Chapter 9

Larkin

Days later

Iknew it was late, although I didn't know what time it was, hadn't seen the sun, the moon, or the open skies in so long.

But my body had become accustomed to the long stretches when they left me alone. That was when I slept. But tonight, I was awake, the same blanket pulled up to my chin while I stared at the cement above me as I thought about Odhran, remembered his roars and screams while they tortured me right in front of him.

I knew from listening to my parents that although I'd been the one physically harmed, Odhran felt it too, maybe even worse. He wanted to get to me so badly that I smelled his blood coat the air as he strained against his bonds, making his wrists raw.

And they all laughed and cheered and shouted for more.

I passed out at some point during it, a small miracle, but another part wanted to stay awake so I could see him, look into his eyes that I'd only been able to dream about for far too long. Gods, how I knew he was suffering right now, worried about me and blaming himself. I'd seen that truth written on his face, a misery that would forever be etched into my brain.

I closed my eyes, squeezed them so tightly I gave myself a headache. After rubbing the pain away, I exhaled and knew with a sickening feeling in my gut that they'd do this over and over again, torture me in front of my mate, knowing it would destroy him.

My thoughts were disrupted by the sound of a lock disengaging.

The footsteps that came down the hallway were softer than normal, as if someone was trying to be quiet, and I looked past the bars, seeing a large shadow coming closer. I tightened my hold on the blanket, knowing that whoever it was wouldn't be here for anything good.

And then he came into view.

D.

I held my breath as he stopped in front of my cell. I knew the shadows within my prison were dark enough he couldn't see me clearly, not with his weak human vision. But I could see him clear as day, saw the way his gaze narrowed on me, heard the way his breathing picked up, how his pulse quickened. And in turn, mine did the same, as this sick horror settled inside me.

"I know you're awake," he said in a soft voice, as if he didn't want anyone to hear. "Don't worry; the cameras have been diverted and rerouted for the time being."

I didn't answer, didn't even know what he meant by that.

He curled his hands around the bars and leaned in, his nostrils flaring, his jaw tight. "I'm not supposed to be here, but…" He didn't finish that sentence, but I saw the way his fingers tightened around the metal, his knuckles white. "I don't know." His brows pulled down low. "There's something about you…"

It was very clear in his tone and by his expression that whatever it was that he saw in me, he didn't much care for it.

He looked to his right, where the door that led out of the cell block was. He turned back to me just as he reached for his key card. I kept the blanket wrapped around me as he unlocked the cell. I could see the hazy magic in front of it, almost as if it was a mirage, an apparition, before it dissipated.

In that moment I wished humans were affected by it, that they felt pain by touching those bars like the Otherworld did.

And then it faded as the door was opened. For a second, he just stood there, staring at me. It felt like my heart was beating in the center of my throat.

He stepped farther inside, and I gripped the blanket as if it would protect me.

I knew this moment was very fragile, that he, like all the rest of these heathens who hurt the Otherworlders, was unhinged. I didn't want to give him any reason to attack, not when it was very clear he came here for one reason.

Me.

"I'm disgusted with myself for wanting anything to do with you." His voice was still so low as he took another step closer, and I rose to my feet to instinctively move to the side and farther away from him. We did this dance of footsteps back and forth until the door was to my right and he was directly in front of me.

He reached out a hand and snagged a piece of my hair. I tensed as I watched him bring it up, his brows pulled low as he rubbed it between his fingers, watching the action.

His lips were pinched, his nostrils flared, and then he lifted his gaze to mine. I could see the hatred he had for me on his face, reflected in his eyes. He was at war with himself and his clear, depraved desire for me.

"I'm not supposed to be down here," he repeated, almost to himself, as he kept rubbing the key card between his fingers while he stared into my eyes. "I had to pull a lot of strings, move things around so nobody knows, so the cameras don't see real-time movement while I'm here." He dropped his voice even lower and said, "So it's just you and me for a little bit."

My throat tightened, and I exhaled roughly, trying to control my breathing. I knew showing a man like this any kind of fear would only instigate the situation, probably turn him on even more.

"I'm not the only one, you know. There are others who are curious about what it would be like…"

I knew exactly what he was talking about, and it turned my blood cold.

Play along, I thought. Make him think you won't fight. Of course it went against everything I believed, every grain in my body revolting.

I didn't want him to touch me, not even a lock of my hair. To have anyone touch me felt abhorrent, as if my skin was being pulled from my bones. And when he placed his other hand on my shoulder, I couldn't hide the shiver that moved through me.

"We're going to keep this our secret, aren't we." It wasn't phrased as a question.

Because he and I both knew he'd do whatever he wanted. Yet him mentioning that made me think that if he were caught here with me, things would be very bad for him.

I still said nothing, trying to keep my breathing even, but I knew I was failing. I could scent his dark intent, could smell his lust for me.

But I would not allow him to violate me in that way. Even if fighting back right now killed me.

I'd fight with every ounce of strength I possessed.

And so I lifted my hand, and saw his body visibly tense as his gaze watched the movement. I froze for just a millisecond before continuing, sliding my hand through his dark-blond hair, my nails scratching his scalp until a low groan left him.

I didn't show any outward emotion that this small touch disgusted me, nauseated me to the point where I felt like I would gag.

I watched as his lips parted, and his breathing started coming faster and stronger. I tightened my fingers in his hair a little bit more, looked up at him through the fall of my lashes, and forced myself to smile.

And then, with his guard down and the scent of his twisted lust hanging in the air, I pushed his head as hard as I could against the bars of the cell.

Time stood still, as the sound of his skull cracking against the metal was deafening, sickening. His eyes widened, his teeth clashed together, and I worried I'd made a horrible mistake, that my strength was nothing compared to his, so I'd made things even worse.

Although all of this happened within a matter of seconds, it felt like time slowed as our gazes stayed locked.

But then I smelled the scent of blood, watched his eyes roll back in his head, his mouth going slack, and then he sank to the floor, his knees hitting the cement before his upper body went parallel with it.

I wasn't foolish enough to stand there and marvel at the fact that I'd taken him down. Because I had no idea how long it would last.

Acting faster than I thought was humanly or inhumanly possible, I was with it enough to grab his key card and dart out of the cell. I was breathing frantically, no longer able to hold on to my control, as I quickly made my way down the corridor until I got to the door.

I had watched them enter and exit enough times that I knew the process of swiping the heavy piece of plastic across the sensor and putting in the three-digit code that would disengage the lock.

The lock clicked, and I pulled the door open, telling myself to focus and calm down so I could perceive any threats.

I wasn't so inherently stupid that I thought this haphazard "plan" of mine would actually work. But not trying wasn't an option.

So I took a left, knowing it wouldn't matter if I'd gone in the opposite direction. My chances of finding an exit were the same, and I was going to be in a maze either way.

I kept one hand on the cinder-block wall as I walked fast, my bare feet hardly making any sounds on the hard, frigid floor. I passed doors upon doors, thick metal, which I knew led to other cell blocks.

I could hear my panting, and no matter what I did to try and control my breathing, I was running on pure adrenaline right now. Beads of perspiration slid down my temples and along the side of my face; my heart was racing, and my body felt flushed.

When I rounded another corner, I was greeted with a long corridor with cells lining either side. I stood there for a second, holding my breath, not seeing anyone but knowing I wasn't alone. I smelled the Otherworlders filling those cells.

I looked to my left, back where I came from. I could try to go another way, take different turns and not risk going this way, which would probably cause the prisoners to get rowdy and vicious, which would draw attention. But as it was, I just wanted to keep moving.

So when I faced forward once more, I felt this tightening sensation move over my skin.

Squeezing my fingers around the key card, I licked my lips and took the first step, then another. And then I snapped into focus and pushed away my apprehension, keeping to the center of the corridor and away from the cells, my gaze on the ground so I didn't make eye contact with any of them.

I heard shuffling from within the cells and kept reminding myself that D told me he rerouted security footage, made sure the guards' schedules were tweaked. He'd gone through a lot of trouble to go into my cell tonight, to no doubt do heinous acts and not get caught.

I could sense the other male creatures within the cells, could scent their masculinity, the sweat clinging to their forms, their overpowering anger and aggression that was suffocating.

"I smell a female. Soft, gentle… breakable."

The voice that came from my left was guttural, inhuman, and mysterious in sound. I didn't stop to look, just kept moving forward as fast as my feet could take me.

Just as I rounded the corner, about to exhale in relief that I was free, I froze, watching as two human guards came right toward me, dragging a massive male between them.

Their heads were bent low as they talked softly to each other, not realizing I stood at the end. And then one of them lifted his head, and our gazes clashed.

"The fuck?"

I sucked in a sharp breath and looked between the humans. They were stopped now, both of them still holding on to the male. I realized the Otherworld creature—a vampire, given his scent—had manacles around his wrists, ones that had a wavy apparition of magic swirling around the metal. The scent of his flesh burning from the power of it stung my nose.

The vampire slowly lifted his head and locked his gaze on mine. The glossy look in his eyes told me he was drugged, his big body weakened by the magic and sedatives the Assembly was so fond of using on us.

I snapped my focus back to the humans. It was very clear the guards were stunned speechless, frozen as we all stared at each other. No one moved, no one spoke, and it felt like an eternity, although only moments passed.

I took a step back on instinct, but the wall stopped me from retreating any farther. One of the humans cursed again, and that was when the entire situation played out like a horror movie or a nightmare… for everyone but the Otherworld male.

The vampire turned savage, and the only time I'd ever seen this kind of brutality was when Odhran fought the humans before they'd taken me all those years ago.

I could hear the creatures just down the hall roaring and screaming, sensing the fight, and more than likely wanting to take part in it.

And the entire time, all I could do was stand there, my back pressed to the wall, my eyes wide, and my heart racing. I prayed the flight-or-fight instinct would take over, because I refused to make this easy for anyone.

I didn't know how much time passed as I was frozen in place, watching the vampire decimate both humans. There were a few body parts lying scattered, blood sprayed across the ground and walls, but despite the carnage, the male had his sights on me.

I made a frightened noise in the back of my throat and flattened myself against the wall as much as I could.

He bent down, ripped the key card off one of the humans, and ran it over the manacles. The mirage surrounding it dissipated, and the lock opened a second before falling unceremoniously to the ground. He hissed through gritted teeth and sharpened fangs. His wrists were raw, blistered, and charred from the cuffs.

And then he was stalking forward, stopping when he was a foot from me.

He didn't say anything, but his gaze spoke volumes.

"Come, female." His voice was guttural, harsh. It was reminiscent of someone who didn't use it very often.

I didn't move, confusion filling me.

"Female," he growled. "If you want to get out of here with your mate, let's go."

I was so stunned by his words that I just blinked, my mouth opening and closing on its own, but no words spilled forth. "My mate?" He knew where Odhran was? I should've been hesitant, feeling this swell of hope fill my chest at the prospect of seeing him.

He exhaled in annoyance. "I overheard the guards talking about you, saying your name and your mate's as I was taken out of one of their torture rooms." There was a harsh growl that left him, his eyes flashing red. "If you want to get to him, I know where he's at. I don't know where the guards are, and I don't know how long we have before they swarm in. We have to go now."

And then he turned and started walking back down the corridor, leaving the grisly scene behind.

I could've told him what D said about the cameras and the guards' rotation being altered. But my words were lodged in my throat. I wanted to ask him how he got free so easily, and if he'd been able to do that the entire time, why he'd allowed them to drag him to begin with, to capture him.

But none of that mattered.

I found myself moving, following him before I knew it was happening.

And I didn't even focus on the cells on either side of me, which were suddenly extremely quiet, this tension surrounding the male in front of me.

These creatures are terrified of him and sense him for the dangerous and deadly predator that he is.

I felt like I was holding my breath the entire time I followed him. He seemed like he knew his way around, as if he'd been watching, memorizing everything surrounding him.

I should've felt nothing but trepidation and fear in following him to the unknown. But I'd risk anything, take any chance, just to see Odhran again.

"Who are you?" I whispered so softly I didn't even know if I said it out loud, didn't know if he heard me. And although he glanced over his shoulder, silently confirming he heard me, he didn't respond otherwise.

We'd only been walking a minute or so before he held his hand out, palm toward me, a silent demand to still. And then a second later, he pressed his forearm to my chest and shoved me back against the wall so suddenly the force had the air rushing out of my lungs.

Revulsion filled me at his touch, and he instantly took his arm away. I wondered if he knew the uncomfortable sensation his touch gave me. He looked down at me and lifted his hand to place his finger to his lips, the universal sign for me to be quiet. A moment later, the sound of low voices came through.

I dug my nails into the cinder block behind me, and the entire time, the vampire stared at me, his composure calm and easy, his eyes flashing red intermittently as if he was ready to kill at the drop of a hat.

We were both still, with me holding my breath, as two human males walked by us, their backs toward us, their conversation low. Humans had such weak senses that they didn't even know a killer stood a mere meter from them.

I glanced at the vampire again and could see him staring at the humans. I could sense how much he wanted to go to them, to break their necks and drain their bodies of blood. But he was controlled enough to know drawing attention wasn't in our best interest.

When the humans were gone and we could no longer hear their voices, he gestured for me to follow him again. We went in the opposite direction, taking a left, then a right, and finally the vampire stopped when we arrived at a large metal door, the small, wired window in the center showing a slice of the interior.

From our vantage point, I could see cells on either side of the room and a human stationed at the end of each point of the walkway. I swallowed roughly, because as the vampire glanced at me and grinned, I knew exactly how this would go.

He used the key card to open the door, and faster than I could anticipate, he was inside, snapping the neck of the guard closest to him first, then ripping the throat out of the other. The noise within the cell block grew tenfold as the creatures caged inside went berserk at the violence and bloodshed.

"In here," called the vampire, and I glanced around the corner before hesitantly stepping inside.

I didn't pay any attention to the corpses on the ground or the blood splattered across the cement. I just stood there for a second, watching as the vampire went from cell to cell, using the key card to unlock each one.

The doors slid open, and a startled sound left me as I watched huge Otherworld males step free.

"Over here, female." The vampire walked down the length of the cell block and stopped at the last prison. He used the key card, and a second later, the door slid open.

I held my breath when Odhran stepped out. He had his head tilted to the side as he stared at the vampire, and when the other male tipped his chin in my direction, Odhran slowly turned his head and looked at me.

For a frozen moment, we just stared at each other. Although I'd seen him in the room just days before, heard his cries and roars, his pleas and begging for them to stop hurting me, right now felt different. It felt real. It gave me hope.

He'd changed over the years, aged. There was now this brutal edge to him. He had dark circles under his eyes, his jaw severely square and cut, his cheeks hollowed. There was a jagged scar running down one side of his face that made him appear even more savage.

But gods, he was the most incredible male I'd ever seen.

And then I was running toward him, not caring that we weren't really free, that at any second we could be captured or killed, or that so many dangerous Otherworld creatures were being released by the vampire and would come after us.

I saw the most amazing expression transform Odhran's face as I launched myself into his arms. He pulled me in close and hauled me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his broad shoulders, and buried my face in the crook of his neck as I wept.

"Gods… is this real?" He started murmuring in Gaelic, his voice deep and harsh, his whole body trembling. He tightened his arms on me, sliding a hand up the center of my back and tangling his fingers in my hair to keep my face against him. "Are ye really here with me, lass?"

"I don't know if it's real," I said in between my tears. "But I don't want to wake up if it's a dream." He was the one to bury his face at the side of my neck now, and I heard him inhale deeply, a low rumble leaving him.

It felt like we'd been standing here for so long, nothing else around us, nothing else mattering. I imagined it was just Odhran and me back in that field, with the warm sun on us and danger far, far away. But I knew only a second had to have passed, this moment in time a blip in our very dangerous reality.

"I hate to break up the happy reunion, but you two need to get the fuck out of here before the shit hits the fan."

I lifted my head and looked over at the vampire, seeing him staring at Odhran. I glanced around and could see so many different species of the Otherworld pacing, destroying things, and heading down different corridors as they roared out.

"Go, take your female. Get far away from here."

"Sebastian, come with us." Odhran's voice was firm and strong. My anchor.

The vampire named Sebastian shook his head. "I'm burning this motherfucker to the ground, bathing in its ashes, and going to clean my teeth with the bones of the one named Tore."The vampire grinned and tipped his head toward the hall. "Go, follow the carnage and bodies. They'll lead you outside."

I didn't know what was going on or how any of this was possible, but I wasn't going to question any of it. We didn't have time for that, and I didn't care about the details. Nothing short of death was going to stop me.

Odhran stared at Sebastian for a suspended second before giving a sharp nod, setting me down on my feet, and curling his hand tightly around mine. "Good luck. Destroy them all," was all Odhran said before he tightened his hand around mine, and we ran.

He was fast and efficient, keeping me close yet away from all the other creatures and the anarchy. Panels were getting torn down, claws digging effortlessly into cinder block, lights and wiring being ripped and exposed.

Without full sedation and the magic keeping them in line, the creatures were feral, brutal, and finally exacting their revenge.

Lights hung broken from the ceilings, electrical wires were ripped from every available space, sparks flying from the exposed cords. I could feel the heat, thick smoke from a fire burning somewhere close sucking up the available oxygen.

The Otherworlders were going to take down this facility, kill everyone in it, and I had a feeling Sebastian was going to ensure this hurt the Assembly so irrevocably that the entire organization felt it to its blueprint.

We could hear shouting, scented humans, and a second later, a swarm of guards came forward, guns trained. Odhran pushed me behind him and roared, trying to let his Lycan come forward.

I could still scent the aroma of chemicals surrounding him and knew they'd used sedation on him recently enough that he wasn't able to fully shift. But he didn't need his beast to take them out. He was strong enough, even slightly weakened, to destroy every last one of them.

He went after any human that got close, dispatched their weapons as if they were toys. The gore and destruction, the sheer power coming from Odhran, was breath-stealing and awe-inspiring.

And when he killed everyone who stood in our way, he took my hand again, and we moved forward.

I couldn't help but think about the others trapped in cells, trapped in this building that was being destroyed. And even though I'd seen Sebastian release many of them from their prisons, I also knew there were so many more. "What about the others, the others trapped in the cells?"

Odhran shook his head. "No time, lass. I only care about getting ye out and tae safety."

In my mind, I knew he was right, that we didn't have time to help anyone else, that going back and freeing the Otherworld creatures Sebastian may not have been able to help would surely be our downfall. But gods, did my heart break, and guilt swarmed me.

So we ran, hard and fast, Odhran's hand so firm and warm in mine. It was a vise, a tether. Always an anchor.

We rounded a corner, and Odhran threw his arm out, stopping me from going any closer. I looked around his body and could see two very familiar faces amongst the slaughtering that was taking place.

Vox and Bane. The Angelis and the demon, who, despite having been at each other's throats during the years of our captivity, were now fighting as one powerhouse unit.

I'd never seen anything so brutal as a demon ripping heads clean off of bodies and tossing them away, or Vox, the Angelis enraged with his completely pitch-black eyes, using his talon-tipped, onyx-colored wings to eviscerate any guard who came at him.

Blood was spraying like a geyser, covering the walls, the ceiling and floors, but most of all coating the two Otherworld males who were grinning from ear to ear as they wreaked havoc.

"Is that all you got, demon?" Vox roared, then tipped his head back and laughed, his fangs flashing and blood dripping off his face and onto his chest.

Bane growled, his body growing bigger and thicker with muscle right before my eyes, as he snarled at Vox, "You are such a cocksucker. If I wasn't in the middle of killing these motherfuckers, I'd kick your ass once and for all." And then Bane gave him the middle finger.

A guard was foolish enough to come from behind and try to tranq Bane, but I could see his smile widen, because he knew the human was there. His claws grew exponentially from his fingers, black and razor-tipped. I knew demons could emit poison from them and watched as he swiped out and dragged them across the human's face, tearing away skin and bone and plucking out his eyeballs as if they were nothing but grapes in a bowl.

Vox and Bane turned and looked at us, their eyes that dangerous black that came from their demon sides. Then they both grinned. Odhran let out a low growl of warning, and Bane chuckled.

"Relax, wolf. We have no need to go after you when we have a houseful of motherfuckers we plan on killing to sate our bloodlust." Bane looked at us, and I saw this strange expression flicker across his face. His fangs were so long and thick he couldn't close his mouth fully, but even still, his expression was almost… soft. "Take your mate, wolf. Take her far from this hellhole."

"And make sure to kill a few bastards on the way out," Vox shouted, then started laughing.

Odhran gripped my hand and left without another word.

We made another couple of turns and then… oh gods, I could see moonlight, could practically smell the fresh air already washing around me.

I stumbled, and Odhran was about to lift me up, but I shook my head. "No. No, please."

Although my feet hurt something fierce, I refused to let him carry me. I needed to do this, to walk out of here on my own. I'd been dreaming of this moment for far too long.

"Almost there, lass." He squeezed his hand around mine, his voice gruff, his breathing harsh.

I could smell the smoke from the fire following us, in front of us. I could hear the rumble of the structure starting to cave in on itself. The roars and shouts of humans and Otherworlders filled my ears.

But neither one of us looked back.

And then we broke free from the large bay door, the walls tinged with smoke damage, the fire licking at the frame.

We didn't stop when my bare feet hit the gravel, and although it hurt, the soles of my feet already battered, I started crying from pure happiness.

"Lass—"

"I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay." I kept saying those words over and over again as tears streamed down my face. "I'm crying 'cause I'm happy." I said the words quickly, because I knew he needed to be reassured, that he'd be worried something was wrong with me, something more than the situation we were dealing with.

We kept running, and when I turned and looked at him, I gave him a smile, knowing we'd made it, actually escaped. I glanced at the entrance of the facility at the same time I heard a shot ring out, as if thunder boomed loud enough my ears rang.

I saw a horror-filled expression morph Odhran's face as he stared down at me. I fell into his arms, the pain finally pushing through the numbness, my happiness. I looked down at my side and choked out a sound when I saw the bullet wound that had torn through my body, blood starting to seep and spread out along my white shift.

"Oh… Odhran," I whispered and let him hold my weight. "We were so close to that happily ever after."

I saw his mouth open, knew he was roaring, but I didn't hear anything but stillness. Silence.

His wolf pushed to the surface, irises flashing blue just as my eyes fluttered closed.