Page 15 of Hysteria Rises
“No one’s doing anything with me!” The blonde’s eyes flash in our direction. She tracks my movements, a murderous scowl ruining what actually are pretty features. “Why don’t you just let me leave?” Her words come out in a rush as she fights to pull her wrists free of Malakai’s grip. Her breath comes hard and fast. “There’s something wrong with every single one of you!”
I cock my head to the side, following her gaze over to the exam table. “You’re disgusting,” she grinds out. “Don’t touch me ever again,” she says on a huffed breath before her eyes flick to Arrow. “You either!”
Surprised, I glance over at him, noticing bright splotches of color have bloomed high on his cheekbones. His lips press into a tight line as he lifts a hand, gently touching his fingertips to the skin around his eye socket.When he spots me watching, Arrow gives a slight jerk of his head. My brow furrows. His expression clearly readsDon’t say anything. Not right now.
My attention is drawn back to Malakai as he whispers something to the female, only barely audible. “And how do you feel about me?” He maintains his position, his eyes intent on the troublemaker in our midst.
She glares at him. “Do you need me to tell you that you’re gross, too?”
He snorts, thrusting his hips forward, and she cringes. Studying their interaction, I’m certain there’s a quake to her jaw where she’s clamped her teeth together in an effort to control her emotions. “Spitfire, I hate to tell you, but this is only the beginning.” She thrashes, bucking hard against his body, but she appears to be losing steam, the movements of her limbs weak and less effective.
With a sigh, I step closer to see if Malakai’s willing to let me give him a break. In the blink of an eye, she twists, wrenching free. She falls to her hands and knees, but scrambles quickly, making a mad bid at freedom. I see the hope in her eyes at the same time Mal growls, chasing after her.
My lips part. I think I’m partially in shock but also impressed. The exhaustion she’d displayed was just that—a display. A fucking act. Tricky, tricky. She glances over her shoulder. If I were her, I’d be nervous as hell because the rage in his eyes is lethal. He’ll be pissed as hell that this failure has occurred in the presence of the Collective.
The girl whowill beTwenty-three has a wild look about her as she attempts to figure out anescape route. Her eyes flick to Malakai for a split second as he roars, lunging forward. She jolts, racing away, but rethinks her course before slamming into Henry’s massive body. Cross throws back his head and crows as she careens in the opposite direction, which takes her on a collision course with him, Nolan, and Kiefer and the exam table, which would be a mistake, and she obviously knows it because she reverses, backing toward Arrow and me now.
We spread out, creating a human barricade. There’s no way she’ll get past us—but I let her think she can when I edge closer to Arrow and leave a clear path. As she attempts to skirt around us, Malakai lunges for her. “Got you!” he shouts, but growls when he realizes she’s evaded him.
I reach out an arm at the last possible second and manage to snag her by the waist. All the air blows from her lungs as I haul her to my side. She lets out a gasp then a quick intake of breath before she wails with frustration. I chuckle silently. “Where’d you think you were going?”
Henry crosses burly arms over his chest, then walks over to Nolan and Kiefer, conferring with them in tones too low to hear. Arrow and Malakai both stand a foot from me, but Mal’s jaw works to the side, body rigid with anger while Arrow can’t seem to unglue his eyeballs from this girl.
I really fucking think she’s the one who gave him the black eye. But when? That’s a question for later.He grimaces, probably already guessing the direction my thoughts have gone.
Just then, the back of a flailing hand catches me on the chin. “Fuck,” I grunt, letting out a harsh exhale. There wasn’t much power behind it, but I won’t be ending up marked by this girl, too.
Not one to fuck around, I heft her over to the exam table. Enough’s enough. “What do you want me to do with her?”
Henry’s eyes are trained on Nolan as he works to place a butterfly bandage, but Kiefer’s hard eyes find mine as he spits my words back at me. “What do I want you to do with her?” he says, his voice deadly low. “We’re going to get her the fuck out of my face, that’s what.” Kiefer shoots her a scathing look. “And all of you will take her down to the cellar and lock her up. Four on one. No chance for any more mayhem today. We’re done with your antics, girl.” He hops down from the table, and all three of the Collective head for the door.
“Whatever, you old perv,” the girl hisses as she watches his back. The older men stop in their tracks, and it’s so quiet, a pin could be heard dropping, but Kiefer doesn’t turn around, simply barges through the doorway and turns, presumably to go to his quarters.
She definitely shouldn’t have added fuel to his fire, but I’m sure she’ll figure that out soon enough.
Nolan and Henry watch from the doorway, so I do exactly as they expect—I take control, just like my father taught me. As quick as a snake striking, I catchher jaw in my grasp and turn her to face mine. Nose to nose, I mutter, “You’ll take care how you speak to him—to all of us—or you’ll regret it.”
Furious crystal-clear blue eyes bore holes into my skull. “I dare you to let me go and see what happens.”
I let one deep inhalation after another fill my chest, not allowing her to rile me.
A moment later, from the doorway, Nolan barks, “Cross, give her a sedative, then the four of you take her the fuck out of here. Once you’ve done that, get on with your daily chores. And Hayze, report back when you’ve got this issue taken care of. We’re trusting you.”
I give a sharp nod. “Yes sir.”
This time around, the full moon has brought nothing but disorder to Dark Falls Hollow.
NINE
ARROW
My siren glaresat me for a split second before quickly tearing those intense blue eyes of hers away. I hadn’t been able to determine what color they were in the dark of Nolan’s sick bay in the earliest hours of the day, but damn. They’re fiery, not unlike the hottest part of a flame.
We have her pinned down to the exam table, so I can’t really blame her for being mad and don’t doubt for a second that she picked up on a lot while the Collective were in the room—the group dynamics and what we’re like, not to mention our plans for her. Because of that, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s anxious. The fact that she stubbornly refuses to look at any of us simply verifies that line of thought.
The entire time Cross has spent preparing the injection he’s getting ready to administer, she hasn’t acknowledged a single person. And ever since Nolan,Kiefer, and Henry left, she’s kept her lips clamped tightly shut. She’s gone eerily quiet.
It’s kinda fuckin’ scary, if you ask me. I exhale hard, cataloging every feature of her face while perched on top of her legs to control her lower half. While she won’t meet my gaze, I’m definitely in her line of sight. So, she sees me, I know she does. Notices me watching every breath she takes. Every twitch of muscle. Everything about her, honestly. My brow furrows.Twenty-three. I roll her number around in my head, imagining calling her that. Maybe I’ll just call herMine.
