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“I guess it’s just you and me now.”
I sucked in heavy breaths.
Buzzz…buzzz.
My stomach clenched with the sound.
That rod was all I could see as he stepped closer and muttered. “Let’s just see how long you last.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Helene
That faint, bestial scream came once more, reaching out through this underground hell to find us. Riven swiveled around, scanning every inch of where we stood, trying to get a bead on Hunter’s location.
Seconds passed until I grabbed his arm. “Can you find him?”
The ceiling above trembled…and another wine bottle behind us broke.
There was panic in those deep gray eyes as they turned to me. “We have to keep going.” He found my hand, grasped it tightly, and started walking back along where we’d come from until we passed the elevator and headed into the darkness.
“We can’t just leave him.” I hissed. “Riven…Riven!”
But Riven never slowed, instead he clenched my grip tighter, dragging me along. As though he was saying I will get you out of here, one way or another…I will get you out.
The only problem was…there were people we loved still in there.
Thomas and Kane said nothing as we headed along the darkened hall with only the deep rumble of the crumbling mansion above to fill the void. I was scared, terrified in fact. Still, we were together. There was no way I wanted to be alone. Thomas glanced my way, moving closer until he walked next to me, his arm occasionally brushing mine.
I didn’t expect the contact, but I hadn’t expected him either. Not the way he comforted me in ways no one else had. He met my gaze, but that stony stare spoke to me now. He wasn’t cold or hateful, he was…different.
I brushed my fingers against the back of his hand until the deep rumble from above drew my focus. But the dark tunnel in front of us blurred. I stumbled, my heart lunging, until a strong hand clamped around my arm.
“Easy. You okay?” Thomas’s brows narrowed.
I nodded, forcing a smile. “Just tripped.” I answered, but my breaths were too fast and my eyes too wide.
He scowled even harder. “You can’t lie to me.”
I turned my focus to sidestepping the cracks racing across the floor and kept pushing, waiting for the drugs to subside. Flickers of memories hit me as Thomas focused on the path ahead. But I couldn’t see the tight dark tunnel as it snaked up ahead. I was trapped in my head, forced back into the spotlight as I was shoved onto that stage. It was all I could see. The room. The crowd. Those ravenous stares fixed on me as I ran for my life.
My steps stuttered, the hold on my hand pulling me forward. Thomas looked behind as I tore my hand from his grasp. Those blue-gray eyes…eyes that looked so much like my sisters’.
“What is it?” Thomas stopped.
Riven glanced behind, found me, and stopped. “What?” He glanced around.
But the memories didn’t stop, slamming into me over and over like waves crashing on the rocks. But I wasn’t the rock. I was the water…slam…slam…slam…
“He was there. My father…he was there.”
Riven glanced my way, then toward the tunnel up ahead before striding back and grabbing my shoulders. “Are you sure?”
Am I sure? My breath caught, then released in a gasp as the face of my father came rushing back. “Yeah,” I answered, my stomach clenched in revulsion. “I’m sure.”
Boom!
I stumbled sideways as the ground beneath us shook. Kane unleashed a cry as we all lunged for the wall, holding on.
