MALACHAI
I carried Ezra out of that hellhole, my arms locked around his fragile, trembling body. His head lolled against my shoulder, his breath shallow, his skin cold. I looked back…Elvis stood firm, his gun pressed against Lucius' skull , eyes burning with determination.
"Go! Get him out of here!" Elvis barked, his finger twitching on the trigger.
I clenched my jaw and turned away, forcing my feet forward despite the agony searing through my bullet wounds. Every step felt like a war against gravity, but I wouldn't stop. I wouldn't let Ezra go back to that monster.
"I swear, Lucius," I growled under my breath, "you'll never lay a fucking finger on him again."
The cold air outside bit into my skin as I reached the edge of the cabin, heading toward the car we'd hidden in the woods. I could barely see past the blur of pain clouding my vision, but all that mattered was Ezra. His limp body, his torn skin, his shuddering breaths. He needed to be far away from here.
Then I heard it.
A scuffle. A grunt of pain.
I spun around just in time to see Lucius' men overpower Elvis, wrenching the gun from his grip. A scream built in my throat, but before I could react, they charged at me.
A sickening crack echoed in my ears as something hard slammed against the side of my head. My knees buckled, Ezra slipping from my arms as my vision swam. I barely hit the ground before they pounced, fists and boots crashing into me with relentless force. I fought back, blood roaring in my ears, but there were too many. I felt my ribs give way under the brutal assault, my body screaming in protest.
"Ezra," I rasped, trying to reach him. But they were faster. They snatched him up like a broken doll, his body flopping uselessly in their grip.
"No!"
Lucius stepped forward, straightening his cuffs as he sneered down at me. Then, with an almost casual air, he drove his boot into my ribs, forcing a strangled cry from my throat.
"Malachai I'm here to Ezra for good, he's mine" he murmured, crouching to grip my chin in his icy fingers. "Tsk, tsk, Malachai.
My vision blurred, but I forced myself to watch as they carried Ezra's unconscious form away. His head lolled to the side, his lips parted slightly, his face still wet with tears. Helpless. Vulnerable.
Lucius chuckled darkly and stood. "Take him back to the mansion. Make sure he wakes up in my bed."
"No," I croaked, but my voice was weak, barely more than a breath.
The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was the sight of Ezra being carried away his body disappearing into the woods, back into the hands of the man I swore to protect him from. And I had failed him.
*******
I don't know how long I was out, but when I came to, all I felt was pain. My head was pounding, my ribs ached like they had been shattered, and my arms felt too heavy to lift. I was still lying on the cold, bloodstained ground, the metallic scent of my own suffering thick in the air.
"Elvis," I rasped, forcing myself to roll onto my side. I saw him a few feet away, beaten but alive. His breathing was shallow, but he was conscious.
He groaned, turning his head towards me. "They took him."
I clenched my fists, rage burning through my veins. "I know."
I staggered to my feet, wiping the blood from my face as I forced myself to stand. Every inch of me screamed in agony, but I couldn't afford to stop now. I turned toward the car, my mind spinning with one single thought..,
I needed to get Ezra back.
And I needed an army to do it.
Elvis struggled to sit up, wincing as he clutched his ribs. "What now?"
I didn't hesitate. "I'm calling them."
Elvis' eyes widened slightly. "Them?"
"My old gang."
The words tasted bitter in my mouth. I had sworn to never go back. To never crawl back into that life. But for Ezra, I would. I would burn the whole damn world down to get him back.
Elvis exhaled heavily, nodding. He understood. "Do it."
I staggered toward the car and yanked open the glove compartment, pulling out the burner phone I had stashed there. My fingers trembled as I dialed the number I never thought I'd use again.
It rang once.
Twice.
Then, a voice I hadn't heard in years answered.
"Well, well, well," Tristan drawled. "Look who finally decided to come crawling back."
I swallowed the bile in my throat, gripping the phone so hard my knuckles turned white. "I need your help."
There was a pause. Then a dark chuckle. "Didn't think I'd ever hear those words from you again, Malachai."
I took a shaky breath, pushing past my pride. "Lucius has my man".
Tristan's amusement vanished. Silence stretched between us for a moment before he spoke again, his voice low and deadly.
"Say no more. We're in."
I closed my eyes, exhaling shakily. Relief. Rage. Determination. It all swirled inside me, fueling the fire that burned brighter than ever.
Lucius thought he won.
He thought he could take Ezra from me and get away with it.
But he was wrong.
I was coming for him.
And this time, I wasn't going to stop until he was dead.
"Haa it's high time I start putting in action and stop vowing uselessly" I murmured to bitterly.