“Lucien!” Rook screamed in her chair. “Someone help him. Do something!”
The board members flung into action, scrambling like geese. Roy fumbled in his pocket for a handkerchief and fisted a familiar black remote.
I had just enough time to suck in a breath before he activated the frequency and sent a spear of agony straight into my brain.
Chapter Nineteen
I CURSED MYSELF THE ENTIRE TIME they drew blood from us.
Rook didn’t speak to me as we twitched like broken things in our chairs, the frequency still humming, keeping us completely subdued.
My fault. My own stupid, fucking fault. I’d let my temper get the better of me, and now I’d condemned her to yetmorepain.
Hating myself, I plotted how to kill Roy a million times over as he yelled at the scientists to hurry up. The board members watching the spectacle resumed their silent places against the wall.
Roy kindly switched off the godawful buzz just as a scientist inserted a needle into my vein and filled a familiar-looking blood bag. Whatever dregs of life I clung to quickly siphoned into that bag with thick, ebony darkness.
Rook sucked in a quiet gasp as the scientist next to her inserted a needle into her flawless skin, copying the same process they did to me. Blinking away black spots, I tried to focus on what colour her blood was.
Had it turned silver again since I’d tasted it on Ashfall Cliff?
Had she healed thanks to sharing the dreamscape with me?
Fuck.
Still black. Still dying.
Black tar flowed from her arm into the translucent bladder, making the two scientists share a worried glance.
Roy didn’t notice as he paced and rubbed at his chest. Icouldn’t hear his heartbeat anymore, my ears ringing from the frequency weapon.
A soft press on my arm as the needle was extracted and a sticky band-aid placed over the small wound. Rook relaxed in her chair as they stopped bleeding her. Flickers of her thoughts filled mine, full of relief that it was over and belief that we could figure this out the moment we were sent to rest.
Our eyes locked.
She smiled gently as if pleased we’d survived the first harvesting...not knowing just how bad things were going to get if we couldn’t escape. Now that they had us, they’d use us like a never-ending tap. They’d drain her to the cusp of death, again and again, and I’d rather kill both of us before I let that happen.
That will be the first and only time they ever put a needle in you.I narrowed my eyes.You have my word.
She held my eyes. Just focus on staying alive, alright? As long as we’re both breathing, we can get free. She looked away, but not before I caught a morbid thought hidden beneath all her hope.How much longer do we have before the ascension reaches its pinnacle? My parents’ notes said once the animals stopped being able to eat, it was only a matter of hours. Is that what we have...hours?
We’re not going to die.I fought the urge to cough.
Her gaze snapped back to mine as the men mumbled and the scientists packed away their needles.I love you, Lucien.
Don’t say that. Don’t you dare say goodbye.I told you. If I don’t want you to die, you won’t die.
She sucked in a breath, capturing Roy’s awful attention.
“You done?” he asked.
“All done.” The scientist who’d drained me nodded. “However—”
“Give it here.” Roy snapped his fingers. A maid appeared almost on cue, carrying a tray with six empty shot glasses.
I stiffened as the two scientists carried our blood to the sideboard where the maid placed the tray. Snipping the top off one of the translucent bags, the scientist who’d harvested Rook filled each small glass with her thick black blood.
Raking his hands through his greying hair, Roy grinned at the board members. “Finally, we can regain our energy.” Clearing his throat, he grinned in my direction as if the news of his murdered daughter was nothing more than a little blip in his afternoon. “Gentlemen.”
