A low moan escapes my throat, one I almost don’t recognize, except my cheek scrapes against the cold cement floor as my entire body starts to shake, and the sound changes pitch.
I can’t… this… no. Fuck, no. Struggling against the restraints, I rub my wrists raw, and the scent of blood burns my nose. My blood.
I’m cold. Back in Hell. Alone. “Ry…” I croak, my throat tight. “Help…me.”
As I try to sit up, my head spins, and then I’m down again, my temple smacking against concrete.
Evianna.
I’m not back in Hell. I’m…somewhere else. “Wren?” Pressing my ear to the ground, I curse under my breath. They took my comms unit. Of course they did. And my glasses. Fuck. My vest too.
I’m alone, blind, with none of my tools. And Evianna could be anywhere.
Pain consumes the whole right side of my face, the migraine turning my limited vision white, then I’m floating. Away. Somewhere I can’t feel anything at all.
The throbbing in my wrists registers first. Then my shoulders. The server room. I planted the trojan. But then…someone came. Hit me. Tied me up here. But where is here?
“Evianna,” I groan. The room is almost completely silent, just a low hum that seems to come from everywhere.
Focus, Holloway.
Inhaling, I try to find some hint as to where I am. It’s…stale down here. And musty. Like I’m underground. And then…there’s a hint of something else. Something…familiar.
Freesia.
Evianna. She’s here. Somewhere. I have to find her. But moving even a few inches takes everything I have. How long has it been? My mouth is bone dry, and between my shoulders and my head, the pain is almost too much.
“Keep moving, brother.”
Ryker. I’m back in Hell. Trying to stay awake when it’s cold enough I can’t feel my hands and feet. We’ll die of hypothermia if we fall asleep.
“Move your ass, Dax. Now.”
Freesia. A whiff of Evianna’s perfume brings me back, and I roll onto my stomach. I can do this. Find her. One inch at a time.
Evianna
My lids are heavy. Trying to force them open takes everything I have. And when I do…I don’t understand what I see.
Dark gray. Nothing but dark gray.
A dull scraping sounds behind me, and I whimper before I realize that might not be such a good idea.
“Evianna?”
Dax.
I shove up on an elbow, but the entire room spins around me, and I cover my mouth with my hand as my stomach pitches.
“Darlin’? I can’t see you. How far away are you?”
His voice is strained, and I fight against the urge to vomit as I turn over. “Dax!” Crawling over to him, I cup his cheeks, finding sticky, dried blood at his temple. “Shit. What did they do to you?”
“They didn’t tie you up.” With a groan, he struggles to rise, and I wrap my arms around him and pull him against me. “Fuck, Evianna. I thought I’d lost you.” He nuzzles my neck, and the gesture makes my eyes burn.
“You’ll never lose me,” I whisper. “I…lo—”
“No, darlin’. Not here. Not like this,” he begs. A single, hoarse sob stalls in his throat, and when I pull away, his pale blue eyes shimmer with tears.
