Page 54 of Dark Company

Once more, I look to the skies, my insides twisting as the storm gets even closer. I am almost out of time. If they don’t tell me now, I stand a chance at losing Karis forever, and that’s not something I’m willing to do.

“Please. She ran. She -.”

“She mentioned going back to the commune,” Alexi interjects, her voice never wavering.

I look back down at her, horrified at her words. If she went back there, then she’s in the dead of the storm. However, with the bond vibrating in me like it is, she’s still very much alive.

She’s lying. The bitch omega is lying. Leon comes up to me, his face red from the exertion of getting everything bundled down. His thick face mask obscures him from the nose down, but I know Leon as well as I know the back of my hand. Tossing Alexi to him, I don’t wait to see if he’ll catch her. I turn to wrap my hand around the other omega’s arm, steadying myself for a fight, but she doesn’t as much as tug away from me.

Her eyes are wet, her face blotchy. Is she crying because she got caught or because their actions put Karis’s life in danger? Even Alexi looks back at the storm, her face ashen as she gnaws on her bottom lip, her fear stinking up the air.

“Which way did she go, omega?”

With a shaky hand, she points in the opposite direction of the commune. Just as I thought. Handing her over to Leon, I hold out my hand to him.

“I need your mask. Take them both and lock them up. They will stand trial in Stanlion.”

Alexi bursts into a flurry of movement as the other breaks down into the most ungodly sobs I’ve ever heard. Disgust rolls over me as they both go crazy in their own way. As if going to Stanlion is a worse option than leaving them out here in the sandstorm to fend for themselves. Granted, if Karis dies or is injured because of this, I don’t think I can guarantee their safe passage to the home city.

Without asking any questions, Leon hands me his mask. “Let me get them situated, and I’ll come with you.”

“No. I need to do this myself. There needs to be a leader in the camp at all times or another Alpha will try to take over, potentially causing more chaos and confusion. I’ll be back as soon as I can with my omega.”

I lack the confidence in my words. There’s a very real chance that I’ll never be able to hold her in my arms again, to tell her, even if it’s clumsy, how I feel about her. How she makes the suns rise in my soul. She’s a bright spot I never even dreamed I’d be able to have.

I destroy everything I touch.

Sorrow beats at me as I trudge through the sand, terror and agony warring inside my heart. I want to connect with her, to tell her it’s okay, that I’m coming to rescue her, but would it even help? Desperation claws at my brain as I stare out into the endless sea of sand.

Even her scent is too light to pick up. No doubt she’s using the water to hide herself. It’s a smart idea, but water won’t save her from a sandstorm. If only I knew how to manipulate the bond, to twist it to my use.

But it’s useless. I can’t see through her to know where she is. The only thing I can do is try to communicate with her. Closing my eyes, I touch the bond and grip it in my mind, ignoring the searing pain. Karis, my mate. Where are you? At my words, the bond twists some more, as if she’s fighting me. Why the fuck is she fighting?

Does she not know the danger she’s in? Please. You must find shelter. You are no match for this storm. Please. I need to find you. I need you to be safe and whole. Karis. My Karis. My mate. Please. Please help me find you.

The bond writhes some more, but this time, it feels like fear. What’s happening to her? Why can’t I do more, say more? The sand swirls about, obstructing my view. I claw at it, forcing my way through, but it’s too much. Without visual markers, I’ll just be walking in circles.

Pulling the top of my uniform over my head, I zip myself inside and turn on the filtration system. Once the storm is over, I’ll set back out. I must find her. She’s my life, my world. Without Karis, it’s nothing but a boring, meaningless existence.

Chapter 14

Karis

What have I done? I hear his words brushing against my mind like the very tips of feathers as they flap about. I’m so close to not believing him, to accusing him of making this up just to get me back, but the urgency in his tone gives me pause.

Looking back, I spot the storm, and my heart nearly stops. It’s not a lie. It’s not a ploy. He’s deadly serious. Does that mean those other things he said were real, too? Gripping the tunic around me, I reach out to the bond with a tentative touch, ready to pull back if it hurts again.

He actually thinks he loves me. A stranger, a woman he forced by his side. I want to give in to the longing in his voice, but I can’t. There’s no way I can go back when the storm is barreling down on top of me. And even if I did, there’s no way he wouldn’t punish me for my actions.

Desperate, I follow the link back, testing to see whether I can communicate back with him. What do I do?

I can’t run: it’s too close for that. I can’t hide: there are no shelters I can see.

Find a rock, a large dune, something. Cover yourself and tuck your head to your chest. Try to conserve your oxygen. The air will be riddled with dust and rocks. Go now.

Praise the gods; it worked. My eyes dart about, looking for anything that might work. As if by some miracle, there’s a large rock several feet away. If I can run fast enough, I just might make it.

Racing forward, I sink down into the sand, pulling the tunic up so that it covers my head before burrowing into the rock face, sending up desperate prayers to Ilaria, uttering promises I don’t know if I’ll even be able to keep.