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She frowns and glances around again and it takes me until that moment to realize what was wrong. What she noticed from the start, while I was lamenting the loss of my bike. “Trash City took the bodies?”
She gives me a look — an indecipherable one — before shrugging and turning her back on me. Rage and concern and a fleeting desire to go back on my word and tear Trash City to pieces distract me from the loss of my bike and the knowledge of what that means for my return journey.
Ourreturn journey.
Meanwhile, my Omega starts stompin’ her ass off like she’s got better places to be. Her earlier vulnerability completely slaughtered, she’s back to the cold, hard casing she had when we shared that trash room together. No better than the warped plastic the scavengers built their city with.
What the fuck was I thinking, letting the Fates guide me here when I should have gutted them?I force off thoughts of my childhood, the prophecy, the Fates I should have murdered, the shit fucking brewin’ in my gut telling me that something about those damn scavengers was off. They do me no fuckin’ good now. Now, I need to be focused solely on keepin’ Echo — the Omega — safe from Alphas that’d bond her…
Because I haven’t. At least, I haven’t bonded hercorrectly. She got her gifts and she seems to respond alittleto the commands I give ‘er, but watchin’ her limp off like that makes my bones hurt.Why didn’t I heal her?It also makes me surprisingly and shamefully proud.I did this to her and I’m proud she survived it.
Not for the first time, it occurs to me that I’m not fucking ready for her, for this, just like I’ve been too fucking weak for every other thing that came to me. Without those fucking Fates whispering in my ear all those years ago, I’d be nothing. I am nothing. Can’t even keep Echo safe from me.
“Where you goin’, Echo?”
She doesn’t answer, just trudges up the next incline and eventually disappears into the trees. I kick my bike again, fucking flabbergasted by the audacity of Merlin and her Trash City scum. Sacrifice their own to strip a lethal motorcycle? I wouldn’t even do that to my lowest deputies.
If it was dangerous, she shoulda come out here herself — that’s what a leader does. That’s why I came for Echo while so many other Berserkers sent packs of their Alphas. It felt so fuckin’ good tearing those others apart — or sending them scattering with their tails tucked. And then I caught up to Echo in the woods, no idea that was when therealbattle would begin.
Now, I’m not sure if comin’ after her myself was a good idea or the worst one I ever had.
I catch up to her and move in front of her, cutting her off. “Need to rest. It’s been eight hours since we left the garbage dump and you need food and water.” I start to remove my pack, but she laughs — not a real laugh, but her mouth opens and a grating sound comes out that makes me want to shred something. Not her, but I’d take a solid oak as proxy.
She shakes her head and continues trudging past me.
“It’s a six-day walk to Dark City,” she spits, “twice that if you’re as injured as I am and that’s only if you don’t get stopped.”
“Aware a that, Echo.” As I look her body over, I know even sixteen days is a longshot.
Her face twitches and she pushes her hair out of her face with her good hand, an involuntary gesture, one she’s made almost every time I’ve called her by her first name. I hate that she doesn’t like bein’ called by her name. Nah, that she doesn’t likemecallin’ her by it. That, in her mind, I’m not fuckin’ worthy.I’m not. The Fates knew it. That’s what they told me.
“You even know where you’re goin’?”
She nods. She doesn’t talk to me unless she absolutely fuckin’ has to. She just nods.
“That were true, you’d know you’re heading north. We need to go east.”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes, like I’m a goddamn imbecile.
“What?”
She shakes her head again.
“Talk to me, Echo.”
Her mouth twitches so damn bad it nearly brings a smile to mine. When I edge her further and further in an easterly direction and she tries to resist, she finally comes to a stop. Better to stop than to touch me.I didn’t think having an Omega of my own would be like this.And then I remember, she isn’t mine. I haven’t bonded her. I failed, just like I failed at…
“It’s too dangerous to stop here.” She refuses to look at me, continuously looking away when I move to intercept her gaze. I want her eyes on me. I like her eyes on me. Even if I don’t like anything else about her. She’s stubborn and rude with tears in her clothes and tears in her eyes. The only thing illustrious about her at all is her stare. She has black gemstones for eyes and they are excoriating. Given my upbringing, it’s no wonder I like the pain.
“Did you forget who you were traveling with?”
She gives me a look that makes me feel about two feet tall. I should punish her. I should force her to bend to my will… But I don’t want to. That doesn’t sound like anything I want. I just need answers.
“Echo, tell me what you’re thinking. That’s an order.”
She staggers and it fuckin’ guts me. She falls against a pine sapling and braces her unbroken forearm against it, then presses her forehead against that. She breathes heavily, uneasily, and just as I’m about to rescind the order, she shouts, “Gang Mountain.” She seethes through her teeth, fighting tooth and nail against the command I’ve given her. “Gang Mountain owns the river crossing east of Trash City. Everybody knows that from Trash City you have to go either north or south to one of the troll bridges if you want to cross.”
She doesn’t want to say more, she doesn’t want to confide in me. Why would she? Still, I’m impressed by her rebellion and resistance. Maybe, more than just her eyes have me interested. Maybe, both of those things make me want to slice her tongue out of her mouth. Maybe, if we’re stuck in Paradise Hole together for the next sixteen days, one of us won’t make it out. Wanna strangle her and I can sense that the feeling is more than mutual.
