Page 134 of Ravage
“It would really be best for you to sleep now, my dear. Then I can get us both out of here somewhere safe for us to talk.”
I try to speak, but his hands block my windpipe, and all I can manage is a grunt. I grab at his arms to try pulling him off. I reach for my gift, even though a part of me knows it’s gone, but survival instinct makes me try it anyway. It’s like dipping a scoop into a bucket of ice cream and coming up empty. I scrape at it anyway, desperate for any sign of lingering power.
Losing my gift or lack of air brings tears to my eyes.
He smiles when he sees them. “Do you like the cuff? I don’t enjoy making you powerless when your gift is what makes you so special, but it’s a necessary thing until I can trust you. It’s just a prototype of what's coming from Gifted Enterprise. They still had some blood from that boy they want so much and finally figured out how they can use it. Now all they need is more of it.”
Fuck.
Dane!
How? After Vera died, they shouldn’t be able to do anything with whatever blood they had left of his.
“Thank you for bringing him, by the way. At least with him, they’ll be less concerned over the loss of the little girl. He’s the biggest prize they could hope for. So, this did all work out in the end.”
I beat my hands against his arms, his chest, trying to break his hold on me. My hand feels something cold in his front pocket and I yank it free. I stab the pen into his thigh with all of my strength. He screams and releases me. I kick and shove him off of me, then scramble away into one of the rooms.
I push the door closed behind me as I struggle back to my feet. My head is still swimming with pain, but I keep moving. I have no idea where Dane and Aiden are right now or if he’s already been taken. All I know is that I need to get to them and make sure no one gets their hands on him.
The door flies open, and I jump behind the desk in the room. I grab the drawers and throw them open to search for anything to use as a weapon. I grab a letter opener and hide it behind my back as Joe stalks toward me, backing me into the corner of the tight office.
“You’re only making this worse for yourself,” he bites out, all pretense of the friendly congressman gone. He shoves the office chair away, and I take that moment to slash at his throat. It cuts across his shoulder and chin instead, but it’s enough to distract him while I work my other hand against the cuff.
I’ve done this more times than I’d care to admit in my time after the island, but it takes some amount of focus and time to do it.
I push harder on my thumb and grit my teeth until it finally pops. I wrench the cuff off my wrist.
My gift floods through me like wildfire in my veins. It burns and feels amazing at the same time. Joe’s eyes widen.
He turns to run, and I climb onto the desk and then jump on his back to knock him down. He twists and tries to throw me off of him, but I grab his face in my hands.
Joe releases a blood-curdling scream as my gift decimates him from the inside. It isn’t long before his face cracks, then splits apart and oozes blood. “This is for Portia. And Isabel. And every girl you’ve taken advantage of and thrown away like trash, you piece of shit.”
He’s still screaming as blood leaks from his eyes. I don’t relent even when his breathing stops. I push my gift into him more and more, feeding on his pain and the way he falls apart beneath my touch. It’s like his true self is being exposed the longer I hold on. And it’s only right that others see him as he truly was.
“You’ve got him, beautiful.” My face snaps up, but I don’t let go. Kellan’s covered in his golden scales as he gazes down at me, his face solemn. “He’s dead.”
I can’t even recognize Joe as human anymore.
I shudder and release him, withdrawing my gift back into me.
Jackson steps up next to Kellan, and I gasp at the blood spattered over his face and hands.
He helps me to my feet and strokes the side of my face, spreading the blood on his hands over my cheek, but I couldn’t care less while I’m lost in his manic gaze that both terrifies and excites me.
I hold his wrist and his pulse greets me with the pounding force of a warm drum on speed.
My touch snaps something in him, and he descends on me. Jackson kisses me like a starved animal. I barely keep up with his demands while he draws me tight against his body.
This is different from the last time we kissed. His control is shattered. Nothing left but the beast.
Kellan growls and rips us apart. “Enough.”
Jack’s eyes darken and cut over to Kellan and my heart stutters in my chest.
“He’s right,” I rush out. “We need to find Dane.”
They break out of their glaring contest to look at me. Kellan’s the one to ask, “Why?”
