Nathan took a menacing step toward them.
“Don’t let her bait you,” Trey ordered and rose, keeping his arms locked around her waist. Part of her recognized what was happening but another part of her had risen above the scene, causing her to witness what was taking place rather than actually participating. “She’s crashing, man.”
“What are you talking about?” Nathan should have sounded closer, not farther away.
What the fuck was going on?
Why couldn’t she hear?
Why did her vision seem so out of focus?
Her body felt weightless, as though she was no longer of substance. Then her mind fogged over, thoughts tumbling out of sequence. Concentrating, she attempted to piece them together.
Leigh and Nathan. Mates?
Absolutely not.
Trey coming for her? Rushing in to secure her safety?
Only if the world had come to an end.
It didn’t make sense. Something in her mind clicked—like an openhanded slap to the face—and she got wise to what had been taking place. Of course. That was it. None of it was real. She’d managed to delude herself yet again.
It’s another dream.
It made total sense given the circumstances.
What better way to live in captivity than to create your own dreamworld with characters manipulated by mental puppet strings? The turn of events was created in her mind to cope with her situation. She tried to focus, to take the dream in a different direction. She’d take herself way back—to the only night she’d had with Trey. Only this time she’d make him say and do the things she wanted him to. She’d obtain some level of satisfaction even if she had to fake it.
To her frustration nothing changed, no matter how hard she tried to coerce her mind to another path. Trey remained, so tantalizingly close she could smell him. His pulse beckoned, his muscular body taunting her with pleasure that always remained out of her reach. Was that what was about to happen? Would he turn her away a second time, laughing in her face, tossing her aside like a secondhand toy?
Hadn’t it been enough that he’d starved her body?
Did he also have to pick apart her soul?
Left with nothing else, she did as she’d longed to for days.
Why not? It wasn’t as if anyone would hear. If this was her future it was time to lance the wound, remove the infection and start over. Her heart had to come to terms with things once and for all. Otherwise she’d remain trapped in demented nightmares she couldn’t escape.
Just like this one.
Dropping the sword, she threw back her head and released the scream of anguish that had been contained for far too long. She focused on the sound—finding it fitting that her shriek started out fierce but quickly turned into a miserable wail—and found peace in doing the only thing she could.
Finally—after all she’d been through—she let go and accepted her fate.
Trey wasn’t a version of heaven.
He was her tormentor in hell.
Damn it!
Even now, holding Sadie tightly against him and promising her safety, Trey had failed his mate. He’d sensed her turmoil and confusion but had attributed it as a natural response to Leigh’s departure. Prior to her shift in mood he’d scented her desire, his cock becoming hard as a rock. She’s been ready for him, primed for whatever he wanted to give her. If he’d wanted he could have lifted her off the ground and taken her to the wall. She’d have let him. She’d been so hot, the sweet and heady fragrance of her cunt right below his nose.
Then Nathan had appeared and flipped a switch inside his mate.
Once again, much-needed knowledge came too late. Her behavior wasn’t a case of nerves or transgressions gone awry. His proud and unshakable mate had slammed into a wall she couldn’t demolish. He’d never seen her like this—unable to control herself, crumbling right before his eyes.
“She’s been through hell and back. It’s time to pay her dues,” he snarled at his Beta, keeping Sadie pressed to his chest, loathing the anguish he heard in her cry. “Her emotions are all over the place. Use your nose. Scent the goddamn air. She’s about to have a mental fucking breakdown.”
“We don’t have time for this.” Nathan’s desperation beat against Trey, the Beta seeking the security and guidance of his Alpha. Instinctively his wolf reached out to Nathan’s, trying to settle the raging beast. “We have to find Leigh. It’s too dangerous to wait. Aldon—”
“Can’t you see I have my own shit to deal with?”
He got Nathan’s concern—he really did—but he couldn’t focus on the Beta’s anxiety over Leigh, nor could he devote time to ease his pack mate’s worries. For once he had to put his needs—his female’s fucking needs—over the wants of others. He’d known she needed him but had grievously underestimated just how much.
Why didn’t she come to me before this?
“Get the car and bring it ‘round. Grab my clothes outta the trunk. We have to split,” he instructed, thankful when Sadie’s cries died down. Then he saw her posture, the way that she tuned out everything around her.
Damn it.
He expected tears, or perhaps her to cling to him for support. She did neither, remaining where she stood like he wasn’t even there. Lifting his head, he found Nathan gawking at the two of them. The wolf snarled its disapproval in his head, rising once again to display its dominance over its pack mate.
“That wasn’t a request,” he roared, allowing his fangs to drop, giving the Beta proper warning. “Get the goddamn car!”
“Where in the hell do you think we can go? The pack is waiting for you at the station. You can’t take her there.”
Fuck. Nathan had a point. Thinking fast, he blurted, “Diskant.”
“Are you insane?” Nathan shifted his feet and folded his arms over his chest. “He’ll tell the pack. It’ll cause an uprising we can’t control.”
“She saved Ava’s life,” Trey reminded him. “Diskant owes her.”
Nathan frowned, his eyes glowing bright yellowish-green. “That’s true but she’s a vampire. He doesn’t trust her.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck.” So help him, if Nathan didn’t do as he was told soon, Trey was going to blow a fuse and take the man’s head off. “Get the car.”
Thank God Nathan finally listened and stopped arguing. They’d parked a few blocks over and walked the remaining distance to the brownstone Leigh had directed them to. Ironically, Trey knew the location well, having been the one to install Aldon’s security systems. That was how he’d created a tentative partnership with the man.
One the pack knew little about.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
When they got wind of what had happened, the shit was definitely going to hit the fan. He wasn’t sure how things were going to go down from here. He and Nathan had planned on preparing the pack for their big reveal after they exposed the truth to his friend and the Omega of the city, Diskant Black. Circumstances, as they often did, altered his strategy.
He’d have to come up with a different arrangement.
Something he—and the unraveling woman in his arms—could live with.
“Sadie.” He glided his fingers into her hair and cupped the back of her neck. Then he let her go and brought his other hand to her jaw, using the backs of his knuckles to lift her face toward his. “Look at me.”
His heart sank when their eyes met.
Her irises—normally as vibrant as the sky on a cloudless summer day—had dulled over.
She’s staring right through me.
Acting in the only way he knew, he gently cradled her face and brought his lips to hers. She smelled so fucking enticing, wildflowers with a dash of incense. Their mouths met in the barest of touches, a mere whispering of contact. Still she didn’t react, motionless as a statue. He upped the ante, bringing the hand nestled in her hair down and around. Grasping her ass, he yanked her hips to his. His desire for her hadn’t diminished, his cock was thick and fully engorged. He let her feel the entire length, rolling his hips for added measure, sliding his dick up and down her leather pants.