I flinch at the sound, but it’s Bianca’s response that makes my stomach roil.
“All the rest of the girls from the club.” She hesitates, rubbing her wrists.
“And?” I push her.
“I’ve seen many others since we’ve been here, but never all at the same time.”
“How many?” Dom repeats, her voice cold and cutting.
“I don’t know. At least twenty.”
My stomach heaves once again and for a second I think I might throw up at the thought of Callum and Alex facing off against Gifted who are having their powers amplified, Gifted we don’t even know. They could have powers we’ve never even dreamed of. “We need to go.”
Dom twists the pin, freeing Bianca’s ankles, the cuffs dropping with another echoing clatter.
Bianca immediately moves to Andra’s side, her hands hovering over her seemingly lifeless body. She looks at me. “She’s going to be okay. Just exhausted and hungry.”
Dom is already halfway out the door. “We need to go now, Cate.”
I shove my hands under Andra’s body, attempting to hoist her into my arms. I don’t make it very far before the door of the room slams open, the wood splintering with a crack when it hits the stone wall.
I cover Andra’s body with mine. She moans and it’s faint, but at least it’s a small sign of life.
I don’t have time to give thanks.
Lady M storms into the room, three women I’ve never seen before trailing in her wake. She points to Dom without saying a single word. Dom reaches for her sword, but before it’s out of the sheath, she’s clawing at her throat, gasping for breath.
I push Andra into Bianca’s arms, dashing for Dom, catching her as she collapses. Her weight drags us both down to the cold floor. “Dom! Dom!” I cry helplessly, no idea how to fight off an attack Ican’t see. Dom continues to scratch at her own throat, her gaze wide and wild. My eyes rove frantically over the Gifted flanking Lady M, but each of them stares stoically at Dom, giving me no hint as to who is responsible for stealing the air from her lungs.
Ripping the dagger from the sheath at my thigh, I lunge for the nearest Gifted, but before I can move two steps, my limbs become so heavy that crossing the few feet separating me from the person hurting Dom seems like an insurmountable task. Still, none of them flinch, none of them so much as blink.
“Bianca! Help Dom, please!” I struggle against the weight dragging me back, fighting to gain even an inch.
Bianca is quiet behind me.
I turn, pivoting away from Lady M and her small army. As soon as I do, I regain full range of motion. I stumble, crashing hard on the ground at Dom’s side, my knee connecting painfully with the stone floor.
She’s still, no longer choking and gasping for breath. Her lips are a sickly shade of blue, her eyes closed.
I meet Bianca’s eyes. They are filled with tears I know match mine. “No.” The single word comes out on a whisper, as if the air is being squeezed from my own lungs.
“I’m so sorry, Cate.” Bianca reaches for me, but I shrug away from her embrace.
I blink several times, as if I can clear away the image in front of me. As if I can blink back time.
This is all my fault. If we hadn’t come here, if I hadn’t dragged Callum and Alex and Dom into this, none of this would have happened.
Maybe Callum was right all along. Maybe the Gifted are cursed and evil. Maybe we don’t deserve to live unrestricted lives. Because look what can happen.
I stand on shaky legs, my knee still throbbing, moving toward my sister. I don’t have the strength left in me to lift her, so I shield her from Lady M. Bianca stands at my side, and though I don’t know if I will ever be able to truly forgive her, I’m thankful for her presence in this moment.
For the first time since she told me to make Callum Reid fall in love with me, I look Lady M in the eye. “I will kill you for that.”
She smirks. “You’re welcome to try.”
I lunge for her, but once again, one of the Gifted standing at her back stops me. She doesn’t even need to lay a hand on me, and I’m struggling to move. “Let me go!”
Lady M laughs, the sound low and grating. “Why would I do that?” She strolls closer, staying just far enough away that I can’t reach her thanks to these invisible bonds. “No, I think I have you right where I want you, Lady Caterine.”
