Page 32 of Hysteria Rises
It’s a bad idea, and one that I quickly shove aside while I place the nearly empty container at the back of my father’s stash. Will I get caught someday? Maybe. But they owe me this.
I’m an unwilling participant in the things I seewhen I close my eyes. Things I would much rather not remember. But I can never fucking forget—it’d be an impossible feat. It’s all their fault. And I’ve already been warned not to speak of it.
Besides numbing myself to the memories, the only thing I’ve found that soothes me is being nearher.
Even when she rails at me. Even when she spits hateful words. She’s still the siren who calls to me. The one who has become a balm to my damaged soul.
My brow furrows.More voices. Cocking my head to the side, I wait. And I don’t think I’m so drunk that I’m imagining it, so locking up the pantry, I creep steadily toward the opposite side of the cellar on quiet feet. At least two more people are down here—people who definitely shouldn’t be. Because the voices… are male.
At the door to the hall where my siren is being kept, I pause. Listen.Oh,fuckno. I’d recognize those assholes anywhere. Blowing out a breath, I rub a hand over my face. There’s a good amount of laughter, but worse are the taunts tripping from Dragan’s and Gannon’s tongues. I fucking hate confrontation, but I have no choice.
“You’re here for one reason alone. Come on,” Dragan growls before demanding, “Pull your dress up. I want to see your cunt.”
My jaw locks as a red haze obscures my vision. But the fuckery doesn’t stop there.
Gannon snorts with laughter. “Or don’t show us, and I’ll tell my father you did anyway. He wouldn’t liketo hear that. And you wouldn’t like what he’ll do when he finds out.”
What the fuck. My heart gives a hard kick. Unable to bear listening another moment, I throw the door open. In the dark, I blink, trying to make out what they’re doing down there. Both are right up against the metal bars, but I can’t see much else.
“Leave me the fuck alone,” Twenty-three bites out.
“The Collective wouldn’t like you talking back to us,” Gannon quietly insists. “Not at all.”
“Yeah, watch yourself, girl.” Dragan shifts, and if I’m not mistaken, his cock is out. “You can make it up to us, though. You could suck us.”
There’s absolute silence from the cell.
“What?” Gannon shrugs, holding his hands palm up. “That’s a good trade. Our silence about your disobedience in exchange for your pretty mouth on our cocks.”
I stiffen. There are certain rights and rituals the Collective maintains… and I’d thought some of it surprising, but I’ve never dared say a word about it.
It’s the quiet click of the door’s closure behind me that catches their attention. I don’t walk. I storm toward them, anger flashing through me like the wildfire we were unfortunate enough one time to witness close to the compound. It rages, and I don’t care if it ravages everything and—more to the point, everyone—in its path. “What the fuck do you two think you’re doing down here?” As I reach them, they both turntoward me, not even bothering to stow their dicks, though they eye me warily.
Breath heaves harshly from my lungs. In my peripheral vision, I note Twenty-three has gotten to her feet and is cautiously watching me with those big blue eyes of hers. It’s Gannon’s laughter that pushes me right the fuck over the edge. “What’s your problem? She’s just another woman brought here for our pleasure. Calm the fuck down, freak.”
The muscle at the back of my jaw twitches. Anger barrels into me. It’s raw. Potent. And absolutely uncontrollable. I’m on him before he even notices I’ve moved. My heavy fist rams into his nose, and I have the pleasure of seeing the surprise on his face as the blood spurts free.
As if everything is happening in slow motion, I first hear my siren’s gasp, then a strangled shout from Gannon, and a roar from Dragan as the hapless fucker makes the mistake of lunging toward me. I catch his wrist, using his own motion to twist him around and yank his arm behind him before shoving him up against the bars of the cell.
“Apologize.” I pull him away, then push him back. His head smacks smartly against the metal bars. If I weren’t so out of it and feeling destructive, I’d have laughed at theclanghis skull makes when it meets the metal.
He groans, muttering under his breath. I yank his arm higher behind him. “Fuck! Fine. Sorry.” Hehuffs out a laugh. “But I’m not.” He stares straight at her. “You’re gonna regret this.”
“There’s something seriously wrong with you people.” She shakes her head, but a second later, her eyes dart over my shoulder. In one swift movement, I drop my hold on Dragan and spin, just in time to sidestep Gannon’s attack.
He’s a mess of blood and spit, snarling like he wants to rip my throat out with his teeth. I work my jaw to the side, then throw another punch at his face. My fist hits his cheekbone with a sickening crack. Dropping to his knees, he pants, staring at the floor.
Dragan continues to gasp in pain while holding his arm. Don’t even feel bad about that. I press my lips together, watching the two of them while a certain sick fascination flows under my skin at what I’ve done. Nudging Gannon’s shoulder with my foot, I murmur low, “Get the fuck outta here. And don’t let me catch you down here again.”
After several minutes of groaning and cussing, they back toward the door, eyes locked on me. Gannon’s lip curls. “You won’t see it coming, but you’ll pay for that. Fuckingfreak.”
Staring woodenly after them, my face heats at the insult. As the door clicks shut, I shake my head, eyes trained on the door for several seconds while I take a few slow, deep breaths. Gannon and Dragan consistently push the limits of what they can get away with. Doing shit they shouldn’t. Of course, they’d choose to come down here when they knew it’d be me theymight encounter. I’d assume they’re regretting that choice right about now.
Twenty-three hasn’t moved much while I’ve been turning over the events of the last few minutes in my head. She tracks my every movement with anxious eyes. She’s wary of me. My jaw clenches, teeth grinding. Finally, I pivot, taking a step toward the cell and gesture in the direction the dickheads had departed from. “They aren’t supposed to be down here at all.”
With arms wrapped around her torso in a defensive stance, she wets her lips as she stares at me. I take another step toward her anyway—I can’t resist—but she shuffles backward.
Fuck. I lift a hand. “I’m gonna go. You don’t have to be afraid.”
