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“Looking for something?”
I met his leering gaze, horror dawning.
“I had no intentions of being stabbed with your little needle while taking my pleasure.” I couldn’t form a word of response, my mouth agape. “If you can get to it, be my guest.” He made that horrible sound in his chest again, meant to be laughter. I caught sight of the syringe on the table against the far wall.
He squeezed my thigh, his pelvis dropping, preparing to thrust inside my body. On instinct, I used the first move Demetrius had taught me, a short-distance hand-heel punch directly up into his nose.
Crunch.
“Ah!” He whipped up onto his knees, his wings wide. I twisted out from underneath him, landing a swift upward kick with my foot to his jaw so I could scramble away. I shot off the other side of the bed and onto my feet.
His feral smile found me, anger blazing on the tight lines of his monstrous face. My gaze flicked to the syringe. So did his, then back to me. I launched myself toward the needle. With one beat of his massive wings, he crashed into me, an arm around my waist. I fell against the table, knocking it over, both of us tumbling to the floor.
The syringe fell and rolled a foot away. On my stomach, I reached for it right at the edge of my fingertips. He gripped the backs of my thighs, claws pricking the skin. I cried out, ignoring the pain as I curled the needle into my hand.
“Yes,” he ground out in a demonic voice. “You’ll make the perfect breeder for me.” He hauled me back, preparing to take me from behind. “Maybe even more than that,” he ground out, voice full of hard lust.
I subconsciously thanked myself for pushing my body into maintaining flexibility and agility. With one hand, I shoved my weight off the ground, twisted on my knees, and plunged the needle right into his throat. The shock made him freeze. I pumped the liquid in and scrambled away. All of which took about three seconds. My body trembling, I prayed.
Dumbfounded, he pulled the empty syringe from his neck. He wiped his finger over the spot and sniffed his fingers.
“Black Hellebore.” He chuckled, rising to his feet. I couldn’t help but glance at his groin and be thankful he hadn’t finished the job. He wouldn’t have broke my body in—he’d have broken me in half. “You do have strength.” His words slurred. “I am afraid you will be disappoi?—”
Before he’d even collapsed to the floor, I leaped across the room, snatched my medal, and swung open the iron door.
“What are you doing?” A Sunsting guard pivoted, marched for me and, reaching out, crumpled into a heap. Gaius stood behind him, bloody dagger in hand. He shoved the body into the chamber, closing the iron doors. Blowing a fine line of flame all along the frame, he melded the doors shut.
Tossing me a burlap sack, he hissed, “Put these on. Fast!”
I stripped and pulled on my jeans, dirty sweater, a pair of wool socks, and a long, black trench that was too big while he watched for others. I didn’t ask who the socks and coat belonged to. I didn’t care.
Gaius put one finger to his mouth, ensuring I kept quiet. I knew all about Morgons’ extra-sensory abilities. No way was I taking a chance in getting caught now. I nodded and followed up the corridor, which sloped higher and higher at a steady angle. Ignoring the pain in my thighs where his claws and teeth had punctured, I rode on adrenaline alone and the need to get as far away as possible. Whatever signal Gaius gave me as we moved fast and silent, I obeyed. Within a hundred yards, we came to an opening where snow gusted in.
Gaius flattened me against the wall, mouthing, Wait, as he pulled out his dagger. With soundless stealth, he rounded the corner. I heard a short scuffle, then a gurgling, then nothing at all. He returned, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out onto the edge of a land of sheer rock.
The moon shone tonight, gleaming over the flatlands as far as I could see in every direction. Two Morgons lay dead near the entrance.
“Here. Step inside this.” He held a canvas object in his hands.
“A body bag?”
“I can’t be seen carrying a human,” he spat out quickly, holding the straps open. “That’s not done in Cloven, which is where I’m taking you. A Morgon carrying baggage won’t cause suspicion.”
“Baggage? Nice,” I said, stepping in. I shivered, wondering how Gaius had easy access to a body bag. Was this how they carried their victims and dumped the bodies?
“Better that than being spied by one of the many scouts.”
Gazing into the night sky, I asked, “Are there many?”
“Many. The patrols don’t stop, so we have no time to waste.”
“I’m ready.”
“Good.”
For the briefest of moments, I wondered if I could trust him. What the angry Primus girl had said caused me to wonder. But logic proved he was on my side. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked his own life to get me out. And I had just watched him kill a few of the enemy to do so.
I gave him a sharp nod. “Zip me up.”
