I jumped back and scrambled to my feet. A woman’s screams welled over the noise.
“You’ve killed Reid!” Felicity wailed. “How could you? Youmonsters! You—”
She cut off as another pair of footsteps entered the room. I swore I felt the air shift around him. The tension inside the Villain’s Den was palpable.
I felt Ava’s intense terror, and I knew exactly who’d entered. She feared one man more than any other.
The Warden, Ava told me through our bond. She stood across the room, and there was nothing she could do to come to my defense.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Heavy footsteps sounded as the Warden crossed the room.
He barely even looked at Reid, Ava said.He’s coming toward you.
I held my head high as the Warden approached. He stopped so close to me that I could feel his breath.
“Well, well, well.” The Warden clicked his tongue. “If I had to guess, I’d sayyouwere the instigator here, Mister Wahkin.”
Every instinct told me to reach out and end this man right here. But his guards would finish the rest of us off. If I made a move, I damned us all. It tore me to shreds knowing there was nothing I could do.
“I was trying to protect my friends,” I said through gritted teeth.
The Warden gave a light laugh, like he found it amusing. Then he leaned in and whispered for just me to hear. “You may think you’re stronger than me, but one day, I will have you and Ava both. If you intercede again, perhaps that day will be today. I can’t separate you, but if you attackme, the Warden of this school, I will have the full legal right to send you two wherever I like, and your tribe will be unable to do anything about it. Think long and hard about what you’d like to do.”
Ava’s terror came to me, and I knew she’d heard what he’d said through our bond. The Warden’s threat was clear. If I kept fighting back, he’d take me and Ava both to Cellblock 9, or send us to the Underground itself. I had two choices. I could try to save Eddie and the other Elves and get them out of here, or I could keep Ava safe.
I already knew I’d failed at the first option. And no matter how many lives were at risk, I would never put Ava in danger. Not even for people I was responsible for… dear friends that I cared about. It was a gut-wrenching decision, but one I had to make.
All I could do was stand there as the Warden gave the order to take the Elves. Several guards pushed past me to get to Eddie, and horror twisted in my gut as I heard handcuffs clinking as he was dragged away.
“It will be all right, Charlie!” Eddie told me with terror in his tone. He went willingly, as did the others. No one wanted to risk anything after what happened to Reid. The eerie quiet in which the Elves moved gave me the shivers. They were being marched to their slaughter.
Hot, angry tears rose to my eyes. I’d kill the Warden right here and now if I thought I could get away with it.Fuck him!
“Good boy, Charlie,” the Warden said in a condescending tone. “I see you’ll do anything for your little wife.”
He clapped me on the shoulder. It was nearly enough to make me bring this whole place tumbling down with my Earth magic. I would’ve, too, if Ava hadn’t been here to be crushed beneath the rubble. My stomach twisted into impossible knots as the Warden left the room behind the guards and the Elves.
“Send a medic in for the ones who were shot,” the Warden ordered someone, but it didn’t sound like he gave a flying fuck about the students— just the protocol. “As for the others…”
He paused, and a shiver ran down my spine.
“Arrest them and take them back to their dorms.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
AVA-MARIE
Reid’s body was still oozing blood onto the carpet. The guards had blasted a hole in his chest so big you could see clear through to the other side. All around us, students screamed as they stepped over bodies and did their best to squeeze out the entrance as nurses from the infirmary hurried to treat the inmates who’d been shot with noxite.
Ivy, Chancey and Alistair lay limp on the floor. The noxite darts had knocked them out. I wanted to help them, but the medical staff would intercede, and right now, the Elves needed us more.
Charlie went to fight back, but guards wrenched his hands behind his back and slapped handcuffs on his wrists. I felt cold metal against my skin as the same was done to me. Kallie and Marcus were handcuffed too and hauled off in different directions. I called out for Oberi, who pawed her hoof like she was ready for a fight.
I’m going to break out of these noxite cuffs, I heard Charlie think, and I knew he could.They’re not getting away with this.
Not yet, I told both him and Oberi.We need to find Eddie. We can’t risk getting in more trouble. If we fight back and make a scene, we’ll lose our chance to figure out where they took the Elves.
Oberi snorted, but she didn’t make a move to attack as the guards yanked Charlie and me out of the Villain’s Den. Out in the hall, the Warden continued barking orders.
