“Fuck,” I cursed, trying to push myself up on my elbows and finding my wrists securely cuffed to the bed.
“No point in struggling. You've been secured for your own safety.” A woman moved to my side. She was dressed in medical scrubs, and appeared to be in her fifties.
“Where—” I croaked, the dryness of my throat causing my voice to sound hoarse and harsh.
“Ah, let me get you some water. But first, I need to collect the morning sample. Boss's orders. You know how it is,” she said with a shrug. My eyes widened as she came toward the crook of my elbow with a needle.Fuck that shit.
I snarled, and a deep growling noise burst from my chest.
“None of that, Mr. Sullivan,” she scolded. “Be good and I won't have to sedate you.”
Sedate me, my ass.I called on my magic, but felt my rage spike when I found myself completely empty. No fire. No dragon.Fuckers must've dosed me with something.Smart on their part, but not good for me. It changed everything, and I knew I needed to approach this carefully—in a different way than my normal fiery instincts. They'd likely already taken blood so what was a little more? It was worth it to not be sedated. I needed to keep my mind sharp, so I could figure out what the hell was going on.
Letting myself go still wasn't as easy as it sounded. Allowing someone to take something from me without consent wasn't something I'd ever be comfortable with. Not even my damn blood.
“Very good,” the nurse praised, and a moment later I felt the sharp pinch of the needle. She was done quickly and placed a cold bottle of water in my hand. The woman had a tool of some kind that allowed her to loosen my restraints just enough that I could drink. And by the stars, I drank greedily, a good bit of it spilling down my chin.
“Where am I?” I asked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
She tsked in response, placing the tube of blood into a biohazard bag and sealing it shut. “He'll be in soon,” she replied, and left the room without a backward glance.
He?I thought back to killing Bryce. What else had happened? He'd been about to rape Red, that much I remembered, and it was enough to make murderous intent flood my veins. But she was safe. We’d fucked—no, I’d made love to her like a lovesick fool. Gods, the witch was addicting. Even now, strapped to an exam bed, my cock twitched at the memory of her writhing beneath me.
The fire at her friend's house. Annie going missing. Laurie escaping. The phone call from the prison about my dad being gone, finally.
My heart sank at the memories. Things were coming back faster now, and clearly out of order. I'd made up with Fischer.Thank fuck.I'd finally told him I loved him, and he’d returned the words, despite not wanting me to go to the prison. I remembered driving, stopping at the dingy gas station, and losing cell service. The fireball hitting the SUV. The two figures standing over me...No.Please, no.
Turning my head, I threw up all over the clean floor before sinking back into the pillows.
“I see you're awake.”
This isn't real. This is a nightmare.
“Look at me, boy. It's been too many years since I've seen my son,” my father said in his domineering way, and I found myself looking up into his eyes immediately, almost without thinking.
He was older, obviously. It had been so many years since I'd seen him. His time in prison must've been rough, if the scars on his arms were any indication, not to mention the large jagged one running down one side of his face.
My father was every bit as tall as my six-two, but he was built wider. Made meaner.
“Thought you were dead,” I bit out, jaw clenched.
Crossing his arms over his huge chest, he glared down at me. “Were you hoping to dance on my grave, son?”
I scoffed. “Like I would've allowed you to have a grave.”
For an old man, he moved fast. Not that I could've blocked the blow, even if I'd anticipated it. Pain exploded across my cheekbone and I felt certain I'd heard a crack. It was always hard to tell when it involved the face.
“Fucker,” I hissed.
“I see our time apart has caused you to lose your respect, boy. That's no problem. We'll get that sorted out. Promptly,” he threatened, and I wished I could run far away. I despised the way he still—even after all these years—held this power over me. I wasn't Sloane Sullivan, one of the best spies in Radical, ward master, and the most skilled pyro mage in the world. No, I was once again the scared, scrawny, timid child he'd beaten me into.
“Why am I here?” I demanded.
“Because we Sullivan men are important to the cause. I've been working with Asrael since before you were born, boy. Everything is going according to plan, and we're so close to the finish line,” he replied ominously, a disturbing smirk appearing on his face. “Now, we're going to see what you're really made of. Let's go.”
He stepped behind the bed, and it jostled as he released the brake on the wheels. Wherever we were going, I knew it wasn't going to be pleasant. He pushed me down a long, blindingly white hallway.
As we approached a corner, a woman rounded it with a little blonde girl at her side. My eyes locked onto the girl as she lifted her face.
