“Ma?!” he yells.
He bolts forward, crouching beside her and taking her frail wrist in his hand, pressing his thumb to it.
“Faint, but there,” he mutters under his breath, but his voice falters as his gaze flicks to mine.
“Noir! Go get Billy!” Hell orders over his shoulder.
My pulse is in my throat, my head fucking spinning. Where the fuck is Aurelia? I snap my head over my shoulder again, eyes darting and searching the shadows for her.
“Any idea who would do something so fucking stupid?” Hell bites out in anger, and it brings me back.
Before I can answer, Madame chokes out, her voice hoarse, blood spilling from her lips.
“Valen,” she gasps his name, and everything in my body freezes.
“He took… He…” She gasps again, but she doesn't finish, her words cutting off as her body goes limp.
“He took?” I ask urgently, my voice breaking, but she's passed out before she can say another word.
Without thinking, I surge to my feet, my hands shaking as I pace.
Hell follows me, but I can’t stop moving, I’m like a damn animal stuck in a cage.
“Aurelia...” I whisper her name.
Hell’s hand grips my shoulder, stopping me, his voice calm but firm.
“The Shadows,” he says, reminding me of the rules.
“Fuck the Shadows!” I seethe, my voice low and dangerous. “Not a single one of those fuckers is stopping me from doing what I have to do next to get her back.”
“Wrath,” Hell says again, his voice a warning now. “I’m not losing you.”
I whirl on him, my eyes wild, almost frantic, my chest heaving.
“And what the fuck would you do if it was her?” I snap, my teeth clenched, barely holding onto whatever control I have left. “What would you do if it was Noir?”
Hell’s eye stays steady, but I can see it in his expression, he knows I’m right. If it were Noir, he’d burn this place to the ground. Just like I would for Aurelia.
The sound of heavy footsteps breaks the tension as Billy enters, rushing to Madame's side, and within seconds, he and Soul are lifting her lifeless body.
But Hell and I just stare at each other. Neither of us says a word.
…
I hear Hell’s voice behind me, already on the phone, talking to the Shadows as I head for my bike. When I stop beside it, hands on the handles, he stands next to me, his phone on loudspeaker.
“Valen shot Madame and took one of the Oddity’s girls,” Hell announces.
“Is Madame alive?” the voice on the other end asks, and I grip the handlebars so hard my knuckles turn white.
“Yeah, but barely. She might not make it.”
“Might not…” the voice repeats, slow and steady, like it doesn’t even matter and it fucking eats at me, every second dragging on as time ticks away is a waste.
“And which member did he take?”
Hell clears his throat, his eyes locking with mine, both of us knowing exactly where this is headed.
