Page 21 of The Devil's Redemption

I shake my head slightly, bringing my eyes back to him.

“No…” I try to get the word out without issue, but it’s too painful.

“Your throat hurts.” He wasn’t asking. “I doubt you’ve had anything to eat since you’ve been gone. I’m going to go get you something to fill your stomach, and that won’t be sore on your throat.”

Even if I could speak easily, my mouth stays closed as he leaves my room. Not because I want something to eat, but because I need more time. I know he won’t be gone long, but I can’t stand facing him yet. He looked as uncomfortable as I felt as he stood next to me.

Only a few minutes tick by as I stare at the wall at the other end of the room before Blade returns carrying a bowl of soup and a bottle of water. He pulls his chair up close to the side of my bed and begins to spoon-feed me.

I’m not the least bit hungry, but I can’t deny it feels incredible on my throat. It reminds me of when he took care of me the night I finally got free of this clubhouse. It feels like a hundred years ago since I took that morning after pill…

Oh, god. What if I’m pregnant?

“I’m so glad you’re awake. I was going crazy not knowing where you were. And then waiting for you to wake up. I had to know that you were okay,” he admits.

It’s the first time I sense any desperation in his voice. He’s always been closed off, not giving me any sign of emotional turmoil within him. Other than his lust and when he went off on Toni and…Her… In the diner.

I don’t know how to begin telling him hownotokay I am.

“What day is it?” I ask after swallowing another spoonful of soup.

“Monday.”

I was taken on Wednesday night.

“How long have I been here?”

“Since Friday night.”

It seems like a hell of a lot longer than two nights that I was held captive there. Because of the drugs, I was in and out so many times. It was hard to tell what time of day it was and how much time had passed since they’d thrown me down in that cellar.

“Did anyone get hurt? Your brothers?” My throat still hurts, but it’s slightly easier to talk after the few spoonfuls of soup I’ve had.

“No, we were lucky. Some of the other charters weren’t, though.”

Another silence settles over us. Blade continues to feed me and helps me drink some water, too.

“Ho—” I’m getting more and more irritated about not being able to use my voice properly without struggling. “How did you know where I was?”

“When that Boy Scout came into The Lair, yelling and screaming at me, thinking I hurt you, I knew something was wrong. He said that you weren’t home, and your living room was trashed.”

Boy Scout?

“Who?” I question.

“Oh. Steve,” he clarifies. “So I rode to your house immediately and realized you’d been taken. I knew it had something to do with Death’s Road. It was too much of a coincidence that Michael goes missing and then you.

I must have winced when he spoke Michael’s name because his face falls, like he’s scared to look at me.

“What is it?” I beg.

Blade’s chiseled face lifts again before he speaks.

“Turner stopped by a couple days ago, with Ellie. She wanted to know what happened to you. I told her a little bit, but not everything. And Turner wanted to let me know that Michael’s body was located.”

My eyes leave his, and I stare at the wall again. I knew he was dead, but hearing that they’ve confirmed as much and even knowing what Michael did to me before he died, it’s still painful to hear.

“I asked Turner to have his body transferred to the morgue here in town. Once you’re up to it, we can think about funeral arrangements.”

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