Chapter 26

Everlee

Wild Man and I are in the bathing pool. The bright sun shines down on us, making the clear water sparkle brilliantly. Water falls down on us from the small trickle sliding over a rock's edge, mimicking a shower. It feels cool and refreshing.

But what feels better is the way Wild Man is holding me. I have my arms and legs wrapped tightly around his shoulders and waist. His big hands are on my ass, holding me up. We look deeply into each other's eyes as he slowly slides his cock in and out of me, hitting spots inside that feel incredible.

"Momor," he whispers in a tone I've never heard from him before. It's filled with reverence and devotion.

We're making love. He fucks me softly and slowly and with care. It's just as I knew it would be.

When Wild Man fucks me, using his strength to slam inside me, his hands gripping me to hold me in place, a feral look in his eyes, he always makes me feel things I never knew were possible. He brings my body to life in a way that's life altering.

But making love with him has me seeing a galaxy worth of stars. He makes me feel loved and adored. Like I'm the only thing he'll ever need. The only thing he'll ever see. Like I was put on this earth for the sole purpose of being with this man, just as he is the same to me.

It's a complete contradiction from what I'm used to from this savage man.

He leans forward and gently presses his lips against mine. His tongue slides out and licks across the seam, and I immediately open to let him inside. He makes love to my mouth just as sweetly as he does with the rest of his body.

"My momor." He swivels his hips and presses against my clit, eliciting a low moan from me. "Are you mine?"

"Yes. Oh God, yes."

"Tell me, Ever," he rasps in a low voice. "Tell me you're mine."

I tighten my arms around his shoulders and dig my heels into his ass, getting him deeper inside me. "I'm yours, Wild Man."

"Always and forever," he adds.

"I love you, Fey."

His name has barely left my lips when everything goes bad. Wild Man is ripped from my arms and is pulled beneath the water's surface. I open my mouth and let out a shrill scream.

I startle awake and jolt up in bed, the sound of my piercing scream still bouncing off my eardrums. It sounds so real that I cover my ears, trying to block out the noise.

"Ever."

I snap my head to the side, wincing when the sudden movement sends a dull ache through my temple.

My best friend sits in a chair pulled close to the bed. Her eyes glisten with tears and her bottom lip trembles.

"Rika?" I ask, my throat dry and scratchy.

She's off the chair and on the bed on her knees in the next instant. I barely have time to brace before she's got me wrapped tight in a hug. My own throat constricts as I sling my arms around her.

"You scared the shit out of me, Ever," she says, sobbing against my neck. "Don't ever fucking do that again." She pulls back, furiously wiping at the tears sliding down her cheeks. "Swear it to me."

I slap away my own tears. "I swear."

She pulls in a deep breath and blows it out through her mouth on a loud exhale. She swivels and settles her ass next to my hip.

"How are you feeling?"

Truthfully? I feel like my world has been turned upside down and inside out. I feel like I'll never be able to take in a full breath, nor feel my heart beat properly again. A part of me is missing, a part I'll never get back.

But I don't tell Rika that. She'll think I'm crazy just like my dad and brothers do. There's no way I can keep my feelings for Wild Man from her, but I need to tell her in a way she'll hopefully understand.

"I'm okay."

Rika eyes me like she knows I'm lying. We've known each other long enough for her to recognize all of my expressions.

"How long have you been here?"

I still can't believe Dad and my brothers drugged me. They're ruthless and protective to a fault, but I would have never thought they would be capable of something so drastic. I feel betrayed by my own flesh and blood.

"A couple of hours," Rika responds. "I would have been here sooner, but the Horde wouldn't let me. Jesus, Ever." Her eyes close and her lips form a straight line, like she's trying to hold back more tears. "The last six weeks have been hell." She opens her lids. "We didn't know if you were alive or dead." Her voice cracks on the last word.

I reach over and grab her hand, bring it to my blanket clad lap. "I'm so sorry," I say with sincerity.

I would have been freaking the hell out if the roles were reversed.

"Tell me what happened," she demands.

I don't want to open my mouth and let the words out. It's going to break me to talk about my time spent with Wild Man. I still don't know if he's alive or dead and not knowing is killing me.

Even so, I tell Rika everything. From the fear I felt at the beginning. The anger toward Wild Man for holding me captive. The pain of the rapes. The terror when he insisted I was his and his insane need to get me pregnant. How he kept me tied to a rope and forced me to feed from his hand. The story of his parents and their skulls he keeps by his bed. The snake bite and me caring for him.

Her brows rise when I tell her I began to enjoy his touch and even initiated it. I watch the disbelief on her face when I tell her that I fell in love with the wild man in the forest.

By the time I'm done, she looks at me as though I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. Who in their right mind would fall in love with their captor? A man who's hurt me in unimaginable ways.

If that makes me insane, I honestly don't care.

"I love him, Rika," I say simply.

"Ever—"

"And I don't care if that sounds crazy. I love him." I stress, imploring her to understand. "He's hurt me in so many ways. In ways that are a woman's worst nightmare. In spite of that, I still fell in love with him. It's not Stockholm syndrome," I add before she can say it. "What I feel for him isn't fake or imaginary or a coping mechanism. It's pure and real and deep. It consumes my mind and body." I press a hand to the center of my chest. "He makes my heart beat stronger."

"Wow," she says, shock and awe in her tone. "I honestly don't know what to say. What my mind is telling me to say is you really need to go see a psychiatrist, but I'm not going to suggest that because I don't think it would do any good." She pauses a moment, her expression turning thoughtful. "No matter what details you give, I can't truly imagine what you went through because I wasn't there. I know you believe you love this man, but how can you be so certain?"

Tears come to my eyes, and I let them course down my cheeks. "Because I feel like I'm barely alive right now. Like a huge part of me is missing. There's a hole in my heart and that piece is with Wild Man. I never got to tell him that I love him."

"Oh, Ever," she says softly. When she scoots forward, I fall into her arms.

"I don't even know if he's alive or not." I pull back from her. "I need to know."

"You know the Horde isn't going to let you go back out there. And quite frankly, I don't blame them."

I sniff and bring the cover up to wipe my nose. "Oh, I know they won't. Did they tell you Dad drugged me to knock me out?"

"They said you were given a sedative when you became hysterical."

I grit my teeth. "I only became that way because they refused to let me go. They have no right to keep me from him. I told them I wanted to go find Wild Man. They weren't onboard with the idea."

"Can you blame them? You were missing for six weeks, and then when they find you, you want to go back to the same place you were held captive. Try to see things from their point of view."

"I do, and I understand." I take a deep breath. "Believe me, I know how all of this sounds, but can you try to understand where I'm coming from? Whether it's logical or not, the man I fell in love with could be hurting or even dying. He could already be dead." I swallow thickly, refusing to let more tears loose. I've cried enough already. "I don't care if Dad and my brothers like it or not, I need to go back."

"Even if they did give in, you know they won't let you go by yourself."

I nod. "Yeah, I figured that, and I'm okay if they come with me."

If Wild Man is still alive—and I refuse to believe he isn't—the meeting between him and my family won't be a pleasant one. Actually, it'll probably be downright ugly, like it was the last time. But if taking one or all of them with me is the only way they'll allow me to go, then so be it. I'll stop any altercation before it starts.

"So, how are you going to talk them into it?" she asks skeptically. "I don't see them giving in."

"By giving them no choice. They can't keep drugging me and they can't always keep watch. They'll either agree to go with me, or I'll somehow go by myself."

* * *

"How did you find me?"I ask Dad, running my tense fingers through Mr. Bones' fur where he's lying in my lap.

I'm still angry with him and the others, but I've calmed down enough to realize acting frantic will get me nowhere, except maybe another shot in my arm. I need him to see I'm completely rational, of sound mind, and can make sensible decisions. Like going after Wild Man because I actually love him and not because he believes I've attached myself to him because of a sick bond.

Rika is still with me, sitting crossed legged at the end of my bed. Dad barged in when he heard us talking and knew I was awake. Of course, with him came Mad and Ethan. I don't know where my other brothers are, and quite frankly, I don't care. I'm pissed at them too, because they let Mad and Spencer hold me down while Dad injected that fucking sedative.

"Ethan and Spencer were out scouting the area, looking for clues, when they came across boot tracks. He called in the rest of us from where we were tracking twenty miles away."

It had to be Ben. He's the only person that could have led tracks back to the tree hut.

"How in the hell did you end up in that part of Black Forest?" he asks. "The last we talked, you were in the northern part."

I fiddle with the bracelet on my wrist. "That next morning, at the last minute, I decided to change my location. The section I was in wasn't producing any results, so I moved south. I had planned to call you that night and tell you of the new location."

As expected, Dad's eyes flash with anger. "Goddamn it, Everlee!" he spits between clenched teeth. Mr. Bones jumps from my lap at the tension in the room and scurries from the room. "This is why you should have taken one of us with you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't." I glare at him. "And you know what? I'm glad I didn't. I'm glad I ended up where I was and who I was with."

"And just fuck all to your family and what we went through?"

I close my eyes and try to pull in a calming breath. I know they all went through hell, and I hate that they did, but if it wasn't for the decisions I made, I never would have found Wild Man. I never would have experienced a love so deep and consuming. I won't ever regret that or wish it didn't happen, even if it meant I could take away the pain they went through.

"I'm sorry you went through that." I open my eyes and look at Dad. "But if I could go back and change things, I wouldn't."

"Doc examined you while you were out those couple of days." My gaze switches to Mad. His hands are shoved into his pockets, and I see the lumps of his fists. He looks just as upset and angry as Dad. "He said there was evidence of intercourse. Were you fucking him willingly?"

I flinch at his crass words.

"Maddox!" Rika shrieks, shock on her face. "Don't be an asshole!"

I wait for Dad to intervene, but he doesn't. He looks slightly uncomfortable, despite that his eyes say he's waiting for my answer.

Maddox's hard eyes move to Rika. "My sister. Not yours. You have no say in this." His gaze moves back to me. "Well?"

"Not at first, but it wasn't long before I was," I reply truthfully. I won't sugarcoat the facts, but I won't lie to them either.

After shooting me a disgusted look, he storms from the room, slamming the door behind him. Ethan's expression doesn't appear much better than Mad, but at least it's only disappointment on his face and not revulsion as he follows behind Mad.

Dad looks murderous. His jaw works back and forth and his hands are fisted by his sides. I don't know if he's angry at me because I wasn't a willing participant at first or that I did become willing.

He says nothing as he continues to look at me for what seems like forever. I expect him to explode again or for him to approach and try to offer me comfort of some sort. He scrubs a hand over his face before he turns and walks out of my bedroom. The silent click of the door when he shuts it sounds louder than when Mad slammed it.

I angrily brush away my tears.

Disappointing my family is something I've always tried to avoid. Seeing that disquiet on Dad's face as he left hurts worse than any words he could say. I feel like a failure of a daughter.

But they just don't understand. Nothing I say could make them understand.

And it changes nothing.

My dad and brothers are tenacious and stubborn, but I'm of their blood, so I have the same traits.

Rika eyes me doubtfully, her expression sorrowful. "I don't see you getting your way in this."

"Then you'd be wrong," I reply confidently. "But first, I need you to pick something up from the store for me."