Not even the yipping of dogs is out there?—
My eyes widen, and I hold my breath. Are they gone? Is it a changing of the guards? I nearly stand at the insinuation that there might be a break in security, but the sound of footsteps and crunching leaves stops me.
And thenhisscent.
My head snaps to the side to see Judge approaching from the side of the woods like he just appeared out of nowhere, hands placed in his bomber jacket. I glance at the large glass doors that would bring me back inside, but the lights are all dimmed in there.
“I wouldn’t run if I were you.”
My breathing becomes methodical, a thin, hazy cloud of warm breath disrupting my vision of Judge. I don’t know what’s changed in me, but the meekness that stemmed from hidingseems to be harder to access. “I’ve hardly got anywhere to go, thanks to you,” I mock.
Those pale, piercing eyes are set against a stubble on his face, blending slightly with the tattoos that crawl all the way up to his jawline. He looks me over very carefully. “You’re to come with me, Diana.”
I slowly rise to my feet, taking a few steps away from him. “No.”
“If you come willingly, I’ll set Selene free.”
My eyes widen under furrowed brows. He knows her name? “What?”
“She’s here,” he says, waving his hand around. “If you come with me, when I get back, I’ll let her go.”
“I don’t trust you at all. There’s no proof you have Selene,” I remark, although I’m terrified inside. What the fuck do I do if he actually has her?
It’s clear he’s putting in extra effort to hide his thoughts, that calculated man from New Bunker full on display here. “Do you have any other choice?”
A sad laugh escapes me. “Thanks for the reminder. What do you even want from me?” I ask, my voice breaking. “Please. Just spit it out instead of being so cryptic.”
He extends a hand, those eyes locked hard onto me. “Come with me.”
What is he doing? Why does that twist something inside like how he did when I was in heat? It’s like the omega within is crying at the extension of an alpha, completely ignoring that it’sJudge. Then, as I look at his weathered hand—the one that has touched me all over—I remind myself to be careful here. “Where is Selene?”
There’s a flash of annoyance, like he’s almost bothered by my focus on her rather than him. He doesn’t remove his hand. “Taken care of. The sooner you come with me, the sooner she’s freed.”
“You’re acting really weird,” I state, wondering for a moment if this is a dream.
He partially smiles. “No, I’m proving a point.”
“One, I have no proof you will free Selene, or that you even have her.” My subconscious scans for anything that might help me now. “Two, where are you even taking me? And three, whatpoint?”
“You don’t need to be afraid,nurse. Not with me. And I’m taking you from out in this courtyard because we’re going somewhere else in the Iron Castle, and I want to avoid the halls in front. I’ve had you watched and figured you’d be out here tonight.”
Oh, good.Of courseI’m being watched by him.
He knows Selene’s name, though. Sure, I could have blabbed about it while in heat, but it’s still a bad sign he knows.
I failed her.
Not yet. I didn’t fail her yet.
My chest heaves over and over, sucking in the cold air. My eyes blur, hating all of this.
He tilts his head. “Take my hand, Diana,” he gently says, like it might actually fix everything. I bet he’s proving a point as an alpha, that he can get me to take his hand so easily.
I start shaking my head, wiping my eyes with the blanket, so damn annoyed he’s putting me in a situation like this. He steps closer, and even though I take an immediate step back, I don’t run. I don’t feel like being pulverized again.
There’s a pause between us until he’s so swift that he’s already on me, that outstretched hand gripping the back of my head, my body stiffening when he touches me. He cranes my face to meet his, exchanging puffs of warmed air between us. “You don’t need to be afraid, little omega.”
“What do you want withme?” I grind out. “You already got your revenge for sedating you at the Enclave.Trustme on that.”
