Insidious(120)

“Those insufferable things? God no. They’re far too aggressive for my palate,” Blaine jeered. His amused grin cast into a vulpine smile as his eyes danced over my body. “I appreciate passion of a different variety. One you’re very familiar with.”

I glowered at him, shifting away from the bars.

“Don’t be coy now.” He teased at the chains binding him, even as they seared deeper into his wrists. “I was quite impressed by what you could do without the use of your hands. And I’m particularly aroused at the prospect of seeing the fullest extent of what you could do with them.

“I’d sooner choke to death on my own vomit.”

“No need to pretend, Kitten. You know you enjoyed it.” His smile only grew bigger, especially as he turned his attention to Adam. “Hell, Reynolds saw it for himself. Did she really look that disgusted?”

I looked over at Adam, and sure enough, he was scowling. Did he honestly think I enjoyed that?

“I’ll take his silence as an endorsement.”

All he wanted was to get a rise out of Adam, and he was doing just that. My tolerance was nonexistent as I finally barked, “Why me? Why do any of this?”

“Awww, where would the fun be in telling you that?” Blaine crooned. “Besides, a boy’s allowed to have some secrets, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, well, those secrets are gonna be following you right into the grave, because that’s where you’ll be by sunrise,” gnashed Adam.

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” He haughtily rested his burning wrists on his propped up knees. “Not if you wish to spare Kat from sharing in that same fate.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“She’s my mate now. Our lives are one and the same. Linked for eternity. If you kill me, she’ll die too.”

I wasn’t breathing, and by the silence beside me, I wasn’t sure if Adam was either.

That was why he had bitten me. Blaine could have tried making a run for it at the school when Mr. Reynolds had the place surrounded, but he could just as easily been caught—and shot dead on sight. Now, this way, he had a guaranteed ticket to freedom. Adam would have to let him go, and furthermore, do everything he could to make sure his father wouldn’t find Blaine after he did.

“Bullshit,” Adam spat.

“Perhaps,” Blaine cooed. “But then again, there’s only one way to find out. Are you really willing to risk it?”

A heavy iron gate clanked from the other end of the hall, and we all startled. Russell’s voice boomed across the cellar, urging Adam to throw his fresh overshirt at me. He patted the fabric across my face, wiping up the chilled sweat dampening my forehead. I tried steadying myself as best I could as the footsteps came closer. Russell rounded the bend of the corridor, and he stopped short when seeing us.

“Why is she here?” His eyes shot over to me before settling on Adam. Adam opened his mouth, but Russell didn’t wait for his response. “You know better. We can’t risk her getting too close to that vermin.”

“I highly doubt he’s strong enough to snatch her through the bars,” said Adam. “He’d be lucky if he could stand.”

Russell merely scoffed. “Best be on your way. Your father wants to speak with you in his office.”

Adam stole a look at me out of the corner of his eye before nodding. “Sure, just let me take her back to my room first-”

“That won’t be necessary,” interrupted Russell. “We’re heading out to the safe house. Transport just arrived.”

Before I knew it, Russell’s beefy hand seized me around the arm.

“Don’t-” Blaine sprang forward, the silver chain wrenching him back to the floor.

Startled by the outburst, Russell yanked me away from the cell, hurling my body into the cement wall on the other side of the hall. “‘Lucky’ my ass. Go get Jenkins back down here to pay this scum another visit, this time with the full workup.” He kicked a heavy boot at the bars. “Let’s see how he fairs with colloidal silver injections.”

“You can’t let them take her,” Blaine seethed, his indignant eyes fixed on Adam as Russell pried me away. “Don’t let him take her!”

“Now,” ordered Russell. Adam paused for a brief moment, as if he might challenge the command. My heart sank though as he mournfully headed in the other direction. I wasn’t sure if it was the darkness taking root in my gut or just good old intuition, but nothing about this felt right.

Blaine’s deafening screams rang in my ear as Russell dragged me back down the way he’d come. I struggled under the brute’s hold, feeling his firm grip tightening all the more the moment I tried pulling away from him. He shot me a dark look.