Fuck, what the hell did they do to her?
I all but run the short distance to Blake and cup the side of her neck, checking for her pulse. I release a breath I didn’t even know I was holding when I find it. Releasing her neck, I look at the chains holding her to the wall.
“We need a pair of bolt cutters or the fuckin’ key,” Christian states coming next to me.
I step forward to shield my woman’s naked body, knowing she wouldn’t want him to see her. “Find something to get her free,” I mutter and strip off my shirt, slipping it over Blake’s head.
Her eyes flutter slightly, and she lifts her head weakly. “Theo.”
The word is weak, but I hear it. “Yeah, Snowflake, I’m here. We’re gonna get you out of here.”
Blake doesn’t say anything else. She couldn’t due to going fully limp, having passed out again.
“Fuck,” I grumble and look over my shoulder and yell, “Hurry up. She needs to get the hell out of here and to the hospital.”
ChapterTwelve
BLAKE
“You said she was okay. Why isn’t she waking up?” I recognize the harsh tone almost instantly.
The next thing to hit my ears is a beeping sound. The smell of antiseptics fill my nostrils, making my stomach churn—a wave of nausea hits me.
“Sir, as I’ve stated before, your fiancée will wake at any time,” a voice I’ve never heard before says. “Her body has been through enough trauma it needs to heal. The fact that she’s not lost the baby is a miracle.”
Fiancée?
Baby?
What?
Have I missed something?
“I fuckin’ know that, Dr. Langsten. Doesn’t mean I don’t want her to wake up,” Theo snaps gruffly—almost harshly. “It’s been over a week now, and she hasn’t opened her eyes yet.” By the time he finishes those last four words, his voice is filled with anguish.
“There’s nothing else I can do at the moment, Mr. De Luca,” Dr. Langsten states, and I can hear foot movement. “I will be back to check on her in a bit. If anything happens before then, page one of the nurses, and they’ll get a hold of me.” A door opens and closes quietly, leaving the room in silence.
Or at least mostly. The beeping sound of a machine fills in that space.
Unable to stand it any longer, I crack my eyes open slightly and spot Theo right away, standing near the end of the bed. He’s got his head tilted down, looking at the floor, and his hands are planted on his hips. I can’t tell what’s on his mind, but from how tense he looks, I’m sure it’s not good.
Memories come swarming back in like a bee to a hive. Ethan and his tortures. My parents and theirs. Mia.
Oh no.
No. No. No. Mia, I hope she’s okay.
I squeeze my eyes shut once more and think of the last time I saw her. I agreed to Ethan’s demands in order to save her. Ethan followed them up the stairs and came down not long after. When he did, the bastard . . . My throat tightens at the pain he inflicted on my body. The heat from the branding iron where he seared it into my skin—I can still smell the burning of my flesh.
After Ethan branded me, he went about his same form of torture, only adding in a few new touches. I don’t even want to think of how he’d violated me.
The beeping in the room increases as my heart picks up, fear of Ethan finding me and repeating what he’d done.
“Shh, Snowflake,” Theo murmurs, brushing a hand through my hair. I didn’t even hear him come closer. “I’ve got you, baby. Nothing will ever take you from me again.”
The way he says this, I wonder how many times he’s said those same words to me.
Needing to see his face, wanting him to promise me I’m safe . . . that no one will take me away again. I slowly open my eyes and meet his for the first time in I don’t know how long. I’ve definitely missed his beautiful dark eyes.