Chapter 20

Ada

The air was knocked out of me as I landed on my back, my head cracking against the hard ground.

For a moment I couldn't see anything. Stars danced in front of my vision, and I tried blinking rapidly to clear it.

My skull throbbed, my body ached, and I felt as if I were in some kind of trance, like a fever dream that I was trying to pull myself out of.

I could smell and hear an array of things, ones that confused me as they were familiar and certainly not something that should be in the parallel dimension.

I smelled electricity burning and gunpowder filling the air. I could hear things being blown up and guns being fired. There were human screams and otherworldly roars.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air, not just mine from where I'd cracked my head on the floor, but from humans and Otherworld alike. It saturated the air so heavily I could feel the coppery tang of it hitting the back of my throat.

I finally pushed myself up, instinct telling me to retreat although I didn't know what I was backing away from, didn't know what I was trying to escape.

When I felt something hard and rough stop me from moving, I blinked my eyes repeatedly to get them into focus.

Everything in me stilled.

I felt my eyes widen as I looked around, the nightmare of being back at the Assembly's underground facility right in front of me.

"No," I whispered. "Nonono." I felt a wave of panic settling in me before I told myself to get my shit together and figure it out.

It wasn't because I was here. It wasn't because enemies surrounded me. It wasn't even because my life was in the throes of some kind of hellish purgatory.

No, I felt bone-crushing fear because the very thought of never seeing Sebastian again sucked the air from my lungs.

I saw a group of Otherworld creatures rushing by, and I pressed my back against the wall even farther, terrified because I had no idea what in the hell was happening.

I'd been falling off the side of a mountain, and Torvic grabbed my wrist.

Then there'd been nothing.

How did I get here?

Was I in hell?

Did I die and was now in a kind of awful purgatory where I was in some continuous loop with the crazy-ass humans?

Sebastian. I thought of my mate as reality finally started to catch up with me and push back the shock and haze of the situation.

I didn't know if he was here… but if I was in the past, I knew he was somewhere within these crumbling walls.

And I wasn't about to stand here and keep wondering what the fuck was going on.

I pushed away from the wall and stumbled forward, my feet tripping over the large debris that covered the floor.

Sparks of electricity crackled overhead from exposed wires. I ducked down when I heard a gun going off in another hallway.

There was an unholy roar that seemed to shake the entire foundation, but I pressed forward. I knew Sebastian was here. I swore I felt it, like a tether keeping us together despite being apart.

Or maybe this was all just some kind of horrible nightmare, a sort of Groundhog Day occurrence where I would just relive this moment over and over again.

The night of the escape flashed through my mind in gory detail, and I found myself going the same way, moving down the hallways, remembering all the details of broken walls, all the fighting and bloodshed, and the sounds and scents that had invaded my senses that night.

I was having a hard time keeping my balance, my nerves causing my hands to shake and my knees to feel locked tight.

I kept looking down hallways, hoping, praying to whatever gods were watching us down here like rats in a maze, that I'd find my mate.

The air burned my lungs as I picked up my pace, a hand on the wall to steady myself. I didn't even care about escaping. I just wanted to find Sebastian.

If I died down here, then so be it, as long as he had his arms wrapped around me and we were together at the very end.

I kept ducking, dodging, and moving out of the way of the absolute chaos. Death was all around me as I searched, too afraid to call out to Sebastian and draw attention to the wrong kind of company.

As if I were still replaying that same day, I rounded a corner and skidded to a stop as I stared at the scene before me.

The déjà vu left me feeling off-balance. I stared at the Leandrean standing in the center of the hallway with human guards all around him. Their bullets ricocheted off the Otherworld's body as this unnatural wind whipped around him, his white hair a flurry around his face.

No. Gods, no.I was not going back there again. I'd kill the fucking portal opener—and probably myself in the process—before I was dragged into that hell.

I reached down and picked up a broken-off piece of metal that lay amid the rubble. With my hand wrapped fully around the jagged length, I took one step forward to try and get close enough to use the weapon.

But before I could take another step, I noticed a huge shadow coming up behind the Leandrean and felt the air become frigid.

A hand suddenly burst through the Leandrean's chest, fingers cracking open his ribs, the portal opener's heart now in the fist, blood dripping down and splattering on the ground.

The next sequence of events happened so fast I stumbled back, my voice lost as I watched a demon and an Angelis seem to appear out of nowhere and make quick, efficient work of killing the human guards.

A sickening, squelching sound pierced through my shock as the fist that was buried within the chest was wrenched back, and the creature crumpled to the ground.

The demon and Angelis were tearing apart the humans, laughing maniacally as they threw insults at each other while ripping off arms, legs, and even gouging out the eyes of their enemies.

"My body count is higher than yours, motherfucker," the Angelis growled as he reached into the mouth of a human and ripped out his tongue. He tossed the slab of muscle toward the demon. "Hungry, Bane?"

"Fuck you, Vox," the demon snarled and kicked the tongue aside before he pressed his mouth on to the neck of the flailing human he held easily and ripped out his throat.

I looked away from them. A sob was tearing out of me as I stared at who stood across the hall, blood splattered across his face, his shirt soaked, and his eyes having this crazed cast to them.

And he was staring right at me as if I were the very air he needed to survive.

Sebastian.

I dropped the weapon and ran toward him, throwing myself at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, my legs around his waist, and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

A broken sob tore out of me as Sebastian held me, his big hands cradling my ass and his face buried in my hair as he took in a harsh inhale, his entire body shaking.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." He didn't put me down as he strode out.

And I was more than okay with that. Having him hold me again, when I didn't know if that would ever happen, was an incredible feeling and I wanted to hold on to that for as long as possible.

"What in the hell is going on?" My voice was muffled against his neck. He tightened his arms around me and kissed my temple. "How did we get here?"

"I'll explain it all once I have you out of this shithole and safe." One more kiss to the crown of my head before he grunted something low in passing to the demon and Angelis but never stopped.

With the Leandrean gone and the threat of being thrust into another world no longer an issue—at least as far as I knew and hoped—all I wanted to do was get the hell out here.

After a few moments I squirmed out of his hold. Although he was quick, even with carrying my weight, I knew if we had to fight, it would be safer and more practical to have him not holding me.

He gave a disgruntled sound as I slid down his body, even tightened his hold on me for a second, but then he took hold of my hand and we were moving again.

He kept me behind his body, using himself as a shield as he led us out of the facility. Smoke was starting to fill the corridors so we hunched over more but never slowed our pace.

And then Sebastian stilled, a deep growl vibrating out of him. He reached behind him and grabbed my waist, his fingers digging into my skin as he pulled me against his back.

I didn't need to look around him to know there was a threat. I could smell the Otherworld creature, a scent that was far too familiar.

Torvic.

I glanced around Sebastian's shoulder to see the Diablos standing five feet away, his head cocked to the side, his eyes narrowed as he stared down Sebastian.

We didn't have time for this. If they got into a pissing match, no matter how strong and powerful Sebastian was, Torvic was a damn beast. He also had sharp teeth, hands the size of damn clubs, and let's not forget his razor-sharp, claw-tipped wings.

"You…" Sebastian said that lone word on a growl. There was no mistaking the menace behind it. "…took my mate from me." He squeezed his hand around my hip so tight I felt a sting of pain.

He adjusted me so my back was to the wall beside us.

Oh Gods, he was really doing this. But then again this was our only way out. And of course Torvic was blocking our exit.

The Diablos didn't speak, but even though I was behind Sebastian, I could see past his shoulder to spot Torvic grinning.

The two males faced off with each other, shifting ever so slightly into positions that were ones of attack.

I felt the back of my neck tingle and found myself looking behind me and down the hall we'd just come from.

First I didn't say anything, but after a second a human came limping around the corner. Blood and soot covered him, and I could see he was bleeding on his temple from a massive gash.

My heart stopped, my stomach felt like it was suddenly full of lead, and my throat tightened.

I knew him. Gods… I knew him. He haunted my nightmares and had stolen my happiness.

They called him V.

The human male stopped and looked at me, our gazes locking, his nostrils flaring as he narrowed his eyes. He smirked, just the corner of his mouth lifting up as he puckered his lips.

I was vaguely aware of Torvic and Sebastian speaking in harsh, clipped words behind me. Slowly I heard a buzz in my ears. Everything else faded away as I was once again taken back to that night.

I felt the pain all over again. It was a burning, tearing sensation, my back screaming out even though the wounds had healed.

But I wouldn't allow myself to go back to that darkness. I hadn't had a nightmare since that one time in the cave when Sebastian had first seen me break down. He made me feel so much more than the darkness that had consumed me for the better part of a year.

As my head cleared, I heard what Sebastian and Torvic were saying.

"I have no interest in your female. She was a means to an end in that fucking pit of despair."

Sebastian took a menacing step forward.

"But now that I'm out of there…" Torvic chuckled. "I have a whole world of females to explore."

I didn't take my focus off him. I couldn't, not as he moved a step closer, his grin spreading, the large knife he held catching the light overhead and glinting. Blood dripped off the blade and my stomach clenched.

"If she was my female, I certainly would be more focused on keeping her safe right here and now than shit that happened in another time. Literally."

Suddenly things were far too quiet, and I watched as he stilled as well, his gaze glancing over my shoulder, his breathing visibly stalled as he moved a step back.

I glanced back to see Torvic smirking at Sebastian, but my mate was looking down the hall at him.

"This isn't over, motherfucker," Sebastian ground out to Torvic even though he wasn't looking at him. "For taking my female, I will hunt you down, beat the shit out of you, and maybe if you're lucky, I won't slice off your balls and watch you bleed out."

Torvic snorted as if he found that all so humorous, but then turned and stalked down the hall in the opposite direction without another word.

And then it was just the three of us.

I hated that the human asshole made me feel any kind of way. I was strong in my own right. But seeing him again after what he'd done, after he'd cut into my body and took pieces from me… I became this frightened mouse hiding in the corner.

Sebastian adjusted my body so he was now partially in front of me, but I could still see the human across the way. I would've given him credit for having a semblance of courage and not backing down or cowering in front of a very angry, very dangerous vampire, but fuck him.

"This is the fucker who hurt you." Sebastian didn't phrase it like a question, and I knew he wasn't expecting an answer.

He already knew.

From my body language, the change in the air, and the way the human glanced at me.

"You," Sebastian roared and pointed his finger at V. "Don't fucking look at her."

The human finally had the sense to take a step back.

"I'm going to have fun slowly killing you"—Sebastian's deep voice dropped even lower—"I'm going to make my mate a necklace out of your fucking entrails."

I knew he wasn't asking about one of the guards who'd tortured me over the last year, but specifically asking if this was the one who'd cut my wings.

At my silence he made a threatening sound and took a step forward, his hand still on me, his nails now turning into claws as they dug into my side, keeping me pressed to his back.

"Come on, motherfucker." V took a step closer, but I didn't miss the way he stumbled forward. He shook his head as if he were having trouble concentrating. More blood spilled down his temple, and his eyes took on a glossy cast. "You and your kind deserve to be gutted like the pigs you are." He lifted the knife and pointed it toward both of us.

I would've found the false courage he spewed humorous if not for me being pulled back into the past by the very sight of him.

It was strange how strong your mind could be, keeping you locked in a time that was in the past, your body physically healed but the pain was still there. My back burned with the memory of the knife going into my skin.

But the longer I stared at the human, the more pissed I got.

Sebastian started chuckling, but there was no humor in the tone. It was twisted and corrupt, as if he were thinking of all the ways he'd make the human pay.

Sebastian looked down the hall Torvic had just left, and the sounds of the fighting and gunshots seemed so distant now.

When he faced V again and took a step forward, his hand slipped slowly off my waist, his body now completely in front of mine like a shield.

I curled my hands so tightly that my nails cut into my flesh, but that sting of discomfort made me feel grounded.

Sebastian reached back to gently stroke my side, as if reassuring me that everything would be okay. And it would be.

Because I was done being afraid.

I was done having nightmares.

And I was sure as shit not going to let some human bastard take away the happiness I could finally have.

"Oh… foolish human. Another time, another place I would've gladly had fun with you." Sebastian moved closer. "I would've strung you up and taken a paring knife to your skin, peeled it off layer by layer until I got to muscle." Another step closer. "I would've taken a pair of pliers and ripped off your fingernails. One by one."

He chuckled ominously as if picturing the very acts pleased him.

"I would've taken a pair of rusty, dull scissors and cut off your balls before making you wear them like a necklace."

"Stay back, demon bastard," the human shouted.

There was a boom, then a crash as the ceiling down the hall caved in, rubble and debris causing a pileup so the entire hallway right behind the human was now blocked.

Sebastian had covered me with his body to protect me from any fallout, and once the dust settled, we both straightened.

V glanced over his shoulder, the only exit he had now blocked.And then he was retreating. One step back at a time. But there was no escape.

"Where do you think you're going, motherfucker?" Sebastian hissed out.

He turned his attention to me after a prolonged second and cupped my cheek, gazing into my eyes for a moment.

"You stay right here. You keep your back to the wall and stay right here. Do you understand, Ada? This will be quick."

I nodded once before Sebastian leaned down and kissed the center of my forehead. And then he was striding toward the human.

The human barked out an almost pained sound and started swinging his arm frantically, the knife slashing through the air back and forth.

But Sebastian only laughed. And when the human's back was to the rubble, nowhere else for him to run, my mate was on him.

This entire situation could have only taken sixty seconds. It was so fast, yet it seemed like it played out in slow motion.

He gripped V's hand that held the knife and lifted it high, slamming his arm against one of the rocks so hard I heard the bone crack.

The man wailed and screamed in pain.

The knife clattered to the ground. Sebastian was lifting the human with his other hand, his palm wrapped around the man's neck, the human's toes now dangling and barely touching the floor.

Sebastian hissed and brought his fist to the side of the man's head, hitting him so hard blood sprayed out of his mouth and painted the rocks red.

This certainly wasn't how vampires tended to kill, but I couldn't lie and say I didn't get satisfaction watching him suffer.

I remembered all the times the humans had hit me, bruised me, or this one in particular wrapping his meaty hand around my throat until I couldn't breathe.

"Ada. Baby, come here."

I heard gunshots in the distance and hurried over to Sebastian. We had to get out of here. We didn't have time for this, but I couldn't tell my mate to stop. I didn't want him to.

"Pick up the knife, sweetheart, and give it to me. He doesn't have wings, but I'll cut out the next best thing." He leaned in and snarled against the human's ear. "His lungs."

I found myself bending down and gripping the handle of the blade before bringing it up and staring at it.

It was bloody and dirty, and I wondered how many helpless Otherworld creatures this asshole had hurt with it.

When I looked up, Sebastian had shifted V so his front was to the rocks and his shirt was ripped off, his back now bared.

The human was mumbling, pleading and asking for us to stop. His words fell on deaf ears.

Sebastian held his hand out to me, but I shook my head and faced the human who'd die down here just like so many other innocents had.

"If we had time, I'd want his lungs cut out," I murmured. "Turn him around, Sebastian." My mate did what I asked instantly. "You don't deserve an easy death. You deserve to suffer for days, weeks. But we don't have time for that."

I took a step closer and saw Sebastian tighten his hand around the human's neck.

"You broke a part of me, tainted the full happiness I could have had. You deserve torture and pain." I didn't realize tears rolled down my cheeks until I tasted the saltiness of them at the corners of my mouth. "But I'm not a monster. Not like you," I whispered. "Today you get mercy."

As if Sebastian knew my plans, he adjusted his hold so he had a heavy hand on V's chest. The man flared unsuccessfully, but his time was up.

And with that thought, I brought the blade across the human's throat, slicing his neck from ear to ear until the wound gaped open and blood gushed out.

Sebastian let him fall to the floor. The human's hands immediately went to his neck. He was making wet, gurgling sounds as if he were trying to close the wound.

But there was so much blood, the carotid artery having been severed so there was no hope for him.

We didn't wait to watch him die. Sebastian took my hand, and we left, running back down the corridor to the exit. If anyone got in our way, Sebastian easily took them out. He snapped necks, ripped out tracheas, or broke their backs and let them suffer. No human or Otherworld was safe from my mate's wrath if they got in our way.

I felt like we ran and ran and ran and there was no end in sight, the smoke filling the tunnels so thickly I was having a hard time breathing. Then there it was, twenty feet ahead, the large bay-style doors burst open as if massive bodies had slammed against them over and over again.

A crazed-sounding sob tore out of my throat at the sight and we ran faster.

The metal hung off the hinges, bent and broken. Finally our way out.

We burst through the exit, and I stumbled, twisting my ankle and crying out. A second later Sebastian lifted me easily into his arms, cradling me so I was pressed to his chest and his mouth was at my temple.

"Almost. Almost there. You're almost safe." He kept saying that over and over again as if like a mantra, as if trying to convince himself that we were truly going to get away.

It was only when we broke through the tree line that he slowed and finally stopped. But he didn't put me down right away as he turned to face the burning facility.

The majority was underground, but there was a small shed-type structure, ordinary enough that a passerby would never know the true horrors that were underneath.

I squirmed in his arms, and he let me down but kept his arms wrapped around me. My ear was pressed to his chest as I stared ahead, hearing the rapid beat of his heart and the rush of air in his lungs.

The flames and smoke billowed up toward the night sky.

Otherworld creatures were pouring out of the building, and any humans stupid enough to try and escape were swiftly dealt with in the most brutal ways.

We stood there and we watched. And only when the embers started to fade did Sebastian look down at me. He cupped my face, smoothing his thumbs over my cheeks, and I knew it was finally done.

No more. Never again.

"It's over," I whispered, tightening my hold on him. "Finally."

"It's over," he confirmed. "And I'll make sure you never have a fucking nightmare again. Never."

It was now my turn to get a happily ever after. It was now both of our turns.