Hicks snarls the question right in his face, his fangs flashing in warning. Gordan might pretend that he’s not bothered, but his eyes roll in fear.

“Fuck you!” Gordan claws at the hand holding him aloft, his fingers glowing as he tries to use his flames to break free, but it’s no use. “She’s gone, and you’re never going to find her.”

The pissant smirks, but the look is ruined by the broken nose from yesterday’s fight and the dark bruises under each eye, not to mention his swollen jaw and busted lip from the blow Hicks just administered.

Hicks raises a single brow, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “I was hoping you would tell us to save time, but I’m okay prying the information out of you one piece at a time.”

Gordan’s face pales, and his gaze flicks around the room like a frightened rabbit desperate for escape. His eyes lock on the door, like he’s expecting a rescue, and I rise to my feet, snorting at the dickhead. “If you think the guards are coming, you’re an idiot. They already fled. We’re the only ones left.”

Gunner rises to his feet, stretching his neck side to side until bones crack, then he lumbers forward. “Give him to me, boss. I’m sure with my new strength, I can pulverize his bones one inch at a time. No doctor will be able to put him back together once I’m done.”

“Instead of Sparkie, we can call him Humpty Dumpty.” I shuffle forward, my need for blood impossible to ignore any longer. “I need a knife. Does anyone have a knife? I bet he’ll no longer be fireproof if I remove his skin.”

“You’re fucking insane,” Gordan whispers, his eyes widening with horror.

“Yes.” I smile back at him, my grin more than a little bloodthirsty. “Yes, I am. All that matters to me is my pookie, and you are in my way. Either tell me what we want to know, or I will go through you to get answers.”

“Th-they went topside,” he stutters, pointing to the door with a trembling hand. “To the asylum.”

Hicks tightens his grip on Gordan’s throat, a strangled yelp escaping the young man. He frantically swats at Hicks in an effort to break free, but each blow is more ineffectual than the last. His face is turning an alarming shade of red, almost dark enough to match his awful hair.

“Just kill him and let’s go.” I turn away from Hicks and head toward the door, unable to keep a whine from my voice. “I want my pookie.”

“Wait!” Gordan squeaks out in alarm, his feet kicking as he scrambles for purchase. “I can show you his lab. I can get you past the guards. You need me.”

“Isn’t that why we have Crystal?” I glance at my twin with a scowl, unable to keep the annoyance and exasperation from my voice. “Please tell me we don’t need both of them.”

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