Nykyrian moved to Darling’s right wrist to break that chain, too. He froze when he saw Darling’s missing finger. Cursing, Nykyrian gave Darling’s hand a light squeeze before he tore the cuff open.
The moment he was free, Darling started to fall, but Maris caught him against his chest and held him in a tight hug. “I have you, baby. Don’t worry. No one’s going to hurt you now.”
Nero snapped the cuff on his left hand with his powers.
When Nykyrian reached for the muzzle, Syn grabbed his wrist and stopped him. “I’ll have to surgically remove it.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. The fucking bastards left it on him so long, it’s grown into his throat. See the marks?”
Though they were currently hidden by the black crash helmet he wore, Nykyrian had scars on his face from when he’d been a child and a different kind of muzzle had been used on him. Like Darling’s, his muzzle had been left in place for so long it’d grown into his skin.
Nykyrian cursed again.
His breathing ragged, Darling barely heard them as he held on to Maris with what little strength he had. Never in his life had he been more grateful for his best friend’s appearance.
“I’ve got you, Darling,” Maris whispered in his ear. “Through thick and thin, brothers to the bitter end. No one’s going to hurt you again. I swear it.”
Syn gently touched Darling on the shoulder. “I’m going to knock you out, okay?”
Darling nodded. Please make the pain stop. He didn’t care if Syn’s dosage killed him so long as it made his body numb.
Syn pulled out an injector from the deep pocket on his left leg, then shot it into Darling’s arm.
Over Maris’s shoulder, Darling locked gazes with Zarya who’d been cuffed by Jayne. He saw the horrified agony in her amber eyes that were filled with tears.
I didn’t know what they did to you, she mouthed to him. I’m so sorry.
Did she really think that mattered to him now? After all he’d been through?
Go to hell, bitch.
The last thing he heard before the drug knocked him out was Nykyrian’s angry order for the rest of the Sentella members. “Kill them. Every fucking one who breathes. I want them hunted down and ripped into pieces. Take your time and make it hurt.”
Nero inclined his head to Nykyrian. “I’m going to help end a few lives.” Then he left the room.
“Save some for me, boy,” Hauk called, following after him.
Caillen placed his hand on Darling’s head. “I plan to find a few of them to party with myself. I’ll meet you guys back at the ship.” He made an even quicker exit than Nero and Hauk had.
Jayne grabbed Zarya by the hair, and held her for Nykyrian’s inspection. “You want to kill her, or can I do it?”
Nykyrian considered their options and the bloodlust that lay beneath Jayne’s tone. The hyshian lived to kill.
But not that one.
Not yet.
“Save her for Darling. He deserves the honor of killing at least one of them. And since she was the last one in here…”
Jayne sighed in disgust. “Damn, boss. You take all my fun away.” She shoved Zarya back against the wall. “Be grateful, ’ho. There’s nothing I love more than a good, long skinning.”
Ignoring them and swinging Darling up into his arms so that he could gently cradle him, Maris wept over what had been done to Darling’s now frail body. He’d been so beautiful and strong before…
Now, he looked like a walking corpse.
What they’d done went beyond inhumane. For the first time in his life, he wanted blood from another human being. “Have you ever seen anything like this?” he asked Syn.
“Not in a long time.” Syn glanced over his shoulder at Nykyrian. “Nemesis has been through worse, and for a lot longer period of time.”
Maris glared at that woman as true hatred filled him. “How could you!”
“I didn’t—”
Jayne backhanded her, then shot her in the chest. “Don’t worry,” she assured Nykyrian as he took a step toward her in protest of her actions. “I didn’t kill the bitch… yet. It’s just a good stunning to shut her up before I yielded to the desire I have to gut her.”
Nykyrian shook his head. “I’ll carry Darling,” he said to Syn. “You get the woman.”
Syn put the injector back into his pocket. “You won’t hold it against me if I accidentally drop her a few times on her head, will you?”
“Not at all.”
“I knew I loved you for a reason.” Syn went to retrieve her.
Maris stopped Nykyrian before he took Darling out of his arms. “Will he be all right?”
Syn was the one who answered. “Physically, I think I can fix most of it. Mentally…” He glanced at Nykyrian and paused.