Free Spent (Wrecked #2) by Charity Parkerson Page A

his body to respond. Straightening away, Solas stared at him with merciless eyes. His gaze dropped to Lucien’s chest. Something dangerous flashed across Sol’s features. Reaching out, Sol snagged the necklace Bailey had given him. With a tug, he pulled it loose. He flashed it Lucien’s way before tucking it in his pocket. “This belongs to my wife. If you ever decide you’re man enough to retrieve it, you know where Bailey will be. With me.”
    There were countless beings in the underworld Lucien did his best to avoid touching for any number of reasons. Solas topped that list. Lucien had known the moment Sol’s lips met his skin that the other man passed something to him. Not until Sol released him from his control did Lucien understand what it was—Bailey’s memories. They slammed into Lucien’s chest with enough force to render him mute and took away every sexual emotion raging through him.
    Without a backward glance, Solas walked away, leaving Lucien paralyzed by the overwhelming human emotions, thoughts, and images. Flashes of light passed through him, bouncing off the synapses of his brain, carrying information faster than any human could absorb. Unfortunately, Lucien had no such problem. Bailey’s choking fear, as she’d waited each night for her father to sneak into her room, squeezed Lucien’s guts until he retched. Her pleas for Sol to save her filled Lucien’s ears, forcing him to cover them or go deaf. She’d begged for Solas to take her soul in exchange for an escape. Her calls weren’t ignored.
    The way Sol had viciously torn her father apart didn’t surprise Lucien. Bailey’s father had it coming and Sol enjoyed the sight of blood. The smell assailed Lucien’s senses, as they had Bailey’s. Lucien flinched as Sol’s blood-drenched hands cupped Bailey’s face. His soulless eyes held hers while Lucien remained trapped inside her mind.
    “Dream, child.” Bailey’s eyes fell closed as Sol captured her mind, imposing his will. Visions of beautiful places around the world filled Bailey’s mind, carrying her away from the ugliness surrounding her. “Life is short and bitter, but I will come to you.” And he had. Every night, Sol had returned to Bailey, giving her relief in her dreams from the life handed to her by an absentee creator who no longer heard her cries.
    Even as Bailey was found guilty of her father’s murder and sentenced to remain institutionalized until twenty-one, Sol kept her mind preoccupied with happier visions. Sol fed her peace, making her love him. No doubt, for Sol, Bailey’s love was the purest light he’d ever seen. For someone as dark as Sol, it had to be even more irresistible and twice as powerful as it was to Lucien. Solas was evil to his very core, but for some odd reason, he cared for Bailey.
    Perhaps the being who was one of the devil’s four sons was incapable of tender emotions, but Lucien knew from experience that covetous greed was more intense than any amount of love. The images inside Bailey’s mind became more distorted as she slowly lost the ability to tell the difference between what was real and what Sol created for her. Sol’s image was never clear. He was more dream than reality, but the way he felt to her was clearer than any other memory inside Bailey’s mind. A pain cut through Lucien’s gut, too intense for him to tell if it was physical or emotional—if it belonged to him or Bailey.
    Without thought, his hand flew to his stomach. Something wasn’t right. He looked down, seeing Bailey’s hand resting on a rounded belly. Sol’s hand covered Bailey’s. Understanding dawned a split second before a chasm of grief opened beneath his feet and swallowed him whole. He could barely breathe around its choking hold. The child was gone, but Bailey’s memories were too distorted for Lucien to decipher. Not to mention the intensity of her pain was too much for him to contain. She was so much stronger than he would ever be. Somehow, her tiny body