A whispery cry spears through me.
His jaw clenches, tight, before he snatches for my chin.
The firmness of his grip forces my stare to meet his icy one.
I blink, just as stunned as I was back in the shower block, and my breaths just as shaky.
Samick’s command comes firm, “Stay.”
I whisper the question, “Where are you going?”
The white frost of his eyes is unchanging. But his tone comes softer, “There may be more humans.”
More humans with guns in other cellblocks—and trapped in a prison with fae warriors in the middle of a fucking hailstorm.
I loosen a hollow breath, and the moment I do, his fingers slip from my face. Almost gently. Then he draws back and stalks out of the cell.
Arwyn follows. But slower, and he makes sure to let a frown linger over me.
I swear my heart freezes until he disappears out into the cellblock.
My attention is swerved to the metal desk and chair in the dusky corner.
The torchlight out in the cellblock doesn’t reach that far into the cell, and so Shark is a shadow with soft pink eyes as he jumps off the desk.
He lands silently.
Then, slow, predatory, he wanders to the bunk opposite me.
Mika is still passed out on her back.
Shark pushes her arm aside, like it’s a feather to be brushed away, not a limb of dead weight.
He drops onto the edge of the creaky mattress—and stares at me, unblinking.
My throat bobs.
I cringe further against the wall until it hurts.
Arms wrapped around my legs, I rest my chin on my knees.
I wait out the eternal stare aimed at me.
I wait out the movement in the cellblock, leathers being pulled on, boots being laced up, murmurs and weapons singing.
Then I wait longer.
However many warriors form that search party, I don’t know. However long they are gone, I can only guess.
But I keep my mind on that.
Each time my thoughts flicker back to the shower, his hand between my legs—
I force my thoughts back to the search party.
To the humans in the prison.
Maybe it was just that one man.
