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“Please…”
Two men lifted Eli, walking back toward the cells. Ali followed them, not bothering to make eye contact with him on the way out.
Nik was left kneeling on the blood-soaked ground. Hot tears filled his eyes as he watched Ali walk away.
***
Chapter Eighteen
Ten years ago…
Wind brushed against Eli’s face as he whipped in and out of the trees. The sound of Ali’s laughter filled the air. She was incredibly fast, and his legs pumped hard to keep up with her. She had left him in the dust, with only the sound of her voice to guide him.
She effortlessly hopped over fallen trees and dove under tree branches, the same branches that snagged Eli’s clothing and left small scratches on his cheek. He couldn’t feel the sting they left behind, too mesmerized by her voice.
“You’re too slow. You’ll never catch me,” she teased.
It only ignited his motivation to push harder.
He put everything he had into chasing after her. His legs resisted the strenuous effort.
They were almost at the edge of the woods. He could see the opening in the distance. Their finish line. He was within arm’s distance of her, closing the gap. Her hair trailed behind her and tickled his arm. Just a few more inches. He could almost taste victory.
But she pulled farther ahead only fifteen feet from the finish line. She threw her hands up in the air as she left the tree line and entered the clearing.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “Ha! I knew you couldn’t beat me!”
He laughed at her triumphant display. She’d won their bet. “I let you win.”
“Bullshit.” She laughed and danced in circles around him, taunting him for his failure. She hummed a boastful tune while gliding through the wildflowers. Their aroma filled the air.
“Fine. You won, fair and square. What do I have to do?” He grimaced and waited for her sentence. The last time he won a bet, he’d made her lick the sand on the beach. She’d gagged and struggled to wipe the dryness from her mouth, doubling over and dry heaving. Surely, she’d get her revenge now.
Her dancing ceased, and she stopped in front of him. She tapped a finger to her lips, considering his sentence. Then her cheeks flushed as she grinned at him.
“Kiss me.”
Eli’s heart stopped beating. He’d never kissed a girl before. They were barely more than kids. Standing there in front of him, she was the epitome of perfection.
He took a few steps forward, his arms dangling nervously at his sides. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. They suddenly felt clammy and heavy like logs. He settled on gently placing them on the sides of her waist, the heat rising in his cheeks.
She laughed softly and put her hands behind his neck, and he shivered. Her delicate fingers tickled every fiber of his being.
He leaned in close, his nose bumping into hers, and they both giggled. Her breath puffed against his face, inviting him to come closer. And then…her lips were on his. Soft and sweet.
He felt his own cheeks radiate with heat and pulled away. “I was supposed to kiss you.”
“You were taking too long.”
She released her hold on his neck and turned to dance through the wildflowers, carefree and full of light.
Ali waited impatiently outside Eli’s cell while a healer checked his wounds. He had been completely unconscious when they’d brought him back, incapable of speaking or acknowledging her. Terror threatened to suffocate her. She’d already lost everyone else. She didn’t know how she’d cope if she lost him, too.
Despite their troubles adjusting to this new life, Eli was her number one priority. It was time she started acting like it. She hadn’t believed her eyes as she’d watched Nik and Eli’s altercation. What in the world had they been thinking?
The images were burned in her brain. Eli falling limp under the whip. And Nik fucking clapping. Disgust filled her, and more tears fell down her cheeks. How could she possibly cry anymore? How could there be anything left in her?
Her tears dripped off her chin and hit her hands, still stained with Eli’s blood. It had dried there, and she couldn’t tear herself from his side long enough to wash them. She needed to be here when he woke up.
