Page 104 of Addicted
The others get tooled up, and I walk over to the door that leads to the main room, Tarl behind me, followed by Aeron and Jude, then Adam and the rest of the Tailors. It surprises me that Adam lets us take the lead, but then I guess he’s always using opportunities to let us lead, to show the rest of the gang that we are the future.
“If anyone spots a big scarred-up fucker, don’t shoot to kill,” Jude snarls, and I clench my teeth together hard enough to crack when I realize who he’s talking about. That dead fucker who violated our bird while I had the shit beaten out of me.
“And the same for Rufus. He’s mine,” Adam adds darkly, and even I shiver at the tone he uses. It reminds me why he leads the Tailors. “Now,” Adam whispers, and I hear another whisper behind me, a second later the power goes out and I pull the goggles down just as an explosion makes the walls around us shake, dust falling all over us. “Now!” Aeron shouts, and I kick open the door with an animalistic roar, using my enhanced vision to pick off the scum in front of me who don’t even have their guns raised.
“Fuck, we need to find Dove and Rook!” Aeron shouts next to me and I nod in agreement. I have to check that she’s alright. Who the fuck knows what has happened to her in the past few hours. We also need them both out of here ASAP, otherwise, they may end up getting shot by mistake.
I look around, not seeing any sign of either of them, and then I spot a door in the back of the room, to the left of us.
“There!” I yell back, pointing, the sound of gunshots in the enclosed basement enough to fucking shatter all our eardrums. He passes the message on to Tarl and Jude, and we slowly make our way across the room as chaos reigns around us, the copper tang of blood filling the air as bodies hit the ground.
We finally reach the door, and I quickly push it open and step through, the others following me. I breathe a sigh of relief whenthe door shuts behind us, the sounds of the gunfight muffled even though my ears still fucking ring.
The corridor has several doors lining it, all of them the same plain dingy wood. The walls are covered in an ancient paper that’s peeling and has a damp smell which leaves my nose wrinkling.
“This place is a shithole,” Jude comments quietly as we walk down the passageway, guns poised. Tarl is at our backs in case anyone comes this way, but they won’t make it far. “Do we just try every door?”
My gaze catches on the brass plaque that is the only decoration in this hallway of gloom. It looks newish and is glinting in the low emergency lights. There’s also a soft glow coming from underneath the door, which is curious given that the power to the entire building should have been out.
“Cover me,” I order, walking past a couple of other doors and smiling when Aeron curses behind me. I always get to have all the fun.
Shoving the goggles up to my forehead, I squint in the low light to read ‘Soldiers Darling’ engraved on the surface, and I have to take several breaths to calm the red haze that’s threatening to take over. Pressing my ear to the door, I hear quiet murmurs from inside, one distinctly feminine, and a shiver runs down my spine as my gut tells me it’s her. Our bird.
Using hand gestures that we all learned years ago, I tell the others that she’s in here and they fan out behind me as I take a step back, getting ready to kick this door in. The wood splinters as my boot lands against it, the lock breaking as the door falls to the floor. A girlish scream fills the air, but I train my eyes on the young lad with dark hair and familiar blue eyes who has taken a step in front of her, shielding her behind him.
“I don’t give a shit if you’re her brother, but if you don’t move the fuck away from my bird right fucking now, I’ll shoot you,” I tell him, watching his wide eyes take note of the guys behind me.
“It’s okay, Rook. They’re with me.”
Her voice is like music to my ears, and I have to fight the urge to close my eyes when relief sweeps through me like a fucking tsunami as she slowly steps out from behind him, her eyes glinting in the low light of a battery-powered lamp that’s on the small table beside the bed.
“Little Bird,” I whisper, drinking her in as if I’m dying of thirst in the desert and she’s a cup of water. My brows furrow as I get a look at what the fuck she’s dressed in. “Why the fuck are you wearing lingerie with your brother in the room?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“ELEPHANT” BY FREYA RIDINGS
LARK
Several minutes before…
My heart rate doesn’t slow while I wait, even when I try desperately to practice some breathing exercises and affirmations that I learned years ago. There is no way to calm my body, it knows what is coming. My mind is a different matter though, I’m able to slip deeper and deeper into the numbness that I used to inhabit so often, and for that, I am beyond fucking grateful.
I barely even jump when the door opens, yet my heart stutters to a stop when I register the dark hair and bright blue eyes.
“Rook!” I yell, rushing over to him and wrapping my arms around him. Shit, he’s so much taller than me now, I barely come up to his shoulder, and his eighteen-year-old body has filled out, even though it’s only been a couple of months since I saw him last.
His arms come around me, reluctantly at first, then tighter as he buries his face into my neck.
“L–Lark,” he chokes out, hugging me close. Tears fill my eyes and my chest tenses as we hold each other for a few moments.
“W–Why are you here? How come he let you see me?” I ask, trying to pull away, but he holds me firm, one of his hands sliding down my back. A slight chill crawls down my spine, my stomach quivering. “Rook?” His hand slides lower, cupping my ass through the material of this stupid teddy. “Rook!” I push roughly at him but he doesn’t let go, instead, he walks us back towards the bed. “Rook!” I shout again, bile filling my throat as the backs of my knees touch the mattress. He’s holding me too close against him to give me room to see his face, let alone fight him off, and my ribs flare in protest but it’s nothing compared to the fear that’s filling me up.
“I have to, Lark,” he whispers in my ear, his voice thick and full of regret, giving a final push so that we fall down. I cry out as he lands on me heavily, my ribs and all the bruises screaming, but my heart and soul screams louder as I try to fight him off. Despite my best efforts, like so many men before him have proven to me, he’s just too strong. “H–he says that real men take w–what they w–want, and if I want to be a Soldier, a true Soldier, I need to take you.”
My breaths come in sharp pants as he captures both of my hands, pinning them above us. He’s not looking at me, his eyes on my breasts which are completely exposed with the sheer material, but unlike the Soldiers that have come before him, there’s no lust in his eyes. If anything, the slight curl of his upper lips speaks of revulsion and his wide eyes show horror in their blue depths.
“R–Rook! Just fucking look at me!” I scream, and finally, his eyes meet mine. Eyes so similar to my own that I want to vomit. “You don’t fucking want me. You’re not even hard.” Myvoice wobbles a little, and although I have to swallow more bile, I move my hips against his, demonstrating his lack of excitement to both of us. “You don’t want to do this.” My voice is soft, tears filling my eyes at the wild, lost look in his.
