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I landed on my wrist, and it twisted into an impossible position. There was a blinding pain and a loud snap. I could barely breathe, and my vision was blurry. The next thing I knew, the two men rolled off of me and Herod was wrestling with the guard.
I stayed crumpled on the ground, clutching my broken wrist to my chest and trying to fill my lungs with oxygen to keep from passing out. Inches away from me, the two men were scuffling, and Herod had his arm locked around the other man’s neck. Adreax was behind the door, holding it closed with his feet to prevent any more guards from entering the cell.
I couldn’t comprehend everything that had happened in just a few quick seconds, but I knew that Alec and I needed to help. It was now or never.
“Go,” I screamed over the alarm. “Help him!”
Alec went to Adreax’s aid and shoved at the door, throwing all of his weight behind it. The other guards were still pounding on the door, trying to push their way inside. I was stuck in my corner, looking around for anything that I could use as a weapon with only one arm. Of course, there was nothing in the room. Nothing except the guard’s gun, which Herod was still trying to liberate from his grasp.
Taking a deep breath, I clawed my way to my feet, careful not to bump my broken wrist on anything, and came up beside Herod. As he struggled with the guard, I did the only thing I could think to do. I grabbed the guard’s wrist, wrenched it backward until his shoulder looked ready to pop free of its socket, and then I sank my teeth into the man’s hand until his grip loosened, catching the gun as it dropped from his hand.
As soon as I had it in my grip, I felt a surge of energy infuse my body. I didn’t know exactly what I planned to do, but I knew that I had to do something. I stared at my hand, at the device that so easily granted me more power than I had ever had before in my life.
“Do something, girl!” Herod yelled, shaking me out of my stupor.
I could hear him struggling to catch his breath and see the sweat pouring down his face from the exertion of holding the guard.
I raised the gun, pointing it at the guard, telling myself that all I had to do was move one muscle. This was life or death. Anybody would do it if they were in my position. But my finger wouldn’t move, and I couldn’t pull the trigger. All I could do was stare, feeling the crushing pressure in my chest.
Thankfully, Herod knew what to do. With a quick movement, he sidestepped and yanked the guard backward. The guard fell to the ground, stunned for a moment. And that was long enough for Herod to step over him, snatch the gun out of my hands and turn it on the prone man, shooting him on the spot.
The report of the gun going off made my ears ring. The tiny cell had solid walls, and the sound bounced around, creating a cacophony that I would never forget as long as I lived. Coupled with the smell of the guard’s blood, I knew I would have more mental scars from this moment than I cared to think about.
The sound of the shot also triggered something in the guards outside the door. They renewed their efforts, kicking and screaming, discharging countless bullets into the cell door. Each time a blast struck the metal barrier, I watched the hit reverberate up through Adreax’s body. His face was pale. Even with Alec’s help, there was no way he could hold them off.
Without giving myself time to think about it, I went to where he lay on the ground, his legs sprawled wide so he could hold the door steady. I stepped over him, lowered myself down right between his legs, and scooted back to brace myself. As I pressed myself back, I felt his body warm against my back. I reached behind me, pulled his arms around my waist, and held on. Together, we had to be strong enough to hold the door, at least long enough for Herod to clear the way.
