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“Lydia,” he growls. “Not now, please.”
Lydia narrows her eyes at him in defiance and stands her ground. I tilt my head to examine her once more, wondering if I’ve set my sights on the wrong person for my plans. She is such an odd specimen, so full of fire and fury. She opens her mouth to undoubtedly tell Callum where he can shove his words, but I cut her off. As much as I’d love to see it, I don’t have time for that right now.
“You will come to realize that I’m on your side. I want to work with you,” I say to both of them. They don’t look convinced, and why would they? I haven’t exactly been transparent about any of this. But this is the only way.
“Don’t we get a say in that?” Lydia asks, stepping closer to the bars. I flick my gaze down to her, admiring her bravery. She truly is something to marvel at. So fascinating and untamed. It’s no wonder Callum is infatuated.
As I watch her watch me, my mind is infiltrated by a thousand voices. I can see all of my plans unraveling to make room for a new one. I sigh, mildly upset that it has to come to this. I do not take kindly to such a brisk change of direction, but I know that I must obey.
The voices demand action. The voices grow louder.
I reach out and abruptly grab Lydia’s throat through the bars of the cell, pulling her roughly against them. As expected, Callum reaches a hand through the bars toward me, and I jab a needle right into the side of his neck with my free hand. He retreats to grab the spot on his neck as his eyes widen in shock at what I’ve done to him. Seconds later, he falls to the ground with a loud thud. Lydia squeals, struggling for air as she grips my gloved hand with her fingernails.
I release her, and she gulps in a rushed breath, breaking into a coughing fit. The lock clicks open as I reach into the cell and grab her forearm, yanking her out before she has time to recover. She stumbles and then attempts to flee, pulling hard against my grip in panic. I wrap my arms around her small frame, lifting her off the ground as she kicks her legs and screams like a wild banshee. I must hurry.
The voices demand action. The voices grow louder.
“Stop it, Lydia. I only wish to help you,” I say, wrapping a hand around her mouth to stifle the sound that’s piercing my ears and giving me a migraine.
I walk and walk until we make it to a room on the other end of the warehouse, one equipped with everything a person may need to hold someone captive. I wouldn’t have to restrain her if only she’d stop fighting me.
Once inside, I set her down and flip on the lights, illuminating the space around us. Lydia takes in her surroundings with a horrified expression before turning her wild eyes on me.
This is not what I intended. This is going to derail everything. But I must follow this new path. I got it all wrong with Cordelia, but now I know what I must do.
The voices demand action. The voices grow louder.
The voices demand a sacrifice.
22
Callum
Lydia Aston is reckless, and I’m the fool who follows.
I groan, rolling onto my back as my head pounds for the second time tonight. That motherfucker drugged me again. How the fuck could I let this happen? I push to a sitting position, stopping only to allow the blood to make it to my damn brain before moving another inch. Once I finally manage to stand, I sway and stumble a couple of steps before reaching out to brace myself on a nearby cell bar.
My left hand fucking throbs, and I welcome the pain. I fucking deserve nothing less. Taking several deep breaths, I will my body to catch up so that I can formulate a plan to get the fuck out of here. Once my eyes are fully open and adjusted to my post-drugged state, I scan the cell for Lydia. Except that Lydia isn’t here.
She isn’t fucking here.
Tossing my head back, I scream out into the dim overhead lighting. Fuck. This isn’t real, this isn’t real. Spots fill my vision as I press my palms into my eyes, removing them only when it fucking hurts. Once my vision readjusts, I realize that this isn’t a dream at all. Lydia is gone. That fucking asshole took her, and I have to find her.
I need to find her.
I pace the small space, searching my mind for solutions that don’t fucking exist. I can’t waste another minute, because every second that ticks by is a second that she isn’t with me. It’s a second longer she’s with that fucking psycho.
I charge toward the bars, abandoning all logic as I grab hold of two and pull them apart with every ounce of strength I have. My left hand screams at me to stop, but I don’t listen. I allow myself to spiral, and my thoughts go to that place in my head where only darkness resides.
The bars begin to budge between my hands, and I give in to the thing calling to me from the deepest corners of my mind. For a moment, all I see is the pitch-black rage. For a moment, all I hear is the sound of the blood pulsing within my veins as I allow the adrenaline to take over. And finally, the aluminum bars give way.
Recoiling from the darkness at once, I allow myself to come back to the present. I stare at the hole in the bars in front of me, realizing that somehow I’ve managed to do it. Pushing forward, I squeeze my large body through the small space until I’m free. Then, I start running. I have no idea where I’m going. All I know is that I have to find her.
I need to find her.
A long hallway shifts into view as I sprint through the dark, musty building. Scanning the space, I take note of several closed doors. I’ll try every one of them. I’ll scour this entire warehouse until Lydia is in my arms again. I’ll tear apart every single person who stands between us. I will find out the identity of the sorry fucker who took her, and I’ll dismember them limb by limb until nothing remains. I won’t stop until she’s safe, and then I’ll never let the little siren out of my sight again.
Panting, I brace my hands on my knees to catch my breath. My head is still pounding, and my fucking heart is racing a mile a minute. I need sleep, water, and to stop being drugged for five fucking seconds.
