Page 65 of Anathema
Blinking my eyes, I looked around to see who was speaking and calling my name. My heart cinched as my vision cleared, and I could see Madison and Chyler kneeling before me. Both of them looked as wrecked as I felt. Concern etched across both of their faces.
I tried to speak, the tape muffling my words. I sighed and hung my head, tears welling in my eyes. I felt pathetic, weak, and helpless, with the two strongest women I knew staring at me with pity. It was the frat party all over again. I had fucked up so badly, and I knew it; I’m sure they did too. I didn’t want their pity, but there it was, and it dragged me down even further.
Whimpered noises came out of me as I fought to hold back the bulk of my shame.
“Shh… Lex, it's okay. We’re here. No one’s going to hurt you anymore,” Madison whispered as her hand touched my shoulder.
“We need to get the tape off her mouth and get her off of this pole,” Chyler added, inspecting my wrists, which I could only assume were heavily cut up from the zip tie, seeing as she cringed at the mere sight of them. I could no longer feel my hands; they had gone numb from either blood loss or just a lack of circulation in general.
“Chy, cut off that zip tie; I’ll get rid of this tape,” Madison instructed as she cradled my face in her hands, searching my eyes. “I’m going to need you to take a deep breath for me, Lex. This will hurt, but it’ll be quick, I promise.” Her voice was remorseful but reassuring.
I nodded, taking a deep breath and closing my eyes as she gripped a corner of the tape, ready to rip it from my mouth. I braced myself for the shooting pain that I knew would shortly follow.
“Ready? One… two…” Before getting to three, Madison quickly stripped the tape from my mouth.
It felt like my skin ripped from my face along with the duct tape. I bit back a scream, eyes watering from the pain. Every inch of skin the tape had covered burned. A second later, my hands dropped to my sides as Chyler cut the zip tie with her knife, the blood rushing back into my fingertips. I brought them up to my chest, curling in on myself.
“I’m so… sorry.” I whimpered, more to myself than them.
“Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong, Lex.” Chyler softly spoke, rubbing my back with her hand. “We’re just glad you’re still alive… and in one piece from the looks of it. Did they do—anything—to you?” She swallowed; her voice was concerned as if remembering the night at the frat house all those years ago. The night they both came into my life.
“No.” I breathed, shaking my head and trying to catch my breath. “They tried, but I fought them.” I sat up, tilting my head back to show the dried and crusted blood that covered me from my chin to my chest.
“Atta girl,” Chyler chuckled with a playful elbow to my side. “Now, let’s get you the fuck out of here.”
I was more than ready to go, but what about… Where was Adrian? He said I was bait. Bait for what? My eyes frantically scanned the room, wondering where he could be hiding—waiting for his moment to strike. How did Chyler and Madison get past him unnoticed?
“Adrian,” I choked out before my eyes locked on to the one person I needed to see most across the room.Derek.
Not caring about the pain I was in, the potential broken ribs or numb limbs, I pushed myself off from where I was kneeling and bolted across the room into his arms. I couldn’t stop the tears that fell from my eyes once he wrapped himself around me, locking me in his strong embrace.
Home, he was my home, and he was here.
“Derek, let me explain,” I rushed out, looking up into his eyes, knowing just how angry he had to be with me about all of this, the secrets I kept from him regarding Anathema, and the tasks I had been completing to join them.
“Not now, pretty viper.” His hand cradled my cheek, wiping the tears flowing freely from my eyes. “I don’t care what happened, what got us here. All that matters is that you are safe.” He murmured, pressing his lips to my forehead with a sigh of relief, and I began sobbing uncontrollably, collapsing into him, his arms holding me up for support.
I was a mess, a complete and vulnerable wreck. I didn’t deserve him, his love—his understanding. But here he was, giving me everything I needed.
A throat cleared, and we all turned to look at who had made the sound. There, standing at the far end of the room, was Adrian. A smug grin on his face as he took in the scene before him.
“Hate to ruin this beautiful reunion, but it looks like the whole family is finally here.” He spoke, stepping towards us.
Derek’s grip tightened on me as he walked us back towards Madison and Chyler. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent for comfort and escape, although nothing was comforting about this situation. Atlas stepped in front of Chyler, and Dean closed in on Madison.
Peeking my eyes out from Derek’s shirt, I saw Eli, but he wasn’t joining us. He had started casually strolling towards Adrian with his hands in his pockets.
“Eli,” Derek called out; I could feel his commanding voice rumbling in his chest.
“Sorry, guys. Only doing my job.” Eli shrugged, uncaring, as he stopped beside Adrian and smirked.
Eli had been working for Adrian all along? But why? How?
“What about Monika, Eli?” I stood straight and shouted across the room. He hated Anathema and blamed them for the death of her. Didn’t he? Although, I guess he blamed me now since I confessed to her murder…
“What about her?” Eli sighed, bored of hearing her name.
“You seemed pretty devastated that she had been killed at the hands of Anathema, believing it was because she outran her use for them. How could you be working for them and also be that heartbroken over the loss of her?” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was standing next to the man who signed her execution orders.
