Page 65 of Retaliation
“Levi,” Andras snapped. “Bring Sara to the basement.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Typhon
Ipulled the soaked rag from the girl’s face, and she coughed up water, her face blotchy as she sucked down oxygen. It was mildly impressive how much torture she could take. The British girl, Tibby or whatever, barely told us anything, and I’d had her locked up for a good eight hours. I was going easier on her than most because I knew Sara had a soft spot for her. And she did bring our girl back to us, after all.
Our girl. Adrenaline rushed through my veins as I thought about what she’d done. Sara left us. Ran away. Again. At first it was funny, and the excitement of the chase heated my blood, but then I lost her scent at the train station. I couldn’t find her, and after about thirty minutes, the game took a sinister turn. When Andras got the call from some girl screaming about his father coming for Sara, time stopped and I nearly fell out of the sky.
Andras gave us an address, and Levi and I flew through the clouds to the apartment near Carson Beach. Levi broke the door down and almost killed the hysterical girl when he saw Sara passed out on the floor. I scooped up our pretty pet and placed her in Levi’s arms, the only thing I could think to do to calm him down. Sara was an anchor for him, something precious to focus on instead of the daemon snarling inside his mind. I didn’t trust him not to rip the pink-haired girl in half. Though, I did enjoy punching her in the face and knocking her out before we stole away into the night. The hair triggered several memories too. Tibby was at Noircoeur every night Sara performed. I was so wrapped up in my little vixen’s presence, I didn’t notice the sneaky little pixie hiding in plain sight.
Apparently, Laszlo Blackbyrn got to Tibby, blackmailing her to get to Sara. But why? Tibby wouldn’t say more than that. The girl was tough and not even seeing her own blood dripping down her wrists would make her talk. I patched up the wounds before she could bleed to death, though. Sara would thank me for my thoughtfulness, I’m sure.
Heavy footsteps announced their presence before the door opened. Sara’s heart beat rapidly, and I turned as she gasped at the sight her friend chained to the wall. The relief that filled me at seeing her warred with my need to strangle her for leaving us again. Levi set her on her feet, her wrists still cuffed together in front of her body.
She’s fine, brother. She heals fast, Levi’s words sounded in my head.
Without actually speaking, my brothers and I collectively dropped our barriers when we brought Sara and her friend back to The Towne House. The four of us needed to communicate discreetly while we interrogated the pink-haired spy. And sharing our thoughts on the situation was necessary. Dev didn’t fully drop his mental shields because he’s been a little prick recently, but he let us in enough to communicate.
Sara ran toward Tibby, and I caught her roughly around her pretty little throat. My thumb brushed against her racing pulse, and I tilted her head back, cutting off her oxygen as I stared her down. Her aquamarine eyes burned with defiance as she glared back at me.
“We need her to be coherent enough for questioning, Typhon,” Andras snapped. “Let her go.”
I snarled, dropping Sara. She doubled over, sucking in air, then quickly straightened and punched me square in the mouth with her cuffed fists. I was too shocked to make a sound for all of ten seconds before I laughed from deep in my chest, licking the blood from my busted lip. My dick hardened instantly for my naughty pet.
“If you wanted to play, pet, you just had to ask,” I teased her, my daemon shining through my eyes enough to make a normal human piss themselves.
She glared at me, and I could see the fire inside her writhing, itching for a fight. I wished she would. Instead, she turned her back and went to her friend.
Tibby’s voice was hoarse as she mumbled a few words in Sara’s ear.
I stepped toward them. “Now, now. No more secrets or I’ll have to get the rest of my toys out.”
I released Sara from the handcuffs, rubbing my thumb over her reddened knuckles. The marks on her hands pissed me off. No one was allowed to cause her harm, not even herself.
I brushed the sweaty strands of hair from her face, and she attempted to bite my fingers. “I’m going to have to punish you for hitting me, pet. You hurt your hand, and I’m the only one allowed to give you pain.”
Sara rolled her eyes at me and stepped in front of her friend protectively. “Fuck off, monster man.”
Andras cleared his throat. “Now, Sara, you’ve seen your backstabbing friend. She’s clearly alive. Speak plainly. If you lie, we will know, and Typhon will hurt your traitorous accomplice.”
“Let her down,” Sara demanded.
Andras crossed his arms, taking a seat in a metal folding chair. “No.”
Sara crossed her own arms, glaring at him, and fuck if I didn’t want to tie her up and fuck the brat right out of her. I prowled toward her, tracing my fingers down her throat.
She swatted me away, and I chuckled. “Let me tie her up, brother. She’d like it.”
Sara’s fist slammed into my gut, and I groaned, taking the pain and relishing it. I dodged her second punch, slipping behind her and bringing my knife to her throat while my free hand wrapped around her chest, pinning down her arms. She stiffened, but only for a moment. Her hand reached back and squeezed my balls, and my knife slid away enough for her to spin out of my grasp. I licked my lips, eyeing the line of blood on her pretty neck where the knife cut her.
Levi snuck up behind her and grabbed her wrists, shoving her arms to her sides. She reared back, headbutting him in the nose and dancing away when his grip eased. She ran toward her friend, ready to rip the chains from the walls, when in a blur of shadow, Andras shoved her to the wall, a lethal-looking blade resting over her heart.
Dev let out a strangled cry as the tip of the blade pierced her shirt and Sara hissed. I could feel Andras’s daemon rearing up, and I rested a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back to us.
Take a breath, Andras.
“Don’t worry, brother.” I chuckled, keeping my voice light, trying to calm his daemon. “This is just foreplay. Isn’t it, pet?” I glared at Sara, daring her to move as her eyes darted between mine and the devil with a knife to her heart.
