Poison Ivy Ch. 06

Her hands came up to grip his shoulders as his fell to her hips, his calloused fingertips digging into her flesh to hold her in place as he rutted between her legs. Tension coiled deep in her core and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. His arm slipped beneath her knee and lifted, and she groaned as his thrusts deepened, the tip of his cock grazing her cervix with every deliberate stroke. Blinding white light flashed before her eyes as she reached the peak of a powerful orgasm, but he was relentless. Hooking her leg over his shoulder so he could plunge even deeper, he reached between them and found her clit, drawing mewls and moans from her lips as another climax swept her away, shattering her into a million pieces.

This was always how it was with him, now. There were times she hated it, a deep-seated resentment filling her with impotent rage when she thought of how skilled he was at manipulating her. The way her body never failed to respond to him, regardless of what she was thinking or feeling. Even worse, and even more difficult to admit, was the fact that his inarguable command of her body's reactions provided her with a measure of relief. As much as she hated him for taking away the choice she should have been allowed in her claiming, there was a sick part of her that didn't want the choice. Reacting to his dominance with the full force of millennia of evolution seriously limited her role in this new life he'd dragged her into, kicking and screaming. And without the responsibility of being an active player in this game, she was free to accept the pleasure he offered up without despising herself for giving in.

Because, in truth, she had never given in. At every turn, she had resisted and fought him, and it changed nothing. There was no shame in enjoying Hunter's total mastery of her pleasure, because she had nothing to do with it. There was a terrible kind of freedom in her loss of control.

The Alpha threw his head back and roared, the sound reverberating off the navy-blue walls of her beautiful cage, eliciting little sparks of electricity to dance across her skin in response to her mate's pleasure. Hot waves of come pumped into her as his knot expanded, locking her into place beneath him.

Like he always did, he spun them around until he lay supine, Ivy sprawled on top of him with her ear pressed against the scratchy uniform of his chest. Practically vibrating with involuntary contentment, she closed her eyes and waited for his purr to carry her to sleep, the thick fingers gently massaging her scalp a complete contrast to the rough way he had just fucked her. Just before she slipped under, her gut churned with unease, a single thought circling the shallows of her conscious mind like a bloodthirsty shark. She'd been feeling it since breakfast this morning with her new, over-the-top but entirely kind and sincere Omegan companion. There was nothing solid she could point at, no specific behavior or event that could possibly explain the undercurrent of nervous energy she'd felt while watching Aella pick at her egg-white spinach omelet (blech), but the ominous feeling of foreboding remained all the same.

Something was very wrong.

.......................

She awoke with a jolt, springing from where he had tucked her under the covers, her eyes frantically looking around for her weapons.

Oh that's right. She had no fucking weapons. She rolled her eyes dramatically. Like she could really do any real harm with a teeny-tiny hand gun, given the fucking wall of personal guards that'd been plastered to her and Aella since their casual foray into main medical.

Except... She'd been able to pull off multiple escapes armed with nothing more than a dull butter knife and dinner tray in the past. There was at least a little bit of harm she could do with a weapon that was actually meant to be a weapon.

Okay fine, real harm would be an inevitability if she ever got her hands on a gun.

She growled angrily, stalking the room, hunting for something she could use to defend herself, without pausing to think about why she might need to launch such a defense. Some sinister thing from her subconscious was wrapping cold fingers around her throat, and she found herself struggling to breathe.

HUNTER!

She screamed his name in her mind, silently imploring him to return to her. Something was wrong. Something was fucking wrong, and she needed her mate close. He would protect her.

She froze in her tracks, struck dumb at the thought that had just flashed through her head. FUCK! What the fuck was happening to her?!

Before she had a chance to follow that particularly shitty thought to its unsettling conclusion, a frantic knock came from the other side of the door to Aella's adjoining room. Ivy rushed to it as she heard Aella's voice, weak with pain, call her name from the other side. Bile tried to climb its way up her throat, and she was covered in a cold, dread-induced sweat. Her hand gripped the handle and pulled hard against an un-budging door.

Shit.

"Aella!" she screamed, pounding her fists against the thick wood. "Aella, open the door!"

She heard the Omega on the other side fumble with the locks, and then a small, impossibly pale face was in front of her. Beads of sweat and tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets. Hair the color of the sun was plastered to her forehead, and the girl was bent over, gasping for breath. "Ivy!" she breathed. "I think something's wrong with the ba-"

Before she could finish the sentence, Aella fell to the floor, unconscious. "FUCK!" Ivy crouched down, hooking her hands underneath the blonde Omega's thin arms and dragging her further into the adjoining room. Once close enough to the hallway door, she pressed her fingers to the clammy skin of Aella's neck, momentarily relieved to feel a weak, fluttering pulse. She looked down at the girl's limp body, a cold shudder moving through her as she took in the blood that saturated the inside of the Omega's thighs. "FUCK!" she screamed again.

Ivy's knowledge of pregnancy related emergencies was limited. She had learned about them in training, but as there was very little need to practice obstetric skills in a combat field as the Battalion's only female, she considered herself rusty at best, useless at worst. Cursing under her breath, she moved to sit herself between the girl's legs and yanked up on the knee length cocktail dress now streaked and wet with blood. She pulled violently on Aella's lacy underwear, grateful for once for the flimsy garments' ability to tear easily.

No. No no no!

All blood drained from her face at the sight that met her. A word echoed in her brain, pulled somewhere from the depths of her catalogued training. Abruption. Somehow, she knew that's exactly what was happening. Aella needed a surgeon. She needed blood. She needed a cesarean section. And she needed it right. Fucking. Now.

Ivy jumped to her feet and ran to the hallway door, fists stained red pounding against the ungiving wood. She knew Beta guards were in the hallway, tasked with watching over the two rooms. Aella's for protection, and Ivy's because of her frequent escape attempts. Sure enough, she heard bootsteps coming down the hall and rushed back to the unconscious girl, her palm tapping Aella's cheek in gentle slaps.

"Wake up, girl. Come on, Aella, wake up. WAKE UP!" She dug her knuckles into the Omega's sternum and rubbed, elated when delicate lashes fluttered open. "That's it, look at me. Look at me, Aella. Focus. I need you to stay awake, okay?"

"What's going on?" she heard a voice ask nervously behind her. She spun around, glaring at the pale Beta guard standing with his hand on the knob.

"What the fuck does it look like, genius?! If you don't get this girl to medical in the next five fucking minutes, both she and the baby are going to die. You get me?"

The guard nodded rapidly, his fingers fumbling with the radio at his shoulder. "I need a stretcher team to Alpha Barracks room 4, stat!"

The next half hour passed in a blur, and Ivy found herself outside the operating room doors, a surgical mask hanging from her neck, blood drenching a pair of hastily thrown on scrubs. Tears streaked down her face, and she swiped at them angrily, smearing crimson across her cheeks.

At first, she had refused to be excluded from Aella's medical team. Her knuckles would bruise from punching the jackass Beta who had tried to shove her back in his fucking face, and her shoulder ached from where she had driven it into his stomach. After that, someone had quickly handed her the light blue scrubs, and she had followed Aella into the OR without a word from anyone else. It wasn't until they had pulled a limp and ashen baby from the incision in her stomach that Ivy had backed away from her side, opting instead to reach for the tiny creature and help resuscitate the precious thing.

Ivy looked down at the too-small infant nestled into the crook of her arm, pink now and bundled in a warm, blue towel. The girl was four weeks early and couldn't weigh more than five pounds, but she was alive. Aella was still lying cut open on the table, a full team of surgeons and medics working frantically to stop the hemorrhage that had caused her vitals to go haywire shortly after the cord had been cut from the failed placenta. No one had come to collect the infant, and knowing the thought was illogical, Ivy had taken her out of the room, not wanting her to be present while her mother lay there dying.

The pair-bond thrummed suddenly with an intensity that took her breath away. She turned at the sound of pounding bootsteps, not surprised to find Hunter stalking down the hall toward her, his features twisted with concerned anger.

"Hunter!" she cried, both in relief and frustration. She choked back a strangled sob as he took her in: Her blood-stained scrubs, her pale face, the infant wrapped in her arms. Where had he been?! Why had it taken him so long to get to her? She tried to be angry. Anger pushed back the rest of the dangerous emotions threatening to break through to the surface. Fear. Despair. Helplessness.

Hunter wrapped his thick arms around her. She was pressed against his rigid chest, the giant squeezing her so hard it was almost painful. Almost, but not quite. More than anything, it was comforting, and Ivy felt herself relax into him, the coiled tension in her muscles slowly melting away. Hunter would take care of this. He would take care of her.

Where the fuck were these thoughts coming from?!

She heard a commotion, the sounds of many boots pounding down the hallway and stopping when they reached the OR doors. Hunter pulled away and turned, using his big body to shield her from whatever was behind them. Ivy peaked out from under his arm, noticing how his hand was gripping the gun at his side, and held the infant closer to her at the sight of Maverick-dude and a small unit of Beta MPs surrounding him.

Hunter growled threateningly, the sound sending shivers up and down her spine. For a moment, Ivy was confused. Despite being an abusive asshole, Maverick-dude was still Aella's.... boyfriend? Alpha? Partner? Whatever. And the father of the child she held in her arms. And Hunter's direct superior. So why was Hunter acting like they were under attack?

Then she saw the look on Maverick-dude's face, and her blood ran cold.

"Hunter," the older Alpha drawled, apparently unfazed by the rumbling, warning growl coming from her Alpha. "Hand them over, and I promise, I won't hurt the girl. Much," he finished with a low chuckle.

Her mind stuck on one word. Them. Fire replaced the ice in her veins, and her hands itched for a weapon. He wanted to take her away from Hunter. Why? What did he want with her? Did he think that this was somehow her fault? The pair-bond assured her it wouldn't happen, that her Alpha would protect her and keep her safe. Still, a little ammunition wouldn't hurt.

Hunter's growl deepened, and Ivy subconsciously took a step back. "If you so much as lay a finger on her, Maverick, I will tear you apart with my bare hands." His voice was low and calm, but it sent chills through to her core, just the same.

Maverick-dude cocked his head to the side, a smug smile on his disgustingly handsome face. "I really don't think that's going to happen. Go ahead, Logan. Try to stop me. I'd love an excuse to take you out." The older General sneered, and she could feel Hunter tense, every ridiculously huge muscle in his body readying for battle. "One way or another, the bitch is coming with me."

Hunter roared, the sound shaking Ivy to her bones. It was the most terrifying sound she had ever heard, and she found herself cringing back, holding the baby protectively in her arms, despite knowing the threatening sound wasn't meant for her. Hunter leapt forward, ramming his powerful body into Maverick's smaller frame. She heard the sound of a strong fist hitting flesh, the awful crunch of some broken bone. Maverick screamed, the high-pitched wail almost making her laugh.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins. A familiar feeling spread through her like a slow-moving fire, and time slowed. She shifted the infant so that it was nestled securely into the crook of one arm, and rushed toward the closest Beta guard, kneeing him in the groin and using her free hand to wrap around his holstered side-arm.

She turned, aiming the gun at the guards who were closing in on them from all sides. "Back the fuck up," she growled, and the Betas stilled, looking to one another as if unsure about what to do next.

That's right, motherfuckers.

The sound of gunshots echoed through the otherwise empty halls, and Ivy gasped, nearly dropping the baby. Without looking, she knew that Hunter had been shot. She had felt it. Her stomach dropped sickeningly, and she turned instinctively, running toward her mate.

"HUNTER!" she screamed, watching in terror as the Alpha continued to advance on Maverick-dude, despite the blood slowly spreading across the chest of his uniform. Another shot rang out, and Hunter staggered, falling to his knees. Ivy ran toward him, the Betas clearing the way for her despite the fact that her gun was no longer aimed at them. If she had spared any attention to them at all, she would have seen looks of distress and hesitation. Hunter was a popular Alpha among the Betas, having made some recent changes that had benefited all enlisted soldiers on base, such as the newly commissioned mess hall and higher-quality food. The Betas were loyal to the Lt. General, and although they were just following orders, they had not expected the violence that had just erupted.

Dropping the gun hastily, Ivy reached her Alpha just as he collapsed to his side. Frantic, she pushed him onto his back, taking inventory of his injuries. Three bullet wounds. One in his shoulder, one in his chest, and one in his abdomen. He was bleeding buckets of blood.

Fuck. FUCK!

Ivy's free hand trembled as she held it over his chest, trying to determine which wound was more serious, which one she needed to put pressure on in order to staunch the bleeding. She pushed her palm against the wound on his chest, pressing down hard. Hunter grunted. His thick fingers wrapped around her wrist. Wild, storm-cloud eyes held hers, and her chest heaved in frantic breaths at the sight of his pale face.

"Run, Ivy," he rasped. He coughed then, and icy dread settled in her gut at the sight of the blood filling his mouth. She shook her head, barely noticing the tears running down her face. There was no fucking way she was leaving him here.

"I need a medic!" she screamed, turning briefly to look at the startled and stricken guards. "Get a fucking medic!"

A hand on her cheek brought her attention back to Hunter. She looked down at her palm, pressing into the wound on his chest. Blood was seeping between her fingers and spreading slowly across his uniform. He would bleed out soon if someone didn't come soon. The thought made her sick to her stomach, and her eyes burned. Hunter's grip on her jaw tightened, his fingers digging into her cheeks painfully. He lifted her head to face him, his grey, tempest eyes once more locked on hers.

"RUN!" he roared and pushed her back, away from him. The pair-bond sliced into her painfully, urging her to get to her feet and follow his order. Ivy choked on a sob. She didn't want to leave him! He was bleeding and hurt and might die, and it wasn't fair! His command left no room for disobedience, and her legs, of their own accord, lifted her from the floor. She looked up, furious to find Maverick-dude sneering down at them. Murderous rage flooded all other thoughts from her head. She wanted to kill him, slowly and painfully. Hunter's command to run overruled her bloodlust, however, and she turned, unwillingly following his order to flee.

She got as far as the end of the hallway, the babe still clutched in her arms, sleeping soundly despite the chaos erupting around them. A chillingly-familiar figure stepped out from around the corner, stopping Ivy mid-stride.

His frame had shrunk a little. His normally tan skin had paled after weeks of being kept in a dark room. But his amber eyes had the same deceptive warmth as before, and familiar lips curled up into an unsettling smile.

Kentucky.

Unable to stop in time, she crashed into him. He gripped her arms, steadying her before she fell. She felt a hand close over her mouth and there was a sudden prick of pain in her neck.

Well, shit.

"So nice to see you again, Poison," Kentucky said softly as the world tilted and blurred. Her limbs grew heavy, and she didn't struggle when someone reached out and plucked the infant from her arms. Her knees buckled. The hand covering her mouth fell away as she crumpled to the floor.

Darkness crawled in around the edges of the world. Her thinking slowed, her mind going blissfully blank. The last coherent thought she had before the darkness swallowed her up was of Hunter. He had to live. She would come back and save him, because he couldn't die.

Don't die. Please, Hunter, don't...

She sank below the surface, drowning in darkness.

.....................

She awoke suddenly, almost violently, and jackknifed into a sitting position with a gasp. Quickly, she took note of her surroundings and did a mental inventory of her injuries. She was in a small but luxurious bedroom. She was tucked beneath the dark grey sheets of an unfamiliar bed, covered with a heavy, off-white comforter. The walls were... odd. Dark wood cut between sections of cushioned paneling. Two lamps let off a soft, yellow glow on either side of the bed. The wall behind her curved up to the white ceiling in a concave shape.

Her head felt fuzzy. Her mouth was impossibly dry. Her shoulder ached, and she remembered ramming into the Beta who had tried to keep her away from Aella. The knuckles on one hand were bruised and sore, and there was an ache in the side of her neck. She nearly shrieked when she realized that her bloody scrubs had been replaced with a pair of skimpy white silk pajama shorts with a lace hem and a tiny matching camisole.

She'd had it through the fucking roof with people undressing her in her sleep. That shit had to stop.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, took two steps, and collapsed on the finely carpeted floor. Cream colored, she noted dazedly.

Well, shit.

She heard the click of a door opening, and two shiny black boots stepped into her line of sight. She turned her head to look up at the Alpha glowering down at her.

"Hello, fuck-face," she greeted the General towering over her as she pushed herself up to a sitting position against the bed. He grinned, and a flash of anger hit her so hard it made her dizzy enough to pass out. It was either that, or the drugs in her system. Or both. "What the fuck did you give me, asshole?"