One of the maids, the small girl with a heavy Russian accent, sees me, her eyes falling over my body then landing on my erection. The towels in her hand fall to the floor.
God, why are they up this early?And why does she look terrified? What monsters has this poor girl worked for?
“Tell Stella to prepare breakfast,” I say.
She nods and dashes away, leaving the towels on the floor.
Seeing her reminds me we have to be careful. There is always,alwayssomeone watching.
Chapter 27
Viper
15 years ago, September, Age 17
Theterrainchangedaswe traveled west, becoming rockier and less dense. The air feels thinner, yet somehow thicker with a humidity we’ve never encountered before. Yesterday, I noticed the terrain was steeper, which means we’re climbing in elevation. We can’t be far from the cavern Breaker told us about.
Another slow, steady step, then I bolt between trees, taking me further from my brothers and sending a panicking dread through my gut. I glance over my shoulder to make sure they are following, and my stomach sinks when I don’t see them.
My eyes dart about, every rustle of leaves sending a fresh wave of ice down my spine. I can’t make out Breaker in the dark woods, and Striker is only the faintest outline in the darkness. I press my back to the large tree, trying to shove down the rising tide of terror.
Dear God, please let them make it out alive. Take me if you must, but please keep them safe.
I curse under my breath. Why do I constantly pray to be saved? The only one capable of saving anyone in these hellish woods is me. Praying does me no good. I have to get us out of here, or at least somewhere safe, so I can figure out what to do next.
It’s our second night out here in the wilderness, and we’ve made it this far. I will fight tooth and nail, kill anything in my path, so we don’t end up like that man, gutted and tied to a tree.
The image of what we encountered yesterday flashes through my head. The man’s intestines glistening like wet rope in the sunlight, raw bits of flesh from where his arms had been sawed off, covered in black flies.
Bile rises in my throat, and I swallow hard. My fingers curl into fists, nails digging into my palms as I fight the surge of panic.
I have to get us somewhere safe. Someone is out here with a shotgun. Someone killed that man. Tortured him. Who, I’m not entirely sure, but my gut tells me Commander Maxy is involved. Scratch that. I know that bastard has something to do with this. He’s the one who drugged us, then dropped us in the middle of this hellscape.
But why? Maxy is a dedicated dog to Father. But he’s also been even more volatile this past week. Ever since Reap and Hunter came back from their first mission. Whatever happened on that mission has fucked everyone up. Father’s been off too. Quiet, which is not unusual for him, but he’s barely come outof his office. Hunter stomps around the school, angry and quiet, more and more like Reaper every day.
Reaper.
Something happened. Something went wrong on that mission.
Stay focused.Reaper’s words ring in my head. That’s what he always tells Striker when things get too hard to cope with.
Stop floating and focus.
I inhale through my nose, breathing in and out, pressing the back of my head against the tree and glance up at the canopy. Clouds cover the night sky, blocking out the moon and stars. Reaper and Hunter survived this place. Fuck, Hunter killed Seeker to ensure they came out of this alive, and if they can survive all that, I can do this.
I have to.
I glance back at Striker as he creeps between two large trees.
Like the devil himself flicked on a flashlight, the clouds pull back and moonlight spills through the trees, lighting up everything around us in a cool blue-tinted glow.
Fuck.
The sharp boom of the gunshot slices through the stillness of the woods, echoing in my ears. Instinctively, I drop to a crouch, my heart pounding wildly against my ribcage like a terrified rabbit.
Striker drops, flattening his body to the ground, his forehead to the dirt. The moonlight catches the rapid rise and fall of his back. He twists his head just enough to look my way and when our eyes lock, and my throat closes. I scan the gaps between pines. No lanky silhouette.
No Breaker.
