34. Chapter 34

34

" H ey, Sunshine," I hear someone whisper.

Stretching my arms above my head, I hit the car door. Rolling over so my front is against the backseat, I tuck my head under my arms; it's too early, it must be. I feel like I've barely slept.

"Come on, baby, we're almost there."

Peeking an eye open, I frown when the bright light shines into the car. Too damn early.

"Don't make me climb back there, brat," Ryker says. Rolling over, I squint my eyes at him, daring him to do something about it.

After two days on the road, I'm ready to get to Luna's, shower, and climb into a comfortable bed. Motels are not made for the weak, and between Jace and Ryker, no bed is big enough. As much as I love their hands on me, at night I want to be left alone. I've learned to enjoy sleep again and I refuse to let them spoil it.

"Here, sleepy head." Ryker twists around, handing me a small container. Sitting up, I open it, smiling when I find a cinnamon roll inside .

Thank you, I sign. I don't bother taking the fork from him, digging into the roll with my fingers.

"Brat," Ryker mutters under his breath.

Smiling, I lean back, enjoying my cinnamon roll.

"What do you think we're walking into?" Jace asks, glancing towards Ryker.

"Didn't think about it before you decided to drag us out here?"

Rolling my eyes, I almost remind Ryker that it was my choice to make them come. I know for a fact that if I told Jace no, he wouldn't have gone. Which I guess is why I made the choice for them. I know Luna is important to at least Jace, and I couldn't just stand by and let her be hurt if Jace and Ryker could help.

"I'm sorry," Jace mumbles, glancing into the rearview mirror. I give him a small smile; I don't blame him.

"Good," Ryker harshly mutters.

Leaning forward I flick his ear.

"Jesus fuck," he hisses. "What was that for?"

Be nice, I sign. Finishing my cinnamon roll, I set the box in Ryker's lap, tapping his chest.

The rest of the car ride is filled with silence. Jace is driving while Ryker is checking and loading multiple guns. Glancing out the window, I watch the land turn into woods slowly until it's all that surrounds us.

Not long before we pull up to Luna's house, an eerie sensation climbs up my spine. I can't explain why, but I've learned to trust my gut over the years. My stomach drops and it takes everything in me not to say anything.

"Blake, stay here while we go check it out." Jace turns around facing me.

My eyes focus on the cabin, the wind blowing the small bushes around. Why hasn't Luna come out yet? Unless something is wrong and she's not here. Or she's dead.

"Blake!" Ryker barks.

My eyes snap to his and then Jace's.

"Stay here. "

I give them a curt nod. Jace and Ryker give me a once over before climbing out of the car. My stomach is in knots watching them search around the front of the house before slowly entering it. Something is wrong, I can feel it. There's a dreadful drop in my heart as I watch the door close.

Flashbacks of being kidnapped with Gabriel at Salem's house threaten to take me over.

The feeling is almost the same, except I'm watching the two men that I love walk into the house.

I yank the door open. Standing on unsteady legs, I slowly make my way up the stairs. Taking a deep breath, I turn the doorknob as slowly as I possibly can, terrified to make any noise.

My eyes widen when I take in the mess of her living room. The coffee table is flipped upside down and broken. The TV is smashed on the ground and that's not even the worst of it all. My feet carry me to the kitchen that is a complete mess. Broken glass covers the ground, appliances broken on the counter as if someone took a baseball bat to them.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Where are they?

I don't see Jace or Ryker, which worries me more. My ears pick up on every little sound, but the house is eerily quiet. I don't understand how it can be, not if they're searching around for clues or for Luna.

I should just go back to the car. They told me to wait, and that's what I should do. But before I can make it to the door, I hear a thump come from the room Jace and I stayed in. Don't do it.

Turning around, the door is already cracked open. I press my palm against the door, slowly pushing it open, and the air gets sucked out of my lungs when I see Jace and Ryker lying on the ground.

I step forward, confused about what happened before something hard connects with my face. Stars fill my vision, and my knees hit the ground before I'm hit in the back of the head, knocked out cold.

Everything burns.

I try to blink my eyes open, only the pain in my skull makes it all worse.

The second thing I notice is my hands are zip tied behind my back. My head rolls to the side, swallowing a whimper that wants to escape my lips.

"Well, look who's awake!" someone screeches.

Picking my head up, my eyes open, falling on Luna standing in the doorway.

I jerk my hands up, and the zip ties bite into my skin.

"I wouldn't do that." She laughs. I knew something was wrong and I should have just trusted my gut. I shake my head; confusion doesn't even begin to cover the emotions swarming around inside.

"I didn't think they'd bring you, but I can't say I'm upset about it," Luna tsks. At the mention of Jace and Ryker, my head circles around the room, searching for them. The last thing I remember is them lying on the ground; I never got the chance to see if they were even breathing.

"Don't worry about Jacey and Ry." She sighs. Bile rises in my throat at her having a stupid nickname for them. I have a feeling Ryker would kill her if she ever thought about calling him that to his face. Jace, I'm not so sure because Ryker calls him that. And I hate that I'm unsure how Jace would feel.

"Since you're here alone, I want to have a little talk. You know, girl to girl."

I'm not sure if she's realized, but I don't talk, and I won't let the first time I scream be for her. Ryker claimed that part of me and it's only for him .

"Why are they protecting you?" This is the first question she wants to ask? I roll my eyes, not caring that she's the one who has the upper hand here.

"Don't ignore me!" she screams, stomping her foot. Her mood switches so fast, it gives me whiplash. In a blink of an eye, she produces a knife, swiping it across my forearm. My teeth clamp down on my lip, stopping myself from crying out. Breathe, you've been through this before.

"I know you can speak!" she screeches, getting herself worked up. "I know you're not deaf, and I don't see any marks on your throat that would stop you from speaking…" She trails over, keeping her distance as she looks over me.

"What is it about you?" Luna asks softly, peering over in the mirror on the wall. I'm not sure what she means. There's nothing special about me. I'm damaged goods. I have baggage that no man should want.

Ryker wants control over my body. He doesn't care if I tell him no because he knows it's a lie; that I need to shut my brain off and let him have power over me. He's the one that will make a bloody mess out of me but carry me to the shower to clean me just to make me a mess again. He's the one that pays attention to how I like my coffee, to my cinnamon roll addiction. He's the one that cares if I'm eating right and if I'm drinking enough water. He's the bear that will tear your throat out unless he declares you worthy and when he does, he wraps you in his arms. Never to let you go.

But Jace makes me feel safe. He comforts me. He's the one that will make me tea because I mentioned I had an upset stomach. He's the one that rubs my feet while watching movies because he knows I want his soft touches. He's the lion, willing to do anything for his lioness.

"I don't understand how you show up one day, needing help, and they just bow down to kiss your feet," she hisses. "The scars… how are you worthy of them?" Luna isn't talking to me. She doesn't want me to answer her. She just wants me to think lower about myself. And while I don't understand why Jace and Ryker want me, I've accepted I'm the mold holding us together. Jace is the glue while Ryker is the barrier protecting us.

"I was the scared little girl once, too. I needed help; I was begging them for it. But what did you do?" She stops pacing, glancing over at me. I wait for her to cut me again, but she doesn't. She growls, ripping the door open. My eyes widen as I see Ryker and Jace sitting in the living room tied to their chairs, tape covering their mouths. Their eyes find mine, their muffled groans filling the room.

"Why her!" she yells, holding the knife towards me. Jace stills, glaring at Luna while Ryker wiggles harder against his restraints. "Why is she so fucking special!" Slashing the knife over the back of my hand, my eyes slam shut. Breathe, you can do it, I remind myself.

Luna stomps over to the guys, ripping the tape off Ryker.

"I'm going to kill you," he yells, thrashing against the chair.

Luna throws her head back, laughing. Is she that dumb? Ryker will rip her apart and eat her heart for the hell of it.

"You'd kill me because of her?" Luna tries to sober up.

"Yes," Ryker doesn't miss a beat. And while my heart speeds up at the admiration, it only makes Luna angry.

"I've been there for you for years!" she screams in his face. "I've been there for both of you!" She rips the tape off Jace's mouth, and he doesn't even flinch, his eyes remaining on mine.

"Would you kill me, Jacey?" she murmurs.

His eyes flicker to Luna before they fall back on me. "I love Blake."

Oxygen gets sucked from my lungs, and my body breaks out in goosebumps. I know what I heard, but my head refuses to believe the words that Jace said. How can he love someone so damaged?

I shake my head, not believing his words.

"What?" Luna whispers, glancing back at me. I might have had a death wish, but the way Luna is staring down at me…she's going to make it hurt, and she's going to make them watch. Does Jace not realize this? Luna is obsessed with Jace and Ryker, and he just signed all of our death sentences.

"You love her!" Luna screams. Not waiting for either of them to answer, she rushes to me, punching me in the face. But she doesn't stop there; she hits me over and over again.

"Leave her alone!" Ryker yells .

My eyes slam closed, counting as she takes her anger out on my body. I feel my nose crack, blood pouring down my chin.

"She's not enough for you!" Luna squawks.

I feel the tip of the blade against my shoulder, the one that she had stitched up. Gritting my teeth, she pushes the knife into me.

"You were supposed to love me! Not her, not her!" Luna yanks the knife from my shoulder, slamming it into my thigh.

"STOP!" Jace bellows. But she doesn't. She pulls it out, slicing up my arm, slashes the thing around as if I was a cushion and not a human being.

"Stop, Luna!" Ryker barks. I can hear them struggling against their restraints. I want to tell them there's no use, Luna is going to keep carving into me. They fell in love with the wrong girl, and soon they'll realize it.

The air gets knocked out of me as the chair I'm in gets tipped over. My shoulder connects with the ground, and my mouth opens, ready to scream when she kicks my stomach. My vision blurs as she kicks me again.

Crack.

I swallow hard, realizing she just broke one of my ribs. My eyes squeeze shut, and I try to curl up, but I can't.

"You're worthless!" she screams, dropping the knife behind me as she grabs my arm, holding me up as she kicks me again.

"Luna, stop! Leave her alone!" One of the guys yells. I can barely hear anything with the pressure in my brain.

"You should've loved me!" She stops, turning towards them.

I try to suck in a breath, but I can barely breathe. She must have broken more than a few ribs. Breathe, you can do this, I remind myself.

"You're mine!" Luna cries.

Blinking my eyes open, I try to focus on getting the little oxygen I can. Between the blood dripping into my eyes and the blurry vision, I can barely see Luna hitting Jace. Biting my lip, I ignore what she's doing. I have to figure a way out of here.

My hands can't reach the knife she dropped. I struggle, twisting around. I ignore the protest in my body. I feel weak but I can't just watch Luna hurt them .

"You're mine. I loved you! I would've made you happy!" she screams, slamming her fist into Jace's face. He grunts as Ryker attempts to knock the chair off the ground.

"I—Oh, Jacey," she mumbles.

My body stills as she straightens her back. All of us watch as she stomps to the kitchen searching for something.

"I could've made you happy, given you kids, anything you wanted. Why couldn't you just love me back?" She hiccups. Slowly walking back to Jace, she swings a butcher knife around. "I don't want to kill you, but I can't stand the sight of you and her," she hisses, pointing at me with the knife.

I have a split second to think before I pull against the zip ties around my wrist. The thing about strength is it comes out of nowhere. The human mind tells you that you can't do something when your body knows you better.

I hated the cartel for taking me, and I hated my father for letting them. I hated myself for being weak, but this hatred is different. She's hurting Jace because he loves me.

I look at Jace; he sits with his head held high, accepting that he's about to die. I hate him. He's not allowed to die.

Gritting my teeth, I pull harder against the ties, pulling harder until they finally give way. My shoulder screams in protest. But I don't have time to think about that, not when Jace is about to die, and I haven't even told him I loved him or Ryker.

Swallowing my pain, I struggle to my feet. My knees buckle, moments from giving out. Neither of them has noticed I'm up. Luna continues to scream at Jace while Ryker fights against his binds. Looking around, I know I don't have time to find a proper weapon. The lamp will have to do. Limping over, I carefully unplug the ugly thing, picking it up. Shuffling to the door, I step out, gaining Ryker's attention. His eyes widen, his lips picking up in a smile.

Shaking my head, I bite my cheek, easing my way closer until Luna stops yelling, stopping me in my tracks. Luna must sense something isn't right because she swings around. Her mouth drops open, her fist loosening around the knife. I take my chance chucking the lamp at her .

Luna screams, the knife dropping to the ground. The lamp smashes over her face, cutting it up. My eyes zero in on the knife. Stepping forward, Luna realizes what I'm looking at. Both of us drop for the knife.

"Men fight dirty, but girls can fight dirtier. All you have to know is their weak spot," Aunt Salem tells me. "I have a bad leg, so when I'm fighting, I keep it out of the way from an easy shot. Most don't, they put it right in the center."

"What's Uncle Zane's weak spot?" I ask, stretching my arms above my head.

"Besides me, his nose. He's had that thing broken multiple times. I'm surprised it's still there." Aunt Salem chuckles. "Aunt Aziza has a bad hip; Uncle Killian has a bad back."

"What's my weak spot?" I question, rolling onto my stomach.

"You don't have one, remind yourself to breathe and that you can make it through the pain. Remind yourself you're not weak and kick their ass. People are most surprised when we let them think they've won. Show them no one messes with a Volkov, and if they do, kill them."

Rolling over, I twist my body, kicking her in the face. Luna flies onto her back screaming in pain. I crawl towards her, straddling her stomach. Smashing my fists into her face again and again, blood bubbles from her lips. She struggles against me, gasping. "Stop!" she begs. But I don't. I hit her again, flashes of every cartel person that hurt me.

I feel my knuckles crack open along with her nose. Her screaming only fuels me more, I drill my fist into her face. I can't stop. The hatred fills my lungs as I think about her killing Jace, and I know if she killed him, she would have to kill Ryker. He wouldn't let Luna live after killing his best friend.

I can't stop hitting her, not when blood pours from her nose. Not even when she stops fighting. I hate her.

Breathing rapidly, my arms drop, crawling off her bloody body. Watching her chest, her breaths are hollow.

"Don't show them mercy. If they tried to kill you once, they'll try again."

Aunt Salem's voice fills my mind. Blinking over at the knife, I reach over .

"Blake?" one of the boys call out. Shaking my head, I hold the blade over her face, Luna's eyes slowly opening. The moment she sees the knife and her eyes widen, I slam it down into her eye. Pulling back, the knife plucks her eye from the socket. I do the same with her other eye. Smiling I see both her eyes firmly placed on the knife's tip.

"Oh, shit," Ryker mutters. Tossing the knife to the side, I stand on uneasy legs.

Limping to the kitchen, I open drawers until I find a pair of scissors. Hobbling back, I cut through Jace's restraints first. Once his hands are free, he takes the scissors from me, cutting his legs and then freeing Ryker.

My knees buckle, hitting the ground hard.

"Fuck," Ryker croaks.

Tears fill my eyes as they both rush towards me, their hands cupping my cheeks. "Fuck, we need to take her to the hospital," Jace curses.

I nod my head weakly. My body feels like it's shutting down, but I can't tell them that. My vision blurs, I'm vaguely aware of one of them wrapping their arms around my body, lifting me off the ground.

"You hold on, pet," Ryker says above me. I rest my head against his chest, listening to that sweet heartbeat of his. "Jace," his voice croaks.

"Don't say it!" Jace growls.

My eyes drift close, darkness taking over my body.

At least I saved them.