“MINE!” The rogue Son’s fingers entwined in my hair, wrenching me backwards until I slammed against his chest. “Do you hear me, Daughter?” He roared in my ear. “YOU BELONG TO US!”
No…
NO!
Fire lashed my scalp until the tears came. Through the haze, Vivienne pressed her body against the wall as another of Hale’s Sons moved toward her.
There were too many of them. Four had raced from the open doors at the end of the alley; two made for Vivienne and two came for me. London was fighting as hard as he could, howling with rage as he slammed one of them against the wall. But these weren’t just normal men. No, they were killers.
My head was yanked back, wrenching my focus from London and my sister to the Son who’d lunged across the open space and taken us by surprise. One minute, I was hurtling into the alley to save my sister and the next, I was grabbed and spun so fast my mind couldn’t catch up. He pressed me against his hard body.
Only, the second Son who headed my way wasn’t so lucky.
Riven stood between us, his gun aimed in the center of the Son’s chest.
“Make a move, motherfucker.” Riven growled, sucking in deep breaths, his gun pointed rock-steady at the Son’s heart. “And I’ll put a hole right through the middle of you.”
The Son just grinned, until he glanced down at me and that smug smirk faltered, even as the hold across my chest grew tighter.
“You know she’s coming with us,” The bastard murmured. “Either way.”
Warmth rushed through my veins, the trembling, feeble feeling of connection writhed under my skin and made me feel panicked. I didn’t like it, not the way they made me feel, or what they wanted me for.
Then the Son in front of Riven lifted his hands. “Sooner or later, she’ll be ours, Principal.”
Riven unleashed a savage snarl. “Call me that again, I dare you.”
It was Coulter’s mansion all over again. The way they’d hurt us and used us, stabbing and cutting, forcing us to breed.
“Get the fuck off me!” I bucked, slamming my head backwards as I aimed for his face.
But he was far too fast, reaching around to grasp me by the throat.
“You can’t win, don’t you understand that? You. Can. Never. Win.”
Movement came from the open metal door. Carven was a blur of neon white hair and rage as he lunged for the two attackers crowding Vivienne. But it was Colt who bellowed like a bull and charged, slamming into another Son.
“You belong to Hale.” The sick words were snarled in my ear as the Son holding me drew me back.
Get her on the table.
The words plunged deep into me.
I froze, my gaze fixed on Riven and the gun in his hand, until CRACK! The sickening sound shattered the hold on me, causing me to release a startled scream as the Son who held me lurched sideways before falling to one knee.
As Colt unleashed sickening blows into the rogue Son he held, Thomas strode forward. The bright morning sun glinted off something metal in his hand as he lifted his arm and swung.
CRACK!
The blow hit hard, tearing the rogue Son’s hold from my throat. He crumpled instantly, falling to the ground until Thomas stood over him.
“God is in my hand!” Thomas roared. “MY RIGHTEOUS, VIOLENT HAND!”
As he swung, I saw what he used as a weapon. It was the heavy gold cross he prayed to, now splattered with blood.
CRUNCH.
I couldn’t look away, frozen by the sight of that kind, beautiful, awkward man as he swung that holy weapon, and I realized he wasn’t the man I knew, not anymore. This Thomas was terrifying, filled with rage and pain until there was nothing but vengeance left.
“You do not touch her.” He stared down at the male with the side of his head caved in and raised his weapon once more. “You do not touch what belongs to us.”
Swing.
Drop.
CRUNCH.
The Son’s head snapped sideways. Thomas knelt, his glazed eyes fixed on nothing. Heavy breaths sounded as Thomas rose, still holding the cross coated with brain matter and etched with dark strands of hair.
“Easy.” Riven warned the other Son as he watched the attack. “I’d love nothing more than to end you.” He glanced at Thomas. “Brother, you okay?”
Those once soft brown eyes were now dark with rage. I’d seen Thom look like that once before and he’d come back to me. But as he shifted that merciless stare my way now, I knew that Thomas was no more. This man standing before me, wielding the cross as his weapon of choice, was just as dangerous as his brothers.
“Vivienne,” London croaked and stumbled forward.
“I’m-m o-kay,” She stuttered as she staggered sideways to wrap her arms around Colt.
Riven took a step forward and pressed the muzzle of his gun against the last rogue Son’s head. “All that’s left is to end this one.”
But it was Vivienne who commanded my attention. She tightened her arms around Colt, burying her face against his chest. Blood was spreading across his side, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“We found him.” His deep voice resounded, bouncing off the walls of the alley. “We found Hale.”
London jerked his head upwards, his eyes darkening. “Where?”
“Wherever that tunnel leads.” Carven pointed to the open steel door as he approached us.
London took a step toward the door.
My mind was reeling, trying to put it all together. The dead Son in front of me called my focus and something inside howled at his death. It was that connection, that aching sense of the familiar. I lifted my head, meeting the gaze of the Son who was still alive.
He felt it too, that ache in the pit of his stomach that had no name…but a knowing.
“No.” I shook my head and stepped toward Riven. “Put the gun down.”
Anger and a cutting, cruel pain flared in Riven’s dark eyes. “What the fuck did you say?”
My stare was pleading. I prayed he trusted me. “I don’t want you to kill him.”
He turned and took a step toward me, glaring with jealousy. “You what?”
“I want to take him alive.”
There was a flicker of amusement as he jutted his chin out. It was pride. One I wanted desperately to exploit anyway I could.
I met Riven’s stare, urging him with my eyes alone. I didn’t know if he heard me or if he was too stubborn to know I’d never hurt him, but he turned away, lowering his gun. “Then he’s all yours, Helene. Do with him what you wish.”
He left then, giving me his back. That hurt more than anything.
The Son gave a humf before Thomas stepped forward and lifted the cross, placing the blood splattered, matted with strands of hair weapon under his chin. “I wouldn’t be so quick to smirk if I were you.”
The Son’s smile fell away before Thom drove the cross against his throat and growled. “Get up carefully and move.”
“Wait,” London said as he stared at the open doors, then glanced over his shoulder. “We can’t just leave it like that.”
“No…Hell, no.” Vivienne shook her head as she pulled away from Colt. “You take a step through that door, London St. James, and you’d better push it wider, ‘cause I sure as hell am not going to stand here for another minute without you.” She turned to Colt and Carven. “All of you. Where you go, I go. You got that?” There was a mumble until she swung her savage gaze to London. “I said, you got that?”
There was a twitch at the corner of London’s mouth. One I almost took for a smirk.
“Yes, pet.” He moved back toward her and pulled her against him. “We stay together.”
“You got that right.” Her voice shook.
“You really going to take him with us?” London looked at me.
Carven and Colt just glared at the Son. It didn’t take a lot to know they wanted to gut him and leave him behind.
But we had an opportunity here, one we hadn’t had before.
“Yes,” I answered. “I’ll take responsibility for him. He can be my prisoner.”
Carven gripped his knife and took a step forward. “One wrong move and I’ll kill him, you got that?” He swung that icy stare my way.
I swallowed hard. “Loud and clear.”
