Forbidden (Blood Ties Book 7)

I want her.

Those words resounded in my head until they were all I could hear.

I. Want. Her.

“Riven.”

I slowly lifted my head from the tumbler of Scotch. Thomas stood in front of me, that gruesome, bloody stare fixed on mine.

“You’re worrying me.” He said carefully.

“Don’t I always?” I took a swallow, relishing the burn as it hit my belly.

Click.

My focus moved instantly to the external door of the apartment. I was already reaching behind my back for the gun tucked under my belt as it opened and Kane stepped inside. He was flushed and panicked, hastily locking the door before he turned and fixed a frantic stare on me.

My gut clenched instantly as he moved. He never even looked at Thomas, just lengthened that already long stride as he hurried my way. We’d never been what you’d call close. None of us were, but the gap between the doctor and myself stretched a little wider.

Only none of that mattered at that moment.

He headed straight for me, grabbed my arm that held the alcohol, and yanked me close…so close his words were a low hiss in my ear. “They found the body.”

Cold plunged all the way deep inside me, snuffing out the heat I’d relished before. I turned my head slowly, meeting the light green as his eyes stared into mine. I fought to think, tried to search through all the implications. “Are you sure?”

He just gave a nod as Thomas watched.

They’d found the body.

They’d found the damn body.

The fucking locator. But how? “I thought you said you had that handled?”

“I did.”

My lip curled. “Obviously not.”’

He sucked in a hard breath, flinching at the chiding remark. But I didn’t give a shit about his feelings. Not anymore…not when I was…invested.

I drained the last of my glass and turned away.

“Hey.” He stopped me.

I turned back.

“I’m deep in this too.”

“I doubt that.” I muttered.

But as soon as I spoke, I saw just how wrong I was. His cheeks were burning and his chest still heaved with savage breaths. He’d been running, and not just running, he’d been hauling goddamn ass. That wasn’t Kane, not in all the years he’d been my brother had I seen him put himself out for anyone.

Even when our sister had been taken.

So, the mere fact he’d been running just to get back to me with this information was…life shattering.

“You’re in love with her?” Thomas murmured, staring intently at our brother.

There was a tiny shake of Kane’s head. I turned away as a low, bestial chuckle spilled free. “That’s so fucking you, isn’t it?”

“I don’t—” He started.

I whipped around as rage drove to the surface. “You’re really going to stand there and lie to my face?”

“Riven.” Thomas murmured.

I ignored him, taking a step toward Kane. “Go on, admit it. Admit the truth, you fucking love her.”

“Riven.” Thomas urged again, a little louder.

I jerked my blazing gaze to his. “What?!”

“You abducted her. You drugged her and you raped her. This isn’t some fairytale perfect romance here. I want you to be aware of that.”

I sucked in a hard breath as it all hit home, every terrifying moment of it. So? I wanted to snarl like a petulant child. Instead, I looked the bastard in the eyes. “Why did it have to be her?”

“You think I wanted this?” He winced, shook his head and turned away. “This isn’t me. I don’t feel so fucking…” He wrung his hands, and the movement drew my gaze. “Sickened.”

I knew exactly how he was feeling. Wound so fucking tight you thought you were going to break. She made me feel desperate…teetering on the edge of insanity. Murderous. That’s how I felt. Fucking murderous.

“None of this matters.” I said. “We have a job to do and so does she. We protect her, get her on that goddamn truck. We give her every opportunity to do what we’ve failed at…finding Mel. What you feel about her or what I feel doesn’t matter. Once this is over, we figure out if any of this is even real.”

He flinched. “It is…for me.”

An ache filled my chest. Just hearing the words made me feel nauseous. She was mine. She was mine because I’d…had…her…first.

“It’s late,” Thomas urged. “Now we need to be more careful than ever. They may suspect it was us, but they have no proof.”

“How do you know that?” Kane cut him a glare.

“Because if they did.” I started. “Then we’d be dead.”

It was that simple. If they had any proof at all, we’d all be looking down the barrel of a gun. Still, we had to be careful, especially where Helene was concerned.

“Get some sleep.” I made for the bedroom. “Tomorrow, the fun begins.”

I left them, headed into my bedroom, grabbed clean boxers, then took the first shower. Thoughts raced through my head as the hot water hit my skin and they were all about her.

Kane.

Coulter.

And every other fucking male in a hundred-mile radius.

I lowered my head, letting the water sluice down.

Tell me. Tell me you’re mine

My own desperate words filled my head.

I’m yours…please, I’m yours.

“Fuck.” I muttered.

My balls ached. My cock was stiff. I reached down, grasping it hard.

I’m yours. I’m yours. I’m yours.

I fisted the length, pumping slowly. “Damn fucking right you are.”

I was too far gone with this woman and I knew it. I’d kill for her…and that included my kin if it came to that. The woman was mine…and mine alone. Kane needed to remember that.

I lifted a hand and braced it against the wall, leaning into it as I pumped my length. It was a poor fucking replacement for the real thing. But right now, I was too wired to care. I needed her, even if it was the illusion of her. “Mine.” I croaked as greed turned to infatuation. “You are mine.”

My thrust grew harder, my fist squeezed tight. I wanted more…more…her.

Make me come, Principal. Make me come.

My cock twitched. Warmth jetted out, leaving me to groan and still clenched tight around the pulsing vein that ran underneath.

You’re in love with her?

I winced at the memory and lifted my head. My heart was hurting, far more than it should have. I hit the faucet and switched off the spray, stepping out before I wound the towel around my waist and headed for the door.

But the moment I opened it, Kane was there, jerking those betraying fucking eyes to mine.

He never said a word. But the bastard didn’t need to.

He stepped to the side, to the wrong fucking side. We stepped around, dancing like two goddamn idiots, until I grabbed his shoulders and shoved him to the side as I pushed past.

Motherfucker.

I headed into my room, toweled hard, and tossed it to the floor. Thomas was right. Tomorrow we’d need to be careful…and all of us needed to sleep.

THERE WAS no sleep and not a second of fucking peace. When I finally rose after tossing and turning all goddamn night, my eyes stung and my nerves were raw. I showered again, this time hurrying. By the time I stepped out of my bedroom, I still felt like hell…but I was ready for this day to start.

We needed to know exactly what their plans were. More than that, we needed to find out when they were sending the shipment of Daughters to Hale. If the wolves were closing in, then we needed to be prepared.

The apartment was quiet. I scowled, turning my attention to Kane’s room. The bastard must be still sleeping. Figures.

I headed out and made my way along the corridors, slapping my card against scanner after scanner as I made my way to my office. But the place was silent…deathly silent. I stopped at the doorway and turned, listening.

There was no thud of boots, no deep murmur from any guards. I turned back and headed inside, but the moment I sat down, I stilled. It didn’t feel…right.

My skin crawled as I stared at the mouse. I reached out and hit it, making my screen come to life. I logged in, staring at the screen. The file on Helene was gone, not filling the screen like the last time I’d left it. Someone had been here.

That chill moved deeper.

I want her.

Coulter’s fucking demand resounded in my head. “Goddamn bastard.”

I shoved up from the seat and shoved my chair aside. All I could think about was her. Finding her. Protecting her. Loving her. I lengthened my stride and pushed through the door.

Silence filled the corridors. It was early, too goddamn early. The Daughters would still be asleep and most of Walker’s guards would still be patrolling the grounds.

Movement came through the glass section of the double doors up ahead, heading this way. I recognised one of them as one of Coulter’s commanders. Not someone I expected out at this time of the morning…unless it was for a reason.

I stopped, then stepped to the side. Instinct drove me as I pressed the access card against the scanner and slipped into a utility closet. Darkness quickly swallowed the room. But I left a tiny crack open as the security doors in the hallway gave a click and swung open.

“All you have to do is make sure you’re ready to move.” Coulter’s man ordered.

“And what if these bastards fight back?”

I flinched, gripped the handle tighter, and strained to hear.

“You let me worry about that. Two days, that’s all you need to worry about. Two days, then we move.”

Two days?

My heart slammed against my ribs. Two fucking days? What were they planning in two days?

The warmth washed out of me and my stomach dropped. I knew what they were planning…they were moving them.

Two days wasn’t enough. The programming took two months at least. Six weeks at a push, but two days? That was barbaric.

If they took them now, they’d run the risk of undoing what we’d done, or breaking their minds. They were fragile right now. The drugs and the hypnosis make them fragile…and that alone made them dangerous.

Footsteps thudded, then faded.

I stayed in the darkness, hiding in the closet for a couple of minutes before I risked stepping out. They were long gone, but the words lingered. Two days, that’s all you need to worry about.

My mind reeled. My movements were on autopilot as I pressed my card against the scanner and headed for the Daughters’ rooms.

Two days and she would be gone. Christ, I felt sick with the thought of not being able to watch over her, but right now, we had to do what we could.

Think…

I pushed through the doors and headed for the rooms. Only, the moment I turned the corner, I found one of Coulter’s men standing outside the open door of one Daughter’s cell. My first instinct was to turn and search for Walker, to make sure he was protecting the only one I cared about, Helene…until movement came from inside and Kane stepped out.

“She needs more fluids and rest.” He instructed the guard. “On to the next one, please.”

He lifted his head, meeting my gaze.

A flicker of confusion rose until I saw the folder in his hands. He was checking them, noting down their vital signs and their mental state. He glanced toward Helene’s room, but he didn’t head there, not yet. He was using the other Daughters as a cover to get to her.

Two days. The words boomed in my head. Did Kane know?

As his gaze met mine, he scowled. He didn’t. I’d almost bet money he didn’t know a damn thing.

I glanced at the folder and the list of Daughters on the front. More than half were checked off. That meant he’d been doing this for over an hour…well before I rose and before Coulter’s men started to make arrangements.

If he didn’t know we were fucked already, then he soon would. His programming was about to be destroyed and there wasn’t a goddamn thing we could do about it…not until Coulter made a move.

Until then we had to play along and pray to God we enticed the bastard with someone other than the woman we’d both fallen for.

For all our sakes.