~ SEVEN ~

Surrounded by darkness, Hanna woke up to the creaking of a door opening and shutting repeatedly. Unable to move, she panicked. Her heart raced as the volume of creaking increased. The sensation of being pricked by needles moved from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head. Something terrible was about to happen. She needed to get up and get away, but she couldn’t move.

A frosty breeze moved across her face. “I’m coming for you,” a voice that resembled a growl rumbled close to her ear. “You belong to me.” It was him! The nameless demon she feared she would never escape. She felt his vile presence in her mind, in her body. “Only me.”.

A stench, a nauseating mixture of mildew and decomposing flesh caused her to gag. She had returned to her prison. “Do not even try to fight me.”

She would die before she belonged to him again.

“You will not die until I permit it.” His voice seemed to come from every direction, but she knew it was coming from inside her mind. “You will kill for me again and again.”

Terror rose in her to great heights. Her heart raced painfully. She needed to get up. She needed to run. But she couldn’t move at all. Not her legs. Not her arms. Not even her lips to open her mouth and scream for help.

“I am your God. You cannot defeat a being with such great power.” The room was dark, but not as dark as a black shadowy distorted image of a man slithering across the ceiling. He hovered over her, his features shockingly grotesque, staring down at her, his sunken eyes glowing red flames. “I am your master, your god.”

Pain, more excruciating than any she had ever experienced, gripped her entire body. Every muscle in her body from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet cramped. The severity of pain increased until it became unbearable. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn’t get a sound out.

“I live in your blood. Every part of you belongs to me. Your body. Your mind. Your soul. I own you.” He settled his crushing weight onto her and pressed her backside against the mattress. “Your last breath belongs to me.” When she tried to take her next breath, his large hands wrapped around her throat and squeezed.

Gasping and choking, struggling to catch her breath, she opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling for a few seconds and massaged her throat. It had felt so real, but she knew it had been a nightmare. She was alone in the room. All the sudden, she started to feel hot. Really hot. Her entire body ached. A bone deep ache. And she was very thirsty. She didn’t want to move an inch, but she needed to get up to get a drink of water.

She tossed the blanket aside and, deliberately moving slow to prevent further discomfort, she sat up on the edge of the bed. The movement caused her vision to blur, and her stomach to roll. She waited to move again until her vision improved. She stood up and, using the furniture and walls to prevent herself from falling, she stumbled to the bathroom.

When she turned the light on sharp pains erupted in her head. Using her hand to shield her eyes, she squinted as she made her way to the sink. Leaning against the counter, she turned the faucet on. She was so dizzy and lightheaded. And so hot. She splashed cold water on her face and then looked up at her reflection in the mirror. She looked terrible. Her face was a sickly pale color, and her blood shot eyes were surrounded by dark circles. Her vision blurred to the point of causing her to lose her balance and to knock a large glass vase of flowers from the counter. She heard it shatter on the floor. Gripping the counter, she managed to stay on her feet. When she was able to focus on the mirror again, the demon who’d come to her time and time again during her captivity was staring back at her, his lips lifted in a cruel smile. “You belong to me. You cannot escape from me. I am your God. And I am coming for you.”

“No.” She closed her eyes. “You are not here. You are not real.”

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself looking at her reflection. She splashed more cold water over her face, and then she cupped her hands together to bring the water to her mouth. She took a few sips and turned the water off. Her body hurt, but her back was starting to burn really bad. She took her shirt off, turned around, and glanced over her shoulder to look at her back in the mirror. “Oh, fuck.” A raw, oozing burn had replaced the barcode tattoo and tracking spell Adam had removed.

It appeared to be infected. No doubt it was the cause of her burning up with a fever and hallucinating. She glanced at the bathtub and decided to cool off in it. It wouldn’t solve her problems, but it would give her some relief. Making her way to the tub, she stepped on glass. She sat on the floor next to the tub and lifted her leg to look at the bottom of her foot. Wincing, she pulled a large jagged chunk of glass from it.

 She leaned over the edge of the tub to close the drain and turn the cold water on. Waiting for the tub to fill up, she looked around and realized she was surrounded by blood. She lifted her leg to look at her foot again. The arch of her foot had a large gaping hole with blood oozing from it. She didn’t care.

Hopelessness was a terrible, ravenous force. It devoured her will, leaving her empty inside. She was so tired. Physically. Emotionally. She was completely drained. She would never run far enough. She would never escape Evolved. While pushing herself up from the floor, she felt glass slicing into her palms. She was aware of blood dripping from them, but she just wanted to cool her body off. She got into the tub, turned the water off, leaned back, closed her eyes, and let herself drift off.

****

The scent of blood nearly caused Adam’s heart to stop when he lifted his hand to open the door. He burst through it, ripping it from the hinges, and crashed through the bathroom door in the same manner.

For a split second, looking down at her, he froze. “Hanna.” He bent to lift her from the cold, bloody water. “Oh, Hanna, why?”

She opened her eyes and struggled with him. “No.” She lashed out at him, slashing his cheek with the shard of glass clenched in her fist.

“I told you I wouldn’t allow you to take the easy way out.”

“Get away from me.” Flailing her arms, she slashed the side of his neck.

Rather than risk causing her to be further injured he removed the glass from her hand with a thought. “Hanna,” he scooped her up out of the bath, “why, babe?” He’d seen more than his fair share of blood, of violence, of death, and of destruction. Never, since finding his family slaughtered as a child, had the sight and scent of blood devastated him so completely. “Why?”

“Please,” she pled. “I don’t want to kill you.”

“Hold onto me, Hanna. Feel me. Feel what you are to me. Feel what I am to you.” He couldn’t stop shaking as he stared down at her covered in blood in his arms. It had only been a few hours since he’d talked to her. He hadn’t detected any sign of illness in her. “You’re sick. You’re confused. You’re burning up with a fever.”

“Leave me.” She continued to fight him, attempting to force him to drop her. “I need it to end before I kill you or anyone else. He will use me to kill again.”

“He’s not here. He’s not with you right now. You have a fever. You’re confused. I know you’re hurting.” Cradling her against his chest, he carried her to the bed.

“He’ll come back.”

“You’re safe now.”

“You don’t understand. It’s back, but it’s different.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The tattoo. The spell.”

“Let me see it.”

“It’ll never go away. He will always use me. He’s in my head.”

“I know you’re scared, but you’re not alone anymore. I am here for you. Fully. Completely.” He sat on the bed, cradling her. “I am here for you. I will always be here for you. I will protect you for forever.”

“No one can protect me from what’s in my blood. He’s part of me. I’m entirely fucked up. Nothing will ever be all right.”

“Listen to me, Hanna. You’re sick. You have a very high fever.” He dried her off instantly with a wave of his hand. Then, gripping his hands around her wrists to hold her still, he sent healing energy into her body. Healing wasn’t his strongest power. Reaching deep, sharing more of his power than he’d ever shared, he focused on closing her wounds to stop the bleeding. “Stay with me.” He could take on and defeat any threat to her, but he was helpless to save her from the past. She’d suffered far too much violence from his kind to trust him. She would die if he tried to give his eternal breath to her. “Don’t give up, Hanna. Hold onto me.”

She struggled to get away, hitting him in the face when she managed to get one of her hands free. He could’ve easily forced her to remain absolutely still with a command, but he wouldn’t do it. Using his power to control her would only lead to her being further traumatized.

“I can’t let him use me to kill again. I can’t.”

“I know, babe. I won’t let him touch you again.”

“You can’t stop him. He’s in my blood.”

He had never feared an enemy. Never. He knew terror now. He couldn’t fight for her. She had to fight for herself.

“I am not allowing you to kill yourself.”

“You don’t understand.”

“You’re hurting. Share it with me. Tell me everything.”

“I’m just…” her emotional pain was tangible, “I’m so tired.” He felt it. So deeply. Ripping his soul. “I can’t fall asleep without…I can’t sleep. I need to just sleep.”

“Do you want me to help you sleep, babe?”

She looked at him for several seconds. “Yes.”

“I’ll be right here with you, watching over you while you sleep. Close your eyes and go to sleep, Hanna.” He issued the command, refusing to allow any part of her to fight it.

He knew she didn’t want to die. She simply didn’t want to continue living with pain, fear, and guilt. He was a wreck. A total wreck. He had to find a way to get through to her, to make her want to embrace life.

As he lowered her onto the bed, Gabe walked through the doorway. “What the hell just happened?” he asked, waving his hand to repair the door.

Adam gently rolled Hanna onto her belly. “What do you know about a demon’s tracking spell in a tattoo that returned as a burn after it was removed?”

“On a human?”

“Yes.” He motioned for Gabe to come over to the bed. “It’s on Hanna.”

Gabe looked down at the infected burn on her back. “They branded her. It’ll take months to remove it from her unless you transfer it.”

“To what?”

Gabe walked over to the bathroom. “Yourself.”

“That sounds too easy.”

“Not at all.” Again, with a wave of his hand, he repaired the bathroom door and removed the blood and broken glass. He returned to the bed. “If she wasn’t your mate, your spirit would normally resist the hell out of it. But since it’s on your mate, you shouldn’t have any problem. And if you hold onto it for a while, you might be able to use it to lead the caster to you.”

“Might?”

“It’s tricky. You need to hide your identity to lead them to you.”

“It’s severely infected. She’s burning up.”

“I see that. Work on transferring the spell, and I’ll work on healing her body. There is a chance you will experience some of the symptoms she’s suffering once you’ve transferred it.”

“Thank you, Gabe.”

It took Adam and Gabe over an hour to remove the spell and heal her. Both were exhausted by the time they were finished.

“Her fever is down. She looks better,” Adam said.

“How are you feeling? Any pain? Any discomfort from the spell?”

“Not at all.”

“Don’t be surprised if the symptoms hit you suddenly. You know she’s being battered by a compulsion to kill herself, right?”

“Better a compulsion than an actual desire to end her life.”

“It’s strong. I muffled it a bit, but I couldn’t get to the root. It’s in her blood.”

“He’s in her blood. She came too close to killing herself.”

“You’re wrong. The wounds on her hands and foot weren’t self-inflicted.”

“You’re sure?”

 “Her fever was very high. She wasn’t thinking clearly. In the bathroom it looked like she broke a vase, stepped on it, and then tried to pick the pieces up.”

“How can I get rid of the compulsion?”

“There is only one thing stronger than a demon’s blood bond. Your eternal bond with her will get rid of it. Once you complete the ritual she will be entirely free from him.”

“She’ll die if I attempt to do it right now.”

“Why?” Gabe asked.

“She doesn’t have any reason to trust me.”

She woke up and started to panic. “Who are you talking to, Adam?” She turned to face him, grabbing the sheet to cover her body.

“No one.” Realizing she was distressed over being naked, he took the sheet and covered her.

Gabe cloaked his image, so she wouldn’t know he was in the room. You need to put her back to sleep.

I was lucky she let me the first time. She doesn’t want me to get in her head.

She let you? You’re obeying a woman?

Evolved has taken too much from her.

I understand. But get over it. You’re her mate. You need to force her to sleep. She won’t know right now. Her mind is as exhausted as her body. It needs to be done. While healing her I saw that she hasn’t slept at all in several days. She never sleeps until total exhaustion catches up to her and forces her to sleep. Humans are not physically able to endure day after day without sleep. Her body can’t take much more. She needs to rest before her mind and body shut down.

I’ll do it.

Let me know if you run into any problems.

“How do you feel, babe?” Adam asked.

“Much better now.”

“You need to sleep.”

“I don’t sleep well. I’m okay.”

“Sit up and take a few sips.”

He held the glass to her mouth. Her gaze never left his as she took a few sips. When she was finished, he set the glass on the nightstand.

“Are you hungry?”

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

He stood up and walked over to the other side of the bed. He removed his shirt and shoes with a thought, and then stretched out on his back next to her.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking a break. And I plan to make sure you sleep well tonight.”

“You aren’t going to force me to sleep.” She rolled onto her side to face him. “You look exhausted, Adam.”

“I might be a little tired.”

“Go to sleep.”

He pulled her to him, encouraging her to rest her head on his chest. “I will if you close your eyes and join me.”

“I really thought he was in the room with me.”

He massaged her head with his fingers. “I don’t doubt it. You had a very high fever. You were confused.”

“It came on so fast.” She yawned.

“You could’ve reached for me before it got so bad. I know you know how to do it.”

“You’re wrong. I couldn’t think straight at all.” She yawned again. “I just…”

“It’s okay. We will work on it later.”

“I can’t believe we ended up in bed together.”

“I’m not shocked. I knew all along you would attempt to seduce me.”

“If that was your idea of seduction you lack imagination.” She took a deep breath and released it with a sigh. “I am really tired.”

“I know, babe. Close your eyes and go to sleep.” He used a gentle push, hoping she wouldn’t detect it. Thankfully, she didn’t notice so she didn’t fight it at all. As soon as he knew she was asleep, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off.