I drop my head and pray that Talia finds a way to break our bond. Henry approaches with a metal rod in hand, and I know this is going to be especially horrific.
Chapter Twenty One
Taia
“What the fuck arethey doing to him?” I growl as I grip the blanket. First, it was forced pleasure, then horrific pain, then more forced pleasure. We’ve gone back and forth for twelve hours now, six of which I spent in the woods before talking myself into coming out to find the guys.
“Just breathe,” Vaughn says, gently rubbing my back.
“No, I want to fucking kill them!” I snap.
“Any word from Micah?” Diego asks.
“No,” Laurent sighs. Caine is pacing the room, and anger is radiating off him.
“It’s been fucking twelve hours!” Caine booms. “Where the fuck did he go? Soren is taken, and he’s just gone?”
“Stop. This isn’t helping her,” Vaughn says.
“He’s helping,” I whisper.
“What?” Laurent asks.
“When I was hiding in the woods,” I sniff, sitting up when the feelings pass. “I peeked out and… Micah was up there looking into the woods after they shot Soren.”
“Goddamnit!” Caine roars.
“I’m sorry,” I say tearfully. “I wanted to help but I…”
“No, no, no,” Vaughn says, cupping my face. “Soren did the right thing by having you hide. This is how you’re helping him. Okay? We will find your mate, I swear to it.”
“I miss him.” I choke out a sob, and they all sit on the bed and surround me with a hug. I pray that Soren can feel this comfort. Wherever he is, I won’t stop until I find him.
When enough time passes that I think I can manage to get up, we all walk downstairs. Laurent starts by making me something to eat while I am placed on the couch. I am wearing one of Soren’s shirts, and his scent is keeping me sane.
Laurent sets a plate of food in my lap, and I stare at it almost like I have forgotten what to do next. It’s simple items—toast, eggs, sliced fruit—but I just sit here. “Eat,” he says gently.
“I’m going to throw my food at the next fucking person who tells me to eat, or calm down, or breathe,” I threaten.
“Good thing it’s not silver,” Vaughn says with the smallest of smiles. I relax a bit because he’s trying. They are all trying. I have to remember that Soren is their friend also. They’ve been together for so long, and they are now losing Micah. They are feeling things, too, so I have to give them grace. I guess I could make all of this about me, but what does that solve?
This house feels wrong without Soren’s constantly irritated presence filling every room. No growling or muttering obscenities. There aren’t heavy footsteps stomping across the wood floor. No empty threats that we all know he never means.
Just… silence. Cold, empty silence.
Underneath all of the anger, all I have is his suffering. Pain, forced pleasure, pain, and more forced pleasure. It’s like they’re taking turns breaking him apart and forcing his body to betray him, but why?
I grip the blanket around my shoulders and force myself to pick up a slice of buttered toast. I am shaking so badly that crumbs fall on his shirt.
Soren’s shirt.
His scent.
My throat tightens, and my eyes burn. I take a bite and chew, but the bread turns to paste in my mouth. I don’t want it. My stomach doesn’t want it, but if I am going to get Soren back, I have to take care of myself. I can’t be stubborn and collapse because I stop eating.
Henry would like that too much. Micah too. That thought makes me swallow that bite and take another. And another.
Laurent, Caine, and Vaughn sit with me as I eat, and no one talks. No one touches me. We all know we need this moment to reset before we go to war. I just want him back.
