lock the Underworld away for good.”
There was a way to do that? “How?”
His father looked at him and smirked. “Make a deal with a dragon.”
Dragon? Before he could question his father, the phone rang.
“Captain Blackwell,” he answered.
As his father listened to the person on the phone, Maddox thought about dragons. They were not to be fucked with. Did Saith really know what he was doing? He didn’t often question him but… dragons?
The phone landed hard in the receiver and his father pursed his lips. “Seems your girl is causing trouble.”
His heart fluttered at the words “your girl.” Yeah, he liked the sound of that. Too much. But trouble? “Where is she?” He rose from his chair, then realized how eager he sounded.
Control yourself, Maddox.
“Third floor, block four.”
He nodded to his father, left the room and headed straight for the stairwell. As he went, he forced calm thoughts into his mind to keep back the rising panic. Were they hurting her? Why should he be panicking? Why did he care what happened to her?
Distance. Fucking control yourself!
With a deep breath, Inkman settled into place and he felt a sense of calm and order. Then it fell apart as soon as he stepped into cell block four.
Chaos and bodies. It was all he could take in at first. Guards shouting and grabbing at something. Grunts and the sounds of fists hitting flesh. He marched down the hallway where the scene unfolded in the narrow space.
Brown feathers flashed over the guard’s heads for a moment then disappeared again. A bird’s wing? A feminine scream echoed in the hall and he ran toward it. His heart pounded as he shoved men aside.
Grant – one of his best guards – had the left side of Felicity’s body pinned to the stone wall while two men wrestled to get the rest of her controlled. Now he understood their struggle. The other half of her body was shifting between some kind of large cat to some kind of large bird. Every time they’d get a firm grip on her, she’d shift and they’d lose it. Two guards already had big scratch marks shredded through their uniforms and one’s face was bloodied.
“Get another arm band,” he barked at one of the guards he’d pushed out of the way. “Now!”
With a nod, he ran off. Grant punched Felicity in the face and she screamed again. Blood trailed down her mouth and dripped onto the floor.
The world stopped. Sounds fell away. His focus landed on Grant and all he could see was himself beating him to a bloody pulp.
He fisted his hands at his sides before he acted on the impulse. He’d never felt so out of control, so violent.
“Let her go,” he managed to grit out between his teeth.
Grant gave him a confused look. “What, sir?”
“Maddox.” His father’s sharp voice from down the hall bit into the haze of rage. “Stand down.”
He glared at Grant as he panted desperate breaths. Anger clawed at his chest. His muscles felt so tense they ached. He needed to hurt something.
“Maddox.” Saith’s voice was closer now, more commanding.
He gave his head a shake. The fog started to lift. He inhaled a deep breath.
A guard ran by. “I have the arm band!”
They wrestled Felicity to the ground. Grant kicked his boot into her ribs and she screamed.
“Maddi!”
Images flickered through his mind. Thunder in the distance. Lightning flashes the only light in a dark place. Horror. A man throwing his head back and screaming. Pain. Blood and sweat. Fear that there’d be no end to it.
He squeezed his eyes shut but it only made it worse.
A hand landed on his shoulder and the images disappeared.
“Maddox.” A familiar voice. “They have this under control.”
Yes. Of course they did. They were soldiers of the light. Ordained by the gods. He breathed in deeply through his nose then opened his eyes.
A body, small and vulnerable, lay unconscious on the ground. His first instinct was to turn away but he stopped himself.
Look at it. Look at it and feel
There was a way to do that? “How?”
His father looked at him and smirked. “Make a deal with a dragon.”
Dragon? Before he could question his father, the phone rang.
“Captain Blackwell,” he answered.
As his father listened to the person on the phone, Maddox thought about dragons. They were not to be fucked with. Did Saith really know what he was doing? He didn’t often question him but… dragons?
The phone landed hard in the receiver and his father pursed his lips. “Seems your girl is causing trouble.”
His heart fluttered at the words “your girl.” Yeah, he liked the sound of that. Too much. But trouble? “Where is she?” He rose from his chair, then realized how eager he sounded.
Control yourself, Maddox.
“Third floor, block four.”
He nodded to his father, left the room and headed straight for the stairwell. As he went, he forced calm thoughts into his mind to keep back the rising panic. Were they hurting her? Why should he be panicking? Why did he care what happened to her?
Distance. Fucking control yourself!
With a deep breath, Inkman settled into place and he felt a sense of calm and order. Then it fell apart as soon as he stepped into cell block four.
Chaos and bodies. It was all he could take in at first. Guards shouting and grabbing at something. Grunts and the sounds of fists hitting flesh. He marched down the hallway where the scene unfolded in the narrow space.
Brown feathers flashed over the guard’s heads for a moment then disappeared again. A bird’s wing? A feminine scream echoed in the hall and he ran toward it. His heart pounded as he shoved men aside.
Grant – one of his best guards – had the left side of Felicity’s body pinned to the stone wall while two men wrestled to get the rest of her controlled. Now he understood their struggle. The other half of her body was shifting between some kind of large cat to some kind of large bird. Every time they’d get a firm grip on her, she’d shift and they’d lose it. Two guards already had big scratch marks shredded through their uniforms and one’s face was bloodied.
“Get another arm band,” he barked at one of the guards he’d pushed out of the way. “Now!”
With a nod, he ran off. Grant punched Felicity in the face and she screamed again. Blood trailed down her mouth and dripped onto the floor.
The world stopped. Sounds fell away. His focus landed on Grant and all he could see was himself beating him to a bloody pulp.
He fisted his hands at his sides before he acted on the impulse. He’d never felt so out of control, so violent.
“Let her go,” he managed to grit out between his teeth.
Grant gave him a confused look. “What, sir?”
“Maddox.” His father’s sharp voice from down the hall bit into the haze of rage. “Stand down.”
He glared at Grant as he panted desperate breaths. Anger clawed at his chest. His muscles felt so tense they ached. He needed to hurt something.
“Maddox.” Saith’s voice was closer now, more commanding.
He gave his head a shake. The fog started to lift. He inhaled a deep breath.
A guard ran by. “I have the arm band!”
They wrestled Felicity to the ground. Grant kicked his boot into her ribs and she screamed.
“Maddi!”
Images flickered through his mind. Thunder in the distance. Lightning flashes the only light in a dark place. Horror. A man throwing his head back and screaming. Pain. Blood and sweat. Fear that there’d be no end to it.
He squeezed his eyes shut but it only made it worse.
A hand landed on his shoulder and the images disappeared.
“Maddox.” A familiar voice. “They have this under control.”
Yes. Of course they did. They were soldiers of the light. Ordained by the gods. He breathed in deeply through his nose then opened his eyes.
A body, small and vulnerable, lay unconscious on the ground. His first instinct was to turn away but he stopped himself.
Look at it. Look at it and feel
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