Chapter 29
KAYDEN POV
I shuddered awake, and snarled in pain. The jolt that was sent through me had my fingers wrapping around the chains and trying to break them. I felt my eyes change, and my vision went black for a moment. The doctor was speaking to me, but I ignored him. I was going to kill him. I couldn't stand this pain anymore. I flinched when another jolt was sent through my head and fangs formed in my mouth.
"We'll get there sooner or later. Everyone breaks," he hummed.
"I'm going to kill you," I hissed. "I'll break every single one of your bones before I end you. I'll rip your heart out and show it to you just as you die."
"I think not," he mused. "You'll be doing that to who we command you to kill."
"I wouldn't be so sure," I growled, and gathered all the strength I had.
I had been not fighting for a reason for the last several sessions. Resting as much as I could, to gather the power I needed. The chains broke, as my eyes went red. I was going to murder the man behind that glass. Once I was free, I charged forward and went straight through the window. The alarms were going off, and I had noticed they had started before I was free. Shrieking in fear, the man scrambled back.
"I told you," I growled. "We aren't meant to be controlled."
I did exactly what I said I was going to do. Every scream of pain was music to my ears, and I could have purred at the sounds. When I was done, I ripped his heart out and dropped it in his face. Everything that they had done to me, I wanted to do it to them. I realized suddenly, that no one was coming into the room. I was sure that by now, soldiers would be storming this room.
Hissing, I left the room, and headed toward the exit. I was in agony, but I was not about to be caught here again. The moment I found the doors, I shoved them open and broke them from their hinges. Sunlight burned my eyes, and I had to squint to ease it. Unable to control my legs anymore, I found myself sinking to my knees. There could be more soldiers, I couldn't stay here.
Before I could stop it, I was transforming. A roar left my jaws, and the sound hurt my own ears. Fire spewed everywhere, and I slammed my front feet into the ground, digging them into the dirt. Swinging back around with the burst of energy, I had every intention of burning the base to the ground. As I lifted my gaze, I found myself staring right at Steve.
Startled at his appearance, I briefly took in the people behind him. My jaws snapped shut the fire dying down, but I still couldn't take in that he was here. I snarled again, unable to help it. My mind had to be playing tricks on me, he had no idea where I had been. Even though I had tried to find Wanda, it wasn't a guarantee that I had succeeded.
A growl left my throat, and I shook my head in aggression. He wasn't here, he couldn't be. Snaking my head down I roared, letting out the rage that had bottled up inside me. Steve braced himself and stood firm, while the others took a step back. My eyes shifted to them, and their weakness.
"No!" Steve shouted, his tone firm. "Look at me!"
His voice had my gaze snapping back toward him in surprise. A play in my mind wouldn't speak to me that way. Or was he not just a trick. I snarled, my lips lifting again in anger and confusion. If it was him, I wouldn't forgive myself if I had harmed them.
"Are you real?" I asked, aware that my voice was hoarse.
"I am," Steve said, his voice soft.
"The base?" I growled.
"Everyone is dead," Clint replied.
"Good," I snarled, aware that they all flinched.
Except for Steve, so I focused on him. He stood firm, and while he was relaxed I knew he was ready for anything. Growling again, I looked at the base behind them, before he drew my attention away. I needed to focus on him or I was going to lose it. I wanted it all to burn. They had made me so weak! Baring my teeth again, I took a step back.
He walked forward and I eyed him carefully. His approach had me backing up, putting a slight distance between us and the others. I growled a little, mainly in pain which made him stop in his tracks. For a moment, we stood here staring at each other. Another rough sound left my throat, as I lowered my head to him. He reached forward without any fear, running a hand along the side of my snout. My whole body settled, when his touch registered in my brain. He wasn't a dream.
"We thought..." Steve trailed off.
The emotion in his voice made me rumble sadly. He had thought I was dead. The terror at what he might find here seemed to paralyze him, but there was relief in his gaze. Pure joy that his fears had been wrong. All the expression came from his eyes, and it was only for me to see. I breathed out heavily, and it was all I needed to turn human. They had found me.
"You, should know better," I whispered, and my body sagged. "I'm much tougher than I look."
Steve crossed the empty space between us in a few short seconds, and pulled me into his arms. I pressed my forehead against his chest, trying to keep my composure. I was not about to cry in front of everyone, I was safe.
"Let's get out of here," he whispered.
"Okay."
When I pulled back from him, I looked at the others. Clint's expression almost had me losing the control I had gathered. He was one of my closest friends out of the whole team. I was so glad to see everyone safe. The last I had known, they had been captured. Moving forward, the man sighed.
"You gave us a worry there, D," he sighed, and reached forward to hug me.
I hugged him back, and gave him a squeeze to show him how happy I was to see him. There were no words that were able to come out of my mouth. He patted my shoulder very gently, and soon we were all walking onto the Quinjet. It took me longer than I'd have liked. Once we were in the air, Wanda walked over to hug me.
"Thank you," I said quietly, and she smiled.
"I'm sorry I wasn't quicker," she murmured, but I shook my head.
"Hey Clint, can you let Tony know we found her?" Steve asked quietly, and my head whipped around.
"Tony?" I asked, my voice low.
"We contacted him about a week ago," Clint said slowly, moving forward. "We needed more help. He isn't a fugitive so, we figured he'd be able to do more."
I felt a surge of rage, so fierce that I had to step away from everyone. I turned my back toward them, and focused on staying human. If I transformed, they were going to die. The fall would kill them all.
"Kayden?" Steve asked quietly.
"This….was all his fault," I snarled, my voice dripping with venom. "If the Accords had never happened, Hydra would not have caught me unaware. He wanted me in a cell and damn it he fucking landed me in one!"
"Easy," Steve sighed, and I could hear everyone else put some distance between us.
I tried hard to control my breathing, and glared as Steve came to stand in front of me. He reached up and cupped my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. I wanted to reach out and destroy something all over again. Tony's stupid guilt trip had destroyed me! I felt weak, and it took a lot to make me feel that way. I realized then that I was also crying….again. Damn it!
"We're going to get you somewhere safe," he whispered. "And I will tell you everything that happened. I promise, but please you need to calm down."
"I want to kill him," I snarled, and he gave me a flat look.
"Killing him will not fix anything that has happened," he said gently. "It'll only fix it for a moment. You are very angry, and you have every right to be. But stop, please."
If I could spit fire in human form I would have. Instead, I found myself reaching forward and hugging Steve. Pressing my face against his chest, I let him wrap his arms tightly around me. He held me close, locking his arms around my body, letting me know he was there for me. A few moments later, I found him sitting us down, and he moved me into his lap in silence.
For the first time in over six hundred years, I cried myself to sleep in his arms.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
