Page 71 of Desecrated Saints
Hudson’s voice yanks the plug from my body. In an instant, I’m left exhausted and lifeless. My captor pulls me back over his shoulder until I’m cradled in his arms like a tiny baby. Piercing amber eyes bore into me beneath an untamed shock of black hair.
“You going to behave?” he questions.
“Put me down before I gouge your eyes out,” I threaten weakly.
A smile spreads his thick, angular lips. “I’d very much like to see you try, wildfire. We can spar this out if you’d prefer. I’ll happily beat you into submission.”
“Touch her and your eyes won’t be the only thing at risk,” Hudson warns calmly. “Your choice, pal.”
He rolls his eyes. “I’ll pass.”
I’m placed back on my feet and the carpet rushes to meet me until someone grabs me from behind. Crushed in a back-breaking hug, Hudson’s comforting scent wraps around me.
“You were right behind me,” I wheeze.
“We’ve been here all day, waiting for you to wake up.” His frown deepens as he studies my face. “What did you see? Who was it?”
“N-Nothing.”
“Dammit, Brooke. Don’t lie to me. You promised to tell us if you started seeing shit again.”
Before I can die of embarrassment, I’m torn out of Hudson’s embrace. Two petrified green eyes rake over me. Eli’s forehead smashes into mine as he squeezes me hard enough to hurt. I can feel the dangerous hammering of his heart from here.
“You’re okay,” he murmurs.
His rough voice breaks the last of my composure. I sag into his body, allowing him to hold me up. Another column of warmth meets my back and helps Eli to manoeuvre me into a seat at the long table.
“I’ve got you, love,” Kade whispers.
Hudson quickly takes the seat to my left and grabs my hand in his tight grip. Eli steals the other empty seat, leaving Kade to roll his eyes and find a new place to sit.
“Where are we?” I ask timidly.
“London, Brooklyn West.”
The new voice captures my attention and refuses to surrender it. At the other end of the table, beside the annoyed giant that interrupted my fleeing, sits another unfamiliar man.
Tall, well-tanned, and built with the toned gait of a gym addict, he openly stares at me. His features are angular and handsome, though slightly disfigured by a puckered scar that bisects his eyebrow. His chin is covered in a rugged scruff of beard, harshening his model-perfect looks.
Wearing a checked suit and blue tie that complement his coffee-coloured eyes, the stranger’s chestnut-brown hair is tied back at the nape of his neck. I suppress a shiver. He looks a little bit too much like Augustus, with his designer garb and palpable authority.
Hudson squeezes my hand. “Brooke, this is Hunter.”
“Director of Sabre Security,” he supplies.
I gape between the two strangers, my head on a swivel. “This is Sabre? Not Incendia?”
The mountain to Hunter’s left steps forward, cracking his scarred knuckles. “I’m Enzo, second in command. Incendia attempted to extract you. We stepped in and brought you here for protection.”
“Protection?”
Hunter cocks his head, considering me. “We’ve been monitoring your movements for a while. Blackwood Institute was the tip of the iceberg for our investigation into Incendia.”
“You’re Sadie’s team, aren’t you?”
“Alyssa works for us,” Enzo confirms.
Right on time, the door to the office slams open and a very disgruntled-looking Theo storms in. There’s a dark bruise forming on his forehead as he limps. His furious gaze crash lands right on me.