The Rise (The Kings and Gods #3)

Chapter 15

Hunter

I unlock her wrists, and she quickly pulls them down to her chest, rubbing them. I see the blood, and I can’t think of anything sexier than seeing this woman bleed for me. I reach up and run my fingers through the blood before tracing her lips with it. Then I lean down and take her mouth with mine. I kiss her hard, tasting her blood on my lips.

“You’re mine,” I growl against her mouth before pulling away and standing, offering my hand to her. She reaches out and takes my hand, and I pull her from the floor. Everyone has turned and gone on with their business after watching her get thoroughly fucked.

I lead her naked body through the room and down the hall to my room. Once inside, I take her to the bathroom and get her wrists cleaned up. My cock leaps at the sight, though. That fucker can’t help himself.

“I’m not going to say sorry,” I tell her as I clean her up and apply some cream to the cuts.

“I wouldn’t expect you to.” I finish cleaning her up and then lead her back into the bedroom, where I pull the blankets back and help her in. She scoots to the side, and I slide in behind her, wrapping my arm around her waist and tugging her closer to me. I breathe her in as she lays in my arms, and I know this isn’t going to end. I don’t know why, but I want to keep her, and I will. This obsession I have with Lana is real, and I’m not sure how to stop it. Not that I’d want to.

I lay with her until she finally fell asleep. Then I slide out of the bed and head back to the main room.

“You wore her ass out,” Hoax says as I walk into the room. I grin at him before motioning to him and the others to come with me. We walk into one of the offices and sit down so we can talk.

“What’s going on?” Rylan asks.

“I need to find them.”

“Who?”

“Her family. I want those motherfuckers dead,” I tell them.

“Then we find them,” Hoax adds with a shrug.

“You already said you’re taking her to the chapel, so this makes sense,” Rylan says. Silas snaps his eyes over to meet mine.

“You’re taking her to the chapel?” he asks, his eyes wide.

“Yeah. So what?”

“Have you talked to her about it?” he pushes, and I shake my head. “Are you going to?”

“No. She’ll figure it out when we get there,” I reply.

“Damn, Hunter. You just met the girl,” he adds.

“And? So fucking what? I’m keeping her. You kept Angel!”

“I’ve known Angel since we were kids,” he reminds me.

“That doesn’t mean shit, and we all know it. If I say I’m keeping the girl, then that’s what I’m doing.” The guys chuckle as Silas smirks at me.

“So when are you doing this?” Rylan asks this time.

“As soon as I can. You have the Kings ceremony coming up, so it’ll be after that,” I tell them. They all nod their heads, knowing I’m not going to change my mind on this.

“Let’s see what we can come up with as a team. I know you said you could handle this, Hunter, but we’re in,” Rylan tells me. I don’t ask the Kings for anything and never have, but on this, I get it. He wants to help, and who the hell am I to say no? So I give in and nod.

“Fine. We do this as a team, but when shit gets real, you step back. I don’t want Tamsyn and Angel on my ass for their men getting hurt,” I tell them. They both laugh and nod their heads, agreeing with me.

“Now that’s settled,” Hoax chimes in. “I’m still planning on kidnapping a princess.”

“You haven’t gotten over that idea yet?” Ry asks.

“Nope. I know who it’s going to be, too.”

“Care to share that information?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back in my chair.

“No. You’ll know when she goes missing,” he answers before standing and leaving the room. The three of us share a look before I shake my head.

“What are the fucking odds he would want to kidnap a princess?” I ask.

“That’s not really how this works, but I suppose rules are meant to be broken,” Rylan adds.

“No shit. Princesses are supposed to be off limits to Gods.”

“I guess not in this case. We all know if Hoax wants her, he’s going to take her,” Silas declares.

“That’s true, too.” I run my hand through my hair before blowing out a breath.

“Yeah, there’s no stopping Hoax,” I tell them.

“We’ll see how that shit goes,” Rylan says as he stands from his seat and holds out his fist. “I have to get shit ready for the ceremony.”

“Okay. I’ll see you guys there,” I tell them as they both stand and leave. I grab the laptop and power it on before I start my search for these fuckers. I can access sites that not many can, and when it comes to the dark web, I know what the fuck I’m doing and where to look.

I find the site I want and put out a few feelers. Placing an ad to find a child makes my fucking skin crawl, but I know that it’ll pull these assholes right in. The problem is, you have to describe what it is you want, and that makes my stomach churn, so I go generic. I basically put what Lana looks like and post it. Now, I just have to sit back and wait for a hit.

Slamming the laptop closed, I stand from my chair and toss it on the table. The thought of them picking up a kid that looks like her pisses me off, so I head down to the gym to work that out.

I step inside, and that’s when I see her. I thought she was in bed, but I guess I was wrong.

“What are you doing in here?” I ask, startling her a little.

“Just sitting.”

“In the gym?”

“What’s the difference?” Now, she looks up at me, and I can see the look on her face. She’s trying to hide from the world in here. She’s trying to hide from what they did to her. A sick part of me wants to make her talk and rehash everything he did to her. I want to know every fucking detail of what happened to her when she was there for so long. And maybe I will. Maybe I’ll make her relive it all.

“You want to keep that attitude?” I ask her. She shakes her head. I walk over and run my hand over her head. “Good girl.”

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No.” I walk away from her and start my workout, but my eyes keep drifting back to her. She sits with her head down, her knees pulled up to her chest. I don’t like seeing her like that because she’s stronger than that.

“Get up.” Lana lifts her head and looks at me strangely before climbing to her feet.

“You think you’re weak because of what they did to you. You think you’re weak because of how they hurt you. But you’re not weak, Lana. I watched you stab a man to death out there,” I say, pointing toward the door.

“That doesn’t make me strong. I was pissed,” she says.

“Then get pissed, Lana. Get pissed and handle your business because there’s no way in fuck you’re going to survive me if you can’t handle your past,” I tell her.

“What does that mean?” I cock my head to the side and stare at her.

“What have I done to you?” I ask her seriously now.

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. What have I done to you?”

“You’ve fucked me.” Now I laugh.

“What have I made you feel when I was fucking you?” she shakes her head before crossing her arms over her chest.

“So many things. Degraded. Embarrassed. Special.”

“There’s more, right? I’ve made you feel more than that?” She nods her head. “And I’m not done, Lana. So if you can’t handle what I’m going to do to you, then you need to say so now. This thing between us is real. I know you can feel it. I fucking feel it. Anyone around us can see it. And I’ve already told you I’m not letting you go, and I meant it. Now, I need to know if you’re strong enough to stand by my goddamn side. That you’re strong enough to handle me when I’m at my worst,” I tell her. She watches me, her eyes boring into mine. She knows what I’m asking her, and I hope like hell she can see herself the way I see her.

“Why do you want me?” she asks.

“You’re strong. You’re beautiful. You’re everything I could have asked for in a woman, but deep down? You’re as fucked up as I am. And that does something to my soul. It calls out to yours, little rebel. If there was one fucking thing in this fucked up world I believe, it’s that you were meant to be here. You were meant to find me, and I was meant to keep you.” Lana stands there, not saying a word. She pulls her shoulders back and lets her arms fall to her sides.

“I’m not weak, Hunter.”

“I know you’re not.”

“I’m not going to let them rule the rest of my life,” she says keeping her head held high.

“Exactly.”

“I’m not going to be their fucking victim anymore!” She screams as I smile at her.

“Then prove it, little rebel. Prove it to me. Prove it to yourself.” Before either of us can say anything else, she rushes me. She leaps into me, throwing her arms and legs around me before her mouth comes crashing down on mine. Her kiss is different. It feels different, as if a fucking weight has been lifted off her. She takes what she wants from me. My cock hardens in my jeans as I walk over and slam her back into the mirrors. Lana bites into my lip until I taste blood, and I growl into hers.

When I pull away, she stares at me for a long minute.

“Don’t thank me. I can see it in your eyes. That isn’t what this is about. This is about us. This is about being able to handle what I’m going to throw at you because what I’m going to do in front of you isn’t going to be easy for you.”

“What does that mean?” she asks.

“Just what it sounds like. When the time comes, you may hate me, Lana.”

“Why? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to ruin you in the best ways.”