Page 65 of Take

“OH, GOD.” THE WORDS SCORCHED my throat as the strangled cry emerged the second I saw him. I tried to wrench free of Drake, but he jerked me back. “Rebirth to my Ink first, then I will allow you to heal him.”

I held back the tears that threatened to fall and make me into the weak little girl who broke under the man who now held me in his grasp. But I wasn’t that little girl anymore. I’d fought to keep my secret hidden. I’d fought to stay alive and now I was fighting for Jasper’s life. That was more powerful than the nightmares of six years with Drake.

I raised my chin and met his red flashing eyes. “No, Drake. I heal him first.”

He hissed revealing his fangs and looking scary as hell, but I refused to waver, knowing our one chance was if I could get to Jasper first.

I thought I’d be more terrified of him, but I wasn’t. He was a pitiful disgrace to the Scars and what they stood for. There was no honor in him and he was weak. He used vampires and a little girl to get him here. He was a monster who destroyed others in order to make himself feel better.

I didn’t dare look over at Jasper again. I needed Drake to believe he had no choice here. If he thought for one second I would break, he’d kill Jasper and take me away and wait until I gave in and drank his blood. But I knew Drake. He wouldn’t want to wait. He wanted his Ink alive now and that was what I was banking on.

Finally, Drake nodded and his hand slowly slid from my arm. I took a step toward Jasper when Drake grabbed me by the back of the neck, his fingers squeezing as he pulled me into him so hard I slammed into his chest. “Remember who you belong to, Breanna. Don’t do anything foolish.”

I knew exactly what he was saying. I was not to touch Jasper except to heal his wound. “I belong to no one, Drake. I’m your prisoner.” I shoved at his arm, gritting my teeth as the pressure on my neck increased before he let me go.

It took everything I had to walk slowly and steadily toward Jasper when all I wanted to do was run and throw my arms around him. My heart thumped erratically, and my blood rushed through my body like a torrential rainstorm.

I knew the Scars had to be looking for me by now and I planned on it. I hadn’t known at the time how I’d get away from Guise, but when we went into the hotel bar to wait for Xamien and Waleron and hopefully Holden, I knew it had to be then or I’d never have a chance. I waited ten minutes and even that was a struggle as I kept glancing at the clock up above the bar. I had an hour before Drake blew up the house Jasper was in. And there was no question in my mind he’d do it. He had nothing to lose if I didn’t show up.

Luckily, Guise was a Visionary and not a Reflector because I was betting no shield I put around my emotions could stop what I was feeling from being read. This meant I had to leave before Xamien arrived. He’d see right through me and know what I was up to.

My opportunity came when the waitress asked if we needed anything in French. She switched to English when neither of us answered her. She looked me up and down, frowned then glared at Guise who glowered back. I was a mess and suspected I had more than a few cuts and scrapes from our mad run through the bush.

She offered her hand. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up. Men.” She shook her head, her lips pursed together as she sneered at Guise. “It’s always the hot ones who are such assholes.”

Guise snorted and stood when I did. “Where are you going?”

“I’m calling the police if you don’t behave yourself,” the waitress, I glanced at her name tag, Vee, said. “Your girl here has dirt and cuts all over her. You want to explain to the police what happened to her?”

Guise’s scowl grew fierce, but he sat back down. “Don’t go far. We’re leaving the second they get here.”

The waitress flicked her hair over her shoulder and then tugged me to the washroom in the far corner of the bar. It wasn’t that difficult to get rid of the waitress saying I needed some time alone and then she smiled as if in understanding. I waited a few seconds and then peeked out the door and saw her serving a couple at the bar. Guise was on his phone. I snuck out in the shadows of the hall and went out the back fire exit door.

Then I ran. I suspected Guise and the others would track me pretty damn quickly to the house, but I just needed enough time to do what I had to.

And now . . . seeing Jasper again, I knew I did the right thing. I could do this. I had to. I wanted to.

The beam Jasper was chained to stood from floor to ceiling and was thick and solid. I’d need to find a way to undo the chains. Not now, Drake would be watching everything I did but when the time was right . . . after I killed him.

There was a good chance that I couldn’t. That my plan would fail, but this was the only way to try and save Jasper. Drake would’ve killed him if he had a hint of any Scars with me.

I stopped in front of Jasper, our eyes having never left one another since I began to make the ten agonizing steps toward him. “Sunshine.”

I pursed my lips and frowned, hoping he understood what I was saying. Drake was an ancient Scar and I’d learned to barricade him from my thoughts, but now he was also vampire and he might be able to intercept our telepathy. I couldn’t take the chance that he’d hear us. I just hoped Jasper would understand what I was doing.

My instinct was to scream and cry and hold him in my arms, but if I did, it would destroy all I had to do in order to save us both.

I couldn’t tell him I believed him. That I trusted him.

I put one hand on his left shoulder as if to steady myself and slid it back slightly, so my fingers were touching his shoulder blade. His brows drew together and his body stiffened, but he didn’t say anything. I called to my healing ability and put my other hand on his chest just below his heart.

I shifted all my healing to his shoulder, instead of his chest. Jasper must have felt it because his breath quickened and his eyes widened with surprise.

I closed my eyes when the images hit me and I saw it all. Jasper hung by his wrists from a tree, the tips of his toes just able to touch the ground. He had chains wrapped around his shoulder to keep him from calling to his Ink and there were bruises all over his body, yet he wasn’t bleeding or wounded. The stars shone down on his naked skin as he trembled so violently the chains rattled.

There was a ravaged expression on his face, rage pulsating through him as he hung helpless to the elements. I moved a little closer to him as I heard the screams of the girl echoing in his mind. The little girl’s screams that were tearing him apart as he dangled, unable to do anything but listen to her.

His sister. Beth.