“No, Keres. You have to fight,” she says, gripping my forearms, her nails digging deep into my skin.
“I—” I stare into her eyes, but I can’t make that promise. I won’t make it.
She lets out a wail that is cut off. She jerks hard and slams into me. We hit the ground, and I see a black fletched arrow shaft sticking out of her shoulder.
“Taryn!”
She moans.
“It’s in her shoulder,” Mordecai says. “This is going to hurt, Taryn. You need to be quiet.”
He grabs the shaft and snaps it. Then with shocking violence, he shoves it straight through. She yowls, her whole body going tight as she arches and then collapses on me, panting.
Mia is there in seconds, bandaging her arm.
“Just a flesh wound, Taryn. Nothing too bad,” Mordecai spits quickly.
“We gotta go, they’re coming,” Mia says with a white face. Her eyes are huge in her head.
Cadel lifts Taryn into his arms and runs through the apartment, jumping onto the balcony and disappearing into the apartment below. Mordecai leads Mia, while I follow behind.
I’m outside, exposed on the balcony, when I catch sight of the Warden. He’s got his bow pulled back, ready to release and steal my life. We stare at each other, a thousand memories and a different life stretching between us.
“KAIDA!” Mordecai shouts and grabs my wrist. I’m pulled out of the way of the arrow just before it slams harmlessly into the side of the building.
I don’t think; I just follow the alpha who is refusing to let go of my arm.
I’m panting by the time we get to the bottom floor, but instead of going out the front, he pulls us into the basement.
“Cadel?” I hiss.
“He’s out and safe. Now, we have to get out alive. Gods, I hoped they got this tunnel completed. She said she thought they did, but she wasn’t sure.”
I have no idea who he’s talking about, but I don’t interrupt.
He pulls me to the darkest part of a dark underground car park. It’s got rank water sitting an inch deep, filled with leaves and rot. I gag, but he drags me through, searching and muttering under his breath.
Mordecai shoves a huge piece of metal out of the way, revealing a tunnel. I peer into the dark.
“We don’t know what’s in there,” I whisper.
“We know what’s waiting for us out there, though.”
I go into the tunnel, trying to ignore the memories that swamp back. Dark rooms, shackles on my wrists, fear, pain, hunger, thirst. Mordecai pulls the metal sheet back, hiding our path out. He fumbles in the dark until he finds my arm. He slides his massive hand down until he finds my fingers and guides them to his waist.
“You hold on and don’t let go. I mean it, Kaida.”
“Okay,” I whisper, almost unable to speak.
He whispers to me from the dark. The man who taught me to fear. Would it have been better if my mother had been more forthcoming about all the horrors that went on in the world? Would I still have gone?
Yes.
I loved them. I love them.
“Mordecai?”
“Mmm?”
