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It was what she wanted.
More stickers and tubes and a blood pressure cuff—soon I freed myself from the spiderweb of machines. My reflection in the mirror surprised me for a second, but then I felt a pulse of joy. I’d never looked worse, just as she wanted. Scratches married my face, deep, ugly, gashes that had puffed up with swelling. One of my eyes had swelled so much with bruising and a cut above it that it wouldn’t even open entirely. When I lifted the hospital gown, my pale skin seemed mottled with red and purple bruises. White bandages around my ribs stood out stark against the violent color, and she thought about having me remove them. She changed her mind, finally deciding it would be easier for her if I could breathe.
Where were my clothes? Not that it mattered. Surely, the hospital gown would work for our purposes.
With that thought, I marched out the door.
Sound stopped, a wall of nothingness closing out the world around me. My ears almost rang with the startling emptiness of the lack of sound. I heard no voices, no breaths, no heartbeats, nothing. The absence of it was strange but also normal—I didn’t deserve sound.
Funny, I thought, stopping to tilt my head as the humor struck me. She’d never kept me in an in-between state before. I either was or wasn’t present in my body, even if I couldn’t control my actions. Her current control wasn’t the same.
Arms grabbed me, and I felt them for a second before she stole the sensation away. I blinked.Cruise.My heart thudded once, but it hurt in my bruised chest. I could see his mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear even the smallest sound. I tried to push away from him since he was slowing me down. I needed to leave the hospital, to get to my tent. It was what she wanted.
He was stronger than me, but I didn’t think he wanted to cause me more pain. When I realized it, I saw the advantage. I shoved at him, but the son-of-a-bitch didn’t move.
Danvers appeared in my vision, his dark eyes familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Despite the changes, I could see he was tired.That’s good. How dare he get rid of my friend?
No, he didn’t do it. I did it, because I was a disobeying bitch. I slapped myself, the force of the blow nearly making me fall to my knees.
Ryker appeared—his lips moved way too fast for me to guess at what he might be saying. Nathan, too. I reached out to touch his mouth and shook my head. Nope, I couldn’t hear any of them.
Finally, I spoke, and I could hear myself, at least. “She can’t hear you. Not a word you’re saying. She knows you’re talking, but she can’t hear a thing. I can make that permanent if that’s what you want. I can keep hurting her. It’s either that or you let me out of here. Just get the fuck out of my way. Stay away from us. You’re not welcome anymore.”
Cruise answered her—she turned my head, but I could only see his hands moving and his mouth forming mysterious words. Oh, she didn’t like whatever he said, and she snarled in response.
What had he said? She didn’t want me to know. He pointed at me. Once. Twice.
Sound rushed in, and I couldn’t process the wall of noise.
It was too much, so I covered my ears.
Danvers shook his head. “You have to stop. You don’t know how much it hurts. I do. She’s torturing her.”
“I stopped. She can hear us now. Addalee, can you hear us?” His hand was gentle on my shoulder, but it crackled like static, a buzzing sensation that jarred me.
I stared at him, practically vibrating in pain. “Please don’t touch me. I don’t like it.”
“In a second, I’ll stop.” First, he picked me up and carried me back to the room. I gritted my teeth to keep from screaming atthe pain as he settled me onto the hospital bed. “Let her know you’re never going back to that tent, so she can get that the fuck out of her mind.”
Chapter
Nine
Iwas sick of the hospital. I punched the mattress in frustration.Pissed offwas my new name. Adding to the problem, I spent most of my time alone. Everyone else, it seemed, had to work. Everyone except me.
My demon refused to leave. She also refused to talk most of the time, leaving me to silence and the sounds of the hospital. The nurses were afraid of me since she told one of them off for not bringing food early enough. She threw the fruit plate right at the woman, using my hands to launch it. I hated her, not that it mattered. She still wore me like a human costume.
Finally, Ryker entered the room dressed for work, the name of his uncle’s company embroidered on his chest.
“How are you feeling, beautiful?” he asked as he sat on the edge of my bed. “They say you’re almost physically healed. Soon, they’ll let you out of here.”
Yeah, so they said. When they would talk to me. “Where have you been?” My tone sounded petulant to my own ears, and I hated myself for sounding so pathetic.
“Working.” He touched my knee. “I’m sorry. I would’ve been here if I could’ve been, but if I want some time off work, I have to put in overtime.” He smiled. “I need to have a job, so I canafford to take you out for a fancy dinner and romance you under the moonlight.”
Okay.I rolled my eyes, not having the time for him being ridiculous. “That is never happening. You looked at me and saw me as the monster I really am. You don’t want to take me to dinner, Ryker.”
“You’re not a monster, Addalee. The demon is a monster, and I’m going to find a way to help you beat her. It’s part of the whole plan. Cruise knows a place, and I’m going there to train. It’s where he went, actually. When I come back in a few weeks, I’ll be better able to help you. I came to say goodbye, sweetie, but you don’t need to worry. Nathan, Cruise, and even Danvers are going to help you while I’m away.”
