“That or the traps got him.”
“Do you think Reed is still alive?”
“If he is, I hope the bastard knows I’ll kill him without a second thought for leaving us,” Dex answered. I couldn’t really blame him. Watching Reed walk away from our team felt likean ultimate betrayal. Especially since it led to Killian’s and Nat’s deaths. Had he helped us over, maybe things would have turned out differently.
“How do you think the gods watch us?” I asked, changing the subject after a moment. The question had been percolating in my mind.
He shrugged. “Hell, if I know.”
I studied Dex, then. The arrogant swagger that he’d always displayed seemed to have abandoned him. It was replaced by determination and a hint of fear.
“Do you worship the gods, Dex? I feel like I don’t know anything about you, but I’ve been acting like you’re the only one I can trust down here.”
He turned and looked at me, stopping for a moment. Icy colored eyes bouncing across my face in the minimal light. The way he looked at me burned hotter than if The Pyro had caught up with us. It was full of unspoken words and longing. So much longing that it hurt.
“You’re taken, Odessa. I could tell you my favorite color, and how much I like to eat a scone with jelly in the mornings. I could discuss the gods and my thoughts on this fucked up game we’ve been playing.” He gripped my arms, and I instinctively moved closer to him, feeling my breath catch in my chest as he stared down at me. “I could tell you that I know I shouldn’t be drawn to you like I am, and that the fact that you have a ring on your hand marking you as someone else’s kills me. I could tell you all these things, but it won’t change the fact that allowing you to know me would just give me hope. And hope in a place like this, is dangerous. You shouldn’t want to know me, Odessa. But if you want to know something, know that I’ll do what I can to protect you.”
I didn’t know what to say. He was right. I shouldn’t want to know him, but I did. I had so many questions. A part of mewanted to trust him. To take what he was saying as fact. But to do so could sign my own demise.
“Don’t ask to know me unless you plan to stick around,” Dex said.
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He let me go then with a sigh.
“That’s what I thought,” he said, sounding disappointed.
It wasn’t easy for me. I’d known Theo my entire life. And I loved him. At least I thought I did. Granted, I’d never felt an ounce of how I felt being around Dex. Just a small touch from Dex set my skin on fire. If I loved Theo, wouldn’t I feel that way about him? Everything felt like I’d done it out of obligation. I’d never really chosen anything for myself.
Could I really choose Dex? I didn’t know the answer to that.
All I knew is that we had to keep moving and find our way out of here.
Chapter 25
Odessa
After what seemed like hours, I was feeling the need to rest. There’d been no sight of The Healer, Marcela, and I wondered if she’d found a secret tunnel somewhere. The Pyro too, had been quiet. Maybe too quiet.
“I don’t think I can keep walking,” I said, wanting to collapse into a heap where I stood.
“We have to keep moving. There isn’t anywhere safe to stay yet,” Dex replied.
I stuck my tongue out at him in response, which made him smile.
“Oh, well, excuse me for trying to keep us alive,”
“You’re right. What time do you think it is? I’d say it was?—”
“Shh. Do you hear that?” Dex asked, putting a hand up indicating that I should stop.
My ears strained to listen, and my heart began to beat fast. Was it The Pyro? Had he caught up to us? And then there it was. A soft trickle of running water.
Thirst, heavy and aching deep in my stomach roared to the surface. My mouth was bone dry from the lack of water.
“I think it’s coming from over here,” he said, finding a small, almost unnoticeable crack in the wall. The jagged edges werejust wide enough to fit through sideways, bringing us to a large, cave-like room. The sounds of birds chirping and water rushing filled my ears.
Birds? All the way down here? I didn’t think it possible.
A waterfall was cascading down from the ceiling where a faint bit of sky could be seen peeking through a small hole. Light shimmered along the surface where a pool of water sat, rippling gently along the rocks.
