His gaze fell on the raw remnants of the man’s toes. On both his feet, he was missing every toe except the big and second ones. The Savages had probably left him with these digits so he could feed himself and still be a little mobile, but they would have come off soon. The flesh here was also blackened.
The man’s torn and filthy clothes hung off his skeletal frame. Something about the way his skin sagged made it obvious he’d once leaned toward the pudgy side. A full, scruffy beard covered the bottom half of his face, and like his hair, gray-streaked the brown strands.
In all his years, Saxon had seen the Savages commit many atrocious acts, but he’d never seen them draw out torture like this. Sometimes they lingered to enjoy the torment for hours, possibly days, but nevermonths. Savages were vicious, bloodthirsty creatures, but this level of sadism was something new for them.
The man whimpered again when Saxon rose and stepped into the room. His eyes remained closed as shudders racked his body to the point where his bones had to be knocking together. Dried blood caked his beard and where his ear should have been. They must have cut it off to send to Elyse, but she’d never received the present.
No matter what it took, he would make sure Raymond returned to his daughter and they were both safe for the rest of their lives.
“Raymond?” he asked, though it couldn’t be anyone else. An eye cracked open, but when Saxon stepped closer, he whimpered again. “Raymond, I’m a friend of Elyse’s.”
The man’s eyes flew open to reveal that they were the same arctic blue color as his daughter’s. This realization caused a tug at Saxon’s heart. “Elyse?” he croaked.
“Yes. She sent me to get you.”
For a moment, hope shone in the man’s eyes before it vanished, and a deadened look came back into them. “Lies. More lies.”
The words revealed his missing teeth.
“No,” Saxon said and returned the flashlight to Lucien. “Not lies. Your daughter sent me. I found her in the cabin where they were keeping her. She’s safe now, and she led us to you.”
“No, no, no,” Raymond muttered. “I don’t believe you. Elyse can’t track that long. Lie. Lie. Lie. You all lie.”
“Normally, she can’t track that long, but she said you’re different because you’re her father. She never let these bastards know she could still feel you, but she’s been connected to you since they brought you to the cabin and maimed you in front of her.”
Raymond stopped shaking his head though he continued to tremble. He opened his eyes to look at Saxon again.
“We’re going to get you out of here,” Saxon assured him.
Saxon held his hand out to the man who stared at it as if it were a snake about to strike. Then he slid what remained of his hand into Saxon’s and rose unsteadily. When Raymond’s knees gave out, Saxon caught him and restrained himself from reacting to the stench Raymond emitted.
Encircling his arm around Raymond’s waist, he helped him limp toward the door. Every one of the man’s bones pressed against Saxon’s fingers. The man walked with a stoop to his shoulders that made him appear more like ninety than the middle-aged man he really was.
“Oh shit,” Killean breathed when he saw the man. Horror filled his golden eyes along with a sympathy Killean rarely exhibited.
Saxon didn’t say anything as he led Raymond into the hall. He saw the disbelief and revulsion in the eyes of the others as Raymond nearly went down again. “We have to get him out of here,” Ronan said. “You two”—he pointed at two of their turned recruits who had been with them for a few months—“get him out of here and take him to the vehicles. Wait for us there, but if we don’t return by dusk, return to the cabins.”
Neither of the recruits looked thrilled with their new mission, but they eased Raymond from Saxon’s grasp. “Raymond,” Saxon said, and the man’s head turned toward him. “What about Elyse’s mother? Is she somewhere in here? Can we find her?”
“She’s here, but it’s better if you don’t find her.”
“Why not?”
A tear slid down Raymond’s cheek as he held up one of his brutalized hands. “Because she’s the one who did this. She’s one of them now.”
Saxon felt like he’d been hit in the gut as the air rushed out of him. That might be one of the most twisted things he’d ever heard about the Savages, and when Elyse found out, it would break her heart.
“Take him out of here,” Ronan ordered.
The recruits nodded, and everyone parted to let them pass as they walked Raymond down the tunnel. Saxon wanted to feel joy over bringing Elyse’s father back to her, but all he felt was a relentless need to end the bastards who’d done this.
* * *
Afraid to triggerLogan’s predatory instinct by moving too fast, Elyse edged toward the door. Unfortunately, her unhurried movements didn’t matter as Logan licked his lips and his eyes burned hotter. Simone stepped in front of him, blocking Elyse from his view, but his head popped out around the side of her, and he focused on Elyse.
He’d marked her as his prey, and when he bared his fangs, Elyse knew he was going to attack. She gave up on being slow when Logan lurched forward. Kadence grabbed his shirt and yanked him back, but the material tore in her hands.
Heart hammering, Elyse bolted for the door as something thudded behind her.
