Page 131 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

Luka steps up to me. “I love the outcome of it. Even if we did push you into it.”

“You didn’t—”

“Can we talk about this later? Maybe when we’re not all surrounded and outnumbered by juiced up shifters and crazy warlocks,” Jax says.

Luka sighs, squeezing my hand and gives me a look, promising me that this conversation isn’t over.

Far from it.

Rion glances around, looking for our best way out. “They have all the entrances blocked.”

“They’re also watching the skies after the little stunt I pulled to get Kiarra away from them,” Axel tells us.

Their eyes veer to me, softening before looking to each other for another way out.

I feel a tingle letting me know it doesn’t matter either way. My time outside is nearly up.

“It’s too late. The potion Jazmyn gave me to counteract the tag for leaving the hotel is almost up. I can feel it.”

The guy’s tense at my comment. A hint of panic bolts through their eyes.

“I have no choice. I have to go back.”

Rion looks down at his watch, cursing as he clenches his jaw. “Fuck!”

“Damn it!”

“We’ll never make it in time,” Kai says, a look of anguish slicing through him.

“No fucking way are you going ten feet near that twisted fuck!” Jax shouts out, his chest rising and falling with each panicked breath.

“There has to be another way? We’re not losing you again,” Luka pleads, thinking one of us might have an answer.

“What happens if you don’t go back?” The guys freeze around me at Axel’s question.

“You said you can’t die?” he pushes.

“That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt!” Axel winces at the bite in Luka’s words.

If a moment of pain was all I had to deal with, then I’d gladly go through it to get away from him. But King was smarter than that. He modified the tracing spell just for me.

“Luka and Axel are both right. I can’t die. At least nothing King has done has worked, and he’s tried everything.”

The guys freeze, their bodies turning rigid as they hang onto my every word.

“It does fucking hurt, every cut, every break, every bruise, but I will heal. The problem is, King knows this. He’s tested and tried everything to find any weakness or loophole, so he came up with something specifically created to keep me in line.”

The threat of bloodshed and violence erupts in the air around us.

“A couple of years ago, I needed medicine for one of Alana’s deep wounds and couldn’t find anything in the hotel nor anyone that would help.

“Leaving the hotel was my only option, no matter the consequences to my body. I still remember King’s delighted face, as he laughed over my curled body, growing weaker as I died over and over, only to regenerate and do it all over again.

“He let it go on for days, maybe weeks, before giving me the antidote.

“I was useless to Alana… Not that it ever really mattered.”

“What?” Kai says, seething, his eyes pulsing a crimson red.

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