“That’s not—” But he doesn’t get to finish because a sob rips from her chest as her body heaves with despair.
She blinks rapidly, attempting to stem the tears that have sprung to her eyes. “I don’t know what you want from me, but if you really cared, you’d have just let me fucking go.”
From the swift change in her mood, I believe she thought she might be able to work her way free of this, that maybe she could convince us that not strapping her to that tree was a feasible option. It’s not. No way in fuck is it anything we can even contemplate. I clench my teeth, observing how Malakai angles his head away from both her and me as he stares offinto a dark corner of the loft. His body has gone rigid, and the wounded set to his stance digs into my chest, twisting around, jabbing into my heart. I can’t blame him for shutting down. What were probably the best moments of his life has just turned to shit in the last sixty seconds.
Fuck.Would things have been different if I hadn’t interrupted? Doubtful. Mal was always going to take her back to the tree whether I showed up or not. Eyeing her, I inhale deeply. Maybe I can take some of the heat off him. “Look. I can only speak for myself…” I wait for her to turn my way, and when she does, I search her blue eyes. The glare she shoots me is nothing more than a challenge. I can handle it. I can take her ire. What I can’t take is the idea that she’d rather leave and die out there in the elements than stay with us. “I’ll try to help you as much as I fucking can,” I grind out, needing her to hear me.
Those plush pink lips of hers press so hard together, they’d probably be leached of all color if there were any light to be had in here. “I don’t believe you,” she bites out.
Giving her a crooked smile to provide some levity, I raise a brow. “No?” What I did earlier has to count for fucking something. I put myself between her and those assholes. My teeth grind, and I stare steadily at her, waiting for her to see the truth in what I’m saying.
She closes the distance between us, standing before me. “Fine. Tie me up, then. Let’s do it.” Feeling like I’ve earned some small victory, my gaze shifts back toKai’s brooding form as I grit out, “Where’s the other ladder, Mal? This one’s not safe enough.” Her eyes are on me, and she lets loose a long exhale and nods. Maybe she’s begun to understand. We’ll have to wait and see how things play out from here. Galvanizing myself into action, I make my way down, careful to avoid the rotted-out rungs, and set it aside.
Shortly after, Malakai hauls the other ladder to the edge and lowers it. He joins me first, then Delilah climbs onto the top rungs and begins her descent. While she’s coming down, he and I exchange a look. His eyes hold a misery that eats at me. Troubled, I glance toward her before meeting his eyes again. They have something in common. They’ve both lived beyond the compound. And I can’t deny that I’m desperate to know what that’s like. In truth, I wonder if it’s the reason I’m drawn to both of them.
Biting down on my lip, I watch the muscle at the back of his jaw twitch, then my eyes trail along the length of his corded throat as he works a difficult swallow. I need him to get out of whatever misery resides in his head so he can help me finish this.
As Delilah reaches the bottom, without thinking, I move to take hold of her hips, to guide her the rest of the way, but almost as if she senses me, she jerks, pausing a few rungs from the bottom. “Don’t touch me,” she hisses.
I let out a sigh, holding my hands up to demonstrate that I have no intention of doing so.Not now,anyway.Her feet reach the dirt floor, and she turns, eyeing us both. “Now what?”
“Can I give you some advice?” I arch a brow, waiting patiently.
Her lips twist as she pins her icy blues on me. “Sure.”
“Play their game. Submit.”
Her teeth scrape over her bottom lip as she rolls her eyes. “Whatever.”
Her flippant tone actually makes me smile inwardly because it’s who she really is. “See?” My lips tug into a small smile. “I really am trying to help you.” I wink, shaking my head. “Get sassy with me all you want, just so you don’t fucking do it with the Collective.”
She aims a withering stare in my direction that—I won’t lie—makes my cock stiffen before muttering, “I did that before. But I don’t know how long I can take the viciousness of the cycle I’m stuck in.” When my brow flicks upward, she continues, a hard glint entering her gaze. “I submit. I cower. I accept being at the whim of a bunch of lunatics. And then as a reward for my good behavior, I’m allowed to take part in a ritual that makes me so sick I want to vomit.” Her lips snap shut, and she looks away again.
Malakai runs his hand over his scalp before shaking his head, eyeing Delilah’s stiff stance. He slowly shifts to meet my gaze. Reading the plea in his eyes, I nod.He wants to talk to her. Alone.I gesture to the door. “I’ll take a look to make sure the coast is clear. Get ready.”My teeth grind. I already regret what we have to do, but slip out far enough that I can scan the surrounding area.
I’m very much in tune with what’s happening behind me, though, every once in a while glancing back toward the pair still inside. Malakai has pulled on his jacket, gathered any remaining evidence that we were ever here, and approaches Delilah like she’s a dangerous creature.
I chuckle silently. He’s probably smart to be cautious in his dealings with her. She’s definitely not afraid to say what’s on her mind. Maybe she figures she has nothing to lose at this point. I can’t say she’s wrong about that. Or… maybe it’s that she’s beginning to trust us.Who the fuck knows, honestly.
I can’t hear what Mal says, but he reaches for her. To his apparent dismay, she pulls away. Only a moment later, though, he’s got her caught against him, holding her head between his palms as he stares down into her eyes. Warmth flows through me. My gaze flicks back to the house. It’s very early yet, probably at least two or three hours until sunrise… but a shadow passes by one of the windows on the first floor. Possibly Twenty-Two. I imagine sleep has been evading her more frequently due to the pregnancy. I don’t think she’d cause us any trouble, but if it’s not her and it’s someone else…
I cough quietly before grinding out, “We’ve got at least one person awake”—I grimace—“you know, incase any of us were interested in avoiding another correction today.”
A moment later, Malakai leads an unhappy Delilah from the safety of the barn. On instinct, the three of us crouch down as we run toward the tree and, upon reaching it, her eyes pin on Malakai with a final silent plea before they shift toward me.
I wince, bending to pick up the rope. “I’m sorry. We’ve gotta get you secured before anyone wanders out here.”
Breath catching, she stiffens, fingers grasping fistfuls of the fabric at the sides of the gown Malakai dressed her in. Her crystal blue eyes shine in the moonlight. “I have to take off the dress.” It’s not even a question, and she doesn’t phrase it as such. She already knows.
I nod. “Yeah.” There’s not even anything I can say to make this better for her.
Malakai covers the lower half of his face with his hands, a torment in his dark eyes the likes of which I’ve only seen a handful of times before—most notably during his breakdown at the river’s edge. He takes a couple of deep breaths before jutting his chin toward the tree.Yep. It’s time to get on with this.He exhales heavily. Reaching out, he tugs on the sleeve of the gown. “We’ll see what we can find out about what the plan is.” When she yanks her arm away, he hangs his head before mumbling, “I’m sorry. You know I have to put it back on the line.”
Closing her eyes, her body goes completely rigid. Ican see the way Malakai’s teeth clench as he gingerly takes hold of the hem and works the gown over her head and off. With a nod, I hand him part of the rope and together we secure her to the tree. While I finish tying the knot, I notice how he’s come in close to her and is touching a few fingers to her jaw. “Hopefully, it won’t be long now,” he whispers. “You’ll be okay.”
“That’s whathesaid the last time he left me,” she mumbles from the other side of the tree.
“And you will be, I’m certain of it,” I grind out, jerking my head toward the building. “Go back inside, Kai. I’m almost done.”
