A growl rises from his chest, and he rushes the other mutant.
Oliver is not fast enough to dodge the first attack. He hits the wall, and then Griffin’s claws are around his throat, digging into the skin. The key to my shackle is dropped to the ground at their feet.
Griffin is about to kill him here and now, I realize, and a part of me still squirms at the idea of losing Oliver. Of losing that kid who saved me and cared for me, in his own way. I raise a hand, unsure of what to do, just like that night when Jude tried to kill him. But once again, I drop it. As long as he lives, Oliver will be a scourge on our world. He’s cruel and ruthless. He brings pain everywhere he goes. There is no saving him.
But Oliver is not about to go quietly to his own death. Electricity explodes out of him, and Griffin is pushed back. They both stagger away from me.
Any man would have been knocked out by this voltage. But Griffin is not any man. He shakes his head and arms, as if getting rid of a fly, and bares his fangs at Oliver. His two swords are in a scabbard on his back.
“Hello, brother,” says Oliver. “We’ve never met. What business do you have with me?” He takes a fighting stance.
“I’m here to take back what’s mine,” Griffin says in a low voice.
He sounds… different. As if the beast within is taking over. Strangely, I don’t mind the possessiveness of his words. I’m just so happy that he came to find me.
He pulls something out of his pocket and throws it at me. It’s a new bracelet. I get a hold of it, heart in my throat.
“Helios!” says Beet. “Are you okay?”
I feel like crying. “Yes… Yes.” I hug it tight to my chest.
“Yours…” says Oliver in a dangerous voice. He looks at me, and I see rage burn in his eyes. “I see that you’ve traded one monster for another, Helios.”
“You’re the only monster in this room,” I retort.
He chuckles. “Hypocrite.” He turns back to Griffin. “Very well, brother. Let’s fight for our little whore. The one who wins gets to keep him.”
Griffin barely lets him finish his sentence before he attacks again, teeth bared.
Both mutants clash. Griffin has more brute strength, but Oliver has enough firepower to push him back.
“Helios, let’s get out of here,” says Beet through the bracelet in my hands. “We don’t want to wait for those two to destroy the entire building.”
“Yeah…right.”
Once I have put the bracelet back around my wrist, I grab the key left on the floor and work on opening the shackle. My fingers are slippery from all the blood. As soon as I’m free, I stumble to Oliver’s cupboard to find some clothes. I’m not running for my life butt-naked again.
“Sorry that it took so long for us to find you,” says Beet as I put on some sweatpants. “We lost your track, and we had to hunt a few slavers down to make them show us the way to the bunker.”
“It’s okay, you’re here now. I’ve missed you so much,” I admit.
“Of course, you did.We missed you too.”
“How did you get the explosives?” I ask.
“Griffin made them. He has a knack for fire and explosions. He should thank you for giving him an excuse to use that particular set of skills.”
I snort as I put on a long-sleeved shirt. Meanwhile, the two mutants are beating each other to a pulp behind me. I don’t want to look.
“Thank you for coming for me,” I say. “Again.”
“Never thank us for that, Helios. You belong with us, as long as you want it. And don’t mind Griffin. He gets a little possessive when he’s in this state. He gets that from his DNA. What he wanted to say was that he likes you a lot, and would like to spend more time with you, if you want it, too.”
I laugh, my eyes shining with unshed tears. “Yes, I want nothing more.” I finally admit out loud.
“Good. Let’s go,” she says. “And grab that journal!”
I look around. There’s a handwritten journal on the floor. It must have fallen from the cupboard while I was rummaging for clothes.
