Page 11 of Merging Factions

Graham bangs his fist on the table, spittle flying from his mouth when he speaks, snarling out, “You will watch the way you’re speaking to me, little girl.”

“That’s disgusting,” I state, wiping my well-worn top free from the flying saliva that spattered the cloth. “Say it, don’t spray it.”

Antagonizing him seems to be the wrong move, because before I can move, he’s directly in front of me. He leaped over the table as if it were nothing more than a pesky hurdle. My eyes widen in shocked surprise as he grips my top, anchoring me to him from the tight grasp he has on me. Fear shoots through me, immobilizing me. Panic takes root as my breathing becomes erratic, my vision blurs, and the urge to pee myself becomes too realistic. Until this moment, the pathetic men in the movies who urinated on themselves was hilarious, I’m no longer finding the humor in it, now that I’m in the same darned position.

Graham brushes my nose with his, I can taste and feel his breath as he exhales. Bumps rise on my skin, and I feel like I’m being bathed in sinister shadows. “I’m no longer feeling… friendly. You think your accommodations are atrocious now, keep trying me, and it’ll feel like a resort in equivalence. Get me?”

“Graham, that’s enough, no need to subjugate our guest. She’s going to behave now, aren’t you?” Garrick asks, only there’s no execution of dominance behind the instruction or question. His mirth at watching me be at his brother’s mercy is hidden behind the outcry, but it’s there. I can hear it even though he doesn’t want me to. He’s still trying to be the good guy in this scenario. But that ship has sailed, none of the brothers have any redeeming qualities. I should know, I’ve tried my best to find a shred of decency among them, but sadly, it’s hopeless. I worry that they weren’t born by natural means, but were instead, spewed from the pits of Hades and Lucifer himself is their patriarch.

They’re barbaric pigs who I hope Luca spit roasts like they’re rotisserie pork.

Graham grins, it’s manic, and fear-filling. “I’ll stop when she agrees to be grateful for our hospitality and agrees to not only answer our questions but be our obedient little mouse.” His insult should grate on my nerves, but his hissed requirements have me shaking. For once, I can’t force words to leave my mouth, so I simply nod my head.

This is not the way I’ll win this endeavor. I need to find my backbone again, and if he strikes me, I’ll deal. They won’t meet me in the middle if I become weak and meek.

“I’ll be respectful and stop running my mouth if you agree to a few of my terms,” I manage to wheeze out since he still has a tight grip on me. The material is twisted around my neck, choking and restricting my airway.

“You’re not in any position to execute any negotiations or make any demands, little mouse,” Graham growls, tightening his hold on me.

Gavriel, speaking up for the first time says, “Release your hands from her, Graham. Let’s hear what the sheep has to say.”

Great, first I’m a mouse, now I’m a sheep.

Luca

The dripof the IV helps me keep track of the time as it passes. I’m on bag two, which means I was more dehydrated than I thought. They may be gearing up to try and break me, but what they’re doing is invigorating me.

Fools.

I would laugh, but with a man in a white lab coat looming over me, and guards stationed at the door, I won’t take the chance of pissing them off. I’m not ready. I don't have the strength to go against them yet, but once I do, they’ll understand their mistake. They’ve misjudged me, they always do. I may seem weak and feeble, but that’s when I thrive. I don’t like being the underdog, it’s why I’m a warrior. When they least expect it, I’ll pounce.

But first, hydration. As I wait on this cold, metal bed, my mind drifts to Mera. Why did she scream? Were they really hosing her down? If so,whywere they doing so? All I know is once I’m able to wreak my vengeance on them, they’ll pay for every single teardrop that’s fallen from her beautiful eyes, and for every mark they’ve left on not only her body, but my own.

* * *

At some point, during my electrolyte infusion treatment, I must’ve fallen asleep. When I come to, my eyes are gritty, my throat is raw, and my body is so damn depleted that I feel as if I’ve missed a month's worth of nightly rest. Which could be an actuality due to the fact that I have no clue how long I’ve been stuck at the Crumleys’ mercy.

Time has evaded me in the darkness of their underground prison. As far as I know, I could have been here for days, weeks, or months and not have one damn clue how long has come to pass because everything since we were captured is a blurry mess. My brain is foggy when it comes to a timeframe—one hour, minute, and second is blending into the next.

A form leaning against the wall, steps out of the shadow and I recognize him immediately. His hands are haphazardly jingling the loose change in his pockets, a nervous twitch for others, but for him, it seems to be a way for him to harness his anger. “Your woman needs to learn her place.” Graham’s vocalization is harsh and incensed when he expresses this. “I had to put hands on her to teach her that lesson.”

The temperature in my body rises, and my limbs begin to tremble with rage. My eyes become predatory, and my voice comes out animalistic as I growl, “You did what?”

A confident and satisfied smile smears across his face when he warns me, “She was out of line. You should’ve taught her how to speak to her betters. To those who hold her life in their hands. If she’d been anybody else I would’ve snapped her neck. Count your lucky stars that she has the in that we need, otherwise, she’d be swimming with the fish.”

“What exactly did you do, Hammer?” I ask, needing to know what his actions were so I can repay them in kind.

“Don’t worry, Widowmaker. I didn’t get a chance to mark her porcelain skin before my brothers stepped in and saved the day. But I did give her a warning, one I hope she remembers the next time she decides to smart off.”

Huffing, I say, “Damn good thing, too.”

He chuckles before asking, “Why? What do you think you can do inyourcondition? You’re not in any position to take me on, Mr. Alvarez.”

“Release me from my bindings and let’s see what type of threat I am to you, Graham?” I challenge him, lifting my brow. While I know I’m weaker than a newborn foal, the sneer on his face combined with the fact he boldly admitted he put his hands on Mera has me taunting the bastard.

“I don’t take advantage of weaker opponents than me,” he simply states, but there’s something dark and barbaric in his eyes that says his statement is a complete and utter lie.

“Then why did you so much as lay a finger on Mera? Do you not consider her as being weaker than you are?” I mock him with his own words, throwing them back at him in order to get under his skin, because he and I both know that she weighs considerably less than he does, and we’re both aware of the fact that she doesn’t have the muscle mass to fight, dodge, and keep up with him and his meaty fists. “Your affirmations don’t hold any validity. You are a contradiction in comparison to your utterings, Hammer. Or is it that you’re generally a liar?”

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