Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 8: Paige

The room fades in and out, like a nightmare I can’t quite wake from. The man’s hand on my throat is iron, unyielding, his face swimming in and out of focus as his fingers press harder, cutting off my air, tightening until I feel like I’m falling into darkness.

“You really thought they’d care, didn’t you?” His voice is a murmur, low and mocking, each word dripping with scorn. “Thought Daddy would jump to save you, didn’t you? Poor thing,” he taunts, his voice blurring into a strange, faraway echo.

The sounds of the chaos around us feel muted, dim, as if I’m drifting further and further from the world, from everything solid and real. My vision tunnels, and I can barely hear him now, his taunts turning to garbled whispers as the grip around my throat turns to iron. I try to claw at his hand, try to scream, but there’s nothing—just this terrible, sinking blackness pulling me under.

Then, just as I feel myself slipping entirely, a sudden, sharp pain pricks my stomach, small but unmistakable, jerking me back just enough to blink my eyes open. The grip on my neck slackens, the man’s face coming into focus once more, and for a second, I think I’m hallucinating. His mouth is open, his eyes wide and round, blood pooling at the corners of his lips. He coughs, a wet, broken sound, and the blood spatters against my cheek, warm and sickening, splashing down onto my clothes.

Slowly, almost numbly, I lower my gaze, and that’s when I see it—a long, glinting blade protruding from his back, the tip pressing into my stomach just enough to scratch the skin, tearing a small line in my shirt and leaving a trail of warmth where it cuts shallow into my skin.

Then, in one smooth motion, the blade slides back, the cold metal disappearing, and the man crumples to the ground, his body falling away from me, his weight gone, leaving me gasping, my hands flying to my throat as I stumble back, dazed.

And there, standing behind him, is Jaxon Steele.

He stands with the blade still in his hand, his posture relaxed, as if he’s done nothing more than flick a fly away. One hand is still in his pocket, his grip on the blade loose and casual, his expression impassive, almost bored. But his eyes—they’re fixed on me, sharp and unyielding, piercing me with an intensity that feels like a physical force. His gaze rakes over me, calm and cold, but there’s something in it that pins me in place, something I can’t look away from.

I’m frozen, my throat raw, my body trembling as I stare back at him. For a moment, I forget the blood on my face, the shouts and chaos still erupting around us. It’s just his gaze, dark and relentless, stripping me bare, his eyes moving over me as if he’s looking at something… deeper, something buried beneath everything I show to the world.

Blood spatters the floor, the screams and shouts ricocheting off the walls as men from both sides tear into each other. I’m still catching my breath, trying to piece together what just happened, when another figure rushes over to where I stand.

Silas, his face streaked with sweat and blood, skids to a halt, looking between me and Jaxon. His eyes narrow, suspicion flickering over his face. “What are you doing with her, Jaxon?” he asks, his tone almost teasing but edged with something sharper.

Jaxon turns around, his gaze as cold and unfeeling as ever. “Nothing,” he says, shrugging with complete indifference. “She can die here too, for all I care.”

His words cut through me, leaving me stunned, confused. Didn’t he just save me? But he doesn’t wait for a response. Without a glance back, he turns and walks out of the room, his pace calm, completely unaffected by the chaos around him. He slips through the violence like a ghost, disappearing as if he was never here at all.

I’m left standing there, feeling raw and exposed, struggling to catch up with everything spiraling around me. Before I can make sense of it, I feel Silas’s eyes on me. He looks me over, a smirk spreading over his face as he takes in the blood spattered on my skin, the ripped fabric of my shirt where Jaxon’s blade scratched across my stomach.

Then he turns, his gaze shifting to the carnage around us, to Tobias, who’s still shouting orders amid the bodies, the violence, the chaos.

“Guess it’s time to go,” he murmurs to himself, and without warning, his arm snakes around me, lifting me off my feet.

“Put me down!” I gasp, thrashing in his grip. I claw at his shoulders, my nails scraping against his skin, but he just tightens his hold, hauling me out of the room as if I’m a rag doll. “Silas, let me go!” I struggle, my voice frantic, kicking and twisting, but it doesn’t even faze him.

“Enough,” he snaps, and his grip tightens further. “Keep squirming, and I might just let you go in the middle of all this. See if you make it out alive.”

I grit my teeth, biting down on the panic rising in my throat as he drags me through the building, past the dying sounds of battle. Desperation claws at me, and I try to kick him, aiming at his knees, his legs, but he doesn’t even stumble, his arm like a steel band around my waist.

He drags me outside, the cool night air hitting my face, chilling the sweat and blood on my skin. My heart pounds, and I glance around, hoping someone—anyone—might be here to stop him, but there’s only darkness and the echo of distant chaos. Silas walks to a sleek black car, yanks open the trunk, and without another word, he shoves me inside, slamming the door shut before I can even scream.

The silence is immediate, oppressive, and I’m plunged into darkness, the space cramped and stifling around me. I pound my fists against the lid, shouting, but the only response is the rumble of the engine as the car lurches forward, speeding away from the scene.

I’m trapped, alone, the realization settling in as the car drives further and further away. My heart races, and I press my hands to the walls of the trunk, feeling the vibrations of the road beneath me as panic twists through my veins. Every attempt to scream or kick is swallowed by the dark, heavy silence around me.

And for the first time, I feel something new, something terrifying.

I’m completely, utterly helpless.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter