Twenty minutes later, I’m plastered against the concrete basement wall, adrenaline surging through my veins. It’s different, though, from the times I’ve mentally prepared myself for a demon fight. It makes me feel off-kilter. It’s probably the old Iris—who thought the sun rises and sets with her duty to the Order—screaming in my head that this is all wrong.
My hands have already been stained by lightborn blood, so what’s another minor transgression? If Grayson finds out about everything I’ve done, he’ll send me to rot away anyway. Also, I can’t let them do this to an innocent person—dark creature or not. Before, I couldn’t understand the disdain Kaiden showed every time I mentioned the Order. Now, it’s slowly filtering through the cracks in my beliefs like black ink.
I don’t know where Cain went since he hasn’t shown his face in the last hour, but I’m grateful, because he left an opening for me. I take out my phone to send Noah a text.
Me: Ready to go in.
He’s supposed to distract Tim from the wall of security footage in his office. Luckily, I’ve avoided all the cameras around the compound so far. At least, I hope so. I send a text to Kaiden, too.
Me: I’m getting her out. Meet me at the end of the tunnel.
Kaiden: Be careful, angel. I’ll see you both there.
Every second that passes spreads over my skin like a poison ivy rash as I wait for Noah’s reply. It’s an itch I can’t scratch. A bead of sweat falls from my hairline, gets stuck in my eyelashes, then rolls down my corset. I changed into the spare hellseeker gear I kept in my locker for surprise demon attacks, just in case. But I’m sweating worse than a pregnant nun at confession, even if the sanctifiber is breathable and the basement is chilly.
The phone buzzes.
Noah: Done. You have 15 min.
Even though I know I’m alone, I still scan the perimeter before tiptoeing to the interrogation room. I snap my eyes closed. Inhale. Exhale. Open them. Then tap into the hellseeker speed to push open the door. I flick my wrist, sending a dagger flying into the air at light speed. It impales the security camera perched in the right corner of the room right in the middle. The sound of the glass shattering, followed by the dagger clattering to the floor, fills the air. I pick it up, sliding it back into the sheath strapped to my leg. If I thought the smell of burnt human flesh was terrible before, it’s ten times worse in the small space.
Emily is still passed out, her legs caught in the middle of changing into her wolf form, clothes hanging in tatters from her body. I bend to place the sneakers I brought with me next to the chair. I don’t want her to walk barefoot in the tunnel. Who knows what’s down there? I need something to break through the chains holding her to the chair, since Cain must have taken the key. So, I make a beeline for the table in the corner of the room. The torture instrument spread reminds me of the one in Kaiden’s basement. Swiping the pliers, I hurry back to Emily.
I crouch, then begin working on the chains around her ankles. It’s not easy because my still-bruised ribs keep sending jolts of pain throughout my body when I put my whole strength into it. However, I push past it, teeth grinding, and finally manage to cut them off after a few moments. Her skin is so bloody and raw under them it turns my stomach upside down. She stirs as I cut through the chains shackling her wrists. They rattle when I drop them to the floor next to the others.
A pained whimper leaves Emily’s lips. She opens her eyes, confusion blanketing them before her amber gaze meets mine. “I-Iris. Wh—” she rasps.
“I’m here to help you, okay?”
“But…are you…aren’t you going to get into trouble?”
“Probably, but I don’t care,” I shoot back. “Do you think you can change back your legs now that the chains are off?”
She sucks in a serrated breath. “I don’t know. That bastard injected me with something really strong. It did a number on me.”
“Can you try, please? It’ll be faster if you can walk. That motherfucker Cain has been gone a while and I don’t know how much time we have left.”
“He said something about a gun earlier. That he was sad it wasn’t delivered on time. Maybe he went to get it…I don’t know.” She bites back a few sharp curses while her body trembles violently. “Okay, Em, you can do this. One, two, th-th-ree,” she mutters to herself. “Fuuuuuuuuck!”Crack! Crack! Crack! Her bones crunch and shift. Pained groans that make my hair stand on end follow. Sweat streams down in rivulets on her face and torso, plastering the semi-torn shirt to her body as fur recedes into the skin of her legs.
She loses consciousness.
I let her rest for a moment as I slide my sneakers on her feet and tie them. They’re a little snug, but it’s better than nothing. “Em, you need to wake up,” I say as I straighten, then tap her cheek lightly. She groans again, but this time when she opens her eyes, they’re more alert. I bend to place her arm around my shoulders. Propping her body against my side, I lift her up from the chair, taking her weight.
“Shit. Fuck. Motherfucker,” she half blurts–half whimpers as she takes her first step. “My legs are on fire. Actually, my whole fucking body is.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to push past it because I can’t walk for you even though I wish I could. C’mon, Logan is waiting for us. We can’t disappoint him, all right?” I encourage,dragging her with me.
We’re hobbling a little too slowly for my liking, but there’s nothing I can do. Again, I ignore my screaming ribs, concentrating instead on each step. A little huff of relief leaves my lungs when we finally reach the hallway where the detainment cells are located. If the blueprints Kaiden sent me are correct, there should be a door at the end that opens to a room with a fake wall.
“Can you stand by yourself for a minute?” I ask Emily. She nods, so I leave her leaning on the wall. I round the corner to throw another flying dagger at the camera surveilling the cells. It drops to the ground, shattering.
I stride back to Emily and take her weight on my side again. As we shuffle down the corridor, a hissing ghoul interrupts the eerie silence when it smashes into the bars of its cell. Sharp claws swipe in the air toward Emily. She lets out a surprised yelp, but I pull her out of the demon’s reach just in time.
The enchanted bars of the cell activate, turning bright gold. They burn through the ghoul’s sickly white skin. Its three pairs of eyes roll to the back of its bald head as it shrieks and the smell of burnt flesh mixed with sulfur and rot coats the back of my throat.
Emily gags. “Ugly, stinky fucker.”
I only huff in response because I’m getting too tired to speak. We almost topple over when I bend to collect my dagger from the broken camera on the floor. “Fucking finally,” I say as we reach the old wooden door. The elation is short-lived, though, because heavy steps echo in the vast space behind us.
