“I’ll always come for you,wirbelwind,” he finally whispers, and I let out a choked laugh at the endearment.
“All the years I was alone, no one ever saved me before,” I whisper back and he laughs lightly, taking a step in to bring his lips down to mine.
“About time I repaid the favor.”
When his lips touch mine my brain goes mushy, all thoughts just disappearing in his kiss. I feel dizzy and for a moment and I think I might actually fall before his arm comes around me, pulling me close.
“I thought I fucking lost you,” he accuses, his tone angrier this time. I look up into his eyes and see a desperation there I’ve never seen before. I can only imagine how much he was hurting when he was taken, much less my act. I have to resist the urge to check his arms for new scars or scabs.
“Who?” he asks bluntly, and I know what he’s asking.
“Dick.”
Breathing heavily a few more times, I don’t register him moving until his hand slams into the wall beside us making me jump. I don’t bother asking if his knuckles are okay.
Today, the possessiveness is endearing.
Someone else steps into the doorway, a man I don’t recognize who’s wearing one of the weirdest outfits I’ve ever seen.
“Why hullo, princess,” the man beams, bowing as though I am royalty and not a ragged, bloody prisoner. “As lovely as it is to meet you, we really must get moving.”
I look to Ax who looks seriously unimpressed with the man before us but nods his agreement.
“Ana, this is Crow,” he tells me, and my eyebrows rise. This is the man?
“He’s here to help.”
Crow turns and Ax grasps my hand, looking at me one more time.
“Can you move?” he asks, worry evident in his tone. I nod, not bothering to explain further. I can go slow.
With Ax here, I can do anything.
“Let’s go.”
Ax explains quickly as we rush through the rest of the building until we find Ethan and a handful of other prisoners. I’m pleasantly surprised to see Brutus among them.
“She’s not here,” Ethan tells Ax, his face fallen.
“She’s probably back in town,” Ax replies and it’s then I realize who they’re talking about.
“Sammi is here,” I tell them, taking a step forward. Ethan rushes forward, grabbing me by the shoulders hard enough that I gasp. Ax growls but I quickly hold my hand up to stop him.
“Ana,” Ethan says, his voice tense.
“Dick had her,” I say, my voice smaller than I’d like.
Judging by the look on Ethan’s face, Dick is about to have areallybad day.
Forty Five
Axle
Ihave no idea how he knows it all so well, but Crow tells us he knows of another grouping of cells where he thinks Sammi might be kept. Although I want to help Ethan, honestly my attention is completely focused on the bloodied woman beside me. The fact she is limping slightly, hugging her middle, infuriates me. Her face is swollen and bloody, but her hand is gripped tightly in mine. She looks over at me often, as though reassuring herself I’m still here.
The demons roll and boil under my skin looking at her perfect face covered in blood and bruises. Her nose is crooked and looks broken and I can’t tell how much of the blood is from that and how much from other injuries. She’s favoring one side and I can tell she’s trying to hide it, but I think she might have a broken rib. I know that awkward gait well enough from experiencing the same only a few weeks ago.
Despite all of this, she stands tall. A few tears leaked free when I came into her cell, but she walks beside me now outwardly strong and ready. The slight quiver I feel under her skin I know she hesitates to show the others, but I intend to make her shiver and feelallwoman as soon as we get away from this fucking place.