“That doesn’t explain why Nicolai wants Pru,” Remi growls at him.
“We need strong mothers to make strong offspring.” William shrugs like it’s obvious. And now, looking back, it all makes sense to me. Nicolai has been working on this program since he set his sight on Genevieve.
“You volunteered your own sister for his little experiments?” I accuse him. I shoot to my feet and get right down in his face. “And when he couldn’t have her, he decided he wanted my mate.”
“The stupid little bitch deserved everything she got. Genevieve never should have run away with Archer like she did. She knew the risks when she chose him over Nicolai. Unfortunately, it’s my darling niece that has to pay her debt now.” The fear that had been masking William’s face disappears, and a cold look takes its place. “But she’s useless to Nicolai as long as she can’t shift. He’s growing more impatient. None of the torture he’s inflicted has worked thus far. He’ll grow bored of waiting and just… dispose of her soon.”
“Where is she?” I roar as I replace my father’s hand on William’s neck with my own. When I extend my claws and dig them deep into his jugular, blood begins to trickle down his throat and my fingers.
William smirks and laughs, his eyes full of amusement as he stares up at me. “Why would I ever tell you?”
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to rip your arm off and feed it to you,” I threaten. I feel my fangs lengthen, and my eyes shift into their wolf form. I’m losing control of my beast; if this asshole doesn’t give me the information I want in the next few seconds, I’m going to shift in the middle of his penthouse, and then he’ll really be fucked because my wolf’s bloodlust is out of control right now. I’m barely holding him back.
“Do it.” He bares his teeth. “Nicolai is still going to fuck your mate—mentally and physically.”
“Fuck this!” Ransom barks from behind me. “Finish him, Ryker! Or at least let me!”
I dig my claws a little deeper and am about to deliver the lethal blow when Remi yells, “Wait!”
“What is it?” Dad asks.
“I have an address,” she breathes. “Well, there are two. But one of them has to be the right one.” She marches forward and thrusts the tablet into William’s face. “Which one is Pru at? Which one is Nicolai holding her in?”
William stares at the screen before his gaze slowly slides away, but then he looks back at me defiantly before finally answering. “She’s at the facility off Frontage Road. It’s two hours away from here.” His smirk returns when he looks back at the screen. “You’ll never be able to get to her. You’ll be killed the second you walk up to the building.”
“I’m willing to risk it.” I let go of his neck and kick the rolling chair with my foot as hard as I can. William flies across the hardwood before crashing against the large window.
“We’ll have the element of surprise, there’s no way Volkov knows we’re here,” Ranger says.
“No, he’ll know we’re here.” I shake my head.
“How?”
“William here is going to call and tell him we’re on our way.” I sneer down at the man. “All of us are going.”
40
Pruitt
Jax upped the hellfire dosage this time. My body is weak, and I’m barely able to keep myself upright as I shift positions on the bathroom floor. After an hour of uncontrollably screaming and thrashing, nausea had kicked in, and I was unchained from the table and allowed in the bathroom. I’ve been hugging the toilet and hurling from the pain for a while now. My hair sticks to my sweaty forehead, and I feel beads of sweat drip down my back. I haven’t showered, and I feel disgusting. And now, after throwing up multiple times, I would kill for a toothbrush.
Unable to keep myself upright any longer, I lay down on the cool floor of the bathroom. I don’t even care at this point—I’m already filthy. I groan in pain when I rest my cheek against the tile. My fangs had made an appearance this time around, and I had accidentally bitten my cheek when I was convulsing in pain.
“You look horrible,” Jax comments from the doorway of the bathroom. “I’m sorry I had to do that again.”
“We all do things we regret,” I mumble back. I feel weak, and keeping my eyes open is difficult. Breathing at this point is difficult. I’m so exhausted. On top of not showering, I also haven’t slept since my arrival here. I’m sure my lack of sleep is factoring into my weakness
“If doing this brings me closer to Sterling, then it will be all worth it.”
“Oh, okay, then.” I roll my eyes and immediately regret it when it causes excruciating pain to radiate from my sockets. “Whatever makes you sleep well at night, Jax.”
“You said you were willing to help,” Jax reminds me.
“Yeah, asshole, I meant I would try to find out more about Sterling from Nicolai,” I grunt. “Not that I was cool with the extra-strong dose of hellfire.”
“Volkov would have known if I hadn’t.” Jax slides down the doorjamb and joins me on the bathroom floor. “Your fangs and claws came out this time.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but that’s happened before.” I remember the first time they showed up after Esme’s ritual. That was the same night I gained the ability to talk to Ryker through the pack link. “Looks like your torture tricks don’t work on me.”
God, I miss hearing his voice in my head.
“I don’t know how much more hellfire I can infuse into your body before it kills you. I’ve already done twice as much as I usually do. Your wolf must really be bound.”
“No shit.” Feeling a little bit better, I push myself off the floor and transition into a sitting position. “A high priestess cast the spell
