Page 20 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

“Are you sure? That seems rather risky right now, doesn’t it?” Violet argued.

Letting out a sigh, I tried not to get upset with her, since she was just looking out for me. “Vi, the only way I’m going to know if I can make it is if you help me up. I need to see how bad things are. If it’s too much I’ll have you put me right back down.”

She gave me a speculative look, and I couldn’t blame her. I was never one to tell the truth about being in pain or not. Eventually, she gave in, and they pulled me up into a sitting position. I gritted my teeth to keep the whimper from slipping out of my lips. Everything hurt, my vision swam, and I felt so nauseous that whatever meager remnants of my dinner might make an appearance.

“Dani,” Tori warned as she stopped pulling me up. “I think you need to lay back down.”

“No,” I bit out. “Just get me up against the wall, and I’ll be fine.”

Neither of them seemed to agree with that choice, yet they helped me anyways. Once up and not trying to move any part of my body, the pain subsided to a dull throb from my head to the tips of my toes.

“Dani, you look white as a ghost,” Violet fretted. “There’s no way we can leave here now. You have to rest.”

“What if resting gets us killed? You heard that man, he’s going to come after us, and I have zero doubt he’ll shoot us dead,” I argued.

“So stumbling around in the middle of the day is a better choice?” Tori retorted. “Yeah, why not give the asshole a way better chance of shooting us in the head, so at least it's not painful.”

“Don’t talk like that,” I growled out. “We are going to make it out of this together. I promised you both I would get us back home, and that's what I intend to do.”

Tori snorted and shook her head. “Right, and the second we make it back home, the only thing keeping you alive will be gone. You’ll drop dead right on the border. Sounds like a much better plan, don’t you think, Vi?”

I cracked open an eye to look at Tori, surprised by her words. “Since when did you become so cynical?”

“Takes one to know one,” she muttered. “Look, just close your eyes and rest. I know you want to keep going, but right now, that will kill us faster. Vi and I can’t lug your heavy ass around, so just sit tight and store up all that energy.”

With extreme effort, I lifted my hand and flipped her off.

“Glad to see taking on a boulder hasn’t ruined your humor,” Tori sassed.

I let out a huff of laughter which had me hissing in pain. Fucking hell, why does everything have to hurt so goddam much? A body pressed up against me and a head rested on my shoulder, and I knew by the soft powdery scent it was Violet. She’d always been one to need physical reassurance when she was scared or stressed—right now, I’m sure she was both. Her body kept me warm, which I appreciated since I couldn’t stop shivering. Tori cuddled in on my other side and I drifted back into the darkness where the pain wasn’t quite so bad.

Chapter eleven

The next time I woke, it was to the feel of a blade on my throat. Snapping my eyes open, I was greeted with the face of the man who threatened to kill us on the cliff. Now that I could see him up close he had the face of a killer. Dull gray eyes studied me as I studied him in return. His face was void of emotion, but I got the feeling he was waiting for something. If he thought he would get a reaction out of me, he was going to be sorely disappointed. The fact that we were still here in Asturg meant I failed. Death would be a more welcome ending to this than having to continue living life as something these people considered to be lower than dirt.

“Did you chicken out, or do you prefer your victims to know they’re about to die before you slit their throats?” I asked, my tone bored.

He blinked once as if mildly surprised at my comeback. “What makes you think I’m going to kill you?”

“Pretty sure you mentioned it last night. You know if we survived making it down the cliff.” I raised my arms slightly as if to gesture to the surroundings. “Here we are, some more alive than others, but we made it. Plus, the blade at my throat isn’t helping your case if murder wasn’t what you were going for.”

He let out a scoff of laughter. “How are you still alive with a smart fucking mouth like that living in Northern Austurg?”

“Wonders never cease,” I drawled.

“I suppose they do, seeing as I’m not going to kill you. At the time, I didn’t know you three were Omegas. They are rare around these parts,” he informed me.

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t say, so rare, in fact, they ship them in from another country.”

“Ah, guess you wouldn’t know, but that ended three years ago. Seems Oscad’s government was overthrown and new leaders were put in place. As a matter of fact, there's a rumor going around that they’re sneaking into Northern territory and stealing Omegas back. That makes you even more rare than you thought, doesn’t it?”

“Yippee,” I cheered, twirling a finger. “So, since you’re so well informed of the outside world, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume you’re not a Northerner.”

“Sassy and smart, maybe I won’t hand you over to the elites and keep you for myself,” he sneered, letting his eyes drift over my body in a way that made me feel so gross.

“Yeah… been there and done that. I think I’ll let you slice my throat instead,” I said, tilting my chin up to give him better access.

He gripped my jaw in a painful grasp, making me wince. “See, it’s no fun killing someone who isn’t afraid of death. The panic in their eyes, how fast their breathing gets. Oh, and who could forget about the tears. Yes, those delicious tears streaming down their faces. You…are going to give me none of that. Your friends, however, those two will fulfill all my needs so beautifully,” He told me almost wistfully.