Pain-filled screams echoed in my ears. They sounded familiar but I couldn't place them. Where were they coming from? Why was the woman in so much pain? Were they torturing her? An image flashed through my mind but disappeared before I could grasp onto it. More images followed, one after the other until they became clearer. It was like a slap to the face. I was snapped into the harsh and cold reality.
My eyes snapped open when one image lingered.
Lara! I sat up and growled when pain shot through me. My muscles pulled tight and protested against the sudden movement. Something on my back tugged at my skin, making me frown. I reached back. Bandages. My back was bandaged. I blinked rapidly to clear the blurriness from my eyes.
The last thing I remembered was being in the room where they had Lara chained.
"We'll see if this gets you to talk."
Another scream suddenly filled the silence. This time it was no dream, it was real and I knew exactly who it belonged to.
"Lara!" I croaked.
I struggled to get the sheets off of me and then stumbled to my feet. They room swayed dangerously, making me stumbled to the left. I grabbed onto anything I could to stay on my feet as I made my way over to the door.
Her cried of pain became a little louder as I opened the door. I sucked in a deep breath and growled when unfamiliar scents filled my nostrils. I followed the sound of Lara's screams into the room right next door.
My eyes instantly located her trashing body on the bed. Someone loomed over her, wiping her face with a cloth. It took a moment for me to realize that it was my brother. He could stay, but not the other three men who hovered near the edge of the bed.
"Get. Out."
Their eyes snapped over to me. I faintly recognized one of them.
"Silas." Ethan hurried towards me and gripped my arms. "What the hell are you doing out of bed?"
"Lara." I took a step forward but my legs gave way beneath me.
Ethan muttered a curse and reached out to grip me with his other hand but we both went tumbling towards the ground. One of the men stepped forward and saved us from falling. Between Ethan and the man they managed to help me to the bed.
I sunk down gratefully and reached for Lara. My fingers brushed burning hot skin and then the material of the sheet. As she trashed around, the sheet slipped, making me realize that she was bare underneath.
"Get out," I croaked, turning my head to glare at the men. "Now!"
They glanced at Ethan who gave them a nod. I watched to make sure that they left the room before I turned my attention back to Lara.
A thin layer of sweat coated her pale skin. Her hair was a mess and strands clung to her damp forehead. My eyes slowly trailed down until they stopped on the crook of her neck. Pride rose. She wore my mark.
"Dad said that she won't make it through the change."
My eyes shot over to his. "Do you trust me?"
"You know I do," he said with a frown.
"We need to consummate the mate bond."
His frown deepened. "You want to have sex with her in this state?"
"You said that you trust me."
"And I do, but—"
"I know what I'm talking about Ethan. Lara will make it through the change, but we need to complete the bond. She needs both of us."
"Silas—"
"You told me that you'd be there if she needed you."
His shoulders sagged. I watched the pain flash through his eyes when she whimpered. "That's not fair, Silas. I can't complete the bond with Avery still out there. It'll hurt her."
"She's hurting now. If we don't do this then she will die. Please Ethan."
He stared at me silently for a few more seconds before he turned his attention to Lara. I watched as he swallowed and then he nodded.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Undress and climb in behind her. We need to have skin on skin contact."
I pulled the sheet off of Lara's body and pushed it aside. It was a little hard to get rid of my pants but once I managed to get them past my knees, they were easy to kick off. Ethan climbed onto the bed behind Lara.
Our eyes locked briefly. I gave him a small smile. This was what we both wanted when we were little. We might not be out of the woods yet, but we found our mate and for the moment it was all that mattered.
"What do I do?"
"What you've been dying to do from the moment you met her."
He licked his lips, placed his hand on her stomach and then leaned over her. Ethan hesitated for a few seconds more before he pressed his lips against hers. He swallowed her whimpers until it turned into low moans. My stomach clenched and blood flooded south.
Swallowing, I leaned down and pressed my lips to her neck. Lara's hand gripped my thigh tightly when my lips moved lower to my mark. My gums started to tingle as I tasted her skin. I pulled away slightly and spoke to Ethan.
"No sex until she's fully with us. We need to mark her at the same time then feed her our blood."
"Are you sure, Silas?" he questioned after breaking the kiss.
I watched as fear washed through his eyes and then longing.
"It'll work."
He nodded and then glanced down at Lara. "Okay."
I watched as he lowered his head to her neck. I followed suite and allowed my teeth to slide out. The feeling was foreign but exhilarating at the same time. Sucking in a deep breath, I slowly blew it out and then bit down.
Lara moaned and dug her nails into my skin. I sucked and savoured the sweet taste of her blood filling my mouth. From afar I could hear Ethan moaning. I pulled back and licked the wound before I leaned back. It took a few seconds longer for Ethan to move back. He took his time to seal the wound before he glanced over at me.
He was fighting for control and for once I completely understood exactly what he was feeling.
I gave him a nod and raised my wrist to my lips. Pain shot through me when I broke the skin. I quickly raised my wrist to her lips and pressed it against them. My eyes dropped to her throat to watch her swallow. When the wound had healed, I pulled my arm away and sagged against the pillows. My eyes fluttered closed and the reassurance that Ethan would watch over her while I couldn't, was enough to allow the darkness to consume me.
***
"S-Silas."
Shaky fingers brushed across my cheekbones before a small hand cupped my cheek. I opened my eyes and blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from my eyes. My eyes instantly locked with a pair of black eyes. I smiled at Lara as I reached out to move the hair from her face.
"Hey," I whispered.
Tears instantly filled her eyes and for a moment I panicked. Had I hurt her somehow in my sleep? Where was Ethan?
"I thought I lost you."
"He's a tough son of a bitch, beauty," Ethan said, entering the room with a tray loaded to the brim with delicious smelling food. "You won't get rid of him so easily."
I pulled Lara's face down to with a grip at the back of her neck, and pressed my lips against hers. She stayed frozen, making me frown. I pulled away and stared at her. Her eyes were squeezed closed.
"Lara?" She slowly opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"I. . .Ethan." She frowned. "Where are we?"
"I'm not so sure myself, but I'm sure Ethan will explain everything to us."
I raised my head and searched for him. He stood at the edge of the bed still holding the tray.
"Sure. Let's eat while I explain everything to you. I'm starving and I'm sure you are too."
Lara moved back and took a seat next to me. I bit back the groan as I pushed myself up into a sitting position. The sheet instantly dropped to my lap which meant that it exposed Lara as well. She gasped and quickly reached for the sheets. My lips tugged up into a smile when Ethan leaned over and ripped the sheet away before she could grab it.
"You're one of us now, Lara. You need to learn being confident with your nakedness."
"One of you?" Her voice faded halfway through her sentence.
"Here." Ethan held out bottled water.
When Lara didn't reach for it, I took it from him, untwisted the cap and handed it to her. She still didn't reach out to take it. My eyes shot up to hers. For the first time I realized how pale she was and the fact that she was shaking.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded and then shook her head. The tip of her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip.
"I-I feel r-really weird. Lightheaded and shaky."
"You'll feel better once you eat something."
She nodded at Ethan. "I need to use the bathroom first."