I ease the bedroom door open and step into the hallway. My ribs ache with every breath. My legs are weak. I haven’t felt steady on my feet since I woke up in this place—whenever that was. The days blur together under a haze of painkillers, sleeping pills, and half-remembered nightmares.
The bunker’s huge. Weapons line the walls behind locked cabinets. Cases of ammunition and medical supplies are stacked in every corner. I still don’t know where we are. Somewhere cold. Somewhere off-grid.
When I get closer to the kitchen, I freeze. There’s another voice.
A man’s.
My pulse kicks up, and I flatten my palm against the wall, steadying myself as I round the corner.
Silence.
Both of them look up the second I enter.
I see the stranger instantly—tall, solid, built like a freight train. Broad shoulders. Shaggy dark hair. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he doesn’t blink when our eyes meet.
I stop several feet short of the doorway.
“Relax, Arlo. This is Wolff. He’s with me,” Arsen says.
Wolff doesn’t say a damn word. Just turns and walks out of the room.
“Is he a Sovereign?” I ask.
Arsen nods, watching Wolff disappear into the living room. “Don’t worry about him. I need his help. He doesn’t talk much—won’t even notice he’s here.”
I doubt that.
I limp toward the table and ease into the chair across from Arsen. The movement sends fire through my hips and shoulders. Every inch of my skin still feels raw. Bruises and cuts pulse like they’re fresh. I wrap my arms around myself, trying not to show how bad it still is.
Arsen sighs and leans forward with a clenched jaw. He’s trying to say something he doesn’t want to say.
“What is it?”
“I need your help,” he finally says.
I blink. Of all the things he could’ve said, I wasn’t expecting that.
“You need…me?”
He nods once.
I stare at him in silence. My chest tightens.
Arsen doesn’t ask for help. He’s always been the man in control—the soldier, the weapon. He’s already risked everything to save me. I owe him more than I can ever repay…
“My team is not arriving in time. I only have Wolff. We can’t pull it off with just us.”
“Pull what off?” I ask, already knowing I’m going to hate the answer. His accent is getting thicker. This is bad.
“Extracting Priest.” Wolff’s voice cuts in from behind me.
I shoot up from the chair so fast it topples.
“Are you fucking serious, Arsen?” I yell, storming down the hallway.
“Arlo, listen to me!”
“You want me to help rescue the man who handed me over to be fucking tortured?!” I spin to face him, fists clenched at my sides. “You’re insane. You’re fucking insane.”
