by Tl Reeve
“You are, I agree.”
“Besides, how do you know so much about Hazel? Did she fuck you and leave you too?” Low blow. Hayden realized antagonizing him wouldn’t do anything to help her situation; however, it felt good. It gave her a small victory when her chances of survival dwindled the longer she remained shackled to the table.
“I think my ego would be bruised if your statement was true.” He closed the distance between them, pressing his body to hers. The thick line of his erection lay against her belly. Everything inside of her shriveled up. “No, my sweet niece, my sister didn’t fuck me. She left me to the PBH bastards who mind raped me day after day, just to see what would happen.”
Hayden reared back. “What did you say?” She couldn’t believe it. She stared up at the man who didn’t look a thing like her or like Bodhi and tried to find some distinguishing mark, anything to prove what he said was the truth. She found nothing.
“You’re wondering how. I can see it in your eye. Your eye is ice-blue. Your nose is flared, as if you’re trying to find a familial scent. I’m sorry, you won’t.” He seemed disappointed by the prospect of her not ferreting out the truth.
“How is this possible? Holly would have told me. S-s-she wouldn’t keep this from me.”
“Holly?” He sneered. “Simpering Holly. She didn’t have the stomach for the experiments. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop her from being jealous of Hazel and me.” He stepped away from her and began to pace. “After the incident with your aunts at the lab, I had to go to ground. I had a complete face lift with injections. I also wear color contacts to mask the true color of my eyes.”
No. No, no, no, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be hearing these things. Holly knew. How could she know this shit without telling anyone? She’d had ten years to open up about their past, but she stuck to the same story they told everyone. They were on the run. Hayden had been kidnapped as a child, and Logan rescued her. Then they arrived in Window Rock on a lark of a chance.
“It’s all true, Hayden. What you know of your life isn’t the truth. Holly is just as responsible for this as Hazel and I are.” He lowered the table so she lay flat on her back once more. “It’s neither here nor there though. I have better things I want to do to you, now that you’ve come home.”
Unless she misunderstood him, and Hayden was almost sure she hadn’t, this sick fuck was planning on raping and breeding her. And he was her fucking uncle. Her stomach twisted, cramping as bile burned the back of her throat at the thought of his perversion.
Hayden gagged.
This man saw her as an animal. A means to an end.
A bitch to breed.
Hayden wondered how he’d react if she threw up…all over him.
“There is just one problem with your plan,” Hayden spat. Pain lanced through her heart, and her soul, with what she was about to admit…out loud. It’d mean for her it was true, and she had been avoiding it, even though, deep down, she knew it was a fact. It was always her intent to speak to her aunt Danielle, in confidence, of course, to check her fertility once things settled.
Although not common, every once in a while, shifters could be infertile. Hayden suspected it was why she hadn’t conceived yet, even when they had fucked under the full moon and Nico had knotted her. His seed had never taken. Deep down, she knew she was the cause. She never voiced her concerns and never admitted it out loud. Till now. “I’ve been unable to conceive with my mate. What makes you think what you have planned will work?”
Worthington gave a sinister laugh. It was truly evil, and it sent shivers down her spine. “Poor, poor Hayden. Has my sweet, little niece been worrying herself sick with the fact she hasn’t conceived?” He gave an exaggerated frown. “You have, haven’t you.” His thick, cold fingers trailed down her uninjured cheek, to cup her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her to look at him. “It must hurt, when everyone around you is getting pregnant and you’re not.”
Hayden hated the small whimper pushing past her trembling bottom lip. “Shut up.”
Henry tsked. “You need not worry. I have the cure for your supposed infertility.”
Hayden cringed when his hand dropped to her shoulder, then went lower still, to the top of her breast. His fingers brushed across the delicate skin, attempting to tease her nipples. Her nipples pearled under his ministrations, uncaring if she enjoyed it or not. Hayden turned her head away from him. Shame rolled through her. She bit her lip to stifle a cry of humiliation when he aggressively massaged her breast.
“Stop…please,” she begged.
Her skin crawled as he released the abused flesh and moved down her belly. He pressed his fingers against her belly, allowing the tips to stop just above her sex and dig into her skin. Hayden curled her lip in disgust. She tried desperately to shrink away from him in disgust at his touch. When Nico rescued her, he was going to cut Henry’s dick off and feed it to him. She’d be right there, standing next to her mate as the bastard died too.
“Only after I’ve fucked you and filled you with my cum. Your womb is fertile, Hayden. Very, very fertile.” He licked her cheek and moaned. “I have special plans for you and me. But, it’ll take years to build my army and you’re just the first step. One I am going to relish using you over and over again.”
Hayden recoiled. “You’re sick.”
“Our children, particularly the girls, will be used as my breeders.” He ignored her statement. Or, maybe he’d been oblivious to it. His gaze had taken on a faraway quality, like he’d been lost in his own little world where all of the shit he spewed would come true. “They will be matched to those men who show the most physic abilities. The boys will be matched with strong females, giving me what I need to gain ultimate control and power.” His lips twisted into a sick smile before his fingers pressed harder, deeper into her belly, almost to the point of pain.
Hayden bit down hard on her lip, and the copper taste of blood exploded across her tongue. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he repulsed her.
“Hazel was smart. Before your birth, she figured out a way to suppress your fertility, until such a time as when we needed it. We couldn’t have you mixing your genetics with just anyone, my sweet, now could we? Too bad you can’t ask your precious aunt Holly, she knows all about it.” He gave a maniacal laugh. “It was all planned. Every single step. Except Hazel and Simon dying.” He frowned. The way he could flip his emotional switches scared Hayden. “None of us expected that to happen. Everything else was planned. Hazel orchestrated it all.”
“No! You bastard. I will never help you. I’d rather die than be used as a baby factory!” Hayden bucked against the chains. The cuffs around her wrists and ankles tore into her skin, causing her to bleed.
Hayden ignored the pain spreading through her body, instead focusing on the piece of shit who stood in front of her. How could Holly have hidden her true nature for so long? How could her timid, fearful, and suspicious aunt Holly fool her uncle Mackenzie? Or even Kalkin, who always just seemed to know things and was often steps ahead of everyone else. Not this time though. Uncle Kalkin couldn’t have expected or planned for this. They were all caught unaware. Knowing her family as she did, it would never happen again.
Hayden banged the back of her head against the steel table in frustration, wanting, no needing, to know more about what they’d done to her body. Asking such would give Worthington the satisfaction of knowing he’d gotten to her. Hayden couldn’t give him that pleasure.
For now, she tucked everything away until she was free. Danielle would help with the fertility issue, and Kalkin would deal with Holly. Hayden had to keep her head. Getting free had to be at the forefront of her mind. No one would ever know about her aunt and her collusion with Hazel, Hayden’s mother, Simon and now Henry Worthington.
Hayden glanced down at her wrists and ankles. There weren’t any locks. The mechanisms were inside the steel bindings. Even if there’d been some way to snap the chain, the he
avy metal would still weigh her down. Maybe if she could use her telekinesis like she unleased earlier, she could unlock them. Hayden searched deep inside of herself, looking for even a glimmer of whatever triggered the unleashing of her abilities. Unfortunately, Hayden hadn’t even known she was capable of such a thing, let alone what to sense within her to bring them forth. Too bad her Aunt Keeley wasn’t there with her. She’d know how to get her powers churning. What she wouldn’t give to see Worthington fly through the air again.
“Calm down, my sweet,” he warned her, his tone menacing. “I’m quite possessive of all my toys and don’t like my merchandise damaged.”
Hayden spat at him. The slimy wad of spit and blood landed on his cheek and slowly tracked down his face. “I’m not a toy.”
“Oh, but you are. Built to be the perfect fuck hole. Tell me, my sweet, do you like it rough? A touch of pain with your pleasure? I promise I’ll make it hurt so good for you, my sweet.”
Hayden growled when he caressed her cheek again, refusing to respond to his vile questions. She kept her focus on the wall across for her, hoping her mate would find her before her own flesh and blood defiled her in the worst way.
“No answer?” He tilted his head to the side. “It’s okay. I know the truth. My sweet sister made you perfect and just for me.”
The urge to throw up churned within her. Rage burned within her. In her mind, she played out every scenario of her ripping the man in front of her apart, limb from limb. On the outside though, she maintained the picture of calm, not willing to let the man see a crack in the armor she’d built up or how she trembled inside.
No matter what he said, she reminded herself she was a Raferty and the mate of Nico Lopez. She had the perfect combination of Raferty stubbornness and the strength of her mate’s love. She wrapped herself in the knowledge, realizing in those moments it would get her through whatever happened.
She was sure of it.
Hayden slid her gaze off the wall toward Worthington. “My mate and family will find me. They’ll never stop coming, and when they get their hands on you, I’ll be right there, watching the life fade from your eyes as the realization of what happened dawns on you while you meet your maker.”
Hayden’s words hit the mark. Henry twitched. His face twisted with a violent edge before becoming devoid of any emotion. “Your mate is dead.” He smacked her again.
Sparks of light filled her vision, then her sight dimmed. She fought through it. She couldn’t pass out now. If she did, he’d do whatever his sick little mind decided to do. She drew several deep, slow breaths, riding out the pain. The area near her eye stung like hell. Her skin heated. When she was sure she wouldn’t pass out, she growled.
“You’re going to pay for that.” Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes.
“There is no reason to fight this!” He gave an exasperated sigh. “We’re the only ones left. Not your mate or my sisters. You and I!”
Hayden tuned out his words and searched for the mating bond connecting her to Nico. She’d been told by those who had lost their mates that when the other mate was gone it felt like a deep, dark hole opened up in their souls. Hayden signed in relief. Her bond with Nico sang through the connection, strong, and firmly locked into place.
Nico lived. She had the fucking advantage.
She smiled, not caring about her display of emotion. Knowing the truth about Nico’s fate would drive Worthington batty.
“You find something amusing,” he spat.
Spittle flew from his mouth, marking her naked skin. She shuddered. Hayden would give anything to wash it off. Yet, she ignored it for now. Later, after Nico found her, she’d scrub her skin raw to wipe away all the traces from her time with him. Then she’d demand Nico fuck her, hard, giving her back the sense of peace she’d only been able to find when they were together.
Calmness and a quiet sense of strength Hayden wasn’t even aware she had filled her. It continued to grow fiercer at the knowledge Nico wasn’t dead. It gave her hope. She understood, somehow, he’d find her and they’d survive this like they had weathered everything else life had thrown at them.
“He’s not dead.” Amusement and confidence laced her words. For the first time, Hayden felt as if she had the upper hand in this situation. She understood what Worthington couldn’t even attempt to comprehend.
“Impossible. He couldn’t survive what my men did to him.”
Hayden bit back a laugh when she saw a hint of doubt flicker in his eyes. “You and your men are a bunch of pussies.” She sneered, curling her lip at the man.
“You fucking bitch!” He pinned her to the table with his forearm at her throat and gave a growl of frustration—which was pitiful, at best, considering he was human. “He’s dead.”
“No, he’s not.” She threw caution to the wind and continued to push him. He pressed against her neck, choking her. She bared her teeth. “Ah, ah, ah. Remember, you don’t want to mar the merchandise.” Hayden was determined to not to show any fear towards the man who stood before her.
Worthington pressed even harder, cutting off her oxygen. She didn’t struggle. Hayden knew, deep down, it’d only turn the sick fuck on. Bad enough every time he got close enough his dick rubbed up against her naked body.
Hayden did the only thing she could. She glared at him, hoping her gaze revealed the disgust and hate she felt for him. Her lungs were screaming for air, and still, Hayden refused to give him the pleasure of a response. He released her, turning his back on her. His posture became one of frustration and agitation.
Hayden sucked air. With each breath, the fuzzy feeling in her brain from lack of oxygen began to dissipate and her head cleared. The sound of her pounding heart lessened in her ears.
“Defiant bitch.” Henry paced in front of her. Half of what he said, Hayden couldn’t even make out. What she did made her stomach roll. “She’s just like her fucking mother.” Hayden cringed, having no desire to be compared to Hazel. Ever. “Always had to have her way. Always right. Demanding bitch. Everything is within my grasp. Can’t fuck it up now. Not when I’m so damn close.”
He dug his fingers into his hair, tugging on it in frustration as he continued to mutter manically about Hazel and sometimes to the dead woman. If Hayden had any hopes of him being even remotely sane, those hopes flew out the fucking window.
Psycho is now having a conversation with his dead sister.
It seemed crazy ran deep in her family, and for the first time in her life, Hayden was grateful for the Raferty blood pumping through her veins.
With Worthington’s focus no longer on her, Hayden scanned the abandoned warehouse. It was bare, a skeleton of what it once was. Light from the early morning sun filtered in through the massive windows on the roof.
Whimpering from the far-right corner behind a partition told Hayden they weren’t alone. It also told her Worthington brought the cub with them. Would he use the boy against her? Had he figured out how much the cub meant to her? No, she couldn’t dwell. Once she got free, she’d grab her cub and get the hell out of the building.
A break in the sunlight streaming in had her gaze floating back to the windows. A man’s long silhouette crowded the pane of glass. Hayden watched as the black blob moved around, maybe looking for a way to break in. Hayden hoped with the depth of her being he was there to help in some way. Cautious optimism filled her.
However, whoever it was, they weren’t her mate, Nico. The form was too big and a bit bulkier than her mate. She also couldn’t make note of any distinguishing features either. If it was anyone she knew, she couldn’t tell. Hayden dropped her gaze. Worthington had paced away from her and stood in the corner by a table, still blathering on like an idiot.
Hurry, Nico, I know you’re out there!
Chapter Eight
Nico crouched near one of the vehicles at the side of the building. Having Jackson fly him in after an aerial view of the building and its surroundings had been an adventure to say the least and not something he�
��d be doing again anytime soon. Though Danielle had healed his wounds, his skin felt too tight over his ribs and some of the lingering ache when he inhaled bothered him, but not enough to keep him out of the fight.
Beside Nico was Christoph, Hauser, and a new guy, Black Jack a.k.a. Hector Chicon, member of the Lone Wolves—a disgruntled remnant faction of the Quincy pack. Though Kalkin considered them a ruthless pack of wild dogs, they’d offered their loyalties to the Raferty pack and had stayed true to their word for the last eleven years. Kalkin, Jace, Mackenzie, and Rapier were coming up at the rear of the building, while Jerome, Maxwell, and the others were at the rendezvous point two miles down the hill.
Jackson stayed in dragon form and took up position at the roof. If anyone tried to get away, he’d roast them. A twisted part of Nico relished the thought of Worthington’s men becoming shish kebabs for his scaly friend. They deserved it, and so much worse. His lip curled in disgust. He had to tamp down his rage or else he’d blow the mission.
Nico glanced down at his watch. Three minutes to breach. He promised Kalkin he wouldn’t make entry until go-time. The idea the bastard inside could be doing whatever he wanted to Hayden only made the urge to rip Worthington apart all the greater.
The glint of something on the ground caught his attention as the sun moved from behind a giant cloud. In the distance, thunderstorm clouds were building. If they didn’t hurry up, the rain would come and with it the floods. Monsoon season in the southwest wasn’t one to fuck with. Nico and Hayden learned the lesson more times than they wanted to as kids. As adults, they respected the rains and the floods associated with them.
He inched closer to the area where the object caught his gaze. There on the ground lay the necklace he bought Hayden, and behind the door of the van, the small cage his son had been in when Worthington took them. Nico hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close to entry of the warehouse until Christoph put a hand on his arm and jerked him backwards.