It was only when the door clicked shut that I let the tears fall.
Chapter 27
Kieran
I could hear Ash screaming from my cell.
They had moved him somewhere close. Close enough that the sound carried cleanly through stone and iron. No echo. No distortion. Just him.
I closed my eyes and counted the seconds between each breath he managed to drag in.
Three.
Five.
Too long.
They were being methodical.
My arms were bound in heavy suppressors, cold bands of metal that bit into the muscle and dulled the hum of my magic to a distant ache. Chains fixed my ankles to the floor, short enough that I could not stand fully upright. The cell stank of damp stone and rust. Rain slipped through the narrow barred window and pooled along the wall, dripping steadily against the floor.
Another scream.
Shorter this time.
I exhaled slowly through my nose.
Why did I bring him here?
I remembered the day I had met Ash at Darkmoor. Elliot had told me to be on the lookout for the exceptional.
And Ash was something special, alright.
I walked into the quad just in time to see Ash hurl someone upside down, suspending him in midair above the flagpole. With a flick of wind, he lowered the guy until he was left dangling by his underwear at the top.
Ash had been laughing so hard I found myself laughing with him.
Then his eyes fixed on me.
Mismatched. Wild.
They locked on like I was prey.
He stalked toward me, testing.
I knew then that in some ways Ash was more animal than man.
So I did what was required. I met him head-on.
He lunged. I put him on the ground before he could blink.
For anyone else, it would have been a threat.
To Ash, it was an answered call.
And God help me, the kid grew on me.
The key turned in my door.
