AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Vincent and Zephyr appeared from the shadows behind us, startling me. Barrett emerged close behind, dragging Cole along before throwing him into the dirt. He grabbed Cole’s shoulder and yanked the knife from his chest without hesitation. Cole cursed, his fangs bared as he hissed in pain. Without realizing it, I’d clutched onto Damien’s hand, his skin whitening under my fingers.
“What the hell were you doing?” Damien demanded, turning and glaring down at Cole.
Cole’s eyes avoided Damien, his lips pressed into a thin line. Barrett grabbed Cole by the collar of his shirt, jerking him up off the ground. I shut my eyes as Barrett’s fist slammed into Cole’s face, knocking him back to the ground.
Barrett's voice was agonizing, the betrayal like a knife to the gut. “What the hell were you thinking? How could you betray us like this?”
Silence.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damien’s head tilt down to me. He turned, leading me over to a downed tree, and eased me down. His warm hands rose to my face, and he lowered himself to his knees before me. His eyes danced over me, checking my hands, my arms, before moving back to my face.
His hand reached up, thumb grazing over my busted lip. The cords in his neck tightened, muscles quivering. I could feel the anger rising in him as he looked up to my forehead, gently touching my skin. I winced. Everything was tender and the aches reached deep into my bones. My body tensed when he found the markings hidden under my sleeves, and my hands retracted from him. I hated him seeing the cuts Marcus left, the bruises, the burns. Every mark was a reminder of each hour of agony I’d endured.
“I’ll rip his fucking throat out when I find him.” His head hung forward a moment, struggling to ask the question that plagued him and his brothers. “Did Cole have anything to do with this?”
I couldn’t find the words as my eyes flitted back and forth, looking up at him before glancing to the others. I watched for a moment as Barrett grabbed the collar of Cole's shirt, demanding answers. I flinched when he slammed his fist across Cole's face again.
Damien stroked my arms, his voice low and gentle. “Cas… did he?”
I nodded. “He… helped.”
The moment the words left my lips, Damien was on his feet, stalking toward Cole. The shadows of the forest came to life all around us, snaking from the darkness of the trees under my feet. “You put your fucking hands on her?”
Vincent and Zephyr rushed to intercept Damien, bracing him. “Damien! Stop man!”
Damien pressed against them, the ground beneath their feet offering no resistance. Zephyr tried to reason with him. “Damien! We need him alive! He may have information on Marcus!”
I jumped to my feet, running over and stepping in front of him. “Damien! Please!”
The moment my hand pressed against him he froze. His chest heaved against my palm, his heart racing beneath my touch. His eyes fell on me, and the fury faded. Vincent and Zephyr released him cautiously, prepared to intervene again.
A strange realization crossed Damien’s face, his eyes flashing, and he lowered himself to me. He pressed his forehead to mine, his hands cupping my face gently. “I’m sorry,mea luna.”
Agonizing worry reflected in his eyes, and he seemed suddenly more concerned. My legs couldn’t support my weight any longer and I lowered to my knees, followed closely by Damien. It was in that moment I realized my body was shaking uncontrollably. My eyes fell to my hands, quivering so badly I couldn’t stop them.
I was going into shock.
“He… He did something to me, Damien. He g-got into my head...” My words were a slur, and I stuttered as I tried to speak. My grip on the world began to crumble around me.
Vincent walked over and kneeled next to us. “You’re safe now, Cas.”
I stared blankly at him, and it took a moment for me to process his words. Damien’s hand reached out, lifting my hair back, looking over my neck. I knew what he was checking for, knew he was checking to see if Marcus had bit me. I didn’t think he had, but so much had happened and he’d done things to my mind that almost blurred everything together.
“Melissa… He… He killed Melissa.” I looked up to Damien. “We can’t leave her here, Damien.”
Damien breathed a growl from his throat. He wrapped his arms around me, trying to offer any comfort he could. All I could see was her lifeless body, hear her screams still ringing in my ears.
“Don’t worry,mea luna. We won’t leave her here. We’ll give her a proper burial.”
The touch of Marcus' hands... I could still feel it, the shackles he’d bound me in still stinging my wrists. I inhaled, breath becoming a gasp for air, yet no oxygen found its way into my lungs. Air. I needed air. My lips started to tingle, growing numb. The feeling of pins and needles crawled out over my face, and I panicked.
“Cas? Cassie. Easy, breathe slowly.” His words were a flurry of panic as he braced me. “Shit, she’s hyperventilating. Vincent, do you—”
Damien’s voice became distant, and what little light the moon shined faded into darkness.
17
Weightless, I drifted in the darkness, like an ocean of pitch darkness. Images of what I’d seen in my dream of Damien and I on the battlefield flitted across my mind in flashes. His voice called out to me, breaking the silence.
