Get out of here! I shouted a beat before the six men grabbed him, but Patrick teleported a mil isecond before they had him. The charging men col ided into each other, rumbling the rafters.
Patrick flashed next beside Cora, his fist shattering into the jaw of the man holding her by the throat. He disappeared again, appearing the next instant in front of Abigail, driving his elbow into a mans exposed neck. The heap of men were righting themselves, some already moving in Patricks direction, but he disappeared right before one mans fist connected with his nose.
Appearing again by Cora, a left hook took out another one, sailing him into the loveseat.
Enough! Troy yel ed red-faced, before giving a slight nod to the captors holding me. It was instant, electrifying, and brought me to me knees despite the dozen hands holding me up.
I screamed, nothing decipherable but primal notes emitted in agony. I stuffed the scream back inside, the shock of it surfacing on my face, but I wouldnt give these men the satisfaction of knowing the pain I was feeling.
Patrick stal ed mid-strike, a horrified look taking the place of the prior concentration. Stop it! he yel ed, charging towards us, but four men barreled into him from behind before he could teleport away. Im warning you right now, he continued against the men seizing into him. You do that one more time and every last one of you wil be wheel-chairing your way through eternity.
Troy raised his hand and the sharpness of the pain dul ed, but the sting continued to spread like blood through my veins. I wanted to moan, I wanted to pant, I wanted to tremble, but more than I wanted any of that, I wanted to show these men just how little their best attempts could bring me down.
Wel , that was uneventful, Troy said, yawning. I expected something better than that coming from Patrick Hayward, but after that feeble attempt, Id have to say these girls put up a better fight. He squared himself in front of Patrick, pitching a bent arm high in the air before he released it into Patricks stomach. I saw the pain of it register in Patricks eyes, but nothing else gave Troy the pleasure of knowing hed hurt him. Patrick and I were more cut from the same fabric than I wanted to acknowledge.
Maybe Im just saving the best for last, Patrick said, his school boy sarcasm present even in the midst of this hopeless situation. How do you know Im not about to teleport every single one of these baboons into the middle of San Diego Zoos lions den, leave them for lioness fodder, and teleport my ass back here to get on with kicking yours?
Troy sighed, stretching his arms above him like this conversation was so boring he needed to perform calisthenics to keep from fal ing asleep. If you were able to teleport others, you would have already removed the woman you love from the room.
Patrick kept his face blank, giving nothing away, but I sensed the surprise register in him when Troys acknowledgement affirmed that Patricks best attempts at burying his feelings hadnt fooled him. His feelings sat so plainly on the surface, an emotional amoeba like Troy could pick up on them.
Wil iam might not notice the way you look at her, Troy said slowly, staring at Patrick staring at me. But I havent missed it.
I dont know what the hel youre talking about. Thankful y, because the day I start comprehending the ravings of a lunatic, Il know its time for the straight-jacket, Patrick responded, slow and seething.
Theres no need to play ignorant with me, boy. Wil iams not here to rip out your eyes for looking at her the way you do and believe me, I havent missed the way Miss Dawsons h*ps sway when she walks either.
You seem to like your tongue since you run it so much, Patrick said, glowering at Troy. So if youd like to keep it, youd better shut your mouth now before I not so surgical y remove it.
So fierce, so angry, so desperate to defend her, Troy said, his eyes excited from the male testosterone flowing. So much like Wil iam its scary.
Of course Im desperate to defend her, Patrick shouted, his façade of indifference crumbling. Shes my brothers girl!
How noble of you, Troy said, smirking at him. But no, its not just that, its something more, something that goes much deeper than brotherly loyalty.
Whatever you say, chief, Patrick said, looking like he had to force his eyes away from me.
Since youre so adamant Im wrong and I so rarely am, Id like to conduct an experiment, Troy began, the twinkle in his eyes making my stomach drop. Bring Bryn here. He motioned my captors to come towards Patrick. You say youre not in love with her. Convince me youre not.
How am I supposed to do that you crazy SOB? Patrick snapped, his eyes skipping between me and Troy as I was drug right in front of him. My face was so close to his I could feel his breath pulsing over my forehead.
Look at her, Troy demanded, propping a fist under his chin, observing us like we were some laboratory rats.
I am looking at her, crap for brains, he answered, his eyes continuing to shift between me, the seven around me affixed to different pieces of my body, and Troy.
Your attempts at deflecting your feelings for her by insulting my intel igence are lost on me, Troy laughed, before charging forward, ripping my hair back with one hand, and tilting my chin up with his other, angling it closer to Patricks.
Take your slimy hands off of her! Patrick shouted, struggling against the men holding him back.
LOOK AT HER! Troy yel ed, ripping my head farther back via my hair.
A whimper escaped from me.
Im going to break every bone in your damn body the next time I see you, Patrick snarled, fixing his eyes on me. This classify as looking to you?
Patricks eyes didnt waver away or close for a blink. He took me in, embracing me with those pale blue eyes as emotionlessly as Patrick was capable, but today it seemed he wasnt very capable of looking at me impassively. I saw his feelings as bright as the mid-day sun in the depths of those eyes, so intense it made me squirm.
He didnt need to say it to me again, his eyes were professing their love with as much conviction.
Very nice, Troy said, clapping. Im sensing Im more right than youd like to admit, Patrick, but to be one hundred percent certain, Id like to take this experiment one step farther.
My stomach took another bottom-out, already knowing where Troy was going with this. I didnt know if what was going to happen next or me keeping up with the mind of someone like Troy bothered me more.
Kiss her, Troy commanded, letting go of my hair and chin and taking a step back.
Patricks eyes widened before shadowing into slits. Thats like asking me to kiss a sister, you incestuous freak, he snarled at Troy before lunging towards me, pecking me on the lips. It could have contended for the title of worlds shortest kiss. Big deal. He shrugged, looking at Troy. Convinced yet Im not in love with my brothers girl?
Kiss her, Troy demanded again. Or else I wil and, as Bryns al too aware,”he grinned at me, raising an eyebrow”I dont exactly play gentle.
Memories of my head crashing into a brick wal , my cheeks burning from the heat of a slap, and Immortal grade barbed wire cutting through my wrists and ankles reminded me of Troys gentleness. But even with these reminders, I was on the fence with who Id rather have kiss me.
I wasnt worried about feeling anything for Patrick in a kiss, feelings didnt just emerge out of nowhere when mouth came in contact with mouth, but I was worried about his feelings increasing. Hearts didnt come back from that kind of heartbreak and I didnt want to be an active participant in sending Patricks over the cliff.
Looking back at Patrick, I could see his mind was already made up. His eyes were already there when his hands molded around my jaw line, tilting my head just so. His eyes didnt close until his lips closed over mine, unmoving at first. Patricks heart sounded like a train chasing me down the tracks when his lips moved against mine, smoothing and gently sucking with the skil of a man whod had countless decades and even more countless women to perfect his craft on.
Troys throaty chuckle was the next thing that entered my consciousness, but Patrick ignored it, his mouth growing urgent against mine. Now theres a man in love with a woman, Troy said, applauding our performance.
Patrick resurfaced to reality, his lips tapering in motion until they left mine, rushing back to press one sweet, and very final feeling, kiss into mine.
I couldnt look at him when my eyes opened. I didnt want to chance finding a look on his face that said everything between us had changed when I felt nothing had changed. Wed kissed, been forced to kiss, and as talented as he was in this department, it didnt impact me like Wil iams did. It didnt make me want to spend the rest of our lives doing nothing but this.
So let me explain how the rest of the nights going to go, Troy began, already looking bored by Patrick and me. The girls are going first, then you,”he tilted his head at Patrick”and then were leaving here with Bryn. Anyone need that repeated?
What do you mean the girls are going first? I asked, anxiety coiling my stomach. Going where?
Troys mouth curled up. To wherever and whatevers waiting for them on the other side, sugar.
Youve got me! I screamed, desperate as my eyes flitted between Cora and Abigails overwhelmed faces. You dont need to kil them, youve got me. Take me and leave them. Il go without a fight. My pleas were becoming urgent as Troy shook away each one with a wave of his hand. Why? I cried. Why do this to them? Theyve done nothing wrong.
Nothing except love me, was the explanation that came immediately. Id become the cheese in a mousetrap for too many loved ones and here Id unknowingly lured three more to their deaths. Why? My head fel , my goal of not showing emotion a moot point at this juncture.
For sport, Troy answered. And because one less Hayward, not to mention three less Haywards, makes my world a damn finer place to live in.
He scanned the room, sneering at the four of us, looking at me last. Thats why. Dont pity them, death would be better than where were sending you.
Without another word, Troy lifted his arms to the men holding Cora and Abigail, as if to say, anytime today and, as instantly as Id cried out minutes ago, the girls were too. A chorus of wailing erupted that made Patrick look like he was being split down the center and made me feel the same way.
His eyes squeezed shut when Cora let out a particularly shril scream, but they flashed open a second later, a glint of hope in them that hadnt been there before. Noggin bonkin, he whispered to me, waiting for it to register.
One of the thousands of Patrick-slang terms for various strength training techniques. This was one of his favorites and one he regularly liked to inflict on his brothers for no other reason than blood relation. Brace yourself, he said, thrusting back his head before rocketing it straight into mine.
He held nothing back”my brain felt like a scrambled egg and had about the same IQ at the moment. Thankful y, Patrick was there to think for me.
Unleash the beast, Bryn, he hol ered, just before the heel of Troys dress shoe connected with his jaw.
The impact of my head whipping back created enough momentum to unhook several sets of hands from my skin. I wasnt sure which ones or if hers stil were locked in position, but I didnt waste any time turning to find out.
My skin sparked from the rage, veining into every pore within the time it took Troys eyes to widen with disbelief. Touch her, Stel a! he hol ered.
Now!
But it was too late, far too late. Whoever was stil attached to some piece of me fel to the floor, living or dying I didnt care. Patricks bril iant on-the-fly plan had worked in stal ing Cora and Abigails deaths and getting Troys attention.