I do just that.
With a powerful kick, he sends the door to my cell flying and I marvel at his strength. He then rips my cuffs from where they circle my wrists.
“Man, I totally could’ve done that,” Zav whines and I snort. “Stupid ancient vampires with their super special powers.”
In the next second, the air is whooshed from my lungs when Valen runs in and pulls me to his chest. He cradles my head like something precious, and mumbles thank goodness over and over again. I clutch him just as tightly and fight the tears that want to spill over. I’m so fucking glad he’s okay that I don’t have time to question why we’re locked up and he’s not.
Pulling back, I inspect his body and poke and prod for injuries I can’t see.
“What are you doing?” Valen laughs and I harrumph in response.
“Checking. Don’t bother me,” I scold and he laughs again. Once I’m satisfied, I pull him back in and snuggle into his chest. His soothing scent helps calmme down.
“Uh, guys?” Celine calls.
“Truly a touching reunion, but a little help here?” Zav adds.
We head over to their cell, and he tells them to step back. As Valen heads in to rid them of their cuffs, a chuckle sounds through the room.
“Ah, just who I was hoping to see. Actually, a few someones.”
We all freeze and look at each other. Pure, unadulterated terror lines Valen’s body, and he resembles prey much more than the predator he actually is. If he’s this scared, we’re fucked.
Slowly turning around, I frown at a familiar man. Despite his familiarity, I have trouble placing how I know him.
“Damien,” Valen growls, crouching protectively in front of me.
The man cocks his head to the side, and a strand of silvery blond hair falls over his forehead. “Glad to see you remember me, Valentine.” His grin is nothing but pure evil. “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten.”
Valen is frozen in fear in front of me, and I wrap my fingers around his arm.
The man—Damien—leans around Valen and eyes me up and down. “Dear Valen, aren’t you going to introduce me to your mate? It would be a shame if I forgot my manners like you so clearly have yours. I’d hate for my hand to slip around her throat. Humans are such delicate creatures. They die so easily.”
Valen moves to shield me more fully. “Don’t fucking look at her.”
Damien’s eyes narrow. “You don’t give me orders, fallen one.” His words are said in an even tone, but there’s an iciness there that dares Valen to overstep.
Who the hell is the man exactly?
He doesn’t seem like a vampire or a warlock. There’ssomething about him that feels different, but in a way I can’t pinpoint. Like he’s been altered somehow.
“Grab them,” Damien orders. “All four of them.”
And that’s when the shadows that have been clinging to the walls pull away and come to life.
CHAPTER 59
VALEN
I thoughtI’d gone through horrors being kidnapped and tortured. Hearing Ava scream is ten times worse than that. The sound rings down to my core and rips my chest in two.
Thick black smoke snakes it way around my limbs and my throat. Jerking my head to the side, I see Zav and Celine in similar compromising positions, but the two appear to have been knocked out. Ava looks scared and exhausted where she attempts to break free. I fight the fog of shadows to get to Ava, but my efforts are futile.
Why can’t I get out of this infernal smoke?
“Confused?” Damientsks. “My shadows are impenetrable. The only way you’re getting out of them is if I allow it.” His shiny black shoes clack as he crosses the floor with unhurried ease. I fight the tremble my body wants to succumb to. I don’t dare give the bastard the satisfaction.
It’s hard to suppress a natural reaction to someone who did horrendous things to me. He was at the helm of most of thesessions and experiments. Even if he wasn’t the one who usually doled them out, he was the one calling the shots.
