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But I still wasn’t looking forward to whatever thisKadehad in store for me. “Any chance I can sit this one out?”
A-Two chuckled. “We’ve been looking forward to this all night.”
Looking forward to it? Sadistic assholes.“So that’s a no, then?”
He just chuckled again, his tail flicking from side to side as if it was mocking me. I had the sudden irrational urge to grab it to stop it from swishing around. My hand shot out, my fingers curling around the smooth length close to the pointed tip.
In a flurry of movement, A-Two whirled and threw my back against the rocky wall of the tunnel. My breath rushed out of me, and I stared in a daze, the soft tail still tight in my grip.
A-Two’s hard face dropped close to mine, his eyes ablaze with fury. “What are you doing?” His voice was so cold, so full of anger, so unlike the way he’d spoken to me before that fear gripped my heart. His gaze slid to his tail in my grasp and then back to me.
I swallowed thickly, careful not to make any sudden movements. What the hellwasI doing?
When I didn’t respond, he dipped his face even closer to mine, his breath puffing on my cheeks. “Let. Me. Go.” His command was clear, and I knew if I didn’t do as he asked, things were about to go very badly for me.
Opening my fist, I released him, letting his tail fall from my fingers. His body shuddered as his tail was freed from my grasp, as though it had taken all of his control not to tear me to shreds. “Don’teverdo that again,” he rasped.
My heart beat painfully in my chest, but I set my jaw. “Fine.”
Heaving out a breath, he lingered before me. Now that his tail was out of my hand, his entire demeanor changed, his whole body relaxing. My fingers itched, and I wasn’t sure if I was wishing I was holding my dagger or trailing my fingers down the broad chest before me.
My dagger. The dagger this asshole took from me. Because he’s a monster. You hate him, remember?I said the words in my mind, but I wasn’t sure if I believed them. I should have been scared of him, and I was, but in that moment when I’d held his tail, it hadn’t just been fury I’d seen in his eyes but…pain.Raw and blinding. And now I was wondering what could cause such pain.
You don’t care, Raine. He tried tocrushyou.The reminder was enough to bring me to my senses. I shoved lightly against his chest, hoping it wouldn’t be the final straw that shattered his control. “Get off me,” I said, frustrated at how breathy my voice was.
Reluctantly, A-Two stepped away, his nostrils flaring. He gestured with his head toward the tunnel. “You first.”
Clearly, he didn’t trust me to walk behind him anymore. Normally, I would have thought of it as a small victory, but I couldn’t stop seeing the fury and hurt in his eyes. I grasped the front of my dress to stop my fingers from shaking.
I understood then that aside from when I’d been almost crushed, this was the only other time I’d truly believed one of the monsters might kill me. Even when I’d stabbed A-Two in the shoulder, he’d had a lopsided smile on his face.All righty then, don’t touch a monster’s tail.
When my fingers stopped shaking, I forced my hips to sway with confidence, determined not to let him know how much he’d rattled me.
“Fucking trouble,” I heard him mutter under his breath behind me, but I pretended not to hear him. I sauntered down the tunnel and acted as if I knew where we were going. I figured he’d tell me when I needed to take a turn, and I was right.
Eventually he started grunting out directions, leading us through the maze of tunnels. We were heading in a different direction than the other times I’d been led outside of my room, and I had the distinct feeling we were heading upward rather than down. It felt like an age later when we finally stopped before two huge iron doors.
Turning to A-Two, I tried to forget about the dread that was building inside me. “Any chance I can have my dagger back?”
He smirked at me. “As tempting as that is, I don’t trust you with it.”
“Me?” I asked incredulously, my brows lifting.
Ignoring my comment, he gestured with his head toward the doors. “Don’t disappoint us, Sharachi.”
I opened my mouth to make a retort, but he added, “Good luck.”
I closed my mouth, momentarily stunned by the sincerity in his voice. With a nod, I stepped forward and pushed open the doors.
CHAPTER 13
~ Raine ~
Moonlightwashedovermyskin as I entered a large cavern, and I gasped, craning my neck upward to see the cavern was open above me. The pale moon was high and round, and stars spread across the sky, so beautiful and bright against the black.
Taking a deep breath, I inhaled the faint scent of crisp air. I’d been starting to wonder if I’d ever see the sky again. I had thought we were deep underground somewhere, but that wasn’t it at all.It’s a mountain.
Looking away from the stars, I forced myself to glance around at my surroundings. I didn’t have time to think about where I was or how desperately I wanted to be outside. If the monsters had showed me anything, it was that they were consistent. Every time they led me somewhere, there had been something unpleasant waiting for me, and I assumed this time wouldn’t be any different.
