Arms wrapped tight around my naked body, my ribs screaming, my knees buckling with every step. I don’t stop. I don’t look in the cells where others moan and scream. I can’t. If I stop—I’ll never move again.
I round the corner. My pulse is deafening.
There. A bin. Filthy, bloodstained clothes dumped in a heap.
Throwing myself at it, I grab the first hoodie and pants I see. They’re wet. Sticky. Covered in vomit or piss or something worse.
I don’t care.
Shoving the hoodie over my head, I yank the drawstrings so tight I can barely see. The pants sag low on my hips, but I hold them up with trembling fingers. My hands barely work. My skin’s too raw.
Sprinting again.
The elevator looms ahead—god, please work—and I slam my fist against the button. The light blinks. The metal doors creak open, and I dive inside, jamming my fingers over and over into the button for the surface.
The doors close.
The elevator rises.
Tears blur my vision.
My body shakes so violently, I can barely stay standing. Blood drips down my legs. I feel every wound, every fracture, every fucking reminder of what they did to me.
When the elevator dings and the doors open to the night, I bolt.
Into the freezing street air, surrounded by warehouses and towering concrete. The Sovereign’s underground lair tucked below the filth of the city.
I don’t stop running.
I don’t know where I’m going—just away.
My lungs burn. My throat is raw. I feel the sobs clawing up my spine, but I won’t stop. I can’t stop.
Click.
A car door opens.
My heart stops.
I spin.
A tall figure steps into the glow of a nearby streetlamp, and my legs buckle beneath me.
“Arsen…” I whisper.
I run to him. Throw myself into his chest. I hit him so hard, we both stumble. His arms close around me, and I shatter.
He lifts me. Carries me to the car. I don’t even feel the door close. I don’t hear the engine. There’s only thisscreeching, high-pitched ringing in my skull.
I can’t breathe.
I can’tbreathe?—
Then I’m in his lap. His arms around me. Rocking me.
And I realize?—
That sound isn’t in my head.
