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"Whatever happens," I tell her, holding her gaze, "I'm with you. To the end."
"To the end," she repeats, and there's a promise there, a vow that ties us tighter than any physical bond ever could.
Now we wait, wait and plot, and when the time comes, we strike. Because that's what survivors do—we adapt, we overcome, and we turn the tables on those who think they hold all the cards.
Chapter sixteen
Aisling
Gunnar and I arecaged in darkness, the air thick with the smell of must and old wood. The cramped space presses in from all sides. His breath is hot on my cheek. I can hear the shuffle of feet outside, the muffled voices of the men keeping us captive.
I don't know what they're going to do with us, but it brings back bad memories.
Memories of being trundled into the back of a car when the Eclipse found me washed up on Echo Beach, the sole survivor of a terrible accident...locked in a small, windowless room until they decided where to send me, who wouldown me.
Gunnar's hand finds mine in the dark, a grip that's both steel and reassurance. I guess he can scent my fear, because he squeezes my hand gently. "He won't touch you, Star. He's tough, but the boss hates what goes down with omegas in this city."
"Trust is a luxury I can't afford," I shoot back. "We need to get out of here."
"But...Ais, we need to be careful," he says. "We're smack dab in the middle of Celestial Hills, surrounded on all sides by Angel territory. I'll fight for you, but we can't be impulsive...what are you doing?"
The noise of a pin in the lock is quiet, but I guess Gunnar's picked up on it. I glance back at him, finding his shadowy face in the darkness as my fingers work the bobby pin into the lock, feeling for the tumblers.
"We need leverage, and we don't have enough," I murmur. "Especially not with alphas like him."
"Vance is different—"
"Sure, and I'm the Virgin Mary." The lock pops free. I ease the door open, a breath of musty air from the church corridor greeting us. I peek out; it's clear.
"Come on." I step into the hall, every sense tuned to the dangers lurking in shadowed corners. Gunnar hesitates, but I've got no time for doubt. There's a guard by the exit, lean silhouette outlined by the dim light, oblivious to our approach. If he was an alpha, this would be harder...but Vance Solace surrounds himself with betas, and they don't have the alpha rage that makes men so dangerous.
I can take him, with or without Gunnar's help.
I inch forward, silent as death, the tension winding tight in my chest. Close enough now, I see the glint of his gun—a promise of violence I refuse to let unfold.
"Star..." Gunnar starts, but I'm already moving, swift and sure.
"Shhh." One arm snakes around the guard's neck, my other hand clamping down on his mouth. His body thrashes, fight fueled by pure instinct, but I hold tight, the power of an omega's grip underestimated as always.
"Sorry, pal," I whisper, not really meaning it. He slumps, unconscious, and I let him down easy. No need for more noise.
I grab his gun.
We might need it.
"Damn," Gunnar breathes behind me, awe lacing the single word.
"Let's go."
I don't wait for agreement; my feet are already moving, mind racing with escape routes. It's still raining, which will make our scents harder to track...and I know how to keep to the shadows.
Rain pelts the pavement outside, a relentless drumming that drowns out the chaos of my heartbeat. We're exposed here, in the neon glow of Celestial Hills' sin-soaked streets, but freedom's in the taste of wet asphalt and night air.
"Where to?" Gunnar's close, water already soaking through his shirt, his hair dripping.
"Anywhere but here." My gaze flicks over my shoulder, where danger's bound to follow. "You coming or what?"
For a moment, he's just a shape in the mist, an alpha lost at sea. Then resolve hardens his jaw, and he nods. "Right beside you, Ais. Wherever this goes."
