Chance: An Action & Adventure Romance Novel (Sacrifice) (15 page)

Aiden's grunt of pain brings my attention back to him and I see that he has a dagger planted in his shoulder. A gasp escapes my lips and I jerk in Al's arms. Al has been holding me since the fighting erupted and he doesn't let me go, but that doesn't stop me from trying to get free. To get to Aiden. The man I've fallen in love with. The man that has shown me kindness and affection. Me, a plague. And if I do not do something he is going to die.

Chapter Fifteen

Dora

“
Stop!” I scream at the top of my lungs and to my surprise the fighting stops. All heads turn to me and most have weary expressions on their faces. Takeo and Aiden are hurt. Angelo seems to be coming back into himself and he's staring at the unconscious body of Maddy still lying on the floor. Tilting my head back against Al's shoulder I whisper softly for only his ears to hear.

“
Can you lower the cell?”

“
Yes. Why?”

“
I need you to lower the cell in five minutes and do not come back in. Can you do that for me?”

“
I could, but Sweet Dora I'm not...”

“
Please?!
”

I beg him, there's no shame in it. I need him to do this for me. Al releases me without another word and darts out of the door at the back of the room. Walking to the center of the room I take a deep, shuddering breath before speaking once more.
  “
I will go with you if this stops now.”

“
You will come with us or they will all die.”

“
You will stop this now, or everyone in this room will die.  I think you know I am more than capable.”

The Sapient’s face pales and he simply nods his head.

“
Your men will stand down while I tend to my family. If I am never to see them again you
will
give me this.”

The Sapient says nothing, so I take that as a yes. The best I can do is drag Maddy by her arms over to Angelo. He takes her into his arms and stares at me, silently asking me what is going on. I motion with a finger for Takeo and the remaining soldiers to come over to me and they do so without question, keeping their guns trained on The Sapient. Aiden is already at my side, so when I turn to him his eyes are on me. Standing on my toes I reach up and kiss his perfect lips.  I whisper the words I had never been able to say to him, or anyone else for that matter. “I love you.”

There's a loud creak from the line holding the cell suspended and my eyes shoot up towards the cell. Turning quickly I shove Aiden back and I hear a familiar noise. Something landing on the top of the cell.

Slam! Click! Snap! The cell plummets to the floor, trapping my new family safely inside. Aiden screamed for me before the cell hit the ground, but my attention was on the men
behind me. This was my choice. My decision.
 
I've had enough.
 
The Sapient would take no more from me.

At that moment I vowed to myself that these men would hurt no one else. Someone had to stop them. Stepping towards them, I watch as the men shift and move towards the far wall away from me. At my feet there is a dagger left from the battle that occurred minutes before. One of the men wasn't briefed enough before this task. I know this because as I reach down to grab the dagger, a single shot rings out and hits me in my shoulder. He should have aimed for my head. The pain sears through me just as the darkness wakes inside. My eyes burn from both unshed tears and my transformation.  My eyes are turning the color of onyx, as they always did when the darkness manifested.

Dark tendrils cascade down my body enshrouding me in darkness. The tendrils shift across the room towards the men, much like a feather in the wind. Not a direct route but prolonging the inevitable. The darkness reaches the men and that's when the screams of pain begin to fill the air. Shots ring out and hit me in my thigh, my side and one grazes my neck.

I do not allow the pain to bring me to my knees. The blood loss is making my body shake, but I won't stop until either they are all dead or I have taken my last breath. I know Aiden will hate me because of this but he would do the same thing. It is my life; my life to give and my life to take.  Not one person can fault me. This is simply the right thing to do.

When the tears in my eyes become too much to handle I blink them away, allowing them to stream down my cheeks. The screaming has stopped.  With everything left in me, I will the darkness back inside. This process is always exhausting and I've already got very little left to give.  As my world starts to fade to black, I can only thank God for the release.

Al

The chain wouldn't release. I didn't do that.

Who cares?

I do.

Everything worked out.

Did it?

Upon entering the training facility I'm taken aback by the sight laid out before me. The Sapient men are all dead. Even those who were already dead are just like the rest,
skeletons. Skeletons and guns. All of the flesh and organs and blood gone. Even their clothing. Eaten away by Dora's abilities. But there in the center of the room is Dora. The pools of blood around her body still remain and I have to turn my eyes away. I can't stand the sight.

NO!

She didn't deserve to die.

She saved us.

Tragic.

Yes, Tragic.

Running around the back of the cell I light my blowtorch and begin cutting the door off the hinges. It takes about twenty minutes before I hear multiple boots slamming into the piece of steel I have cut out. The door is kicked out and everyone pours out of the cell, but immediately stops once they see the horrific scene before them. That is, all except Aiden.

Aiden

God no! Please no! Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!

Dora is lying in the center of the room with puddles of blood around her. Racing to her side I cup her face in my hands and look her over. She's been shot four times, but her face is still warm under my hands. Somehow, by some miracle of fucking god, she is still breathing. Lifting her in my arms I run from the room.  I can hear the footfalls behind me. She called us her family and family sticks together.

In the medical facility I lay her down on the examination table. With the help of Al, we hook her up to the heart monitor and see that it's very faint. She's lost a lot of blood and need's bullets removed and wounds closed.

“
Takeo!” I yell.

“
I'm here, brother.”

“
Can you close her wounds?”

He shakes his head.

“
Not alone. Her wounds are too severe. She needs Chasca's help and she needs it now.”

Without another word he digs his phone out of his pocket and calls the safe house we sent both Chasca and Liza to. It will take about thirty minutes for them to return and I'm not entirely sure Dora has that much left in her.

“
Aiden I need you to leave.”

Whirling around I stare at Al as if he had grown an extra head. He must be out of his fucking mind.
  “
I'm not leaving her.”

“
Are you going to be able to keep your shit together while I pull the bullets out?”

Angelo's arms suddenly band around me, holding me against his chest.
  “
I got him. Do it.”

Al removes each bullet and each time he does I watch Dora wince.  Even unconscious she can feel the pain. Even though I know he has to do it I still can't fight the urge to beat the fuck out of him for hurting her.  He knew this would happen which is why he asked me to leave and why Angelo is barely letting me breath.

Just as I said, thirty minutes later Chasca comes running into the room with Takeo and Liza closely behind. Chasca's eyes meet mine and she has that look that I know so well. She wants to hug me but she knows I won't have it right now. Liza's trembling hand is over her mouth.  Her eyes are fixed on Dora and are shimmering.

Takeo takes Chasca's hand and they work together, placing their hands over each wound, mending them from the inside out. Chasca's power was so potent that she was more than capable of sealing Dora's wounds alone, but with the small amount of healing ability Takeo possessed, he lightened Chasca's burden considerably. The last wound they closed was the least severe, the graze to her neck.  After Takeo removes his hand, Chasca's remains. She leans down next to Dora's ear, but I still hear her words.

“
He needs you. Come back to him honey. Come back to us,” Chasca pleads.

Takeo takes a very spent Chasca out of the room but she still manages to give me a sad smile before exiting. Now all there is to do is wait.  I will wait forever if I had too.

Maddix

My mind is foggy and this ice pack on my jaw isn't doin' shit for the pain. Don't even get me started on the fact that my little brother is in the next room. My little brother who I was told was dead. My little brother who is in pain and scared because someone he loves might be dyin'. It's all so familiar. But how can I go in there and reassure him? What right do I have? I told him as children that we had to stick together. I told him it was just me and him. And what did I do?  I left him.

Their housekeeper, or whatever the hell she is, sets a cup of coffee down next to me on the table.  Beside
it she places two white, oblong pills.

“
Those will help with the pain dear. Your jaw is not broken, but eating is going to hurt for about a week. You've also got a concussion. So no naps for you young lady.”

I'm not used to people tryin' to take care of me but there's somethin' about this lady that makes me want to smile. She's warm and kind. 
Even after all of the shit that just went down she's solid. Gotta’ have respect for that.

“
Thanks....”

“
Liza.”

“
Thanks, Liza,” I amend.

“
You're welcome, dear. You look so much like your brother. Your eyes are far more beautiful though. Do not tell him I said that,” Liza chuckles.

She smiles at me and without a second thought I smile back at her. When the big Sapient fuck back handed me I lost my Aviators. Guess I don't have to hide anymore.  Everyone already knows I'm Maddix Ripley.

“
Smoke!” I hear Angelo's voice call out.

I look up to see both Takeo and Angelo standin' three feet away from me. They look like they've been through the fuckin' ringer.  Then my foggy brain and ache in my jaw reminds we all have been.

“
Boys?” I ask.

“
You should go to your brother.”

“
He doesn't want to see me. Besides, he needs to be with his girl.”

As usual Angelo looks pissed off. He crouches down in front of me and looks me dead in my eyes.
  “
After the last time I saw you, your brother figured out who you were. He wanted to leave that fuckin' second to go find your ass. He wants to see you.  He's been searchin' for you for as long as I've known him.”

“
What he says is the truth,” Takeo informs me before continuing.
  “
The night I gave you my card, I did not know who you were. But I do know that one of the first things I learned about Aiden was that he had a sister who was missing and he would stop at nothing to find her.  Now he has found her.  Do not take that from him. Go to your brother.”

What could I say to that? Nothin'. So I slowly got up, swaying slightly until I suddenly felt a hand at the crook of my arm, steadyin' me on my feet.  It was Angelo, so I gave him a chin lift implyin' I was good. He let me go and I walk into the medical facility where Aiden is sittin’. I walk in just as he's arching back in his chair and draggin' his hands over his face in frustration. I should have said 'Hello' or somethin' like that but instead I said the first thing that came to mind.

“
Dad used to do that.”

Before I can register what is happenin', Aiden has his arms around me and he is huggin' me so tightly breathin' ain't an option. I unintentionally let out a little squeak noise and he loosens his grip. He steps back and our eyes meet for just a moment before he plants a kiss on my forehead and he's huggin' me again. My feet are off the ground and he's spinning me around like a fuckin' fairy tale before he gently lowers me back to the floor, leaving me facin' the opposite direction I once was. Tears are streamin' freely down my cheeks and I'm forced to close my eyes to clear my vision. When I open them I see both Takeo and Angelo standin' in the doorway. Takeo smiles and turns away givin' us our time, but Angelo just gives me a chin lift and walks down the hall until I can't see him anymore. What-the-fuck-ever.

Aiden releases me from his embrace but keeps his hands on my shoulders. His cheeks are wet and I know those tears are for more than just me. With all the shit he's goin' through, I'd be bawlin', too.