He wouldn’t care about someone like Gus who’d gone out of her way to help him.His House owned him.
Body and soul.
The sound of footsteps came from the adjacent cells.
“That’s your cue,” Caius advised as Gus stopped to listen.
“Shut up,” Gus ordered.
She needed to think.
“You’re almost out of time.”
Gus slanted him a frustrated look.“What do you think you can even do in your state?”
“We’ll see, won’t we?”
Gus stared at him a second longer.He was going to die.
Not her problem, she decided.She’d tried.Whatever came next was on him.And only him.That’s exactly what she’d tell Roake when they came to collect her head later.
“I told you to go,’ Caius growled as she reached for him.“The kids are waiting for you.You don’t have time for this.”
“I will.In a minute,” Gus murmured absentmindedly, coasting herkialong his body in search of any last remnants of the choko tree’s life essence.
While most of the tree’s essence had gone to healing his previous wounds, his body hadn’t been able to absorb all of it.Traces of it still lingered on the surface of his skin and in his veins.Eventually, they would dissipate, returning to the fabric of the universe.
Unless someone made use of them first.
Carefully, Gus gathered the tiny specks of essence and sent them flowing through his body toward the areas with the most damage.
Caius grunted.“What are you doing?That hurts.”
“Shhh,” Gus hushed him, unsympathetic to the level of pain she was causing.
Those who wished to embark on suicide missions could deal with the consequences of their own decisions.
She felt the moment he lost consciousness, his body going lax.She kept going.Only when the last pieces of energy had been used did Gus withdraw herki.
Opening her eyes, she blinked at the flowery vine now trailing up Caius’s inner bicep.She didn’t recognize the species, but it was beautiful.Delicate with yellow and teal flower petals that trailed off the stamen like floppy cork screws.
Gus traced the lines lightly, wondering how she’d missed it earlier.As partial as she was to plants, you’d think she would notice something so marvelous.
It should have felt out of place on him.He seemed more the type to favor something harsher.With stronger lines.Maybe a little more testosterone coded.Not something dainty and graceful.And yet, it looked oddly right nestled there.As if it had found shelter from the harsh world outside.
The sound of voices approaching reminded Gus that this wasn’t the time for contemplation.It was the time for running.
Tugging her hood up over her hair, she turned to go, only to stop short an instant later.There was something she hadn’t considered in her haste to free Caius.That was the fact that there was only one exit in or out of this room.
Gus had to face it.She was trapped.
She was still scrambling to find an escape that didn’t involve a confrontation or discovery when someone walked into the room, humming faintly.
They both froze to regard each other steadily.
“Brooks,” Gus called in a low greeting.
The red headed man who also happened to be her lieutenant considered Gus for several seconds before he looked past her to Caius.If the sight of her standing in front of a strung up Tuann who was showing obvious signs of torture disturbed him, he hid it well.“Am I interrupting?”
