AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He took her hands in his and grimaced at the blood that still covered her. It covered her shirt too.
“Ali, I’m so—”
“Don’t. Just don’t.”
She didn’t want to hear his apology. Didn’t want to hear his excuses.
He dropped her hands and wrapped her back in that warm embrace. Her legs trembled as she gave in and clung to him. When she couldn’t stand any longer, he picked her up and carried her back to her cell.
Ali woke the next day with pink, puffy eyes and a migraine. She was physically and mentally exhausted. Her body ached, and she didn’t think it was possible to tear herself from the bed. It had been well past midnight when she’d returned to her cell. She had tossed and turned all night long, waking up multiple times and crying herself back to sleep.
Everything felt so wrong.
This place constantly toyed with her emotions. Nik made her feel warm and welcome. He gave her a sense of belonging. Everything felt okay when she was with him, but yesterday was a cold reminder that none of this was okay. She was still a prisoner. Rysburg was still responsible for the death of her family and the destruction of her home. Eli had been right about everything, but now he hated her.
She had hit an all-time low. She didn’t think she could handle much more.
Nik kept his distance that morning. He didn’t come to fetch her from her cell and he kept a noticeable gap during their walk to the greenhouse. He didn’t eavesdrop like he normally did. Although there was nothing to listen to. Eli was still in bed, healing from the abuse he’d suffered.
Even the cold couldn’t get to Ali. She was numb.
Ali stared vacantly as she planted seeds. She didn’t see Nik approach her from the side.
“Ali?” he said softly.
It startled her out of her trance, and she froze. She didn’t know how to respond. She didn’t know if she wanted to. It felt like her body was shutting down on her. Failure to function. She blinked the haze from her eyes and turned to face him.
Why did he always look so handsome? The roughness of his jawline and his rigid muscles juxtaposed the tenderness in his eyes. He waited for her to say something, but she couldn’t form words. None that felt right.
“Are you okay?”
Hardly.
She chewed the inside of her cheek and sifted her fingers through the dirt. She couldn’t stop the images from flooding her mind again. Eli getting whipped. Nik clapping. Her throat closed, and she struggled to breathe. Her chest heaved, and she began to hyperventilate.
“Hey, hey, it’s all right. Breathe, Ali.”
Nik reached to rub her back but she didn’t want to be comforted. She didn’t deserve to be comforted.
He was a villain, and she was a traitor.
She stepped out of his reach and found her voice again. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
She barely recognized the sound of her own voice. It sounded fragile and raspy. It belonged to someone else, someone weaker than her. This place had broken her in ways she’d never expected.
“I tried to get him to stop. He just came at me out of nowhere. I had no idea he’d react like that.”
“Yes, you did. I’ve watched you torment him ever since we got here. You’re constantly antagonizing him. Does it really surprise you that he finally stood up for himself?”
“Looked like he was standing up for you, not himself. He’s obviously jealous.” Nik winced, immediately regretting his choice of words.
“Well, there’s nothing to be jealous of…not anymore.” She turned back to the empty holes in the dirt, filling them with seeds.
“You can’t be serious.” He no longer looked timid and empathetic. He looked angry. And she thought she saw a hint of hurt as well. “Ali?”
“Why did you do it?”
“I told you, I tried to get him to stop. I was just defending myself.”
