“Like a devil’s claw reaching for you!” Jonah spun Alice around in his arms, bringing them face-to-face.
Giggling, she pushed him away. “It does not,” she said, chastising him gently. “It looks more like a crayfish with two long antennae.”
My eyes widened. I was almost certain I’d seen it before, or at least something that fit that description. Just outside my cave, at the bottom of the ravine, there’d been a few times I’d had something just like it stuck to my sneakers.
Excited, I exclaimed, “I think I’ve seen it!”
The couple turned to gape at me.
“Are you serious?” Jonah asked. Moving away from Alice, he headed to his small bookcase, grazing his fingertips along the spines as he hummed under his breath. When he found what he was looking for, he pulled a small battered book free and thumbed through the pages.
“This?” He faced the open book in my direction. “Is this what you’ve seen?”
It was nearly exactly what I had seen. Grinning, I nodded happily.
“Can you take me there?” he asked, excitement shining in his eyes. “Tomorrow? The guards won’t let us leave on our own, so we’ll have plenty of backup. I promise you’ll be safe.”
About to answer, to tell him yes, of course I would show him where I’d seen it, I suddenly froze, realizing what I’d done. Those plants grew wild in the ravine near my cave, my home, the place I was desperate to return to. If I showed them my home, surely I’d never be able to go back there. It would never be safe again.
I blinked, and the sinking feeling in my gut eased as I realized the opportunity that came with Jonah’s offer. I would get to leave Purgatory, be outside the gates once again, and once we were near my cave, I could slip away. I knew every inch of that ravine, all the best hiding places. They wouldn’t search for me forever, would they? I doubted it. I was no one to them, just some girl Eagle had branded, and of no use anymore.
“Yes,” I whispered. “Of course I’ll show you.”
“I’ll speak with Jeffers now,” Jonah announced, grinning broadly. “You wait here, darling,” he said to Alice. “It’s nearly dark, and I don’t want you out there this late.” Giving his wife’s hand a quick squeeze, he headed for the door.
Mere moments after it had closed behind him, it opened again and Eagle appeared in the doorway. Stepping into the small room, his ever-present frown firmly in place, he looked from Alice to me.
“Everything okay?”
“Of course,” Alice said. “She did wonderful today. We’re lucky to have her.”
“Ready to go home?” he asked.
Home. I had two homes now, didn’t I? One where I had no one and nothing, and the other where I had Eagle. A pang of regret speared me. Yes, I had Eagle, but I also had all the problems that came with him. The biggest one being Liv.
“Ready,” I replied softly as I slipped down off the stool. I offered Alice a small smile, thanking her as I passed by.
As I entered the hallway with Eagle on my heels, he suddenly grabbed my hand, nearly crushing it in his grip. Startled, I looked up at him, but only for a moment as he held it and continued walking, paying me no attention. Hurrying to keep up with him, I pressed my lips together, stifling a smile.
And we stayed like that, hand in hand, neither of us speaking the entire walk home.
• • •
It was warm inside, warmer than usual. Sprawled on the couch, I longed for more than just a few open windows. The cave had always been particularly cool at night, sometimes too cool, but never this suffocating during the day.
But I shouldn’t be complaining. The season had already changed; the days were growing shorter, the sun not quite as warm, and winter would soon be upon us. Southern winters might not be as bad as northern winters, but after an especially hot summer and fall while living inside a cave, I’d always felt the cold twice as much.
Except, I had a choice this winter, didn’t I? I didn’t have to live in a cave, didn’t have to be alone. I didn’t have to slip away from Jonah and the guards tomorrow. I could come back here, back to Eagle.
Because, sweet thing, this is exactly what’s going to happen to you.
At the thought of Liv, a full-bodied shiver racked my overheated body. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t stay here. The longer I stayed here, the more danger I was in.
Glancing around the room, I found Eagle’s bedroom door still shut, the familiarthump-thumpof his fists hitting his punching bag bouncing off the walls. I rolled off the couch and tiptoed across the room to press my ear to his door.Thump-thump-thump. His punches were louder than usual, full of anger and aggression.
The door was missing a knob and riddled with cracks, so I gave it a gentle push, cringing as it let out a soft squealing protest. I waited a moment, listening for the thumps to stop, and when they didn’t, I peeked my head around the door frame.
The room was nearly black, the windows closed and the makeshift curtains pulled tight. What few slivers of light that shone through showcased Eagle in the center of the room. Shirtless, barefoot, and wearing only a pair of loose-fitting pants, he was still angrily working over his punching bag. Bouncing on his feet, he danced around the bag, the force of his fists causing it to jerk in all directions. Every punch sent up a ripple on the skin and muscle of his thick, tattooed arms, and a spray of sweat flying from his soaked hair.
