“They sent two teams to our house and broke down the door.” I shake my head, the memories threatening to drag me back to that night. “We were holding our own for a while until they sent in a witch.
“I can still see the fucking bitch smirk as she cast her spells. While I wasn’t affected, Gramps was still susceptible, and it took me precious seconds to reach her.” My grin is bloodthirsty as I remember her shocked expression when my blade nearly filleted her face off.
“Unfortunately, another wave of Orion spilled into the room before I could rip out her heart. Gramps was still standing when I left. He was supposed to join me. I waited hours, but he never showed. I tried to circle back, but they were already tracking me. It was either leave or be captured.”
I rub my tired eyes, focusing on keeping the vehicle on the dark road. “I hoped he was still alive, that he would eventually follow me, but after the first week, I knew he was gone.”
If he were alive, he would’ve joined me by now.
To have his death confirmed is devastating, the pain like losing him all over again.
The Orion doesn’t comment as he studies me with narrowed eyes. Honestly, I don’t know why I even bother telling him anything. It won’t change the outcome. He’s here to take me back. Nothing, except death, will make him deviate from his job.
“Why even bring him with us?” Dante asks, glaring at the Orion like he’s imagining the many ways he could dismember and hide the body.
I…have no good answer for that.
It was a stupid move.
Yet I still don’t pull over and kick him out.
The Orion in question peers at me like he’s curious about the answer as well. I can only shrug, a tired sigh escaping me. “Call it temporary insanity,” I mumble.
“Now that he knows the truth, does that change anything?” Tyler asks, though from the scowl on his face, he already knows.
“Nope,” I say while the Orion answers at the same time. “No.”
I side-eye the man in chains, my gaze dropping to the collar around his neck. It’s disguised as a necklace, something awarded to every Orion who graduates the program, but it’s a collar all the same—a way to control them. If they don’t do as ordered, they’re punished. If they try to run, they’re punished. If they disobey, they’re punished.
If anything, he’s just as trapped as I am…not that I feel bad for him in the least.
He chose that life.
He can deal with the consequences.
From the many runes burned into his neck, it’s obvious that he’s horrible at obeying. Every time an Orion defies the council, a rune is carved into their flesh. He must have hundreds of them, some so faded that they’ve begun to overlap. The only way he’s still alive is pure stubbornness and raw strength.
“Once the Orion are given a case, they have no choice but to obey or die trying.” The grim fact rings ominously in the car. “It’s either him or me.”
Silence follows for a heartbeat, then all hell breaks loose. Tyler lunges forward, looping the straps of his bag over the Orion’s head, settling it around the man’s throat, then he heavesback with all his might, pressing his foot against the back of the seat for added leverage.
It happens so fast that I barely have a chance to blink.
The Orion reaches for the straps with claw tipped fingers, and a snarl of rage contorts his features when the chains prevent him from cutting himself loose. He doesn’t say anything as he fights for his life, twisting his body to relieve the pressure. His feet land on the dashboard, and he shoves back until the seat screams for mercy, plastic snapping and metal groaning as it slowly bends.
And the other two shits?
They just fucking sit and watch.
I slam on the brakes, hoping the momentum will loosen Tyler’s grip, but the fucker doesn’t budge an inch. The other two knuckleheads grunt when they plow into the back of my seat, but that doesn’t knock any sense into them.
As I struggle to keep the car on the road, I reach over, allowing my claws to slice through my fingertips. The Orion bares his teeth, his face an alarming shade of red, but he doesn’t flinch, like being threatened with death is an everyday occurrence. I brace myself for him to lash out, but he remains focused on the straps cutting off his air supply, never once taking his accusing gaze from mine.
My claws slash through the first polyester strap with ease, only I’m distracted when the tires begin to spin on gravel, forcing me to glance away so we don’t crash. I blindly dig my claws deeper until I snag the edge of the second strap. Yanking hard, the material finally snaps free with a jerk, and I grab the wheel with both hands as the car slowly skids down the road sideways before we rock to an abrupt stop.
The Orion is coughing, struggling to catch his breath, twisting so his back is to the door and no one can reach him while he’s vulnerable. I inhale a shuddering breath through mynose, silently praying for patience, before I turn and glare at the assholes in the back seat.
Tyler meets my furious gaze, completely unrepentant, while the other two dickheads act like attempted murder is normal, neither of them bothering to intercede.
