Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) (28 page)

Kane cleared
his throat and straightened in his chair. “You had your
information. Why did you stop him?”

“Don’t ever
question my motives again.” Ayden leaned into the table. “The next
time you prod him, you become his kill. And, I can guarantee you,
Logan is a master when it comes to pain.” She straightened. “Let’s
go. Enough of this recess shit.”

As Kane
followed Ayden up the stairs, her smell trailed behind. God, that
scent, like a ripe fruit waiting to be plucked and devoured. With
each step, the muscles contracted inside her tight leather
pants.

The sudden
constriction of his pants against his hardening bulge brought him
back to reality.

What the
hell?
He cursed himself for his arousal and turned away from
the view that guided him like a ground marshal.

Though, even
back in the room, the way she set her knee on the bed as she held
the cuffs in her hands, waiting for him to climb in, set a fire
inside of him.

Jesus Christ,
what’s wrong with me?

First the
hellhound, the confrontation with Logan, that literally flew from
his mouth, and then an inexplicable hard-on for a woman who got off
on kicking his ass.

Am I turning
into some kind of sick masochist?

He kicked his
wet shoes off and slipped beneath the sheets, hopefully before
Ayden could catch sight of the party going on in his pants.

She leaned
over him, her hot breath against his arm prickling his skin as the
cuffs clicked into place. The smooth brush of leather against his
cheek made his dick jerk. Behind that leather was a set of plump
breasts. No doubt, the kind that would curve into his palm and roll
beneath his kneading fingertips.

Ah, God,
stop.

A chill ran up
Kane’s spine, and he squinted his eyes shut until she finished but
the ache of mounting pressure had already set in.

“I have some
research to do,” she said. “I intend to find this Evan Roth.”

The shift in
the mattress told him she’d stood again, and lifting his lids a
little, Kane nodded, fearing his voice would arrive as an
unintended squeak.

Her brows knit
together, but Ayden left the room.

“Christ,” he
murmured, trying to ease his tense muscles. Kane rubbed his
forehead against his raised bicep. “What the hell are you
doing?”

He settled his
head back on the pillow and took deep breaths. Had his hand been
freed, he could have taking care of his need by himself. His hips
rolled almost involuntarily to the motion of rocking into Ayden’s
body. Not matter how much he willed himself to focus on something
else, the only thoughts flooding his mind were of Ayden, naked,
riding him as his hands remained cuffed to the bedpost. Her long
hair falling around her shoulders. That face, like a dark angel’s,
inebriated with lust.

Stop it. Stop
it. Fucking stop it. Damn, this is all wrong.

His body acted
on its own carnal fantasies. Stomach clenched, he writhed against
his binds, muscles stretched taut. He bit his arm, drawing blood
and allowed the pain to seep into him. The sting spread into his
muscles.

In a moment of
mercy, it managed to stamp out his burgeoning desire.

~

“Lycan. Wake
up.” A jolt to the bed jerked Kane from dreams. “I can’t find a
damn thing on this guy.”

Ayden’s words
barely came into focus as Kane roused from a daze. He blinked and
looked over at the window. The world had already turned dark.
“Damn, how long have I been out?”

“It’s after
six. You slept most of the afternoon.”

“Is this
common?” He rubbed his head against his shackled arm.

Ayden nodded.
“So where else can I find more information on this guy? It’s as if
he doesn’t exist.”

“The hospital.
They’d have records. My old office. There are files on each of the
employees.”

Her expression
turned to a grimace as she tipped her head, eyes focused. “What the
hell happened to your arm?”

The bite wound
had healed already, but the blood had dried down his arm. “Uh, just
got carried away on an itch.”

Her frown
smoothed as she turned toward a knock at the door.

The door swung
open and Annabelle wheeled in a cart, a smile on her face. “Time
for the master’s dinner.”

***

Rich scents
preceded Annabelle’s approach. Steak, potatoes, green beans. Ayden
could make them out individually. She hardly ate anything during
the day, mostly because eating took time. One thing she’d learned
living with Wrath Demons: food for the undead wasn’t consumed for
sustenance, but meant to be savored and enjoyed.

She didn’t
have time for that shit.

Kane sat up in
bed, pulling against his binds. “Annabelle, have I told you how
much the sight of you makes my day?”

“Oh,
stop.”

By God, Anna
was blushing.

“You say that
because I bring the food, Master Kane. Like those Pavlov dogs.”
There was a flirtatious edge to Anna’s giggle.

“It’s your
kindness, Annabelle,” Kane said.

Oh,
please.
Ayden fought rolling her eyes. “Anna … you don’t have
to call—” She stopped when Anna’s round hazel eyes stared back at
her, all innocent and endearing. “Never mind.” The silent grumble
remained trapped in Ayden’s throat as she unlocked the cuffs.

As quickly as
Annabelle had strolled into the bedroom, she exited, calling from
the hallway, “I’ll be back to pick up the dishes, love.”

Kane gave her
a thumbs up and smiled, his mouth already full of food.

Ayden took her
usual seat beside him. “So, the hospital?”

He gulped the
food. “Yes.”

“I have to get
in there, somehow.” Ayden sighed. “I can’t exactly have you come
with me. You’re famous now.”

His eyes
perked up. “I made the evening news?”

“Yeah. First
story.” This time Ayden did roll her eyes. “You’re a friggin’ rock
star.”

“Wow. Go
figure! I wondered if anyone would bother to report me missing.” He
took a bite of his steak. “Just goes to show ya the impac’ ‘ou can
make in people’s lives when ‘ou let them in,” he added, his were
muffled by chewing.

“Where’s your
office?”

“Fifth floor
of the outpatient building. You’ll have to take the staircase.” He
gestured with his fork as if it’d make a difference in his
explanation. “And make sure you stay close to the wall or you’ll
set off the alarm.”

“Do you know
the code to the alarm?”

“Nope.” He
paused, looking thoughtful. “Crazy, considering how many late
nights I spent there.”

“Fifth floor.
Outpatient building. Office number?”

“Uh. It used
to have a nameplate. I wonder if it’s still up.”

His chewing
grated on Ayden’s last nerve. “Hey. Here. Focus.” She snapped her
fingers at him.

“It’s the
third door from the staircase. Good luck.”

She stood up
from the chair and headed for the door. What he’d given her wasn’t
much, but maybe she could get to the hospital and back before the
lycan hunt later in the evening.

“If you see
Evan, give him my be—” A thunderous grunt severed Kane’s words.

Silverware
dropped to the plate and clanged.

His
change.
Ayden halted and swung around as Kane knocked the bed
tray over and clutched the sheets of the bed, arching his back as
though caught up his own silent agony.

Leave
Ayden.

Sweat broke
out all over his body, sheening his skin.

She swallowed
a gulp. That feeling in her gut swelled again. Of course his change
would bring that out in her. The closer he came to being the wolf,
the more she’d develop the urge to kill him.

Don’t be a
fool. He has answers. A few more days.

In spite of
her brain’s urgency to leave, her body rebelled. She crossed back
over and sat on the chair, watching as pain wracked his body until
her thoughts drifted to dark memories tucked deep inside her brain
and they bubbled to the surface like the dead rising up from an
empty river.

A gray-haired
man in black leather hovered over her, standing beside another man.
Both wore surgical masks. Her eyes craved sleep, but her mind raced
too fast to relax. Where am I? The light glaring down on her looked
like something from a hospital. Is this a hospital? Did I
survive?

“
It will
begin tonight,” the masked man said to the gray-haired. “You’d do
best to lock her in a room. Not just for her. For all of the
soldiers.”

“
I survived
it. The others survived it. She will, too.” Gray hair’s voice,
untouched by the slightest emotion, carried as a threat of what was
to come.

“
Her
antibody titers are the highest I’ve ever recorded in a human
subject. I suspect this will be the worst case we’ve seen.”

A glide of
gray hair’s hand against her shoulder registered as little more
than a tickle. Her body refused to cringe at the touch, much as she
hated the feel of his fingers against her skin. “She will make the
ultimate weapon. Unstoppable.”

“
Perhaps
you might assign someone to look after her.”

“
This will
toughen her up. If she can survive this pain, she can survive
anything.” Gray hair sneered. “In fact, put her in one of the
dungeon rooms. I don’t want her getting comfortable.”

The other
man’s eyes slid shut, and he gave a subtle shake of his head. Had
Ayden not been consumed with anger and confusion, his silent
concern may have caused her to tear up, to panic. Instead, there
was nothing. Numbness. No emotion. No feeling. As if she’d
died.

Blackness
crept in and gave way to the shadows crawling on the wall.

Screams ripped
through Ayden’s chest as the first wave of pain struck. Her body,
rigid and cold, failed to move as a sharp, piercing sensation
traveled to every muscle like a train with razor blades for
wheels.

Her cries
echoed throughout the dark and empty room. She lay alone on a steel
bed with no blankets. A tomb, if she failed to make it through the
night.

Ayden snapped
back to the present, hands trembling at her sides. She swiped at
the dagger, eyes focused on the bathroom as her fingers gripped the
hilt, then returned to Kane, still arched on the bed. As his
bellows carried throughout the room, something tugged inside her
chest. Hate? Empathy?

No. Stop it.
Stop it.

Still, she
pushed up until next to the bed. “Lycan!” she yelled. “Lycan! I’m
talking to you. Look at me!”

Convulsions
jerked his body and his eyes squinted.

Stop it.

Ayden knelt
beside the bed.
Please stop.
His movements, his cries of
pain drudged a whole world of destruction in her gut. She grabbed
his hand, an effort to keep from strangling him. His grip tightened
against her palm. Had she been human, he would have crushed her.
She allowed him to squeeze—the only sensation that kept her from
killing him.

“Kane.” She
spoke softer than before. “Kane look at me.”

Panting, his
lips downturned into a grimace, he opened his eyes.

She recognized
the fear in them—the same fear she’d experienced when she’d turned
into one of the Alexi. Not knowing when the pain would end or if it
would end at all—an unrelenting hell.

“Keep your
eyes on me, Kane. Look at me and only me, you hear?”

He gave a
stiff nod, but another wave hit, and his back arched into it,
coming right off the bed.

“Kane!” Her
voice bounced off the walls like a firecracker.

Stilling once
more, he stared up at the ceiling, his body trembling, and his grip
so tight, he could probably snap her fingers off if he’d
wanted.

“I’m right
here, Kane. Look at me.” She forced their bonded hands up in the
air so he could see she had him in her grasp.

His gaze
trailed to hers, the whites of his eyes a prominent feature, a
clear indication that the horror had only just begun.

***

Only darkness
penetrated the windows when Kane woke up. From the moment he opened
his eyes, though, he noticed the clarity at which everything came
into view, as if seeing it in plain daylight. In fact, his entire
body felt strong, alive, and his legs bore the urge to run.

He sniffed the
air, glancing down at what he found, his body instantly
responding.

Ayden lay
beside him, draped across the edge of the bed, long brown locks
covering her face. An opened hand lay just outside of his
reach.

His heart
picked up speed. Excitement burst within him.

So hungry.

Saliva pooled
in his mouth and he swallowed it. That sugar scent drifted into his
nose, scrambling his brain. Thoughts of her flesh against his
tongue and her hair tangled in his fist swelled his loins. In a
slow, fluid motion, Kane lowered himself to her, teeth bared and a
quiet growl trapped in his throat.

Ayden shifted
and stretched her neck. The hair covering her face fluttered to the
side, revealing lowered lids.

Kane’s stomach
lurched.
What the hell am I doing?

Images of her
face, memories of her talking to him, surfaced in his mind. He
looked down to her hand, the same hand that had held his when the
pain wracked his body.

Why did she do
that?

Gaze glued to
Ayden, Kane reached beneath the sheet, his fingers stretching
toward the ache of his erection. Gripping around the shaft, he
squeezed, imagining the hand lying next to him doing the same. He
dared not make any sudden movements. She would wake.

Kane forced
his mind to drift to something else: thoughts of work, his house,
bills, his car, things that didn’t really matter to him anymore.
Hell, anything to keep his mind off of the sexual tension mounting
inside of him.