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“Darya! We’ve been waiting for you,” he exclaimed, sounding relieved to see me. Vas wore a strange expression, like he might be bothered by Ren hugging me.
“Well, I’m here now. Come, let’s sit. My legs are killing me from standing up all day.”
Vas proceeded to explain what the sleep arrangements would be. Ren shot me a look as if to ask, are you okay sleeping in a tiny pod with him? I shrugged in response. It is what it is. There was no opportunity for me to mention how thoroughly on edge I was about the whole thing. My heart still ached for Peter, and sleeping so close to a man I had unprocessed feelings for while trying to get over a breakup with another was a lot to handle.
“Why can’t we just stay here? It’s private and it’s not like those sleeping pods are particularly comfortable,” Ren said.
“We can’t sleep here because they count us at night. If anyone’s missing they’ll search for us, find us, then punish us,” Vas explained and Ren’s face paled.
“Right, best to avoid that.”
We sat in quiet for a little while and I noticed Maya was looking particularly depressed. I went to sit next to her. Demi was still fast asleep on her lap.
“How has she been?” I asked softly, nodding to the sleeping girl.
“She’s scared,” Maya whispered. “And it’s hard to comfort her because, well, I’m scared, too. The other mine was horrible but it wasn’t as bad as this. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life down here. The thoughts of it make me feel like—” she fell silent when Demi stirred, looking like she might wake up, but then settled back into slumber. Maya drew a deep breath. “I worry I’m not strong enough to survive this place.”
Her attention was fixed on Demi’s hair, dirty with soot. I glanced across at Vas and found him watching me, clearly listening to our conversation. Did he find it intriguing when I spoke in Oreylian? I was still getting used to the fact that I could both speak and understand an entirely new language.
“You’re strong enough,” I said, giving her arm a reassuring pat. “We’re capable of far more than we can possibly imagine, and you’ve survived this far. You’ve kept her safe until now.”
Maya blew out a frustrated, shaky breath. “I’m not sure I would’ve kept her safe if I hadn’t met you and Ren. If we were on our own…” she shuddered, like she couldn’t bear thinking about it.
“Well, you’re with us now. Vas and Sven will keep you safe tonight while you sleep. Nobody will be able to harm you.”
“What about tomorrow night, and the night after that? You’re all very kind, but we can’t rely on you to watch over us forever.”
“If I have my way, none of us will be stuck here forever. I’m going to get us all out,” I said, determined.
I glanced at Vas again and his eyes were still on me. He tilted his head but I had no clue what he was thinking.
“You really think you can escape? But it seems impossible,” Maya said.
“Not impossible,” Vas cut in and both of us looked his way. His short, dark blond hair seemed black in the darkness of the cave, his horns casting eery shadows on the wall behind his head. “Sven and I are living proof that it can be done.”
His words planted some seeds of hope in her and I shot him a thankful look. A little while later it was time for us to head to our sleeping pods. I was nervous about staying with Vas, but I was also focused on figuring out a plan for escaping, killing Red Armand and getting home within the five day window I’d allotted myself.
I glanced at the cheap digital watch I wore. The countdown was ticking away. I had four more days. I tried to convince myself that it was more than enough time, but there was a constant thrumming anxiety within me. An anxiety that made me worry the task was too great to achieve in a paltry few days.
I caught up with Ren, linking my arm with his as we walked. “Are you okay sharing a pod with Sven? You guys don’t really know each other. It might be weird.”
“It will most definitely be weird, but I’m all for trying new things. Besides,” he said, lowering his voice. “He’s kind of hot, for a murderous demon.”
I suppressed a chuckle. As far as I could tell Ren’s sexual preference included both men and women. “Okay, well, he told me he only ever kills out of necessity so don’t worry too much about the murderous part.”
Vas and Sven walked a few yards behind us, far enough away that they wouldn’t overhear our conversation.
When we reached the sleeping pods, I waited for Vas to climb in first before I hesitantly slid in next to him. I managed to keep an inch or two between us, but it was far from comfortable. We each lay on our sides, sharing a thin blanket. There was a small chill in the air, but compared to the heat during the day it was a tolerable chill, welcome even.
