Page 143 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

So weak and tired, but not enough to drag me under.

Sound comes next, with a ringing that lessens the more that time passes. It’s followed by a hum and soft whirring noise somewhere close by. The buzz of a fan clicks on and off every few seconds, and once the ringing completely leaves my ears, I hear… screaming.

The scream is loud, so loud I don’t know how I missed it to begin with.

It’s raw and broken, and I can hear the pain inside it as it bellows out around me.

I want to cover my ears, but something sharp and heavy clamps around my wrists and ankles, holding them in place.

A gnawing pain eats away at my stomach, making me want to curl into myself, except I can’t bend over. I can’t move much at all. I’m lying on my back, and there’s something heavy around my waist, holding me in place.

Tightness wraps around my chest, making it hard to take in a deep breath. I try to breathe through my nose, but the scent of bleach assaults my senses.

Peeling my eyes open, the harsh light above burns. I close them instantly and squeeze them tight, the sensations of everything around me too much, too overwhelming. The smells, the sounds… the heart-wrenching scream. It’s all too much.

My mind and body catch up to one another and memories flash through my thoughts like blades. They slice down my body, shredding and slashing every piece of me until the pain is all I can focus on.

It soars over me in waves, building up before crashing down on me and carving out one more piece of me each time.

The agony feels more physical than anything King or Morana have ever done.

Time becomes an endless series of repetitive cycles, one filled with agony, loss, and despair.

My mind finally shutters to a stop, the overload of pain too much to bear. My body shuts down next along with it, and I welcome the quiet numbness.

Seconds later, the darkness takes me under.

* * *

I glanceat the moon from my bed. Its luminous beam lights the world beneath it, making everything look magical. There’s a warmth in my chest that makes me think this is where we’re supposed to be, where we were always supposed to end up.

We’ve moved around a lot, and usually I stick to myself knowing first-hand how cruel other kids can be, but then I met the guys. My guys.

Jax, Luka, Axel, Rion, and Kai.

Kai said we’re family, all of us. And that we need to stick together and watch out for one another.

I like that idea. Of looking out for them and keeping them safe.

Mom is usually overprotective, but even she says it feels right here. Hopefully, she’ll let us stay this time. She never tells me why we have to leave, just that she has a bad feeling, but she always makes it feel like another adventure.

It’s well past my bedtime, but I can’t sleep. The boys are taking me exploring tomorrow in the forest behind Axel’s house. He’s been a bit grumpy lately, but he always brings me homemade food, so I know he’s not too upset or angry with me.

Jax said he might show me his wolf if I hold his hand the whole way through the forest, and Luka said he’d do the same, but his wolf isn’t ready to come out yet.

Rion’s parents are super strict and… cold, but he said he’ll still be able to make it. I haven’t met Kai’s foster parents yet, but he said that it won’t be a problem and will come by tomorrow to pick me up on his way.

Sighing, I get into bed. Kai will be upset with me if I don’t get enough sleep. And the others will back him up and gang up on me… again.

The last lecture they gave me was about needing to take better care of myself. I told them to stop acting like my older brothers, and they got all weird and told me to never call them brothers again, that we were family.

Which didn’t make any sense. Boys are confusing sometimes.

My eyes begin to drift when a loud bang makes me shoot up in bed. My heart races.

“Mom?”

I push the blankets off me and rush across my room to my door. Wrenching it open, I peek outside. My eyes widen when I see a man dressed in all black running straight at Mom, a large sharp knife aimed at her head.

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