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“Lead the way,” Vance murmurs.
Isaiah turns, expecting us to fall in line, and we do. Because sometimes, in the depths of hell, angels come disguised as warriors.
And maybe, just maybe, they’ll lead us to salvation.
Chapter twenty-five
Aisling
The lab under the island is huge, and full of chaos. Gunfire rings out everywhere, people turning on the Eclipse agents, on the ACB scientists. Whole cell blocks are opened up and people in various stages of eros usage pour out, attacking, rutting…
…and Luka’s getting worse.
“Keep moving,” I mutter as we hurry down the halls, Joy supporting him on the other side. Ruby is up ahead, leading the way, Iris is at our backs.
“Right,” Luka croaks. “Almost there. The exit to the sanctuary is up ahead.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to go the back way?”
“Yeah, but there was an orgy that way,” I rasp. “We have to go this way, and hopefully we can connect with Oberon and Gunnar from there.”
“Your mates?” Joy says, eyes wide.
“Yeah…my pack. They’re here.”
The air's thick with dust and desperation as we surge into the sanctuary, the Dreamland omegas all around us. Luka's by my side one second, his breath ragged, his skin slick with a feverish sheen. The next, he's crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Shit, Luka!" I drop to my knees beside him, my hands hovering over his convulsing form, unsure where to touch without causing more pain. "Stay with me."
His eyes flicker up to mine, filled with a raw intensity that always sends a jolt straight through me. Now it's laced with agony, and I feel it just as keenly.
"Ruby, Joy, Iris," I bark out commands. "Get some water, anything clean. And find something soft for his head. We’ll hunker down here and wait for help to arrive, I can feel it…they’re on their way."
They scatter, their feet scuffing against the stone floor. The temple, once a place of refuge in a world gone to hell, suddenly feels like a cage closing in on us. I can remember going to listen to my grandmother speak here, playing with other kids, learning about how we could continue to be kind in a world that’s anything but.
This is what my father turned this place into.
I pull Luka's head onto my lap, trying to offer some comfort, but what comfort is there when your body wages war against itself?
"Can't believe this," I mutter under my breath, glaring at the ceiling as if it's personally responsible for our mess.
"Hey," Luka gasps, each word punctuated by pain. "Not your fault."
"Feels like it is." My fingers find his, squeeze tight. "You shouldn’t have come here.”
He tries to shake his head, winces instead. "If it wasn’t me, it would’ve been someone else,” he grunts. “Not safe."
A sudden crash jars the air, a door somewhere in the temple slamming against a wall. I turn, Luka's hand still clutched in mine…
…and watch as my father strides into the room, his face a mask of controlled fury.
Eclipse agents fan out behind him, their eyes hungry and cold, but I only have eyes for my dad—the man I’m about to kill slowly and painfully, even if it results in my own death.
"Thought you could just slink back here with your tail between your legs, Aisling?" Jasper's voice slices through the tense silence.
I rise to my feet, positioning myself between Luka and the intruders. "And I thought you had better things to do than stalk me," I shoot back, keeping my tone level despite the tremor of anger that wants to break free.
Jasper chuckles, but there's no humor in it. It's the sound of a snake hissing before it strikes. "You're trouble, always have been. Should've known better than to let you roam."
