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Prologue
The night Luka was captured.
After swallowing hard, I lifted the gun to Sorin’s head. “This is for Deren.”
I pulled the trigger.
Cold blood.
I had killed someone in cold blood.
The sounds, the lights, the people all faded away into the darkness as my body went into shock.
The more I stared at Sorin’s mutilated skull, the faster the waves of agony flooded through me, smacking against my heart and crashing against my soul. The pain eating me alive wasn’t from the murder I’d committed. Not that I had a choice.
Kill or be killed, that’s the old saying, right? It might seem like that’s what I did, but it’s far from being accurate. Vengeance had brought Sorin’s death since he was the reason Deren died. I had a deep-seated fury that needed to be released. A punishment that needed to be served.
A life for a life.
But did it make a difference since they had taken Luka?
Not being able to save him caused me to be deeply disappointed in myself and truly hate myself.
I failed him . . .
Panic controlled me, causing each limb that used to be mine to tremble in defiance. Heartache and despair forced their way into me, propelling me to run and hide from the entire world.
“Give me the gun, Sage.” My friend Erik’s voice seemed distant, like a faraway echo from a place where I once lived.
Raw, unrelenting emotions took over my body, lacing it in invisible twine. A sinister force manipulated my every thought and every move as my eyes unfocused on the world.
The puppet master of darkness now owned my soul.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I lost the last bit of control I had. I whipped around and pointed the gun at Erik. “Get the fuck away from me!”
“Everyone back off!” Ravage commanded before putting his hands up in a placating manner and lowering his voice. “She’s in shock. Give her some space.”
“They took him! They just took him!” My heart thundered in my chest, true fear running through me. Dropping the gun to my side, I paced back and forth as a thousand thoughts bustled around my head. “They’re going to kill him! I know they will.”
The more I paced, the more the darkness consumed me. My chest tightened, my heartbeat thrashed in my ears as the walls closed in, stealing my air and suffocating my entire existence.
I halted my unsuccessful pacing, laid my hand on my chest, and gasped for air. “I can’t . . . I can’t breathe.”
During my panicked state, someone grabbed me from behind, locking my arms against my body.
My instincts kicked in and I slung my head back, slamming them in the face, but it didn’t stop them from keeping me restrained.
It only gave Ravage the opportunity to grab the gun from me, and I freaked out.
The terror in my voice scared even me when I let out another loud scream as I wiggled and thrashed, fighting for my life—for Luka’s life.
“I need that! I can’t protect him without it!”
Whoever held onto me nestled their nose into my neck. “It’s okay, Sage Stick. You’re safe.”
“Let me go!”
I vaguely remember the smell of Winnie’s cologne mixed with sweat when he yanked me from my feet and carried me toward an abandoned Venom van. He threw me inside, then climbed in behind me.
