"No," I gasp out."He's my home."
The beating stops as abruptly as it started.I'm dizzy, nauseous, every inch of my body screaming with pain.But I'm alive.And I'm still looking at Hades.
"Enough," one of the Hawks says."Boss is calling.He wants an update."
They file out, leaving just one guard behind.He leans against the wall, looking bored, like watching prisoners suffer is just another Tuesday.
This is our chance.Maybe our only chance.
I start counting breaths, forcing myself to think through the pain.The guard is distracted, checking his phone.Ethan and the others are outside, arguing about something.
The ropes around my wrists are looser now, slick with blood.If I can just...
I twist my hands, ignoring the agony as the rough fibers tear into already-raw skin.There's a nail head protruding from the wooden chair arm, rusty and sharp.If I can angle my wrists just right...
"What are you doing?"Hades whispers.
"Getting us out of here."
"Angel, don't.If they catch you?—"
"Then we're no worse off than we are now."
I work at the ropes with single-minded determination.Every movement sends fresh pain lancing up my arms, but I don't stop.Can't stop.
You've got this, Evie.For the kids.For him.For yourself.
The ropes give slightly.Then more.My thumb might be dislocated, but the extra flexibility helps me slip one hand free.
Then the other.
I'm free.
The guard still hasn't noticed, too absorbed in whatever's on his phone.I slide off the chair as quietly as I can, every muscle protesting.
Hades watches me with wide eyes as I crawl toward him.His chains are more substantial than my ropes were, but the locks are old and corroded.
"You need to run," he whispers urgently."Get out of here while you can."
"We walk out together or not at all."
"Evangeline—"
"No.I'm not leaving you."My fingers, slippery with blood, work at the lock."You've spent your whole life protecting people.Let me protect you for once."
"I don't need?—"
"Yes, you do.Everyone needs someone, Ronan.Even you."
The lock gives with a click that sounds impossibly loud in the quiet room.The guard looks up from his phone, realizing too late what's happening.
Hades is out of the chair before I can blink, moving with the fluid violence of a predator unleashed.He grabs a metal pipe from the corner, and the guard goes down without making a sound.
"Can you walk?"Hades asks, pulling me to my feet.
"I can run if I have to."
"Good.Because we need to move.Now."
