“I met Everlyn on the worst day of my life, and she’s never once betrayed my confidence or friendship. She’s one of the people I consider family.” I let the words hang in the air, hoping they can trust me and my judgment.
Knox studies me for a moment before nodding.
“Keep the conversation short and don’t give away our location.” He hands me the radio.
I take a deep breath before I switch it on. I tune the radio to the correct frequency and type in the six-digit code to access the channel. It beeps for a few seconds, and then the line crackles alive.
“Everlyn? You there?” I start, my voice weak and hesitant. I can feel the press of their eyes and the weight of their expectations. “Pick up, Ever.”
I wait, my pulse thrumming through my veins.
“Halley, is that you?”
I nearly faint from relief at the sound of my friend’s voice.
“Ever! Are you okay? What’s happening at the base?”
“Halley, what? Oh my… How are you—?” She chokes, her words stumbling and incoherent.
I give the others an alarmed look. My friend sounds deranged. The line crackles as deep, rattling sobs echo down the line. Everlyn is the most even-tempered person I know. As a doctor, her bedside manner is impeccable, and she’s relentlessly practical. To hear her go to pieces reminds me of her crying over Jason’s broken body in the hospital bed.
“You’re alive?” she eventually gasps.
I blink.
Oh frack. Am I listed as dead too?
“Yeah,” I breathe. “I’m alive, Ever. Didn’t realize I’d been dead, to be honest.”
She releases a shaky breath, and I can hear the tremor in her voice.
“When did I… die?”
“That day in the hospital, with the Blood Lust Alpha. They told us he,” she pauses, like she’s struggling to speak. “They said he tore you apart.”
The line goes dead, just the soft hushing static echoing through the forest.
Viper shifts his weight, his large palm coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He looks pained, like the mere idea of hurting me is unbearable. I give his arm a small squeeze of reassurance and his hand covers mine, squeezing back. I know he wouldn’t do that. He didn’t. Even when he was teetering on the edge of sanity, he was careful not to hurt me.
The line crackles, and Everlyn’s voice returns. It’s stronger, but the waver of emotion warbles her words. “They wouldn’t let me see your body, but, oh rut, there was so much blood in that little room you two were in. There was no way you survived it.”
She draws in a rattling breath, her emotions threatening to consume her again. “Halley, you’ve got to know I thought you were dead, okay? I would’ve looked for you if I thought you’d survived. We had a memorial service and everything. You have to believe me!”
“Ever! I know you would have. You’re a good friend. I’m so sorry I didn’t call earlier. I swear, I was following orders, I didn’t want to get you in trouble for having an unauthorized line.”
“I’ve missed you so much.” The grief and pain in Ever’s voice is so intense I can practically taste it through the radio waves. “Can you tell me that you’re safe?”
“Yeah.” I fondly smile at the four soldiers watching me. I’ve never been more protected in my life. “I’m safe.”
My stomach plummets as a sudden realization slams into me and I feel like the worst friend in the world. Jason. I haven’t spared my injured friend a thought in weeks. Oh, what if he never got better?
“Jason? Is he okay?” I stutter, unable to form the words.
“He’s fine. He’s with me.”
Jason’s voice calls from the background, “Hey, Sparks, you sound pretty good for a dead lady.”
“Aw, thanks, Jase. You don’t sound too shabby for a dead man, either.”
