Chapter 32

THIRTY-TWO

I’m wrapped in Louis’s arms, soaking in his warmth and strength. His hand is tangled possessively in my hair, and his leg is tossed over mine. The cot is small, not made for two people, but neither of us care. We are as close as we can get.

“Tell me everything I’ve missed,” I murmur against his bare chest, rubbing my face there. I feel him hesitate and sigh. “Everything, Louis.”

“There she is.” He chuckles. “Okay, well, we tried to track you—” I listen as he tells me about their efforts, my heart squeezing as I realise they didn’t give up once. They didn’t even think about it. All the while I was here, numb, and hurting, hoping they had forgotten me as I planned how to bring this place down and, in the process, kill myself.

I’m a selfish bastard.

I don’t want that now. Seeing them again has brought back my desire to keep going, but it hurts that I even thought about leaving them. It’s clear my leaving really hurt them, and that’s something I have to live with. I wouldn’t change my decision, and I can’t. The past can only hurt us if we allow it. Instead, I need to learn from it and learn to trust them, to love them, and know they will always come for me.

“I wasn’t sure,” I whisper when he’s done. “Part of me hoped you would forget me and move on, be happy . . . It would have been easier.”

“How could you even think that?” he demands, jerking my chin up until I peer into his eyes.

“Because I can’t lose any more people I love,” I admit.

“You won’t, I won’t let you, but don’t you ever dare think for a minute that we will give up on you. We could never walk away from you. Never mind the mission, baby, you’re our whole life. This might have started as five fucked-up kids seeking revenge, but it is so much more now, and you know that. We are a family. You are our fucking heart, and without you, we cannot exist. We need you, and you need us. I love you, Nova. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, and I will not lose you ever again. A month was long enough. It was fucking agony each day, even more than your father ever managed to cause us. I will not spend another second away from you, do you hear me? It’s us, Nova. It’s always been us. Tell me you understand. Tell me you won’t ever think that again, that you will never leave us again.”

“I can’t,” I reply, and he narrows his eyes so I rush on. “Not if it means saving you because I love you too. I love you so much I’m willing to die to protect you. I won’t lie to you, Louis, and I know you would do the same, so it has to be enough. It has to be enough that we are here and that we are together again and that I love you.”

“You are infuriating,” he snaps but softens, pressing his head to mine. “I have our whole lives to convince you we are better together.”

“I know we are.” My breath brushes his lips. “Sometimes it just hurts so much because I know . . .” I swallow as my darkest fears come out. “I know if I lost you like I lost Ana, I wouldn’t go on, I couldn’t, and that makes me so fucking weak.”

“You could never be weak, Nova, and despite what your father said, love isn’t a weakness. It is our strength, and without it, what is the point? Without it, we would just be like him. Love makes us stronger than we ever could be. It makes us believe in a future, in a better world. Love is the reason we fight and never give up, even when it looks bleak. Love gives us a reason to be a better person.”

“When did you get so smart?” I mutter. “But what if I love you all too much? I mean, look what my father is capable of. If he knows of my love for you, he will use it against me . . . against you.”

“Let him try. It’s us against the world, baby, and I’m not going anywhere ever again, believe that. Your father, the experiments, the military, and even the fucking end of the world itself couldn’t tear me from you.”

“You are so hot when you get all riled up.” I smirk, making him chuckle.

“Good, remember that for when we get out of here and I tan your ass red for daring to leave us.”

“Promises, promises,” I murmur, dragging my lips along his. “But I’ll hold you to that.”

Things are just about to get interesting when the door opens. We both freeze and lift up, seeing the guards. “Time to go, love birds.” One smirks. “The doc wants you.”

“Of course he does.” Slowly, I slide from the bed. Louis helps me, keeping a hold of my hand as the guard comes towards us.

“It stinks of sex in here.” Another laughs. “Is she good?”

Before I can react, Louis knocks out the guard and is back at my side. The remaining two guards look from their friend to us, and each grab an arm and drag us from the room. “You’ll pay for that,” one mutters, and once we are out of sight of the cameras around the corner, he slams his baton into Louis’s stomach, causing him to bend over, gasping.

Snarling, I elbow the man holding me but then freeze when Louis holds up his hand. “Don’t. Let them, baby.”

“Yeah, baby,” the one in my ear croons, and Louis’s eyes turn molten as he glares at the man.

“If you so much as look at my girlfriend wrong one more time, I’ll rip you apart limb from limb, and we both know I can. I’m being nice so far, and you don’t want to see me when I’m not.”

The man listens, thank fuck, and instead, they drag us silently down the corridor and thrust us into a room with a few tables and chairs and then stand at the door at attention.

“You okay?” I ask, shooting the guard who hurt him a glare that promises retribution.

“I’m fine, baby,” Louis mutters, but I still glare at the man.

“You’re dead for touching what’s mine,” I warn him. He laughs it off with his friend but I’m serious. Nobody hurts my men and gets away with it.

Not even me.

* * *

My father makes us wait, and when he enters, he places his tablet on the table and sits, watching us for a while. “I have a different kind of experiment today. We are getting close to locating a better way to open the mind without—”

“Torture?” I supply.

“Experimentation. We are synthesising a serum, but we’ll need to test it. However, I still want to know the exact parameters of what I am creating. You understand, yes?”

I want to ask if the serum is being used on the children, how he is creating and testing it, but I can’t without looking interested, and that would give him exactly what he wants.

“Oh, of course,” I mutter. “Quit the crazy mumbo jumbo. What the fuck do you want?”

“I would remain polite, Nova. After all, I let your friend survive when I could have killed him. Remember that.”

Grinding my teeth, I don’t respond, and he smirks.

“Good girl.”

Pulling something from his pocket, he places a gun on the table between us, not even sparing Louis a look.

I glance from the gun to him, but his face doesn’t even move. He knows I could kill him with it.

“Kill one of the guards,” my father orders, “or I’ll kill him.”

I don’t even hesitate. After all, he deserves it. I pick up the gun and for a moment, I aim it at my father. He doesn’t even flinch, and I know then he has a fail-safe plan in place, so instead, I turn it to the guard and fire. I shoot the one who hurt Louis. I know he’s doing it to use Louis against me, to see how far he can push me and get me to follow orders, but I got what I wanted, so I don’t fucking care.

“You did not shoot me,” he muses as I place the gun back on the table.

“It wouldn’t do me any good yet. When I kill you, Father, it will not be at the expense of one of your games. It will hurt, and I will be there to watch the life drain from your eyes.”

Taking the gun, he doesn’t even spare the dead guard a look. “So you say, yet you need a weapon in your hand to even feel that level of commitment.”

“I do not need a weapon to kill, Father,” I tell him honestly. “I never did. I never needed anything to be strong, but you’ve given me more than enough reason to be now.” I leave it at that, not giving away our plan.

“Come, I have some things I wish to show you, though I assume you already know.” Louis and I share a look but stand, moving to the door where the other guard is pale-faced and glancing between his buddy and me.

“Let that be a warning to you all,” I say with a smirk as I pass, and he actually flinches.

Pussy.

“So fucking sexy,” Louis murmurs to me as he takes my hand, and we follow my father. We could overpower him right now, but it would be a mistake. I can almost hear Louis telling me, We stick to the plan, and a moment later, more guards round the corner, waiting for us.

It’s a trap. He was seeing if we would take our shot.

Once again, he’s testing us. Good, let him think we are subdued. Instead, we follow blindly until we end up before the room where I found the children. The beds are filled with sleeping bodies now, and my heart stutters as I see them.

“These are my next line in experiments, naturally. Although the soldier aspect offered a good basis, since they were already trained, they were too . . . limited. Too many died from the experiments, but I think I finally have it right. For that, I had to go back to the beginning. To kids. To the malleable mind. They will be the next best thing in this world—highly intelligent and trained to respond. I will sell them to the highest bidder to fund my next line of experiments.”

“Bullshit, you just want the money,” I snap. “All this talk about science and expanding the human mind and saving mankind is bullshit. You just want money, you greedy bastard. I will never let you hurt those children the way you hurt us.”

“You cannot stop me.” He smirks. “Once I have what I need from you, you’ll be useless. I just wanted to show you what you will be saving by following orders and giving me what I need. If I get what I need from you to make the serum successful, then I do not have to hurt them, do I? But let me show you how serious I am.” He mutters something into a mic, and I watch, horrified, as a guard moves to the closest bed and covers the child’s face with a pillow.

“Stop it!” I demand. He does, lifting the pillow only to repeat the action. He’s not killing him, but he’s making the poor, screaming, half-asleep child wish for death.

Something snaps deep inside me.

Before I’ve made the conscious decision, I’ve grabbed the pen from his pad and pressed it to his neck. “Tell him to stop now or I’ll gouge out your jugular,” I threaten. The place is silent bar the child’s screams, the others huddling together and crying as they watch.

“You kill me and you are as good as dead,” my father reasons, but his eyes are a touch too wide—fear.

“True, but I’ll take you with me. Your choice, Father. Look at you. You’re afraid. Do you like it? I’ll admit that I like seeing the terror in your eyes, now see the truth in mine. I’m willing to die here, are you?”

Gritting his teeth, he nods, and I watch the man walk away. I should drop the pen, but I’m so fucking angry. Instead, I swipe it across his cheek, slicing it open as he shouts and falls back, covering it with his hand. I drop the pen as the guards surge towards me, and I grin at him.

“Now you’ll always wear a reminder. Now you are as ugly on the outside as you are on the inside.”

“Take her away now!” he howls, covering his cheek as I spit at his feet. Louis tries to grab me, but the guards drag me away as I see my father stumble down the corridor, no doubt looking for help. I laugh as we are thrown back into our cell.

Still laughing, I kick the door and then turn to the camera. “How do you like that, asshole? How do you like being on the other end? I will gut you!” I howl.

“Shh, I’ve got you.” Louis wraps his arms around me and leads me to the bed. “Try to calm down, Nova. We have to be smart.”

“Fuck smart. I want him to suffer now.”

“Soon,” he promises.

“No, now!” I yell, and before I know it, I’m flipped and pinned. His snarling face looms above me, and the strength in his grip makes my pussy clench, even in my anger.

“If you won’t listen, then you clearly need an outlet. I will oblige, so be a good girl and come for me.”

Keeping me pinned with one hand, he rips down the joggers, yanks my legs open, and slams his fingers into me. The bite of pain makes my back bow, even as I fight to get free.

He smacks my clit, making me cry out. The sharp pain brings my focus back to his snarling face. “That’s it, love, focus on me. Take it all out on me.”

His fingers twist inside me, curling around that spot that feels so good it hurts, all while his thumb rubs my clit. Against my own wants, I come with a cry, clenching around him with the force. Louis grins, not slowing as he continues to attack my body, forcing me to focus on him.

Use it,he said.

Use him.

Gripping his hands, I flip us and shove his joggers down as his head hits the bed, his eyes narrowed in desire. His blond hair is spread across my pillow, and his muscles clench. “That’s it, Nova, use me. Come on, baby, I can take it.”

I slide my hand across his abs and grip his cock. Tightening my hand, I stroke his hard length, feeling him jerk. His head drops back as he arches his hips up to thrust into my fist. “Nova,” he groans needily. “Baby.”

Feeling mean, I lean down and lick the tip of his cock, channelling all my anger and frustration into the desire between us.

His mouth parts on a moan, and he closes his eyes in bliss.

Seeing this huge, strong man weak below me is a heady feeling.

I lap at the tip of his cock, tasting his salty precum, and surrender. I suck the tip of him deep as he writhes with a bellow, and then I release him with a pop.

“Nova,” he snarls, opening his glittering eyes. “Get your perky ass on my cock right this second.”

“Or what?” I purr, leaning down and sweeping my tongue along his cock, keeping my mouth open so he can watch as I slide him to the back of my throat and rub him and his precum all over my mouth.

“I mean it, Nova. Don’t be a brat or you’ll be face down and my cock will be in that pretty ass instead of your pussy until you’re screaming to come, and I won’t let you.”

“I’d like to see you try,” I retort as I slide my tongue inside the tip of his cock with a hum.

“Last chance, brat,” he warns, his jaw flexing.

Moving up his body, I press my lips to his. “Taste how much you want me, Louis.”

“I always fucking want you,” he says as he grips the back of my head, drags me down, and tangles his tongue with mine, tasting his own need. His other hand slides down my back and grips my ass, dragging my pussy along his cock, trying to get me to ride it.

Pulling away, I wag my finger at him. “Bad Louis.”

Moving out of his grip, I slide up his body and seat myself on his face. “I’m sick of hearing you talk,” I purr. “Use your mouth for better things and make me come on that silver tongue.”

He grips my hips. “Gladly, love.” He yanks me down, sitting me heavily on his face with a groan. His tongue instantly darts out and laps at my pussy.

I almost fall back from the bliss, one hand hitting the wall next to the tiny bed as it creaks with my rocking. I ride his face, grinding into his mouth as his tongue thrusts inside me, and his nose presses to my throbbing clit.

I circle my hips, finding the pressure I need, while I sit harder on his face as his nails dig into my ass cheeks, spreading it as he laps at my hole and thrusts inside it.

Moaning, I slap my hand into the wall, grinding down. I’m so close again, I’m already shaking. When he begins to hum, I’m lost. I cry out my release and fall forward to curl around him as I shudder, winding my hips through my release until I fall back.

Lifting my head, I meet his dark, hungry eyes. His face is coated in my glistening cream, and he laps greedily at his lips while reaching for me.

“Fuck, baby, bring that pretty pussy back here. Let me fucking suffocate between those thighs, drinking nothing but your cream for the rest of my life. They could come in right now and they would have to fight to get me off you.”

Crawling up his body, I grab his hands and press them to my breasts as I rock into his cock. Lifting up, I grip his length and meet his eyes once more. “How about I fuck you instead? I want to see you come. I want to feel it,” I tell him as I press the bulbous head of his cock to my entrance.

“Then ride me, baby, and make me come,” he growls. “Ride my big fat cock. It’s hard for you, always for you, waiting to be used, to be fucked.”

“That’s because you’re mine,” I say as I slam myself down, taking his full length. His hands grip my breasts, squeezing as I start to move, chasing another release. I use him like he demanded, taking it all out on his body. My head drops back as I ride him, making sure to swivel and hit my throbbing clit.

Each thrust pushes me higher as he sits up, shoving my shirt up and sucking my nipple into his mouth. He pushes me higher and higher until I spiral and explode.

Snarling, he rolls us until we fall from the bed and my back hits the floor. He grips my hair and hammers into my body, taking what he wants. He takes the control away, leaving me breathless as I cry out.

He pulls out of my body, making me whimper, then he flips me over and yanks my hips up. Slamming back inside of me, he slaps against my ass with each brutal thrust. My head is pulled back by his hand in my hair, and the slight pain makes me moan loudly.

“You’re mine, Nova, never forget that,” he snaps, smacking my ass with an open hand. The sting makes me jerk before it fades into a fire that burns through me, scorching away my anger. “All of you. I’m never letting you go. I will always be here, protecting you. We will get our revenge, love, together. Until then, take your man. Take every hard inch of me and know it’s all for you.”

His voice is feral as he smacks my ass once more, pummelling into me. His hips stutter and I know he’s close. I want to drain him dry. “Come, love, now.”

“I can’t,” I admit, my body on the threshold.

“You can and you will,” he growls.

Pushing me down, he grinds my pussy into the cold, rough floor, and I shatter once more as he moans, bowing over me as he fills me to the brim with his cum.

I’m boneless, my eyes closing as he turns us and wraps his arms around me. “Good girl, Nova. That’s it, relax. We’ll get him and our revenge together. Just hold on a little longer, my love.”

Panting, I relax into his arms, knowing he did the right thing, but it doesn’t stop me from feeling anger or guilt. What if he takes it out on the kids?

We need to move.