Since we were unconscious when we arrived here, we never saw what was on the other side of the door. It’s a wide hallway with black-and-white checkboard floors, dark purple walls, and chandeliers. I had expected some kind of dungeon-like area to be on the other side, but nope. It’s a space that belongs to royalty, which makes me question if Finn and I were being held in a panic room.
Aiden nods for us to follow him as he jogs up the hallway. Finn holds my hand the entire way, staying close.
When we reach the end of it, Aiden halts. “Keep your heads low.” He waits for us to nod, then leads us out into a spacious ballroom with a wide stairway and paintings that cover the walls. It’d be a pretty room if dead bodies didn’t cover the floor.
Finn stiffens, his eyes widening as he stares at one of the bodies on the floor. They’re wearing the same outfit as Aiden, and blood is seeping out of gunshot wounds.
Snapping my fingers in front of Finn’s face, I yank on his arm. “Just try not to look at them.”
With a shaky breath, he nods, then keeps his gaze fixed on me as we follow Aiden. Gunshots are ringing in the air along with shouting as we weave through hallways, duck through doorways, and then enter a secret corridor hidden behind a shelf, much like I had questioned the Royal Academy Library to have.
Behind it is a narrow, dark tunnel, and Aiden has to whip a flashlight out of his pocket. Holding his gun in one hand, he shines the light down the tunnel, and then we’re on the move again. Water is dripping from the brick walls, and puddles cover the concrete floor. The air smells muggy and has a nip to it. I shiver, and Finn wraps his arms around me, holding me close to him as we follow Aiden.
No one speaks. I’m too afraid to. Aiden seems content with the silence, but I wish he’d give us information about what we’re doing. Like, how are we going to escape? What’s on the other side of this tunnel?—
We reach the end and stumble outside. Since night is plaguing the land, it’s hard to see anything beyond what the flashlight is illuminating, which is a thick forest.
We run into them with the sounds of shouts chasing after us. Branches snap under my bare feet and cut the flesh, but Idisregard the pain as I jog after Aiden with Finn right behind me, clutching my hand. And then Aiden begins to slow down as his light shines on someone I’ve longed to see for a month now.
Brown hair, eyes like mine, and she’s wearing a pair of sweats. Ellie, my real mother. I start to run to her when I hear a burst of air, then a metal object pierces my arm. My vision swims with blurriness as my head fills with the roaring of my blood.
Then I black out.
CHAPTER 25
MADDISON
“If we miss the plane,we’re screwed,” someone is saying in an annoyingly loud voice.
“We can’t take her on it like this,” a woman replies. “It’ll draw too much attention, even if we pay off security.”
A pause and then the first person says, “I know that, but the longer we stay here, the easier it’ll be for him to track us down. We need to get to Golden Crest Fall before we can even begin to relax. James can’t get access there. He’s been put on a ban list after he illegally smuggled humans through the tunnels that are underneath the town.
“I’m surprised he didn’t pay them off.”
“That’s not how the town works. They hate Royals.”
My head is pulsating as I force my eyes open. I’m lying in a small room with a bed, a dresser, and a television. It looks like a hotel room. When I turn my eyes, I find Aiden and Ellie standing near the door.
“Do you think we should call a doctor?” Ellie worries. “She’s been out for a while. I’m starting to worry that the drug in that tranquilizer was too strong for her.”
“James wouldn’t have risked her getting hurt,” Aiden assures her while checking his watch. He’s no longer covered in bloodand is dark wearing jeans and a blue shirt. It’s the most normal I’ve seen him look. “I’m worried about calling a doctor who’s from here. This place is too close to the island, and word could get back to James and the society about it.”
“Can you guys please stop talking so loudly?” I groan as I sit up, my head pounding like I have the worst hangover in my entire life.
Both of their attentions snap to me. Relief consumes Ellie’s features, and Aiden stares at me with a trace of what I’m guessing is relief in, but the dude is pretty unreadable, so I don’t know.
“You’re awake,” Ellie states as she whisks toward the bed.
I clutch my head. “I kind of wish I wasn’t. I feel like I got punched in the head.”
She stops in front of the bed. She’s paler than she normally is, and her outfit is odd because the silk pants and shirt are much fancier than the worn jeans and T-shirts she typically wears.
“One of James’ guards shot you with a tranquilizer.” She smooths her hand over my head like she did when I was a kid. “You might feel a little groggy for a few days. We were starting to get worried you weren’t going to wake up.”
“Yeah, I heard.” I slant away from her touch as the reminder of all her lies floods my brain.
She frowns at the move, but a look of understanding crosses her face.
