Madness: Part 2 – Chapter 82

I’m being carried into Carnage and taken straight to Haidyn’s room. Kashton is laying me in his bed when the door bursts open, and Ashtyn enters. “What the fuck is wrong with her? Where’s Haidyn? Where is Saint?” She starts asking questions.

“Haidyn is being taken to the hospital wing. Saint is with him. And I gave her a sedative,” Adam answers.

My head falls to the side, and I blink, seeing Ashtyn come to sit next to me. “Why? What happened?” She grabs my hand and holds it.

“Haidyn was dying, and she was distraught. It was a very tight space, and I had to do something to give Devin and Gavin room to work.”

“So you drugged her?” she snaps.

He rushes over to his bag that he keeps on the floor by the table he has taken over as his desk and unzips it. He starts pulling things out, one of them being a needle.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ashtyn snaps. “Leave her with me. She’ll be fine.”

“I’m going to start an IV. The meds will pull her out of her current state, and she’ll be back to herself.”

“Who the fuck are you, Adam?” she demands, and he doesn’t answer. “Where did you learn to start IVs?”

He comes over and pushes the needle into my arm and then tapes it off before he places the IV bag up. “Come here and hold this,” he barks at her.

She lets go of my hand and jumps to her feet. Then he and Kashton start to walk toward Haidyn’s bedroom door.

“Where are you going?” she demands.

“Tyson’s guys should be here any moment. We’ve got to help with her mother and Hudson since the others are in the hospital with Haidyn. Don’t leave this room until you hear from us.” With that, they leave, slamming the door shut.

HAIDYN

I sit up in the hospital bed, my head foggy and body extremely weak. It’s taking everything I have to hold my head up. Slowly, I pull a shirt over my head and shove my arms into the sleeves, forcing a groan out of my lips.

“You need to rest,” Gavin tells me.

“A few days should be enough,” Devin adds.

“He’ll take as much time as he needs,” Saint informs them, and I roll my eyes.

“I’m fine.” I don’t feel bad, just tired.

I’ve been awake for maybe thirty minutes and already want to go back to bed. I begin to put on the sweatpants that Saint brought me, and Devin steps over like he’s going to help me, but I shoo him away. I’m fucking capable of dressing myself. It might take me a minute, but I’ll get it done.

The moment I woke up, Gavin and Devin had me chugging fluids and electrolytes like it was vodka and I’m an alcoholic.

The door opens, and I look up to see three men enter the room. The first thing I asked when I came to was where was Charlotte. I was informed that she was with Ashtyn and was on her way to my room. The second thing I asked for was to see Sin, Tyson, and Ryat. I was surprised to find out they were already here at Carnage.

“You look like shit, man.” Sin is the first one to speak.

Tyson nods and agrees. “I have seen you look better.”

Ryat remains quiet. All three come to stand by the side of my bed while Gavin and Devin stand on the other. Kashton sits in the window, looking out at the courtyard. He hasn’t spoken to me since I came to. Saint leans against the far wall, glaring at Adam standing beside him. Everyone seems to be on edge, and no one has filled me in on how they saved me yet. I have plenty of time to hear that story, but this is important.

“What do you need?” Ryat finally speaks.

They think I’ve asked them to come here to help me out with something. If only that were the case. “I…” Pausing, I’m not sure where to start. What I have to tell them will change their lives.

“Haidyn has been given some new information.” Saint fills my silence. “And it involves your wives.” I’ve just finished explaining it to my brothers since it involves Ashtyn.

“What the fuck is it?” Ryat is the first one to ask to step forward.

I wouldn’t have led with that but okay. “I was given something…” I gesture to my right arm. “Some kind of drug that helps you live longer.”

Sin snorts. “Like vampire shit? Come on, Haidyn, you’re not supposed to believe everything you read online.”

I give a soft laugh. “Isabella told me that the founders were given enhancements.”

“You mean like the kind given for twins?” Tyson inquires.

I don’t ask if he means the women or the men. I’ll fill them in on that later. One surprise at a time. “Kinda.” I shrug. “I was given medication that will keep me from getting sick.” They all frown. “No cancer, no common cold. Obviously, I can still die, but it won’t be from an illness.”

“I don’t understand what that has to do with us or our wives,” Tyson speaks.

“Isabella also informed me that women started the Lords, and if those founders were given the drug…” They look from one another and then back to me, so I continue. “Then they had children…and their children…” They get the picture.

“You think our wives came from founders?” Sin is the one who asks. His voice tells me he doesn’t want to believe me. But the way he rubs the back of his neck tells me he’s considering it.

I know for a fact that Blakely is. Isabella told me so, and Ashtyn…my father told me in his office that I was lucky he found another one when he had Bill in his office. I now understand that he was talking about Ash being from a founder. And then Charlotte was one as well. “I can’t be sure, but they should be tested,” I say. That’s what Devin and Gavin are for.

“What if they did, and they have this shit, and we don’t?” Ryat looks at Gavin. “You can give it to us, right?”

“Guys…” Gavin raises his hands out to his sides in surrender. “We don’t know what it is.”

“But—”

“And we don’t have access to it,” Devin finishes, cutting off Tyson.

“I can get it,” I assure them, understanding how they feel. I’ll go back to Dollhouse and turn that place upside down to find it. When the guys dragged me out of there, I was unconscious. Otherwise, I would have had them get it before we left.

“What do you need? From our wives?” Sin asks.

“Blood work,” Devin answers. “I can let you know the results as soon as tomorrow, assuming we can get a sample tonight.”

“And if they have it?” Ryat speaks up. “You’ll give it to us immediately.” It wasn’t a question.

“No.” Gavin shakes his head.

“Are you fucking serious?” Sin demands. “If my wife has something that I don’t, I’m fucking taking it.” He steps forward.

The thing about a Lady is that if your Lord dies, she is regifted to another. I’m not sure about Laikyn and Ellington, but I’m positive that Blakely will test positive for the enhancement.

“We don’t know what it will do to you.” Gavin points at me. “Look at him. He’s weak. Tyson doesn’t have assignments, but you two do.” He looks from Sin to Ryat. “The last thing I’m going to do is shoot you up with God knows what and then send you on your way. What if you get called on an assignment the following day and are too weak to fight and are killed? Then you have your wives regifted to another Lord. Is that what you want?”

“Fuck no!” Sin snaps, running his hand through his hair.

Ryat drops his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he contemplates his options.

“The first time I had an IV in my arm for a good twelve hours,” I say. “Longer the second time.” I look over at Gavin. “What if you give them an hour’s worth a day? See how they react to it?”

I look back at Ryat, Tyson, and Sin. They each have their eyes on Gavin, waiting for his approval. Finally, he nods. “We can try it.”

“Did she tell you the founders’ families?” Tyson looks at me.

I shake my head. “No. But not very many women we know have pull over the Lords, so I’m guessing those that we know of, is a good place to start.”

“I can see that,” Tyson agrees.

“Fucking bitch,” Ryat growls. “God, I knew LeAnne would be a pain in my side. Should have made sure that Matt killed her.”

Gavin looks at Sin. “I’ve already pulled a fresh blood sample from Laura, and it’s at the lab. I put a rush on it and should know by morning.”

“But Laura wasn’t important,” Sin states. “She only had the position she did because of her marriage to Nicholas. Which means the Asher name was the one from the founder. Not Elli’s mother.”

Gavin shrugs. “It doesn’t hurt to check. Especially since your father is the biological father of Laura’s child. If they both come back negative…we’ve got options.”

Sin nods, leaving it at that. He’ll have that conversation later with his wife.

“What about our children?” Ryat questions. “If our wives have it, what does that do to the babies?”

“We’ve kept a close eye on the pregnancies and haven’t seen a reason to be concerned yet. Of course, we’ll have to do blood work once the babies are delivered, but I don’t see any reason to panic. We’ll test the wives first and then monitor the babies even closer until delivery.”

Silence fills the room as they let all the new information sink in and think about their options, which aren’t many. Their wives either have the enhancement or they don’t.

I look over at Adam who hasn’t spoken to me. I’m surprised he’s even here. “You know what this means?”

His blank stare meets mine.

“If Ashtyn is from a founder, then so are you,” I state the obvious.

Saint is the one who lets out a sigh as if he hadn’t thought of that. His mind has been on his wife, not his brother-in-law.

“Doesn’t matter.” Adam shakes his head. He knows where his future is going, and it has nothing to do with the Lords.

“Adam—”

“I said it doesn’t matter, Kash,” Adam snaps at him.

Silence falls over the room once again, and after a few minutes, I clear my throat. “There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?” Tyson sighs.

“They gave me several different drugs, and I’m not sure which one it was…but one of them made me hallucinate.” If they’re going to take something, they need to prepare themselves.

“Hallucinate how?” Sin asks.

I’m not sure how to explain it. “Think of worst-case scenarios.”

They all nod as if understanding, and then everyone filters out of my room to go get the tests done. Kashton hovers, and I know what’s coming before he even opens his mouth.

“Just say it,” I tell Kash, watching him pace. It’s going to come sooner or later, and I’d rather it be now.

He comes to a stop and lets out a frustrated sigh. “Not suicidal?” He gives a rough laugh. “That seemed pretty fucking suicidal to me, Haidyn.” His hard eyes glare at me.

“Charlotte—”

“Don’t tell me you did that for her, Haidyn!” he shouts, interrupting me. “Do you have any idea what kind of state she was in? She’s not my favorite person, but Charlotte was practically comatose. She fucking shut down on all of us. Hell, Adam wanted to tie her to a hospital bed and sedate her with a feeding tube.” My hands fist at that thought. “Fuck, man.” His eyes soften, and his shoulders slump. “How many times do I have to think you’ve killed yourself? Hmm? How many times do I have to lose a brother?”

The sincerity in his voice makes my chest ache.

He steps closer to the bed and shoves his hands into the front pockets of his bloody jeans. He hasn’t changed since they found me. “We’ve already said bye to Adam twice. And we’re going to have to do it again. But how many times are you going to leave us?”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

He snorts, not believing a word I say. “You’ve been MIA and got married. FUCKING MARRIED!” Kash screams. “You had Adam there. What about us, huh? What about me?”

“I made you her guardian,” I inform him.

“How was that possible, Haidyn? Hmm? Because I wasn’t fucking there to sign off on that.”

I run a hand down my face. “I had Adam sign your name.”

He throws his arms out to his side and then lets them fall, slapping his thighs. “You should have just had Adam sign his.”

“I wanted you.”

“I—” The sound of the door opening cuts me off, and I see Charlotte step into the room.

I stiffen when I see she’s got black eyes and a cut on her face. “What the fuck happened?” My wide eyes go to Kash.

He turns to see her standing there and speaks, ignoring my question. “We’ll finish this conversation later,” Kash tells me and then walks over to her. Placing his hands on either side of her bruised face. “Give him hell, love.” He then releases her, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out a ring. My wedding ring. Handing it over to her, he exits, leaving us alone.

She shuts the door and leans back against it, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Doll face?” I lower my voice. “What happened to you?” Fuck, I never thought I’d see her again, and I have the urge to pinch myself to make sure I’m not hallucinating or dreaming.

Her gaze drops to her shoes while mine looks over her yoga pants and my oversized T-shirt, before her tear-filled eyes slowly look up to meet mine.

I sigh. “Charlotte⁠—”

“You left me naked…tied to my bed.” She pulls her bottom lip in to nibble on it nervously.

“I had no…”

“Choice?” She gives a rough laugh, looking at my ring in her hand. “You’re the one who told me we always have a choice. You just chose to leave me!” Her voice rises.

I expected everyone to hate me. That was the point. They were supposed to despise me and move on with their lives while I rotted in there.

“I needed you, and you left me.” The sound of her voice breaking makes my chest tighten.

“I left for you.”

She sniffs, and her eyes look around the room, unable to meet mine. “I…I’m sorry for what she did to you.”

I’m not sure if she’s referring to four years ago or this past week. I’m afraid to even ask how much Kashton and Saint have told her, so I say, “Charlotte, it wasn’t your fault.”

“But that’s why you wanted me, right?” Her tear-filled eyes meet mine, and I realize she’s referring to back then. “When you found out who I really was. Because of her…because of what my mother did to you and your brothers? I was your revenge.”

“Yes,” I answer her honestly.

She nods her head, her bottom lip trembling.

“But then I fell in love with you,” I add. “And none of that mattered.”

She gives a rough laugh. “How can you say none of it mattered? She tortured you. She tortured your brothers…you should have let her take what she wanted.”

“She wanted you,” I growl. That was her endgame. She wanted my wife to take over her fucked-up operation. I was just a bonus. Bill was right; Charlotte would never be the Lady that Isabella wanted her to be. She knew she needed leverage, and I was it.

“Come here, doll face,” I order softly, but she stays leaning up against the door. Pushing up off the bed, I get to my feet, wanting to walk over to her, but I sway a little and sit back onto the bed.

She’s in front of me the next second, scolding me. “Be careful.”

I part my thighs and pull her to stand between them. Her blue eyes narrow on mine. “You tricked me. Again.”

I link my fingers behind her back, holding her in place. I’m weak right now, but I feel like I can still hold her. Now if she pulls out a knife to stab me or starts swinging, she’ll win. “I did what I thought was right. When put in any kind of situation where it’s either you or me, it’ll always be you.” I’ll always put her first.

Taking in a deep breath, she places her small hands on my face as her eyes search mine. Fuck, I never thought I’d see them again any other time than in my dreams. But that’ll never compare to the real thing. “Why do you always give yourself up for everyone else?”

Jesus! How much have they told her?

“I didn’t want you to save me.”

“That’s my job⁠—”

“My life doesn’t matter if I don’t have you in it.” She interrupts me. “Don’t you get that?”

Unlinking my fingers, I reach up and brush her hair back from her face, watching her pretty eyes swim in the tears that refuse to fall. “You said you wanted to spend forever with me. Do you still mean that?” I ask even though she’s stuck with me. We took vows, and she wears my ring. My name is branded on her ass, for fuck’s sake.

“To some, forever is only a matter of seconds.” She throws my previous words back into my face.

A smile tugs at my lips, and she frowns. How can I possibly find that funny? Lifting her left hand, I look at her wedding ring. “There is no amount of time that will be enough with you,” I tell her, my eyes meet hers again to see the first tear fall over her bottom lashes. I brush it away from her cheek. “But I promise to be yours until the day that I die.” Thanks to Isabella, that might be longer than I originally had.

She holds up my ring between us. “If you put this back on, you better never take it off again.”

I smile, taking it from her, and slide it on my finger. “Never,” I promise, wrapping my arms back around her so she doesn’t pull away. “Tell me, doll face. What happened?” My eyes roam her face, looking for any other sign of trauma.

She licks her lips. “Bill punched me in the face…”

“He did what?” I shout, my body instantly shaking at her words, making her flinch. My blood pressure rises to the roof immediately.

Placing her hands gently on either side of her face, she adds, “It had to look real. I couldn’t just walk into Dollhouse…”

“You were fucking there?” I snap. This isn’t getting any better. My hands go to her yoga pants and yank them down, turning her to look at her ass. I release a sigh when I see my name branded on her ass. Hudson didn’t cut it off. It was just a hallucination.

“Haidyn.” She frowns, pulling them back up. “Yes. I was lying in bed with you. Spoke to you.”

When the fuck was she in bed with me? “Char⁠—”

“I wasn’t going to stay behind while your brothers went to save my husband.” She places her forehead against mine and closes her eyes. “I’m glad you’re okay, Haidyn, but if you ever leave me again, I will throw another knife at you, and I will kill you myself.”

I chuckle and then flinch due to my soreness. “When I die, I want it to be by your hands, doll face.”