Restraint (The Revelation Series Book 2) (28 page)

Callan sighs. “Keegan is calling a meeting
. First floor. One hour. He sent me to tell you and Eves.”

“All right, we’
ll be there,” Asher says.

The hallway
is quiet for a moment before I hear Callan shout, “Morning, cutie! I like the citrus look.” His laughter is contagious as I listen to Asher pushing him out the front door.

Ash walks back into the kitchen, amusement clear on his face. “You think this is funny?” He motions to hi
s wet and sticky body. “I’ll show you funny, siren.”

With a squeal
, I run around the island and head to the safety of my bathroom to shower and get ready for the meeting. Through the locked door, I hear Asher laugh. “Payback’s a bitch.”

Once I hear him walk away, I turn the water on and smile at myself in the mirror.
Shit, I really am in love with him.

I’m attempting to blow-dry my unruly hair when Asher knocks at the door. I swing it open to see him freshly showered and looking gorgeous in his standard outfit. Jeans, a white t-shirt, black motorcycle boots and leather wristbands on each of his arms.
My outright appraisal of him with my eyes earns me a cocky smile.

“Li
ke what you see, siren?” He uses his standard line while biting his lip.

“I’ve seen better.”
I shrug, giving him my usual answer.

He
snarls and lunges for me, lifting me on the sink counter and standing between my legs. With his hands cupping my face, he murmurs against my lips. “You’re mine. Remember that.”

“
Forever,” I promise before his lips tangle with mine at a slow, tender pace.

He
moans in displeasure. “As much as I’d like to stay here all day, attached to your beautiful, pouty pink lips, we need to get down to the meeting.”

I
sulk. “Okay, I’ll meet you down there in like five minutes.”

He watches me
then leans forward, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead before releasing my face and stepping back. “Five minutes, siren. I’m sending McKenna up while you finish.”

I roll my eyes. “
The sooner you leave, the sooner I’ll be done.”

He smirks and walks out the door
, but turns at the last minute and smiles at me. “Say it again.”

I tilt my head
to the side then walk up to him, put both arms around his waist and look him in the eyes. “Asher St. Michael, you are full of gargoyle awesomeness.”

He inhales and closes his eyes. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”

“What? That you’re awesome?” I tease.

“Fuck yeah.” He smiles before giving me one final searing kiss.
“Five minutes, siren, or I’ll be back to drag your cute little ass downstairs.”

“Yes, sir.” I salute as he walks backwards out of the room, smirking the entire time.

A few moments later, McKenna appears in the doorway. “Almost ready, blood of Eden?”

“Yep. Just give me a second.”

Throwing on my vanilla-coconut gloss, I head into the living room, prepared for McKenna’s wrath. 

“
I’m ready,” I say in a light-hearted manner, hoping she won’t be bitchy.

“Is that so?” A
chilling male voice rumbles through me.

I
stop in my tracks at the site of the six-foot half-demon and half-gargoyle dressed in a black button down shirt and black dress pants.
Oh shit!

Deacon turns his muscular body to face me. Brown eyes that are almost black narro
w at my appearance. He rubs a hand over a snake tattoo that is mostly covered by his black buzzed hair as my eyes follow it down to his neck. The reptile wraps around his throat and continues inside the top of his shirt.

“H-
how did you get in here?” I question, scanning the room for anything that might help me and wondering where McKenna is. Then I see her wrapped in an unfamiliar man’s arms. Deacon’s mate, Jade, has a knife pointed at her heart while she swears ferociously and profusely.
Crap
.

Deacon
smirks in a sinister manner. “Unprotected again, little girl?” The question is a sneer.

A strangled laugh comes out of me. “They’re all here. They can sense you
,” I warn.

“
Not fast enough.” He springs at me with such speed I can’t react. His large hand roughly grasps a handful of my hair, snapping my head forward. A stinging sensation makes its way down my neck and over my spine.

He smile
s at me in an evil manner one final time before we disappear, but not before my eyes lock onto a panic-stricken McKenna.

***

With a snarl, Deacon thr
ows me onto the cold, damp stone floor, causing me to land on my legs awkwardly. I groan as pain shoots through my body from the impact. Using my palms, I push my upper body up as I lift my head. “You’re an asshole,” I spout through clenched teeth.

At my insult, Deacon raises his left hand and whips it down across my face
. I cry out in pain. Blood begins to trickle down my chin from the side of my mouth.
Damn that hurt.

“Learn. Some. Manners, little girl.” He
circles me like an animal.

“Fuck you
,” I spit out with some of the blood from my mouth.

That earn
s me a kick in the back with his designer shoe. Hard. I grunt and fall completely on the ground, my breath coming in shallow gasps.

Deacon squats down and grips my chin in a bruising manner. “Lucifer won’t put up with your smart mouth and neither will I.” With a snap of his wrist
, he releases the hold as my head drops back to the ground. I close my eyes as his footsteps retreat and I hear a door close.

I open my eyes and
take in my surroundings. I’m in a square cell. Each wall is solid stonework. There are no windows and the door I heard must be hidden within the wall because I can’t see it. The stone cube is empty with the exception of my body, which is lying on the floor, writhing in excruciating pain.

I
suck in a breath as the tears begin to flow.
Damn it, why didn’t I just go with Asher?
I close my eyes and picture him smiling at me as a sob escapes before I suck it back in. I refuse to let Deacon make me cry. I need to calm down and think of a way out.

Minutes become hours and hours, days. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here
, or even where here is. Deacon has been back in the cell twice. Both times, I refused water, which led to him using my face as a punching bag. My eyes are swollen shut. I’m sure the cuts on my face and my bruised body are infected. For some reason, I’m not able to heal myself.

I’ve tried astral projection and dream walking as an attempt to reach out to Asher
. Neither is working. There seems to be some sort of block preventing me from using any of the abilities I’ve learned. The longer I sit in here, the weirder this gets.
Why hasn’t Deacon just handed me over to Lucifer?

I hear the door open, but can’t see it because of my
disfigured face. I cower and flatten myself against the wall, not able to withstand another strike to my body. I hear slow footsteps approach before someone crouches in front of me.

“
Christ, love.” Gage’s voice hits me.

“Gage?”
I whisper, stunned as my bottom lip begins to quiver.

“What the fuck happened, Eve?”
he says with a heated voice.

I let out
a nasty, throaty sound. “Deacon.”

Gage
curses multiple times before blowing out a long, exaggerated breath. “He wasn’t supposed to harm you.”

“Obviously, that’s not the case,” I
softly shout.

“I can see that
. I’m going to get you out of here but you have to trust me. Can you do that Eve?” He’s silent, waiting for my answer.

Can I trust Gage? Maybe.
“I have no choice,” I say, defeated.

He pauses. “
Understood. I just can’t take you out of here though, okay? I promise you won’t be in here much longer. Trust me,” he urges with sincerity.

“
Fine. I trust you.” My voice is shaky.

Suddenly, there’
s another set of footsteps. “She’s alive. You’re done here,” Deacon says coolly and I stiffen.

“But not unharmed
, Deacon.” Gage seethes.

“She has a mouth. I have a temper. It makes for u
nfriendly moments,” he reasons, bored.

“Do. Not. Lay. Another. Hand. On. Her
,” Gage says angrily.

“Or what
, Gallagher?” Deacon taunts.

“
Or I will end you myself,” Gage threatens.

With that, the cell goes qui
et again and I let out the breath I was holding.

I’m not sure if I fell asleep or passed out from the pain.
Or even how long it’s been since Gage’s visit. The sound of loud but muffled voices grabs my interest. I attempt to push up on my palms to get a better angle to hear, but through the granite, I can’t. Exhausted, I just lie back down on the damp stone and close my eyes.

“She’s in here,” Gage announces
as the cell door opens, breaking through the fog of soreness in my head.

Immediately,
I smell Asher’s smoky wood and leather scent. My eyes are puffy slits, but I can faintly make out both good-looking gargoyles. Asher’s eyes look wild and primal as he scans me, taking in every inch with a deadly expression.

Keegan and Callan
come up and stop behind him, both wearing shocked expressions.

Asher’s breathing is heavy, like he can’t
get enough air in his lungs.

“I’m going to cut his heart out.”
His voice is so deep that the hatred ripples through my body.

“
Secure her safety first,” Gage says. “Revenge later.”

Asher
nods once at Gage before Gage departs with an appreciative nod from Keegan and a thank you pat on the shoulder from Callan. The two sullen protectors stand guard while Asher makes his way to me, still trying to get a hold on his emotions.

“
What the fuck,” Asher says on a long breath before moving toward me and crouching. At his proximity, I can see the agony on his face. It’s the final crack in my emotional state.

I start to
shake and sob uncontrollably as he gently pulls me into his arms. “Shh. I’ve got you, siren,” he says, burrowing his face in my neck. I grip him tighter.

“McKenna?” I rasp out.

“She’s okay. Pissed off, but all right. Deacon and his minions flashed before they pierced her, probably sensing our arrival,” Asher answers quietly.

Callan’s wrecked face watches us. “Ash,
we need to go before Deacon discovers we’re here.”

At the sound of his name
, I freeze and begin to tremble in Asher’s arms. “I’m going to fucking kill that motherfucker,” Asher growls out in cool detachment.

“
No doubt. Let’s get Eves home first,” Callan answers, trying to get Asher to focus and move.

Asher scoops my injured body up and carries me out of the cell. Keegan and Callan
are behind him, weapons drawn. “Does no one else find it odd that he’s letting us just walk out with her?” Callan asks.

A knowing
look crosses Keegan’s face. “This is a set up. Deacon’s smart. He wouldn’t just take her and hand her over to Lucifer. He wants war. In order to get it, he needs her alive and Asher out of the picture.”

“
I’m here, why not ambush and dispose of me now?” Asher asks as the cold, fresh air hits my face. I can’t see much, but it’s dark so I’m assuming it must be night.

“
He’s too tactical for that. This is a game of chess to him,” Callan says, his tone solemn.

“Why even
kidnap her at all?” Asher questions.

“He’s playing with us. Showing you he can get to her if he wants too
,” Callan answers.

“Deacon is waging war
, brothers,” Keegan says firmly. “It’s time we amass an army.”

Asher’s breath is at my ear. “Close your eyes, siren.
We’ll be home soon,” he says in his sexy voice that I can’t say no to.

Without warning
, we’re soaring through the pitch-black sky as Asher clings to my limp form. All the tension leaves him as he holds me close. I bask in his warmth.

I’m placed gently
on his stone state bed while he holds my neck so it’s tipped and he can look me in the eyes. “Get me some fresh clothes, a warm wet cloth and water,” he asks darkly.

My eyes are still
inflamed so it’s hard to see. “Why are we in Wiltshire?”

“You weren’t able to heal yourself in the cell. Deacon had it spelled so you couldn’t use your abilities. You should start
mending now, but I’m going to help the process along in stone state by transferring my healing energy to you,” Asher responds by holding a water bottle to my lips.