Chapter 102: Chapter 102

The only thing stopping me from erupting into a vengeance-fueled rage was the fact that we still needed to get Liam out of there. Once Aly removed all the tubes, including the steady drip of sedatives that had been keeping him in a coma, his eyelashes had barely fluttered. It would be some time before he came to, but all that mattered was that he was finally home.

Both Nicolas and Ethan supported Liam, draping their arms over his shoulders. As we prepared to leave, I couldn’t help but pause and place my hand against Liam’s face. He had a thick beard covering his chin and jaw, the same onyx color as his hair. As I ran my fingers over his face, I could feel the wall holding back my emotions tremble.

“It’s okay, let’s get out of here,” I exhaled, stepping away from Liam with what I was sure was a pained expression on my face. If I stayed there any longer, watching the physical effects of what had been done to him, I wasn’t sure there would be a house left standing. I turned my back on Liam and quietly exited the room.

We moved a bit slower with Liam in tow, but the slower pace helped us remain silent. We passed through the upper part of the house, heading toward the stairs that were a safety hazard. We avoided the large hole in the drywall that exposed us to the street in front of the house.

We were making our way through the living room toward the back door when something made me stop. Aly, who had been walking beside me, stopped as well. Lucy was covering the rear, making sure all the guards were still unconscious.

“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked immediately, his eyes scanning the room.

We were six, including me. I could feel our six sets of emotions, even though Liam’s were dull and watery in his induced state. What made me stop was the seventh set of emotions I sensed.

I blinked a couple of times and looked at the unconscious bodies on the floor. Weren’t there three men in the…?

Everything seemed to slow down as the third man appeared around the corner. I was only inches away from him, too close to act quickly. First, I felt the roughness of his arm as he wrapped it around my shoulders. Then, I could feel the sharp pricks his elongated nails left in my skin.

My pulse thundered beneath his fingers, a frantic tune of mistakes, second chances, and whispered prayers. I knew our only option for survival was to surrender, but I couldn’t force the words out of my mouth. Even if it meant surviving, I wouldn’t choose to become someone’s weapon.

Ethan remained completely still, his eyes fixed on the man holding my life in his hands. Nicolas, with genuine concern in his eyes, held all of Liam’s weight so Ethan could step forward. A low growl rumbled from Ethan’s lips. The sound sent a chill down my spine because I knew from the guard’s emotions that he saw Ethan’s reaction as a challenge.

Just as I was about to tell Ethan to go for it, a terrible idea crossed my mind. It was a tempting one but desperate enough to try.

Before I had a chance to test my plan, Lucy began to reach out.

The air was ripped from my lungs faster than I could blink. I was pressed against this nameless guard, the sickly smell of his body odor assaulting my nose. His hand was wrapped around my throat now, and the tips of his elongated nails pierced my skin hard enough to draw b***d. A small trickle ran down my neck, stinging as it dried on my skin.

“Don’t think about it!” The guard growled at Lucy, squeezing my throat even tighter to make his point.

I wasn’t sure if it was the strangled squawk that came out of my mouth or the guard’s demand, but Lucy slowly lowered her arms and bowed her head. The guard looked between us frantically, fear and hatred mixing into a large blotch.

Lucy’s action hadn’t been entirely in vain. The guard was holding me even tighter now. My back was pressed against his chest, and his biting fingers touched the hollow of my throat.

Initially, I’d promised myself never to use my soul-devouring abilities again, but wolves were vastly different from humans. Gea couldn’t understand why I would amputate a part of myself, like willingly losing an arm or a leg.

Wolves were predators, embracing all the dark aspects of themselves. While I was far from a ruthless, cold-blooded killer, Gea was right—I couldn’t cut a part of myself off.

I wasn’t sure if I could replicate what I had done to Maurice and his men. I’d been running on pure adrenaline at that moment, not abject fear like now.

Either way, I needed to be precise.

If I took in a huge gulp without killing him, I’d lose my life. Whoever this guard was, his reflexes were quick. His thumb tapped against the side of my throat, following the pounding of my thunderous pulse.

Physical contact made things easier. Through his emotions, I could feel the radiant warmth of his soul. The power pulsated and throbbed where mortal eyes couldn’t see.

My instincts told me to drink greedily, to take the power that had been given to me. I had to wrestle, fight with myself to prevent going into a frenzy. I reached out and brushed against that power, sinking my metaphorical claws in just a few millimeters.

I tried not to let my pulse transmit the relief I felt as a thread of strength and power began to seep into my weary bones. The guard let out a growl, which made my pulse quicken even more at the thought of being caught.

“Back off!” The guard snarled at Ethan, who had been inching closer with every passing second. Ethan’s eyes glinted with cruelty, brimming to the top with carnal anticipation. If this man killed me, Ethan would eviscerate him. “I’ve already called for backup. Your b***h’s magic didn’t work on me.”

My strength was building up now, so I widened the hole that allowed his life force to flow into me. A strong shudder shook his entire body, rattling the claws that were currently on my neck.

Ethan leaned forward as if he was about to lunge, but froze when he saw my eyes.

“Don’t move!” I sent my thoughts to him with all the force I had, pleading for him to retreat.

Once the guard stopped, he staggered on his feet.

“What… what the hell are you doing to me?” he rasped, and I opened the barrier that prevented me from devouring his strength.

A rough tug of his soul, all I could take in with one inhalation.

I felt my body expand with the breath, and the boundaries of my abilities stretched and grew.

The moment all that power settled within me, I released it all at once. A ring of pure energy left my body and sent the exhausted guard flying across the room.

I staggered on my legs, finally free from the guard’s tight grip around my throat. Now that his hand was gone, I should be able to breathe. My hands flew to my throat and instantly became coated with the thick warmth that was my lifeblood.

Ethan rushed forward just as I started to fall, catching me before my head hit the ground.

Everything seemed to blur as I watched the scene unfold. Nicolas and Lucy loomed over me, both pale and wide-eyed. Ethan was saying something, pressing my neck wound as he tried not to cut off the air. It only seemed to tune back in when Aly knelt in front of me and cupped my face in her hands. All the sounds and scents hit me at once.

Lucy was muttering to herself, shaking her head. Ethan was frantically trying to stop the bleeding, telling me again and again that I would heal. I knew I had expended all my energy removing the guard from myself. I had nothing left to give.

“Heal yourself!” Aly shouted in my face, her shrill voice cutting through my ears. I understood what she was saying, but I couldn’t force myself to form a response. I couldn’t feed on her; I wasn’t even sure I could stop myself. She muttered a curse and drew her hand back before slapping me.

I’m sure she didn’t hit as hard as she made it seem, but it got my attention. I blinked a couple of times and looked at her, feeling numb and floaty.

“Feed on my soul and heal, Sussan!”

Ethan’s eyes turned to Aly, desperate and wishing he could force me to feed. Somehow, I knew that my soul-devouring abilities wouldn’t work on Liam or Ethan. We were all pieces of the same soul, so feeding on them was like feeding on myself. Ethan knew it too, which is why he hadn’t offered.

“Don’t you dare, damn it,” Nicolas growled, charging forward.

His eyes glinted dangerously as they burned holes in the back of Aly’s head, but she wasn’t paying him any attention.

“Do it!” Aly yelled at me, her voice broken as she gave me another shake.

“No,” Nicolas snapped, his voice resolute. His eyes were on me this time, bright and furious. “Take what you need from me, Sussan. However, I’d ask that you leave me alive.”

I had no control as my magic surged and sank its claws into Nicolas Zoe. It was as if he had been waiting for him to offer, and I took it without hesitation as adrenaline fueled our will to survive.

Nicolas stiffened first, a look of discomfort settling on his face. His skin paled, and his body wavered before he collapsed to his knees in front of me.

Aly backed away from him slowly, a conflicted look on her face. Her fingers trembled, and she brought them to her chest as if tempted to reach out and touch him. I realized she made her decision when her eyes hardened, and she moved even farther away from where Nicolas was crouched.

Heat flooded me, driving away the cold and fog that had been creeping at the edges of my vision. I could feel pressure and some pain as the wound on my neck finally began to heal. I felt each individual fiber of flesh knitting together, fueled by Nicolas Zoe’s life force.

I severed my connection with Nicolas the moment I was healed, even though all my instincts told me to drain him. I was healed, but far from at my peak strength.

As I stopped feeding on Nicolas and we locked eyes, I realized I had just exposed myself to the second most dangerous person in the world of werewolves. Sven Ross not only suspected I was a soul-devourer, but now David Zoe’s son knew too.

“We need to get out of here,” Nicolas g*****d, forcing himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment, and I couldn’t help but notice the way Aly’s eyes roamed over his trembling form. “If he’s really called for backup, it won’t take them long to get here.”

Somehow, the six of us managed to escape the house and make our way back through the small patch of woods to the sedan we had parked earlier. Nicolas took the passenger seat, while Liam sat between Aly and me. Lucy was in the back, nodding her head to the rhythm of the song blaring through her headphones. I wanted to ask Nicolas more about her, but none of us had been in the mood to talk since we left the house.

I had been closely monitoring Nicolas since I fed on him. His skin had gone from a sickly, translucent shade to a semi-healthy tone about half an hour after nearly draining him. He was still weak, I could tell from the way he winced and rubbed his temples. It seemed that as long as I didn’t completely drain someone, I could survive after feeding on them.

“I’m willing to bet that’s the backup that guard was talking about,” Ethan commented, nodding his head toward the other side of the road. Six identical-looking black vans were speeding in a uniform line. I rested my head on Liam’s shoulder and appreciated the tint of our vehicle.

Amidst all that had happened, I had completely forgotten that we weren’t supposed to have left the hotel, just as we shouldn’t have rescued Liam from David Zoe’s greedy clutches. We needed to keep our activities secret, which also meant keeping Liam hidden in the suite.

With the help of his fellow white wolves, Nicolas managed to get us back into our suite without being detected. He was obviously reluctant to reveal any of his secrets, but he let slip that he has some friends as employees in the hotel, which explained our entry through the back door.

Ethan had just helped Liam into the suite when Nicolas turned and looked at me for a long moment, one that made me feel a bit dissected and exposed. He paid no attention to Aly, but I couldn’t erase what had happened that night. Their bond was stronger now, just from those simple interactions.

“My father already suspects you might be a soul-devourer, but once he knows for sure, he won’t stop at anything to possess you.” He grimaced and turned as if he was going to walk away. I could sense his hesitation, just as I practically saw the unsaid words floating over his lips. He let out a small sigh, one so low most would’ve missed it. “If things go wrong tomorrow, you’ll need to have an escape plan ready.”

Torn between two worlds, born and raised in the shadows, Nicolas Zoe turned around and disappeared down the hallway.