I shift in the bed, so I can turn to look at them. I grab the green Jell-O off my plate and feel the coolness of it going down. It soothes my throat, and I sigh.
“I wasn’t lying, Kronos. I have no fucking clue who did this.” I pause, swallowing because my throat feels scratchy.
“One minute Charlotte and I were cleaning up the dishes, the next I was shoved into the computer room with a smoke bomb. That shit started burning immediately. I couldn’t see a fucking thing within seconds.”
Hypnos comes over and hands me a bottle of milk. “This will help,” he says and sits down on the side of the bed, looking at me. “We are lucky this wasn’t a nerve agent. But you are having a severe reaction to it. Usually, a typical side effect lasts for only twenty minutes. Maybe thirty at the top end.”
“I was in the room for three minutes or less. I couldn’t get through the door, so I jumped out of the window. That’s how I got the cuts on my arms.”
Kronos shakes his head and stares at us. “Whoever it is, they have Charlotte.”
I cringe as he talks. This is my fault. Fuck, what if my kitten went willingly? I had been coughing my head off, so I heard nothing. Was she alive?
“It’s Haydes. It’s always been him. Every fucking time,” Hypnos says as he takes the bottle from me.
“Yeah, we didn’t even get to the office before you called. But I have a feeling you are right.” Kronos paces in front of the bed, holding the bridge of his nose. That’s a sign that only Hypnos and I know. He’s worried.
He turns, plants his hands on the foot of the bed, and remains silent. I’m usually the one to butt heads with him, but this time, I’m nervous he’s about to blame this shit on me. “Hypnos, I want you to find Charlotte. I’ve got to understand these attacks. Our men out on the streets need to see our presence. Ayres, you haven’t been released yet. You stay here. Make sure you call us when you get discharged. We’ll come pick you up.”
I protest. “No way. I’m going to find Charlotte. It’s my responsibility.”
Hypnos kisses me, and I cough again. “You’re not all right. Normal tear gas effects would have been gone by now. This could have killed you, Ayres. Stay in the damn bed. For us, please.”
I glare at them angrily, but Hypnos begging me to stay here to get better does weird things to me. Kronos has moved to my other side and bends down. He kisses my forehead and whispers in my ear,“You don’t hear me say this often, but I love you, and I want you safe. Charlotte isn’t safe, and I need you to be. You are always taking care of us. It’s now time for us to take care of you. Let us catch this person for you.”
I’m shocked.What the fuck has gotten into them?“But…” I pause as emotion clamps around my throat. I clear my throat and try again. “When we get this bastard, I want first dibs.”
Kronos laughs. “Believe me, you’ll have the first swing.”
They left me alone after that. I sit here, ready to kill for Charlotte. What’s even crazier is that I’m ready to die for her, too.
I am so fucked.
Haydes shovesme into a room and leaves me there. He comes and checks on me several times. I refuse to give in. If I don’t go back, they will kill him. And who knows what they will carve into me this time? I shiver at the idea of facing their wrath once again.
The window has bars on it. For some odd reason, I feel more like a prisoner here than I did back at the cabin. I was feeling free with them. I can’t explain it, and I don’t know why, but I felt like I was home. Besides, Haydes is different.
How did he know where to find me? And why did he take me and treat me like a prisoner? Something is off with him, and it worries me. Whose house are we in? I try to get the door to open, it won’t budge. As I lie on the soft bed, I have so many questions in my mind. I close my eyes, and I see the three men that have claimed me. I moan in frustration and uncertainty.
The door opens, and I sit up.
“Are you hungry, little bird?” Haydes asks as he comes into the room with a tray full of food. My stomach rumbles, answering his question.
“Yes.” He sets the tray down on the desk in the far right-hand corner of the room.
“You’ll have to earn the food.”
My eyes go wide, and I stare at him in shock.
“What…” I can’t form my words into a sentence. They come out jumbled. “You. Mean. Huh?”
“Well, now that you are here, the rules are going to change. I’m in charge of everything. You got taken by the Powers brothers after I gave you some freedom to go to college. I have you back home, and I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”
Haydes has always been overprotective. He doesn’t seem to be in the mood for reasoning right now. I have to chalk this new ruling to him being afraid the Powers brothers will try to steal me again. I get up so I don’t feel so small next to him.
“Haydes, please. This…” He grabs me, forcing me to him. I quake in his arms. “Stop Haydes.” He slams his mouth down on mine and I freeze. My mind protests loudly. This is wrong.
I jerk back from him, and he snarls at me. “Why are you backing away from me?”
