In Other Worlds by Sherrilyn Kenyon Read Free Book Online Page B

League thought twice about sending another assassin after him. So he tortured Adron for over a week. They hunted for him everywhere, but found nothing. No traces of either of them.”
    A tear slid down Zarina’s cheek. Angrily, she swiped it away. “It was the longest twelve days of my life. My entire family searched everywhere we could think of—used every resource we had. Finally my brother Jayce found him barely alive inside a Dumpster. There was so little left of Adron that Jayce barely recognized him as a human being, never mind his own brother.”
    Livia blinked away her tears as she imagined what it must have been like for Jayce to find his brother in such a condition—not knowing if he’d live or not. Never mind the pain the rest of them had felt, especially Adron himself.
    â€œIf Jayce saved him, why does Adron hate him so?”
    â€œBecause, according to League Code, when an assassin finds another assassin who has been permanently maimed or disfigured, he’s supposed to terminate him. The idea is to die with honor and dignity.”
    Livia ached for her husband and his family. “Jayce couldn’t do it.”
    â€œNo, he couldn’t. The two of them were too close. Plus, Jayce would never have been able to face the rest of us if he’d killed him or let him die. Not when all we wanted was to have him home safe and sound.” Zarina sighed wistfully. “I wish you could have seen Adron back before he was butchered. He was something else.” She gave a sad smile. “He was always rushing around at warp speed, joking, laughing. Now there are days when he can’t even leave his bed for the pain. And I can’t even remember the last time I saw him smile, never mind laugh. I don’t think he’s capable of it anymore.”
    Livia remembered catching a glimpse of that playful Adron last night when he’d made love to her. And he had a beautiful laugh—if only she’d known then how rare a thing it was. “What happened to Kyr?”
    Zarina’s face tightened. “My father and uncles tore him to pieces. Literally. His was a death I’d only wish on him and no one else. There’s probably some poor engineering person who’s still finding chunks of him in the sewer where they dumped him.”
    Livia had never condoned violence of any sort, but after seeing Adron and the constant pain he lived in, she understood their actions. Even as a pacifist, she would have done serious damage to anyone who hurt her child like that.
    Now, she just wanted to make it better for him.
    If only she knew how . . .
    But one thing was certain, she wasn’t going to leave him like this. Alone. Tormented. Isolated. She owed him too much for that. He’d given her a new life free of over-the-top restrictions and stern punishments.
    Her throat tightened as she realized that for the first time in her entire life she was outside in the world without being covered from head to foot, with no guards scowling at her and no old chaperones warning her not to speak or touch anything.
    She was free because Adron had stood up for her for no other reason than he was a decent human being. Such a man deserved happiness and love.
    Somehow she would make him laugh again. Even if it killed her.

THREE
    Adron shoved the oxygen mask off his face.
    His doctor gave him a peeved glare. “Would you stop that? You need it.”
    â€œI can’t breathe with it on.”
    â€œYou can barely breathe, period.” Theo put the oxygen mask back in place.
    Adron narrowed his eyes at the man, but as usual, Theo didn’t care. Over the last eight years, their battle of wills had become legendary with the hospital staff.
    Theo brushed a hand though his graying black hair while he scowled at Adron. “I can’t believe you’d even try to have sex in your condition. What were you thinking?”
    That his wife had the best ass he’d ever seen . .