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“Never,” Raiden snarls, surprising me with the intensity in that one word.
“We are never going back there,” Emrys declares.
“We could make a deal,” Bram protests, looking around.
“You know how those deals end,” Kitt states, and everyone else silently stares at him. “No, we will try other magic users first. We still have favours to call in.” He turns that dark gaze on me, his brows furrowed. “No complaining. It’s going to be a long walk.”
“I’m used to doing what it takes to survive,” I respond and wait for them to move again. When they do, I follow, ignoring their heated, annoyed gazes as I keep up. We plunge deeper into the forest. It’s slightly chilly, but it’s a welcome relief from the oppressive heat of Gehenna. Before I was sent down there, I was accustomed to the cold, able to be shirtless even in the deepest snow, but now, goosebumps erupt on my skin as I shiver. Still, it’s a welcome relief to feel it.
We walk for hours. They do not speak another word, and when the sun finally starts to rise, I hurry to the closest tree and climb it. I hear them scrambling after me, but I perch on a high branch above the canopy and watch it rise. The bright colours are beautiful, and the sun is blinding with its brightness, but even though tears gather in my eyes, I do not blink, not wanting to miss a second.
Despite my determination to escape and get revenge, I stay frozen until the burning ball is in the sky, and my eyes close as the heat hits my skin. It’s warm and comforting like a hug—well, I think it is, but I cannot remember the last time I had a hug.
When I release the tree and drop to the ground below, I find them waiting.
They could have forced me to move, but they didn’t. They let me watch the sunrise, and I smile gratefully.
“We’ve been walking for hours. When will we get where we are going?” I ask.
“When we do,” Kitt snaps.
“I might be immortal, but I still need rest,” I retort as I sink to the ground and close my eyes, curling against the root of the tree to keep my back safe. I don’t sleep, however, as I feel them move around.
The air is tight with their anger. I sense them silently speaking before they give in and settle down to rest, then I finally try to sleep. The truth is I don’t need to rest that much, but the idea of being able to sleep on the slightly damp earth with the breeze blowing over me sounds luxurious. When we get where we are going, I will have to kill these men before I start on my journey, so I will treasure every little moment I can get. I tell myself they can’t kill me as I sleep, and it’s the only thing that allows me to relax enough to give into the exhaustion I always carry.
I’m used to sleeping very little in case anyone tries to attack me when I’m vulnerable. This might be the safest I have ever been, even surrounded by men who want nothing more than my death.
Isn’t that sad?
CHAPTER
FIVE
Icannot believe how easily she falls asleep. One second, she’s stiff, and the next, she’s breathing deeply, fully asleep.
How can she sleep surrounded by enemies? I wonder, and someone answers.
She’s used to it. There are not any doors in Gehenna, and we’re no different to those monsters down there out for her blood.
Now that they mention it, I realise they are right, but I still notice the dark circles under her eyes and wonder when she last had a full night’s rest. From my own experience, I’m betting it was ten years ago, before she was thrown into that hell. It’s hard to sleep while surrounded by enemies, even if your body demands it. I know how long someone can truly go without rest if necessary.
Sinking down to my ass, I lean back into a strong tree and watch her. The others are arguing, their thoughts floating rapidly through my head. It used to cause me agony, but now I’m used to it, able to distinguish whose thoughts are whose. I don’t offer my opinion a lot, so when I do, they usually listen, like now.
Let her rest. It will not harm us and will give us time to consider a plan instead of walking aimlessly.
We are not here to offer her comfort. We need her to die, Kitt snaps in my head.
We cannot kill her until the mate bond is gone, and at least this way we have some privacy to plan.
None of them can argue with that, and their thoughts fall silent—well, as silent as one’s mind does. There are random firings and errant thoughts, but I am used to tuning those out, not wanting to invade their privacy any more than I am forced to.
Creatures emerge from their homes when I settle down, sensing my presence. Despite being nocturnal, my call is too strong to ignore. When one draws too close to her, I send a slight surge, and it turns and scuttles towards me. Lowering my hand, I let the deep black beastie crawl up my palm to my arm, watching me with its beady, stunning eyes. Deadly creatures are so beautiful. I wonder if this is what I would look like if I could fully shift—something else they stole from me.
My form sticks halfway when I change, and it has been this way since the experiments.
Don’t dwell, Kitt thinks softly. It’s how we survived those days, with his soft, commanding reassurance. When things got too bad, one of them would open their minds and allow us to slip in to escape what was happening to us. Even now, he opens his mind to me if I need it, but I simply look down at the creature.
“Scorpions are deadly and overlooked, the perfect predators,” I muse out loud, surprising them as my eyes land on her. “She is like that. If they knew what she was, would they still want her dead?”
