Page 98 of While She Sleeps

“You need to calm down before we get there, Orion. She does not need to see you angry right now. Get the doctor, and I’ll have her to you as soon as I can.”

He ends the call, and I throw the phone against the wall so hard the entire thing shatters.

Well, fuck.

I reach into my desk and pull out a burner I use for some of my Hunter business, quickly dialing the doctor’s number.

He’s not really a doctor, at least not as far as the board is concerned, but he’s the only person I trust to patch me up when I’ve been injured, and it seems I’m going to have to extend that trust to treating the most important thing in my life.

The five minutes Killian promised seems like a lifetime, but I make good use of the time.

Parker is on his way, promising to get across town as quickly as he can.

Without knowing what injuries Ember has, I couldn’t do much in the way of preparing the apartment, but I did lay outsome towels and blankets in the living room as well as the bedroom.

Fuck.

I haven’t felt powerless in years.

So many years I forgot what it felt like to have the world falling down around you and no way of stopping it.

Each breath is a mixture of pure rage and fear, and the two emotions warring in my chest only seem to make the time go slower.

The elevator dings, and my feet are carrying me closer before I can stop myself. But the sight before me does just that.

I stop in my tracks, my chest constricting as the doors slide open and Killian holds Ember against his chest. She’s covered in blood and bruises, her face turned into his chest as she lets out small whimpers of agony.

“What the fuck happened?” I try to keep my voice soft. Really, I do. But it comes out harsh and abrupt, causing Ember to jolt in Killian’s arms.

He hits me with a glare before walking straight past me toward the couch. “I’m going to put you down on here so we can have a look at where you’re hurt. Okay?”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Killian sound so caring in all the years I’ve known him, but I can’t allow myself to think too much about that right now.

I have to make sure Ember is okay.

She gives a slight nod, and I wince as more of her bruised body is revealed.

Almost every inch of her is black and blue. Her face is covered in swelling and bruising, and I barely manage to contain the rumble of anger that tries to set itself free.

I’m going to fucking kill them all, and I’m going to do it slowly.

They’re going to feel every ounce of pain Ember has tenfold, and I’m going to enjoy every second.

I drop into a crouch beside the couch, brushing my fingers over Ember’s bruised cheek. “Tell me what happened, Little Flame,” I murmur, flicking a look at Killian.

“She went into the meeting with Lucas. He had another girl in the room, along with two of his guards. I thought she was safe, and there wasn’t enough room for me as well, and when I did try to stay, they promptly insisted I didn’t need to know what they were talking about,” he explains. “But then I heard Ember cry out. The walls in that place are thick as fuck, so the second I heard it, I knew she was in pain. I got her out of there and told Lucas he can expect to be dealing with you from now on.”

“Damn fucking right,” I mutter. “Why did he do this, Ember?”

Tears fall against her bruised cheeks, and she hisses out a breath when they hit the cut at the corner of her mouth.

“He said I was slacking off on a job he gave me. He said I was his until I paid off my debt to him, and that if I didn’t start working faster, then he would start selling my body.” She chokes on her words, and my vision flashes with vibrant red.

Oh, this motherfucker is going to regret the day he was born for making a threat like that to my woman.

“What debt, baby?” I force my words to remain low and even despite the storm raging inside me.

She presses her eyes closed, and a violent tremble racks through her body.

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