Chapter 5

Evaria

“You found her…”

The words echoed through the now dimly lit, cold air of the cell.

It was Dominic Kane.

The hockey brother of Ryker Kane.

I recognized him even in the almost dark. I had seen his face too from television and sports magazines—the wild, unpredictable superstar of the ice.

But standing right here in the ruins of this chaos, he didn't look like an athlete. He looked like someone who had seen something he had desperately wanted to touch. His eyes beaming with a terrifying silver light. Quite different from the eyes of wolves.

Dominic turned his head slowly, locking eyes with the person behind him. His brother. “You found the hybrid.”

Hybrid.

Hybrid?

The word hung in the air, sending a violent spike of confusion through my chest.

What the hell was a hybrid? And… was that me? Was he calling me that?

“Dominic, your time here is up,” Ryker stated, ignoring the words of his brother as he stepped into the room fully. “Get out.”

Dominic didn't even flinch. He kept his body locked in place, his hand still on my face. His gaze returned to me. “You cold-blooded maniac. How dare you keep something like this down here.”

His eyes dropped down to my wrist. My fingers trembled under his gaze. “How dare you lay a finger on this precious.”

His jaw tightened into a manic, sharp grin. “How dare you keep something rare like this down here? How could you find her and lock her in a cage?”

Ryker moved closer, and now I could see him clearly. He looked like he was minutes away from going live on the ice. My chest was beating fast. Unable to say anything, I just watched the both of them.

“I will not tell you again, Dominic. Leave. Here. Now.”

Dominic smiled.

He still hadn't stopped looking at my face. “Hey… kitten,” he whispered. Totally ignoring his brother again.

“I searched… everywhere.” He leaned closer, his eyes closed briefly as he inhaled one more time. Then he laughed. “You were here. All this while. You've…” he paused.

Below, his hand reached for mine. Barely touching me because I pulled my wrist behind me even before he touched me. “It's ok… it's fine now.”

His thumb moved, smearing stray tears on my cheek. “Come… come with me.”

I swallowed hard even though I felt the cold of fear below my feet.

Come with him?

Should I?

Is he trying to save me from his brother?

Take me back home?

He took another step closer. For a fraction of a second, his face cracked. The softness disappeared, instantly being replaced by… possession.

“I'll keep you somewhere no one else can ever reach you.”

A place no one else can ever reach me?

Meaning he… he wasn't going to let me go? He was just going to cage me like his brother?

As his fingers brushed my cheek one more time, a jolt of adrenaline broke through my paralysis. I violently slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me!” I screamed, my voice cracking as I slid right through the wall, trying to put distance between myself and both of them. “Let go of me! Stay away!”

Before Dominic could lunge forward again, Ryker moved; he was now standing between us, shielding me from his brother’s suffocating gaze.

Somehow, it now felt safer with the one who bought me.

“I will not warn you again,” Ryker growled, his shoulders squaring. “She's mine.”

“Move,” Dominic said.

“No.”

“Last warning,” Dominic warned even though he was smiling.

“Take one more step,” Ryker dared.

Dominic didn't waste a breath. Before I could blink, he threw a brutal, blindingly fast punch straight at Ryker’s face.

Ryker dipped his shoulder, slipping the blow by a fraction of an inch. Dominic’s fist passed his ear and smashed directly into the concrete wall right beside my head.

CRACK.

The stone shattered under his bare knuckles. Dust and particles exploded into the air, showering my hair and face.

“Ahhhhh!” I screamed, covering my head.

Ryker lunged instantly, tackling Dominic by the waist.

The two massive men crashed into the floor. It wasn't a normal fight. Every strike sounded like a car crash. They were everywhere in one second.

Their movements were terrifyingly fast and violent.

In a flash, the air in the cell changed completely. The air grew heavy and suffocating. Suddenly it seemed like my lungs were working five times extra to keep me still yet I could barely draw a breath.

A sudden wave of nausea hit me.

It wasn't just fear anymore. A strange, burning rush of heat exploded in the center of my chest, traveling up my throat like fire.

While these men were fighting themselves, I was fighting to breathe. My vision blurred, tears gathered in my eyes falling free.

“Stop…” I whispered almost inaudibly, pressing my hands against my ears as they tore at each other. “Stop it… stop please… stop.”

The heat in my throat peaked, turning hot.

Without my permission,

I heard myself saying something I didn't know or understand.

“DÈES VAROS SÌ!” The foreign words tore from my mouth. A language I had never heard before in my life.

The world instantly paused.

The suffocating pressure vanished.

At that moment both brothers stopped mid-strike, their bodies locking up as if they had been struck by lightning. Dominic’s fist stayed hovering inches from Ryker’s jaw, and Ryker’s fingers remained tightly gripped around Dominic’s collar.

Slowly, they both turned their heads to look at me. With shock on their faces.

“What was that?” I heard Dominic ask as I stared back at them. My heart was beating practically against my ribs.

Then, the room sloped.

My knees buckled. My whole body was consumed with exhaustion that drained every ounce of strength from me.

The last thing I saw was both brothers dropping their hands, their eyes widening in panic as they rushed toward me just before I hit the floor.