Darkness Unleashed (22 page)

“
That’s better.” It was just as I suspected. Hunger now shone from her features as she bent forward, her face mere inches away from mine. “You really are handsome. I didn’t understand why Amber was so fascinated at having you. She was practically obsessed with you. Did you know that? She didn’t care what I asked her to do . . . as long as it meant you would ultimately belong to her. Of course, she enjoyed the killing that was required. Now there’s a wolf who reveled in blood shed. She all but glowed after each sacrifice we made. Anyway, I’m getting distracted. What was I saying?” She cocked her head to the side as if waiting for me to answer. “Oh yes. You. You’re definitely easy on the eyes. Makes me wonder what it would be like to have all that power beneath me.”

All my self-control evaporated the moment her hand reached between my legs and cupped me. If it were possible, I would’ve recoiled into the table before letting her manhandled me. Her touch made me physically ill.

“
Answer me this, Mason. If I were to chop this off, would it grow back?” She squeezed my groin roughly, the movement making me gasp as my eyes watered.

“
Let. Go,” I growled through my teeth.

“
Of course, I’d have to see what all the fuss was about, first. It would be a shame to miss out on what I’ve been told is ‘a ride to remember’ without seeing whether you were worthy of the praise.” Her vulgarity revealed her true character. “So how about it? Think you could rise to the occasion?” She seemed pleased with her pathetic attempt at humor.

“
Not if you pumped me full of Viagra. Nothing would ever convince me to look at you with anything but revulsion.”

“
Even if it saved your mate?”

“
You would need to have her, to use her as a threat,” I replied coolly, relieved when she moved her hand.

“
And what makes you think I don’t?”

“
Because you wouldn’t be wasting your time doing this,” I spat out confidently. “Because if you truly did know me, you’d understand that the best way to break me, would be to bring her in here and hurt her in front of me, while I was helpless to stop you. My body can heal. Do whatever you want. I don’t care. You and I both know . . . you wouldn’t be holding back if you truly had anything to manipulate me with.”

I recognized the second the truth registered with her. She’d been bluffing about Darcy all along. I was right in thinking she was using the threat as a ploy to shake me and I hadn’t fallen for it. Darcy was with Daniel and Devlin right now, being protected and kept safe. Regardless of how this played out, that was a surety.

“
You’re so smart, aren’t you? Figuring out my little white lie.” Helena sneered.

“
No, you’re just that stupid.”

“
Enough!” she shrieked, grabbing a handful of knives and waving them in front of me. “I’m in control here, not you.” Slashing across the length of my chest, fire blazed like a million needles pricked my skin simultaneously. Sweat dripped down from my temple to my ear as I fought to keep myself from screaming. A sound emerged from my mouth, a strangled soft moan; the only noise to give away the pain that constantly pulsed through me.

“
It’s not a scream, but it’s a start.” Like a switch had been flipped, Helena’s calm exterior returned. “It hadn’t occurred to me that you might be thirsty.” Raising a wooden bowl to my mouth, water sloshed messily over the sides as she waited for me part my lips.

There was no way I was going to drink from it. I didn’t trust her and I needed all my senses sharp and alert.

“
Drink,” she demanded, pressing it hard enough that my teeth cut the inside of my top lip.

I shook my head in defiance.

Slamming her fist down on the center of my chest, there was a crack from a rib, causing me to involuntarily gasp. She seized her opportunity and tipped the mystery liquid into my mouth. The second it touched my tongue, and I tasted the extreme saltiness, I gagged.

Helena clamped her hand over my lips, effectively preventing me from spitting out. “Swallow it. Now. There’s a good wolf.”

The mixture burned the cuts inside my mouth and I had no other choice but to swallow. I spluttered as it instantly came back up, bile leaving a trail of acid tinged pain. There was no stopping it as I vomited up the vile salt water. Even with an empty stomach, the liquid spurted over my skin, mixing with the blood from my wounds.

“
Well, look what you’ve done,” Helena scolded, tipping the rest of salt water over my chest. My back arched against the table as my fists clenched and I fought to be free from my restraints. Pain exploded in my mind. “Don’t blame me when you scar, Mason. If you’d swallowed like I told you, you could’ve healed from these pretty cuts.”

“
Go to hell,” I groaned, my temper flaring again.

“
No, that’s where you’ll be going once I’m done with you.”

There was a knock at the door, and someone entered, murmuring in Helena’s ear. I didn’t recognize the newcomer, but that didn’t mean anything. There was always a constant influx within the community as people came and went. Scenting the air, he was definitely supernatural. A vampire.

“
What do you mean there’s a complication? You all had one task given to you. How bloody hard is it to secure the property?” Helena’s voice shilled as she returned the knives in her hand to the tray and faced one of her guards.

He whispered something low again, something that angered her further.

“
Then your incompetence leaves me no choice. Bring everyone here. Now.” Keeping her back to me, Helena stood rigid as she watched the vampire nod and rush from the room. While I didn’t know what was exchanged between them, I did know one thing—something had gone wrong and somehow I would make sure to use it to my advantage.

Twirling about on her heels, Helena’s face was far from composed. “It seems like our time has been cut short before I could really enjoy myself. I’d say you managed to dodge a bullet, but that will depend on how much you enjoy my parting gift.”

“
They’re coming for you, aren’t they?” The only reason she’d leave me behind was if she was in a hurry. If my friends had found me, I wouldn’t want to be her when they arrived, either. I’d place money on that being the reason why she could barely keep the fear from her eyes.

“
It’s irrelevant,” she retorted, dipping her hand into her pocket again and withdrawing another syringe. “I’d rather you be awake for this, but I’m sure waking up will be just as rewarding. Give my regards to your lovely mate. Tell the bitch I hope she can still love you once I’m done with you.” Jabbing the needle into my neck, my vision immediately started fading as she pressed the plunger. “Let’s just hope you’re still capable of anything once we’re done.”

The room began filling—Ross and the strange vampire returning with others.

“
You know what to do,” Helena ordered, stepping back so they could reach me. Careless hands held me down, even though my limbs were too drugged and tired to resist. As the straps and chains were removed, my mind screamed for my body to seize this chance—to fight or die trying.

The room spun as they heaved me up, only to bind me against the wall. They weren’t taking me with them. They were merely displaying my body differently—a surprise for whomever was coming.

“
No need to hold back now, boys.” Helena blew me a kiss as the first fist pummeled my chin, cracking my head backward as it slammed into the concrete wall.

There was only a flash of pain before nothing came lurching for me.

Sometimes oblivion was a gift—one I didn’t hesitate to embrace.

****

Oblivion didn’t last forever. As agony crept around the edges, each second reduced the blackness that protected my mind, new sounds filtering in. Footsteps. Yells. Angry curses.

Then finally hands gingerly touching me, checking to see whether I still lived.

“
Shit.” The voice belonged to Daniel.

“
Careful,” a second voice said. Devlin.

They’d found me and it was over.

Parting my lips, I attempted to warn them that maybe Helena was still here. She’d gloated about leaving while her thugs did her dirty work, but the witch was unpredictable. It wouldn’t surprise me if she’d pretended to vacate the premises only to wait and capture everyone.

My words came out distorted. Trying again, the same thing happened.

“
Easy, Mason,” Daniel whispered, his breath heating the skin by my ear. He was standing so close. “Don’t move, okay? Let us take care of you. Just don’t move.”

Nodding, it felt like a bomb detonated inside my skull, the blast sending a wave of pain through my pain. Inch by insane inch, I became more aware of my body. Something was horribly wrong. While I wasn’t going to complain about how everything seemed to be coming at me through a tunnel, it was never good when you couldn’t feel your limbs properly.

I tried talking.

“
He needs something to drink,” Devlin spoke. There was the sound of footsteps again before something was being held to mouth. It was the bowl Helena had filled with salt water. Clamping my lips together, I shook my head. The action had me gasping for air. Everything hurt. With each breath, I was beginning to realize they hadn’t simply left me hanging there without inflicting further damage.

Helena had left her parting gift. It was me—broken.

“
Just a sip. It’ll help,” Devlin coaxed.

“
Poison,” I managed to whisper.

The bowl clattered to the ground. “What the hell did she do to you?” Devlin cursed.

“
Look at his hands,” Daniel added. “They’re . . .” The pain was making me fade in and out. I missed what he said, but something told me I would find out shortly.

“
The bitch must’ve taken a sledge hammer to them.”

I released a loud groan as I felt one of my arms freed from the chains that kept me hanging. Leaning all my weight on whoever held me, fingers rushed to fully release me. When the bindings that secured me around the waist were removed, all that was left were the manacles at my ankles. Tears streamed down my cheeks the moment I was finally free.

Unable to stand, it was Devlin who caught me. Every inch of my body shrieked from abuse. When I tried to open my eyes, they were swollen shut.

“
She can’t see me like this,” I groaned, barely able to get the words out. My wolf chomped within me, desperate to take control so we could shift. Revenge was all-consuming. Once I let him off the leash, there would be no reining him back. Even though I needed him to heal, the process being faster in wolf form, there was no telling what would happen with me too weak to keep control.

I wanted blood. I just wanted to be able to stand on my own two feet when I delivered the killing blow.

“
Did you see the message?” Daniel asked, his question more to Devlin than me. From the barely visible slit between my eyelids, I could see their fuzzy outlines, their heads looking about the room, taking it all in.

“
And it’s in his blood,” Devlin answered.

“
Get him out of here and I’ll follow behind. Meet me at the front and I’ll go see what Wade found. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find someone hiding.” There was a hint of bloodthirsty anger in Daniel’s voice.

“
Yell if you stumble across anything. Don’t take any risks.”

“
The way I feel right now, there’s nothing they could do—even if they were still here. They’d be dead within moments.”

“
Do what you need to,” Devlin replied, giving Daniel the answer he needed. There would be no trials in this matter—just a swift and exact punishment, a deserving execution.

Devlin maneuvered himself and carefully hoisted me over his shoulder. “I’m sorry to hurt you more, Mason, but we need to get you home.”

Each step jolted my body, bringing me out of shock and into full-blown torture. Attempting to curl my fingers, my body refused to obey. “How bad is it?” I asked, my small question depleting all my energy.

“
I’m not going to sugar coat it,” Devlin said, as he climbed the set of stairs up to the main floor of the house I’d been kept in. “You’re heavily bruised and cut, some of the lacerations look like they’ll scar. Your arms and chest are covered with them . . . as well as the left side of your face. Your eyes are black, you’ve got a split lip, and I’m pretty sure both your hands are broken. You’ll need time to recover fully from this.”

I knew what he was saying made sense, but it didn’t help hearing it. “And Darcy?” Fresh air brushed against my skin, the warmth of the sun hitting my exposed flesh. We were outside, mere steps from being truly free.

“
She’s safe at home. I left Vlad there to protect her.”

I spluttered at the thought of his nephew being the one guarding my mate.

“
Easy, she’s in good hands. He did well outside the council offices when the fight broke out. At one point, I saw him deflect an attack aimed at her. Maybe I misjudged him.”

Devlin shifted my weight as he lowered the tailgate to the truck he’d driven. I recognized it as I vaguely saw it through my swollen lids. It was the truck Daniel and I had adapted for whenever we had to transport an injured wolf—the back enclosed by a silver barred cage, a thin mattress spread across the bed.

“
It’s not going to be the most comfortable, but something tells me once you shift, your wolf is going to be pissed. This will be safer.”

I would’ve done the same. I could feel the drugs’ effects slipping away, each second making me feel like a ticking time bomb. I knew the explosion was coming; the only thing I didn’t know was just how bad it would be. I’d never been in a situation like this. Maybe this was the event that would push me over the edge—shredding my control.