Page 87 of Tear Me Down
The pain in my body suddenly registers, and I bite back a groan, hoping to hear some of their, what looks to be intense, conversation. I look over this God forsaken hospital room, searching for my little wolf, and as I hear a small sniffle, I look to my right, hoping to see my goddess sitting next to me. Though, I'm mistaken. It’s Serena. She’s staring at the men as they continue to debate, crying silently but profusely. Why the fuck is she here? Where the hell is Ashia?
“He is in no condition to hear that!” Zeke shouts and throws his hand in my direction. It seems that they haven’t noticed that I’ve woken up yet.
“It’s been hours, and we’ve found nothing! Do you really think when he wakes up and doesn’t see her here, that he’s not going to ask questions?” Carter asks angrily, almost as loudly as Zeke.
Wait, she’s actually not here? She isn’t just in the bathroom or down the hall?
“He’s going to need some kind of sign that she is alive when he wakes up or he’s going to burn this entire fucking city to the ground! Especially after what you found at the house!”
“He may be the only one who can find a sign, Zeke! The longer she’s gone the harder she’ll be to find!” Alex yells back.
Gone? WHAT THE FUCK DOES HE MEAN BY GONE?!
“Don’t you think I know that! My sister is missing, and you don’t think I understand how desperate the situation is?”
Missing…
He said she’s missing…
I draw a deep breath, and while it burns like hell, it might just be pain I need to kick my ass into gear.
“Where the fuck is she?” I ask in a deep, hellish voice. Forcefully, I grasp onto the bed rail and pull myself to sit up as they look at me in terror. Serena stands and helps me up, and the stains of her tears streaking her cheeks become more apparent. She’s been crying for a while now, and the question of how long makes my stomach turn.
“You need to be careful, Damien. You’re really hurt,” she says with a surprising softness.
“Why have you been crying?” I ask her sternly, not leaving any room for argument, but she just shakes her head—confirming my worst fear. “She can’t be missing! Where is she?!”
“Damien,” Carter steps up and says, catching my attention. Henevercalls me that... “I need you stay calm and know that we’re already on it.”
“Where the fuck is she, Carter!?” Thankfully, the volume of my voice grows, and with less pain and effort than before, almost as if my body is already preparing for the impending carnage I’m going to cause.
“Damien.” I look over to Serena and she holds my arm in her hands. “There’s a few things we need to tell you, so I need you not to rage out and kill me, okay?”
I can see the fear in her eyes and how they portray themselves. She’s actually terrified of me right now, and while I don’t want to scare her, I can’t help the anguish building up.
“Ser.” Carter gives her a warning look, as if she’s approaching a rabid animal and he’s telling her to steer clear.
“I don’t give a damn, Carter. He needs to know.” She turns her attention back toward me and takes a shallow breath. “They took her, Damien. They have her.”
The world stops spinning and everything around me comes crashing down, barreling into me with an agonizing weight and tearing me apart, starting with my heart. This isn’t happening. This isn’t real…
They have her…
Theyhave her…
She’s gone…
No, no, no, she can’t be…
The voices in my head chant over and over again, repeating the words in my mind like a mantra. No, a war cry. My chest is void, and regardless of the increasing heart monitor beside me, I know there’s no heart left in me. It’s been taken. Stolen. Torn away from me at my most vulnerable, and the darkness inside me demands her return. That part of me that’s only dormant when she’snear can feel her absence, and I can hear it’s call for retribution. Something inside of me snaps, and the physical pain is gone. The emptiness has returned, and this time, it’s here to stay.
I jerk my arm away from Serena and start pulling out the IVs attached to my limbs, but surprisingly, she reaches out to stop me. I look back at her and desperation is in her gaze where there used to be reluctance. Pleading instead of disgust.
“I need you to pull whatever patience you can out of whatever circle of hell you have to. She needs you in your right mind…” She begs softly as another tear runs down her cheek. “We need to get her back, Damien. She’s...”
“Serena!” Zeke yells as he takes a step in our direction, causing her to shudder and stop. Her hand trembles as it grips my arm, and that only churns my stomach even more.
“She's what?” I ask, looking at the men since they obviously know what she’s talking about, but they remain silent and stare at me like whatever is about to come out of their mouths would trigger the apocalypse. “What, Serena?!” I turn to grip her arm and stare into her teary eyes, not meaning to hurt her, but I can’t control myself anymore, and that might be even more terrifying. Though I’m unsure of what scares me more, her answer or my reaction to it.
