Theron goes over to Ellison, holding the same blade to her throat he held at Amira’s. Nova silently seethes, tension radiating off her.
Pax’s expression is smug as he walks over to Marcus. He stands in front of him for a full second, then pulls his arm back and punches Marcus in the stomach.
I flinch. Marcus bends slightly, cringing. Pax is strong, his aromium giving him enough strength to easily kill Marcus with his hands. Marcus’s pride makes him straighten and hold Pax’s gaze. I know that blow had to hurt like hell.
“Not so tough without your weapons, are you?” Pax drawls, looking around at the faces of the gathered Tiders. “This is what suffering tastes like, Marcus. We taste it every goddamn day. ’Bout time you had a turn.”
He throws a punch at Marcus’s face this time, and I swear I can feel the vibration of the impact to his bones in his face from beside him. Marcus grunts and drops to his knees.
Stay on your knees, I silently beg him.Let Pax have his win.
Marcus spits out a mouthful of blood, looking up at Pax. “You’re a lot tougher with your goon holding a hostage.”
He gets back on his feet and I exhale softly.
“I can do this all day.” Pax’s smile is bright.
He pulls his arm back again, preparing to strike, and I blurt, “What do you want, Pax? We wouldn’t be alive if you wanted us dead.”
A humorless note of laughter rumbles out of his chest. “Nowyou’re humble? It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?”
He moves in front of me. From nearby, someone’s breath hitches.
“You touch her and I’ll kill you,” Marcus says, his tone lethal.
The ground rumbles beneath us, my lips parting with surprise. Marcus hasn’t connected with endoliths since the night I killed Virginia, and his aromium was on then.
“You’re killing all of us, anyway,” Pax says to Marcus. “Might as well take you guys with us.”
“Your choice,” Marcus says levelly. “Put so much as a finger on her and you’re a dead man.”
Pax turns his attention back to me. “Never saw you as the spineless sort, Briar. He manipulated you and lied to you, and you’restillbobbing his knob?”
Sweat rolls down my face, a second of silence passing when I refuse to answer.
“Enough of your shit,” Nova snaps. “We’re here for Ellison.”
Pax sighs dramatically and turns. “What a fucking lovefest you guys have going over there. Just so you know, we haven’t hurt her, and we won’t, as long as we get what we want.” He pauses, enjoying the spotlight. “It’s only three things.” He puts a finger up and counts off each one. “Your supplies, your weapons, and Briar.”
I keep my breathing steady even though my pulse is pounding. Tiders shuffle and whisper, apparently just learning about Pax’s master plan. I have to admit, I didn’t see this coming. I wonder if Theron is the real mastermind, though.
“Half our supplies,” Marcus counters. “That’s it.”
Theron lowers the knife from Ellison’s throat to her arm, where he uses the razor-sharp tip to open a cut down the length of her arm. She doesn’t react as blood blooms out of the line, but Nova’s guttural wail guts me. Chance and Wyatt are holding her back, Chance saying something in her ear.
Ellison’s eyes stay locked on her wife as Theron shoves her to the ground and kicks her in the side. She cries out and curls up.
Nova lets out a roar that makes my blood run cold. Rage burns in her eyes, sweat gleaming on the dark skin over thecorded muscles in her neck and back. That kick hurt her as much as it hurt Ellison.
“What the fuck was that for?” Marcus demands. “This is a negotiation.”
Pax shrugs. “My people don’t like seeing me insulted.”
“You can have half of our supplies,” Marcus repeats. “I’ll give you half of our fresh produce and livestock, too.”
The Tiders murmur at the mention of the food. Pax glares at Marcus, his aggravation evident.
“You want your doctor back, you give me what I want,” he snaps. “It’s not a negotiation. You can walk out of here with her dead or alive; it’s your choice. Your supplies, your weapons, and Briar.”
