25

“Elder James Hitchenson speaking,” he answered their phone.
“It’s Lucas and I want an explanation,” I said my voice already irate.
“Yes, Lucas, well we received their letter yesterday and their claims are valid. There were more than ten witnesses to your assault on them in New York, seemingly without due cause,” Elder James said.
“Without due cause? They attacked Rylee!” I said angrily.
“Which you cannot prove,” he reminded me.
“This is bullshit,” I said to him.
“Sire Lucas, unfortunately it’s out of our hands, you know how this all works, bring us the proof and we will retaliate but for now their retribution request stands,” he said to me.
“Yeah no shit, playing both sides of the fence and campaigning the winner of the moment,” I said.
“We follow the laws just like everyone else, we were in attendance at the ball or have you forgotten that?” he asked me.
“Are you really preaching the lair laws to me? I will get what I want, even if it takes years, be warned Elder. This will not end well, your refusal to act with regards to my claims have been noted,” I said to him.
“Are you threatening us?” he asked me.
“I don’t need threats, this is a promise,” I said and ended the phone call.
I felt slightly better after that phone call although I knew that my threats wouldn’t be taken lightly and I might face some retribution for the way I spoke to Elder James but at this point I didn’t care. After reading their email this morning I had almost lost my mind.
I looked at my watch and headed outside. I needed to be at the town border in fifteen minutes. They had twenty-four hours in which they were allowed to hold me before the Elders intervened. They weren’t allowed to kill me since I didn’t kill one of theirs but everything else was allowed.
I left my car at The Drake and told Andre to drop me off at the border. He didn’t question me, nobody ever did but he was wary as he looked at me and I knew he was itching to ask me what I was up to.
“Thanks Andre, go home and relax. You never saw me tonight,” I said to him.
“Yes Sire, and if I’m questioned about your location by your seconds?” he asked me.
“Then you lie,” I said to him.
I watched him drive off into the darkness and focused my eyes on the trees up ahead. I could smell them and I stepped out of the boundary of the town and into the unclaimed territory. Carson stepped forward and looked at me.
“Didn’t really think you’d show up,” he said to me.
“Let’s get this over with,” I said to him.
Another man stepped forward that I recognized as Dr. Murphy Charles, he had a syringe in his hand and I knew what was coming.
“Baz, I need you to block me off and retreat, the venom that’s coming will hurt you, but it’ll hurt me less, when their twenty-four hours are over, I need you to take me home by any means necessary,” I said to him.
“You don’t have to suffer alone halfling,” he said to me.
“The venom will make you retreat in any way, I need to get home safe after this, so for once follow my orders so you can protect me later,” I said and I heard him sigh.
I felt Baz retreat and block me off just as the needle penetrated my arm and I waited for the venom to take effect. The anticoagulant in the venom would ensure that I didn’t heal and that I wouldn’t stop bleeding. I would go into hypotension soon followed by muscle paralysis and the onset of hypothermia.
“We need to get moving before his blood pressure plummets,” Dr. Murphy said and Carson nodded.
I was led to a vehicle behind the trees and shoved into the boot. I tried to keep my breathing calm to slow down the venom as it made its way through my veins. I could feel my limbs growing heavy and smiled as I realized that they had mixed a sedative with the venom.
I felt a rush of fresh air as the boot was opened and I was only half-aware of my surroundings. We had reached the main building of their lair and I was thrown over someone’s shoulder and carried down steps to what I could only assume was their basement.
“Put him on the bed first, I need to check his status,” Dr. Murphy said.
My upper arm was squeezed tightly as my blood pressure was checked and then I was pulled roughly from the bed and chained to a wall. I guess I had passed the blood pressure test. I was hanging limply from my arms and the silver of the chain was slightly cutting into my wrists.
“Let’s get this party started,” JD said and I didn’t react. My shirt was cut off and I was left with my pants intact, at least.
“Look at the great Sire Lucas now, chained to a wall like the scumbag you are,” Carson said and I heard laughter.
I kept my eyes closed and my expression neutral. The first punch landed on my ribs and I tried to keep my mind busy with thoughts of my family, business deals I had to conclude and going home. After a while the punching stopped and I was turned around so my back was exposed.
“His grey dragon is so weak that it’s not even fighting back,” JD said with amusement and I had to fight to keep Baz from trying to surface. I couldn’t expose him to this venom or I would be left at their mercy after their time was up. They would dump me within my borders and just leave me for whoever to find me.
“Got nothing to say?” Carson said as he pulled my head up.
“Suck my dick,” I said and felt my jaw crack as another blow landed on my face.
I had to clench my jaw to keep myself from screaming as the whip landed on my back. Carson and JD took turns and I could tell by the blood seeping down my legs that my back was completely torn open. They kept hitting me with the barbed whip for more than two hours until I finally passed out from the pain.
My head snapped up as a bucket of water was thrown over me and I could feel my limbs again. The venom had worked out of my system but I only had a reprieve for five minutes before they injected me again.
Both of my shoulders were dislocated as I had pulled on the chains as each lash of the whip had landed on my back. The bleeding hadn’t stopped but it had slowed down to a mere trickling. It hurt to move and I wondered how much time they had left.
I heard Rylee’s voice and my eyes flickered to a screen set up directly in front of me. It was a video of her walking out of a convenience store, smiling sadly as she said goodbye to the clerk. The video skipped and I saw the back of her car as she drove towards the forest where I had found her.
I saw the smiling face of JD as he leaned out of window and shot her tyre out. Her car swerved and then she pulled off the road. She slammed her door shut and looked in dismay at the blown out tyre. JD and Carson were wearing masks now as they pulled up behind her.
“No! Let me go!” Rylee screamed as JD grabbed her and punched her so hard that she lost consciousness. He carried her back to the van and put her down gently on the floor. I didn’t want to look but I couldn’t avert my eyes.
“Let’s have some fun,” Carson said. I could make out his voice clearly as the van stopped and they dragged her into the clump of trees.
“Bitch refused to give me any but goes off and fucks Grey,” JD said.
I watched as they tore her underwear off. Carson was pinning her arms down as she regained consciousness and JD had unzipped his pants. He made a show of putting the condom on and then he forced her legs open.
Her screams were the worst and at one point I did close my eyes until Carson stabbed me in the gut with a knife, “look or I keep stabbing.”
Her clothes were torn and I saw blood under her nose and leaking from her mouth. She was whimpering as JD went for round two, roughly pushing inside her as he held her knees down, ignoring her pleas. He pulled out and slapped her hard across her face as he switched sides with Carson.
It was basically a repeat of putting on his own condom and then he turned her onto her stomach as JD pressed her shoulder blades down into the ground. I saw the tears making their way down her face as the dirt clung to her cheeks.
He pulled her hips up as he took her from behind and she started screaming again. He only raped her once and he kicked her hard in the ribs as he stood up and zipped his pants up. The camera closed in on her face as she lay on the ground shivering with her eyes closed.
I could hear their laughter just before the screen went blank and then the video started from the beginning. I never knew you could hate someone so much and I vowed to kill both of them even if it was the very last thing I did.
The torture lasted another eight hours as they broke both my arms, both my legs and four more ribs. The venom injections kept coming too and I was at a point where I was almost delirious with pain, blood loss and anger.
I was bleeding internally too and I was at the point of passing out again. They were frustrated because I didn’t scream out once. It was the only thing I could do at this point. My body was limp and broken but I had to stay awake so I could allow Baz to break free.
I was finally removed from the chains and dragged up the stairs. I winced as my back connected with each step and more blood started seeping down my body. As soon as I felt the fresh air I released Baz and I felt myself go to the darkness.
Baz roared loudly as he separated from me and I could smell fear from those that surrounded us. I heard his wings flap as he stepped over me, covering my body with his own.
“You have been marked, your scent stored in my mind, your deaths will be my pleasure,” Baz said.
I felt his claws around my ribs as he picked me up and spread his wings once again. I heard the flapping sound and his wing brushed my face softly, “I’ll get you home halfling.” Baz lifted his body from the ground and I felt the cool air rush over me.
He came to a stumbling halt not being able to use his front paws and we rolled over the paved area of the driveway. He took the brunt of the fall and tucked my body close to his chest. He kept laying on his back as I flitted in and out of consciousness.
I heard him roar repeatedly and then the front door was thrown open. I could hear swearing and screams as Baz let go of me gently and I smelled Rev as he picked me up.
“Stella, we need you at the house now!” Rev yelled into his phone as my eyes finally closed.
“What happened to him?” Chris yelled as they took in my bloody and broken body.
Rev sat with my on his lap in the driveway until Stella arrived. Hannah had sprung into action readying the infirmary on the guest side of the house. Everybody was freaking out and Jax started calling people at The Drake firing questions at them.
I was carried inside and Stella started hooking machines up to me. I felt the faint pinch of the needle as she placed me on an IV and spoke calmly to a nurse and Rev as they started x-rays and bloodwork. I couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to tell them where it hurt.
“This is bad,” Stella said as she started working on me again.
“How bad?” Rev asked but Stella only shook her head.
I heard Rylee’s scream and felt her take my hand. I could feel her fear and anguish through the bond and then I was blessed with darkness again as Stella ordered everyone out of the room and I passed out again.