Poison Ivy Ch. 08

ETA: This is the revised version of Chapter 8. After chapter 9's revision is posted, I'll post chapter 10 in two parts, as well as a teaser for Aella and Trevino's story, which I plan to continue after the conclusion of Ivy and Hunter. If you're new to the series or are re-reading them, keep in mind that some details have been changed and some events have been added, so it may not line up with the next chapter until both revisions are posted. Thanks for sticking with me!

For any newcomers, this chapter starts right in the middle of some pretty serious action, so you might want to go back and catch up before you tackle this one. This is an Omegaverse story, so if you're not familiar, maybe google it, check out Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics and the like. This story is rated R for language. ;)

ETA and Trigger Warning: Thank you to one of my readers who pointed out that I should have included a warning. There is a torture scene in this chapter, and it's quite graphic. It's towards the end of the chapter. My apologies for not including this in the original version.

If this chapter had a soundtrack, it would be:

Flood, by Saltillo, Richard Walters, Ascension

Always, Killswitch Engage, Disarm the Descent

Say You'll Haunt Me, Stone Sour, Audio Secrecy

Separate, PVRIS, All We Know of Heaven...

Haunted, DIAMANTE, Coming in Hot

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

They had to go.

There were a million reasons why they should get the fuck out of that awful place. Gunshots still rang out from behind the concrete walls of the asylum she'd been kept in for god only knew how long. Weeks, maybe? A month? It was hard to tell.

Guards were starting to stream out the front and back doors. Hunter's men, who seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at once, were merciless and relentless. They drove back wave after wave of the encroaching guard. Ivy didn't know who they were. She just knew they were with Hunter, and they were protecting the pair, for the time being. But the guards couldn't be held off for much longer, and she had no doubt that backup had already been called in. The longer they stayed, the more danger they were all in. The more danger Hunter was in.

That kiss, though.

That kiss was everything.

Ivy didn't protest or fight the possessive way his lips moved over hers. She knew full well that they really had to get the fuck out of here, and she felt the instinctive urge of her fight or flight response to put as many miles between her and Maverick as possible. But that was all secondary to the way Hunter was crushing her to him, devouring her, as his hands moved beneath her scrubs and stroked at her bare skin. The touch wasn't sexual (although the kiss absolutely was), and through the bond she could sense that he needed to be skin to skin with her. He was scanning her body for injuries. Reassuring himself that she was real and whole with the way his fingers trailed over her hips, up her sides, across her chest, around her neck, finally ceasing when they reached her face to once more hold her steady as he poured himself into her as much as he was pulling her back into him.

And fuck, that kiss. Actually, make that Kiss. With a capitol fucking K.

Hunter slanted his mouth over hers as he bit and sucked her lower lip between his teeth. His tongue demanded entrance, and when she gasped at the feel of his cock pressing against her, accentuated by a not-so-subtle rock of his hips to show her what she was doing to him, he left no part of her mouth un-tasted.

She was drowning, suffocating. And it was going to be the sweetest death she could have asked for.

When he finally did let her up for air, burying his head into the nape of her neck to sniff and bite and suckle the skin surrounding his claiming mark, she moaned and forgot what it was she'd needed to tell him. He nipped and kissed his way back up her throat and across her jaw, and just before he was about to take her mouth again...

"Aella!" She gasped, bringing him to a sudden halt. It was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over them both, and judging by the amount of pure chaos happening around them, it couldn't have come a moment sooner. As if realizing where they were, Hunter's eyes narrowed and swept the area as he banded his arms behind her back and spun her around. Holding her tight against him and using his palm to tuck her head beneath his chin, he turned away from the fight and took off in the opposite direction. She heard him bark an order to his men, and the sound of gunshots slowly trickled to a stop as they all melted into the shadows.

Suddenly thrust back into reality, her heart pounding in her ears, Ivy panicked. Kentucky had hinted that Aella was safe, but if she wasn't, if Maverick still had access to her...

"Hunter!" She said softly, not wanting to give away their location, but needing to tell him about the danger her friend was in. She fought against his hold, trying to move her face away from where it was nestled in the crook of his neck so she could look around. "Hunter wait, he's keeping Aella somewhere, Kentucky said she was safe, but I need to make --"

Hunter growled threateningly. Ivy stilled, some biological response hijacking her body and making her respond to the sound with total submission as her brain fired off warning signals to the rest of her body. Angry Alpha alert! Angry Alpha alert!

Okay, so they'd talk later.

Sensing her distress and unease, Hunter began purring as he rushed them away from the fray and toward a waiting vehicle. She clung to him, her legs still wrapped around his waist and her arms circling his neck, absorbing the full force of his calming reverberation, a sound she had missed much more than she'd ever admit, through all the places their bodies touched. Slowly, her pulse and breathing returned to normal.

Though the majority of her mind had drifted into some safe haven, lulled to distraction by the loud purr he was projecting, a tiny sliver of her consciousness was present and absorbing details she'd have time to process later. Hunter had opened the back door of a large, black SUV and had climbed in, shifting her slightly while keeping her pressed to his chest. When she tried to lift her head again, he firmly tucked it back under his chin, his purr growing stronger until her muscles relaxed and she'd closed her eyes.

She heard more doors opening and closing, and felt the vehicle shift with the weight of more bodies, the air now saturated with potent, provoked Alpha scent. She squirmed in Hunter's lap, the smell making her uncomfortable and agitated, her unease slicing through the soothing sound emanating from her own Alpha's chest. Hunter's arms around her tightened, his voice shushing and cooing reassurances in her ear. Slowly, she settled again, burying her nose into the crook of his neck to drink in his scent, the only one that mattered.

She hadn't even been aware of how much she had missed his smell, only now realizing that there was a strange sort of balance that was inexplicably gratifying when they were close. He breathed in her scent, and she breathed in his, and the bond hummed contently, sensing all was as it should be.

The agitated Alphas began talking to each other. She heard the words, but didn't really understand them, and didn't care to. The part of her brain that was still working slowly shrank down, bit by bit. Her mind was in the process of shutting off completely.

"How many?" Hunter asked.

"Seven dead confirmed, nineteen wounded. We tried to be as nice as we could, but they weren't having it," someone answered. His voice was like hot chocolate, sweet with a bit of darkness.

"Is she hurt?" The deep, growly voice that had taken her to Hunter asked.

"Her lip's been split. Bruises on her neck and arms. And she has a fucking gun." Hunter seethed. Were they talking about her?

His purr altered and became something that had her heart rate climbing again. The driver said something she didn't catch, and he settled, the purr still slightly off-kilter but balanced with the hand that began stroking through her hair comfortingly.

"Did you find him?"

"He was gone by the time I got in there. Fowler didn't see him leave. He was either hiding in one of the patient rooms, or he got away somehow," Hot Choco answered.

"It's fine. I was looking forward to hunting him down anyway." Hunter. Hunter's going hunting! She thought hysterically and giggled. Her Alpha shifted her to look at her face with a concerned expression, kissed her forehead, and tucked her head back under his chin.

"The kid?"

"Dead when she came out. Kinda looked to me like he'd been defending her." This from the growly-voice. Hunter grunted, unimpressed. A flash of lifeless amber eyes appeared and then disappeared before she had time to process it.

"She's worried about Aella." Hunter again. Aella! Yes, I'm worried about Aella!

"Trevino just got to the safe house with her. She'll be there when we arrive." This from Hot Choco.

Ivy didn't know who Trevino was, but if he'd brought Aella to a safehouse, he was all right in her book.

Aella was safe. Hunter was holding her. The three Alphas kept talking, but their voices grew more and more distant with every passing second. She nuzzled deeper into the comfort of his arms, and promptly fell asleep.

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

He felt the moment Ivy drifted off. He let the timbre of his purr soften, confident now that she was sufficiently settled. It had been so fucking hard to maintain his own composure, when all he wanted to do was fly into a murderous fucking rage at what he had found in the room they had kept her in. The evidence of a struggle. Her torn dress. The smell of another Alpha, both in the room and on her. On her.

She shifted in her sleep with a soft sound of protest. He realized he'd been gripping her too tightly as he remembered the terrified screams echoing from her side of the bond before they'd stormed into the asylum. He forced himself to relax his hold and continued talking in a low voice about the logistics of their next move. Their priority was tracking Maverick. He wanted him dead, and he wouldn't be happy until blood spilled out of the torn place where Maverick's dick had been. The same dick the evil fucking asshole had forced into her. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, fury climbing to unmanageable levels, and he couldn't stop his fingers from digging into her sleeping form...

"You're going to hurt her." Fowler put his hand on his shoulder, bringing him back down to earth. He didn't want anyone's fucking hands near her, but it grounded him just enough.

"I'm going to rip him to shreds," he growled, shifting her away from the other Alpha.

"You will, Boss."

The car was silent for a while, the feel of smooth pavement passing under the wheels the only thing lulling him into temporary pacification. The need to reclaim his Omega, to replace the other Alpha's scent with his own, ran through his veins like it was stronger than blood. Stronger than breath. Stronger than his will to live.

He pulled the gun from the waistband of her god-awful scrubs. He would've stripped her out of those fucking things if it weren't for the other Alphas. As it was, he was getting more and more wary of their proximity to Ivy. His instincts were taking over, the need to protect and claim growing stronger, blocking out all logical thought. His focus on projecting the calming purr was the only thing keeping him sane.

Sensing his growing agitation, Fowler shifted away from the pair as much as he could, assuming a non-threatening position facing the window. Pyle kept his gaze on the road, not wanting to risk making eye contact with the feral Alpha cradling his precious Omega in the backseat. "Almost there, boss," he said quietly.

Almost there.

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

Ivy groaned as someone jostled her awake. She had been sleeping so well. When was the last time she'd slept like that? Without being drugged, that was.

"Wake up, precious," a familiar voice cooed in her ear. Her eyes shot open, the events from earlier coming back to her in a rush. "Hunter!" she tightened the limbs that had been draped over him while she slept, clinging to him, needing to be as close to him as was physically possible.

It took her a moment to realize something was wrong. His muscles were tense, his posture rigid. Slowly, his ataractic purr became something else. Something predatory and animalistic.

"Hunter?" Her voice was lost in the new vibration he was projecting, both a warning and a promise. She shivered. His arms around her tightened as he lifted her out of the SUV and began carrying her toward the open door of a cute looking bungalow. Several chairs and couches were spread out on the covered front porch, with a two-seated swing just to the left of the front door.

"I can walk," she told the scowling Alpha. His scowl deepened, and she pressed her lips together. Apparently, she wouldn't be walking. She knew how to pick her battles, and right now, she didn't want to test the temper of the suddenly furious giant clutching her tight to his chest.

He carried her through the door and down a dimly lit hallway. Pictures decorated nearly every inch of the dark stained wood walls, all of several children in different stages of life, with full family portraits sprinkled throughout. The burly bearded Alpha she had met earlier stood next to a gorgeous brunette with startling green/gold eyes in each one, their family growing in size as they progressed down the hallway. The last pictures showed a happy, smiling family of six on a beach somewhere. She gawked at the Alpha's naked torso, covered with colorful tattoos that swept up his side and down his arms. And gawd, the sheer size of that man! He might even be bigger than Hunter.

Seeming to sense her thoughts, her own Alpha growled a low warning. Her thoughts immediately skipped over to what she knew Hunter looked like naked, and her face warmed as she felt heat pool in her core. They stopped in front of a closed door, and he finally put her down. She swayed slightly once she was on her feet, and he put a steading hand on her back. He knocked twice, looking impatient and agitated. The door opened slowly, and a small, delicate face peeked out.

"Aella!" Ivy cried, and the door opened wider, the older Omega's eyes sparkling at the sight of her friend. They threw their arms around each other, sobbing with relief. Ivy didn't understand the sudden comradery she felt towards Aella, but she wasn't going to question it, either. It felt good to have a friend, and the sick churning in her gut that had been there since Maverick had made her watch the awful video of Aella being tormented, was slowly melting away.

They separated, Ivy looking behind her into the small room with soft shades of blue fabric decorating the windows and bedspread. The space was comfortable and warm. A young boy sat on the edge of the bed, watching them closely. Dark hair covered his strangely old eyes. He was sixteen, maybe seventeen years old. It was hard to tell, with the strange sense of sadness surrounding him. Behind him, seated on an oak rocking chair, another Alpha held Aella's baby in his arms, rocking her gently. He was looking past her, at Hunter, with only the barest hint of a smile. He slowly nodded, and Ivy felt a big hand on her shoulder, drawing her away from the room.

"We'll talk later," Aella said, winking at her before softly closing the door. Hunter led her down the hall with a possessive hand on the back of her neck, pushing her through the door at the very end. Barely noticing the honey and suede décor of the cozy master bedroom and attached bathroom, Ivy spun around, suddenly confronted with her Alpha's furious storm-cloud eyes. He stalked toward her, walking her backward until she was pressed up against the cream-colored wall. The palms of his hands slapped against the wall on either side of her head as he caged her in, leaning down until their noses were almost touching.

"I can fucking smell him on you, Ivy," he growled. She reared her head back, as if struck, hitting the back of her head against the plaster behind her.

"Ouch! Fuck. What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Hunter? You think I --"

His hand clamped down on her mouth, muffling the rest of her indignant sentence. "No, precious girl, I don't," he murmured, gentling his tone. He twisted his hand so that it was gripping the back of her neck and pressed his forehead to hers. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to fuck his scent off of you."

She sucked in a breath and put a hand on her lower belly, where a cramp was slicing into her. The now-familiar feel of slick dripping from her pussy to coat the inside of her thighs in response to his rumbling growl made her groan. Hunter's hands found the waist of her scrub bottoms, and he tugged them down, lifting her out of them and pinning her against the wall. Her hands curled around his muscular shoulders, searching his face as he worked his own dark fatigues down his hips.

He maintained contact the entire time, as if he thought she might run away or disappear if he allowed her even an inch of space between them. When he had wrestled his pants down enough to free himself, he gripped her waist and lifted, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist as he lined himself up. She felt the head of his cock, hot and smooth and thick, nudge against her opening, and when he tunneled into her with a powerful thrust of his hips, she moaned and closed her eyes.

How had this happened? How had he broken through nearly every barrier she had tried to throw up around herself?

"Give me your eyes, Ivy," the big bully demanded. She did, but only because she wanted to. She'd had quite enough of being bossed around and manhandled by giants for the night, thankyouverymuch.

Her breath caught in her chest when she met his gaze. Understanding that what she saw written so clearly on his face was a form of surrender, she bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from crying. She was always crying these days, it was ridiculous. But it was fucking hard not to.

Hunter had torn down walls of his own for her, making himself vulnerable so that she could see him, truly see him. She saw his pain, the anguish he'd been in while she'd been with Maverick. She saw the fear that had driven his actions and led him to her, his fear for her. His adoration and devotion.

No one had ever looked at her like Hunter was looking at her now. Like she was someone worth fighting for.

Someone worth coming after.

She brought her hand to his cheek, marveling at the way her skin contrasted with his. His darker, tanner, and rougher. He hadn't moved yet, simply held her still, his cock throbbing inside of her, and she knew he wanted to move. Knew he was holding himself back. She touched his lips, remembering the day he had stormed into her little med tent, all the way back in Torrin. The way his breath had skated across her face, the way she had nearly lost her balance when she'd experienced his intoxicating scent for the first time. How long ago that all seemed now.

Before she even realized what she was doing, she had leaned forward, pressing her lips gently to his. It was the first time she had ever kissed him before he had kissed her. Threading her fingers through his short, dark hair, she pulled him into her, deepening this spontaneous display of affection, wanting him to know what she couldn't even admit to herself.

He groaned into her mouth, finally moving inside of her, and the push and pull of it, as strong and overpowering as an ocean tide, was too much. It was too much, and she could do nothing except hold on. Hold on while he drove into her. Hold on while he took what she was finally ready to give. Hold on while he dragged her to the edge, and then she was tumbling over, crying out as little sparks of electricity crackled over her skin, and still he didn't stop.