Darker (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #6)(25)

Chapter Seven

Kale stared at me, uncertain and confused, as if he couldn’t be sure I was real. Something passed behind his eyes, a glimpse of someone I knew. Then, it was gone.

I had wanted so badly to find him here. I hadn’t really allowed myself to believe I would. Before I could react or speak, he moved in a blur, shoving past me. With both fists, he pounded on the window.

“Not her, you mother f**kers! Anyone but her.”

The rage emanated from him. It swirled around me, a cloud of anger that I responded to against my will. I was burning with the urge to reach out to him with my power, to draw in his sinfully sweet energy. It called to the part of me that was all vampire; that side of me recognized him as mine.

Slowly, he backed away from the door, away from me to the opposite wall. His fists clenched and unclenched. His eyes darted around, settling on me in brief intervals.

“You need to get out of those cuffs. You have to be able to fight.” Squeezing his eyes shut, Kale shook his head vigorously, battling a hunger that wouldn’t be denied.

When at last he dragged his gaze to mine, I saw the eagerness for blood and death burning in his gorgeous eyes. One brown, the other blue, it was a mesmerizing feature that promised to enchant his victims as he killed them.

“I don’t think I can. The cuffs are on too tight.” I concentrated on slow, steady breaths, knowing my fear would only entice him.

“Try.” His pupils dilated, a dangerous sign of excitement. “Try hard.”

I strained against the cuffs, testing their limits. They were damn tight. My only chance of slipping them would be to shift. I could potentially slip them during the change. Being wolf in this place couldn’t possibly be a good idea. It would also mean being nude in human form once the change shredded my clothing. Decisions, decisions. If it meant surviving Kale, I’d do what I had to.

“Kale? Talk to me. What have they been doing to you?” If I could keep him talking, I might buy myself a few minutes before he tried to kill me.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he stared at me as if he was seeing someone or something else. A stranger. A victim. He might have seemed coherent, but I was fast realizing he wasn’t all there.

“Kale?” I tried again. My big plan to find Kale and bust him out of here couldn’t have gone more pathetically.

“This can’t be real,” he said more to himself than to me. “I’ve been waiting for it too long.”

A frown creased his brow. His dark brown hair was dishevelled. Shirtless and barefoot, he wore only pants. He had a primal appearance that triggered every one of my defenses. I understood Agent Asshole’s remark about the execution chamber. He’d thrown me in here expecting Kale would kill me, and judging by the bloodlust’s madness lurking in the vampire’s gaze, I was as good as dead. Once he snapped, it was all over. I had to get out of the cuffs.

I slid down the wall to the floor. I stretched my arms as far as I could, trying desperately to slide my cuffed hands over my butt so I could pull my legs through and have my hands in front of me rather than behind. I’d still be bound, but it would give me a better chance to defend myself physically.

It was a tight squeeze. My hands nearly became stuck beneath my rear end. Gritting my teeth, I forced them to move. Something pulled in my shoulder, but a moment later, my hands were in front of me. I stood up quickly, keeping my back to the wall and Kale in my line of sight.

Kale began to mutter to himself, something low and hard to make out. To me he said, “This is all your fault.”

Before I could tell him to snap out of it, he was on me. I brought my hands up to protect my throat, but it was useless. He grabbed the handcuffs and used them to slam my hands against the wall above my head. Pain shot through my wrists, and I whimpered. No matter what he did to me, I wouldn’t scream. That’s exactly what he would want.

With his free hand, he grabbed my chin and forced me to look into his eyes. It wasn’t difficult for him to draw me into his thrall. With my power cut off, I was unable to combat the strong pull.

“Why can’t I escape you?” His words dripped both venom and wonder.

My instinct was to tap my power and toss him across the room. Unfortunately, the mere act of reaching for it ricocheted it back at me with searing intensity. I gave a startled yelp. Having my power tied was unnatural and agonizing.

“The tables finally turn,” Kale murmured, leaning in to press his face to my hair. Inhaling my scent, he ran a finger down my neck, dragging it over my jugular. “I’m not the one at your mercy this time. I’m going to enjoy this.”

Sweet, soft-spoken Kale was absent from the creature caressing the throbbing vein beneath my skin. My mouth was as dry as cotton when I tried to speak. Nothing I could say would stop him. The FPA had done a good job of breaking what was left of his already fragile hold on sanity.

“I came for you,” I said quietly, fighting to stay calm.

“You came for freedom from the guilt. You put me here when you refused to release me from your clutches.” Kale brazenly ran his tongue over the vein he’d touched. “Time to finish what you started.”

I cowered against the wall. If he bit me, he was getting my knee in the groin. The touch of his mouth on my flesh was alarming and unwelcome. Hungry and possessive, his intentions were clear. This was not the lusty touch of a forbidden lover; it was the predatory manipulation of a killer.