Page 106 of Where Angels Fall

“Stay here,” he murmurs, and in my delirious state, I almost laugh. I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. “I’ll find a way out and come back.”

Panic filters through me, even though I know it’s the only option we have right now. Kai has been my rock since we were trapped here, and I don’t think I can do it without him.

“Promise?” I whisper, and I hate how weak I sound right now.

He meets my eyes, his scared hand coming up to cup my cheek. “With every fibre of my being.” His words are sure, and I believe him.

Then, before I can blink, he disappears into the shadows. The quiet that follows is suffocating, and my breaths sound so loud in this tiny alcove.

Water drips somewhere, and the hum of distant machinery vibrates faintly through the walls. My leg throbs in time with my heartbeat, a deep, relentless ache that makes my vision blur at the edges.

And then I hear it.

A low rumble.

At first, I think it’s an echo from the building, or blood rushing too loud in my ears.

But it comes again. Deeper this time. A mechanical growl that rolls through the concrete and into my bones. A sound I’ve come to love.

The vibration from the motorcycles pulses faintly beneath my feet, and my chest tightens so hard it hurts.

Ash.

The sound builds, distant but unmistakable. The roar of an engine sounds like a living, breathing beast. It sounds like power.

Tears sting my eyes.

Maybe I bled out on that rusty chair, and this is some cruel trick of my dying brain. Maybe this is heaven.

But Devils don’t go to heaven.

My head snaps to the side when footsteps scrape against the ground. Not Kai. No, this man wears a different leather vest. In the dim light, he looks like a monster, tall and thick, and eyes that don’t have a light to them. His shaved head turns towards me, and he slows when he sees me propped against the wall, blood-soaked and swaying. His face twists into a delighted sneer.

“Well,” he drawls, a crooked grin splitting his face. “Would you have a look at this?”

His eyes drag over my leg, my face and the knife in my hand.

“Boss is going to have a right old laugh when he realises a pathetic, little thing like you attempted to escape all on your own.”

I lift the knife, my arm shaking, but I refuse to drop it.

“Go away,” I rasp.

He laughs, cocking his head to the side.

“You can barely stand,” he says, taking a step closer. “I almost feel bad.”

“I said, go away.” My teeth grit, and for once, my words come out with some strength behind them.

Strength I draw from that faint rumble that I can still hear. Even if I am dead, or if I am dreaming, I can be strong. I can be the girl Ash believed I could be. And if I die, then I’ll go fighting.

He shakes his head slowly. “Even covered in blood and bruises, you still look fucking delicious. Boss said we can’t kill you, but he said nothing about having a little taste.”

Something inside me goes very, very still.

All the fear burns out.

All that is left is anger. A red-hot fury that bubbles inside my stomach.