Page 26 of Bubblegum Pop
“No need to worry about the hows, though it won’t be pleasant. I simply need something from you, all three of you.”
“How the hell can we give you anything?” I snarled at him. “We’re fucked up. You can’t just walk in here and claim all this shit. It doesn’t work like that.”
Apollo’s hope was so strong in the bond that I wasn’t going to say no. I’d give him anything he wanted from now on.
“And yet, here I am.” The alpha spread his arms open. “So, would you like to listen to my offer? Because it’s incredibly time sensitive. You have roughly thirty minutes before two detectives arrive to discuss the incident. It’s entirely your choice. Would you like to see your brother survive?”
“How?” I growled. “How would you do it?”
“I don’t want questions, I want answers.”
“Yes,” Apollo said on a rushed breath. “Yes, whatever you want. Anything. Just bring him back to us. Please.”
“Very well.” He nodded. “We can discuss terms and conditions once Odin is awake.”
His gaze skipped over Odin again before he hummed, resting his cane against the bed, lifting one hand to hover over my brother’s heart.
Pure power vibrated from him, like he had found a way to concentrate his aura on one spot. Most alphas could use their auras to push at others with a wall of energy as a display of dominance or to protect themselves and their omegas, but I’d never seen anyone who could force it like that.
“Apollo, be a dear and step back, would you? He’s even weaker than I thought. It will take more force than usual.”
“What? So you do this all the time?” I glared as he blanketed Odin in his aura. Apollo refused to move. I hated the way the guy smiled at me, like I was too stupid to understand what the fuck he was doing, or even who the hell he was.
He lifted his hand, and, without warning, slammed his palm straight down into Odin’s chest.
The boom of energy ricocheted around the entire ward. People in neighbouring beds shouted, panic exploding through the ward, and Apollo was knocked backwards into his own bed.
“What are you doing!?” I shouted, struggling to get free from the cuffs. Even if I broke my wrists snapping off the cuffs, I needed to get him the fuck away from Odin. “You’re going to kill him!”
“Now, now. Don’t be so dramatic. I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought he would die.”
And with that, he clenched his open hand into a fist, sucked in a heavy breath, and crashed it side-down onto Odin’s chest again.
I thought I was going to throw up. Another explosion of power slammed into me, and I cried out as I was thrown away, the chair knocking out from under me; the only thing that stopped me from falling were the handcuffs. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think. I wasn’t going to let my brother go. I’d hold on to the very last thread until the blood in his veins went cold.
Odin’s body buckled, bent in half at the hip. “Stop!” I shouted. “You’re going to kill him!”
“I told you it would take more force than I expected.”
Another boom, another jerk from Odin, and I swear, I heard my brother gasp, but I was fighting too hard to tell properly.
“Leave him alone!” I shouted, sending out a burst of my aura. Redness slipped into my vision as Apollo moaned, the rogue state creeping up on me again. I just knew if I tried to fight this guy, I’d be the one on the floor.
“Really gentlemen.” He frowned before twisting his lips. “I’d appreciate a lot less shouting in return for this favour. You’re making it hard to concentrate.”
There was another throb of his aura and my mind buzzed, dark spots sparking in my eyes as my lungs contracted. Whatever the fuck he was doing, there wasn’t anything good about it.
“Nurse!” Apollo screamed. “Doctor! Please help!”
The alpha’s brow furrowed in effort as the bed shook and another blast of his aura flattened us both.
“I’m sorry to have to do this,” he sighed. “It’s rather inconvenient, but you’re being far too loud.”
“What?” I snapped. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, nothing much. I just need you both to sleep.”
He hurled a huge pulse of energy at me, consuming every last part of my mind. I couldn’t even yell as suffocating pain tore through my chest before the darkness took me.