Page 54 of The Villain

I struggled to sit up fully as I spat the words past the pain. “Where thefuckis Devlin?”

Rhys’s brows drew together. “Why are you worried abouthim?”

I managed to roll my body to the side and sit up on the edge of the bed. The room spun, and Jace reached out to steady me as I planted my feet on the floor.

He squinted at me in confusion. “Cian, what the fuck?”

My neck felt like someone had taken a hatchet to it. “Take me to him.”

“No,” Jace said firmly, like I was a child. “Absolutely not. You can’t even walk?—”

I pushed to my feet, then promptly fell back on my ass. The IV stand toppled over, and I ripped the needle from my arm before forcing myself upright. Blood dripped onto my sweatpants. There were two Jaces standing in front me now, and my eyes darted between them as I fought to focus on the correct one. “I’m asking one more time. Where. Thefuck.Is Devlin?”

Rhys came around the bed to stand at my side, one hand raised. “There’s plenty of time to make him pay for what he did to?—”

“Where is he?!” I roared. Pain lanced through my neck like a blade.

Jace jerked back like I’d just hit him. Rhys blinked a few times, waiting a beat before answering in a slow, careful tone. “He’s in Bo’s old room. We cleared it out.”

I stumbled toward the door on bare feet. Throwing it open, I tripped into the hallway and slammed into the far wall.

“Jesus Christ, Cian!” Jace hollered from somewhere behind me. I felt the whisper of a hand on my back, but I was already stumbling down the stairs toward Bo’s room. So close. Just down the hallway. To Devlin.

I don’t like the dark.

I’ve got you. You’re not alone. I’m right here.

Men peered out of their rooms as I staggered down the hallway. I vaguely registered the heavy thuds of my bare feet against the wood floor. I knew I was making a scene. I just didn’t fucking care.

I reached Bo’s old room and slumped against the door as I typed in the code.Beep. Incorrect. I growled and tried again.Beep. Incorrect again. “Fuck!” I raged.

Rhys appeared next to me and gently pushed my hands away. Then he calmly typed in the correct four digits. The lock unlocked.

I half-stepped, half-fell into the room, only managing to stay on my feet by sheer force of will. The room was dark, and my shaky fingers scrabbled at the wall until I found the light switch. Soft light from a domed ceiling fixture flicked on, revealing an empty room save for one small body curled into a ball in the corner, his back to me. Blood stained the floor beneath a familiar head of auburn hair.

“See?” Jace snapped from behind me. “He’s suffering. Whatever you need to do to him can wait.”

I couldn’t keep my balance anymore. Not when the man who’d held my hand in the dark was lying broken in front of me.

“No,” I breathed as I crashed to my knees. The body still didn’t move. I crawled toward him, ignoring the way Rhys sucked in a breath behind me.

“Devlin.” I touched his shoulder. “Dev.”

I rolled him onto his back, and a broken sob lodged in my throat. His face was a bloody mess—and it wasn’t my blood, either. One eye was swollen shut, almost completely black. His lips were split and bleeding in three different places, and bruises covered most of his pale skin. His left forearm looked swollen and angry. Dirt and dried blood had left his once-white T-shirt a grimy mess, and I could see more bruised skin through the ragged tears in the fabric. He still wore the same pants from two days ago, the ones with that stupid sauce stain on his thigh.

I lightly cupped his swollen cheek. I didn’t even know where I could touch him without causing him more pain. “Devlin. Hey. Look at me.”

He didn’t move, and I panted in panicked breaths as I searched his bloody neck for a pulse. Relief coursed through me the second I felt it.

“Devlin…” my voice cracked. “Come on. It’s me.”

His lips twitched, and he opened the only eye he could. A burst blood vessel stained the white sclera around his green iris, making him look like the demon he was. He blinked, and his brows furrowed slightly.

“Cian…?” he whispered, then shook his head with a wince. “No.” A weak whimper escaped as he sucked in a breath. “You’re dead.”

I skimmed my thumb along his jaw. “No, devil. I’m not.”

“Th-they said… They s-said you were.” A tear slid from his one eye. “H-how are you here?”