Rosie, Tracker, Hanna, Nora, Petra, and I sat together, our heads low, muttering between bites.
“We have to speed up our timeline. Listen and observe everything: schedules, habits, conversations, and get them talking if you can. Look out for hidden exits and anything else you think might help,” I whispered to the group. “We also need to learn who is on our side. Be very careful who you trust. We can’t have anyone turning us over before we even get a chance to overthrow them.”
They all nodded their heads, someone constantly glancing around, making sure we weren’t being overheard or catching the guards’ attention.
“Wouldn’t he know how to get out of here?” Rosie’s nose wrinkled, flicking her chin to the man sitting by himself. Killian’s regal demeanor still did not bend under the weight he carried on his shoulders, even with his energy being drained from the iron around his neck. He was breathtaking, even drained, but thinner and in soiled, ill-fitting clothes. “I mean, he built it.” She glanced away from him with irritation.
“Because of our escape from Halálház, he told me he made sure this place had no weaknesses.”
“Thanks for that.” Hanna frowned, her body constantly moving, not able to sit still. Sweaty. As if she was coming down from a high.
“I will still try to get to him. See if I can get anything more out of him, which might be helpful.”
“How do we talk to people if we can’t really talk?” Tracker whispered, glancing over his shoulder.
“In the lavatory, in line getting food or water, in the factory, or the person next to your cell. Any chance you can get. We need to be spies and recruiters in one,” I muttered. “There are more of us than them. If we can get a mutiny going, find a way out of here, we have a chance to escape.”
“But they have power, right? Not the fae down here.” Tracker leaned his arms farther on the table, curling his hands into fists, his movements smooth and graceful. Why did the guards and Hanna act like they were coming down from a heroin high while Tracker seemed different? He said he was in one of those tanks I had seen at the lab. What was Istvan doing with them?
“I need to learn more from the both of you. What you saw and experienced out there. What Istva—”
Out of nowhere, pain exploded through my body. My nerves burned with electricity, taking me down to the hole.
Warwick was now chained against the wall as Boyd electrocuted him. Other guards were clubbing him with their spiked batons. His agony crashed down on me, ripping the air from my lungs.
He felt me there, his head twisting. Our eyes met, and emotion choked me. I couldn’t even get out his name before he slammed his lids shut, slicing the link between us.
No! I clawed to get back, but he locked me out tight, not wanting me to be there. To see his pain or to feel it—to take it on. Stubborn asshole.
“Luv?” Rosie held my arm, keeping me upright. Her voice snapped me back to my surroundings, sweat trickling down my temple, my limbs quaking. “You okay?”
The imprint of his distress still thrummed through me, but I nodded, swallowing back the sour taste on my tongue. Now I knew why Boyd wasn’t here. He was too busy torturing Warwick.
“I still don’t see how this information is going to get us out of here.” Tracker, oblivious to my episode, scooped slop into his mouth, his nose wrinkling with disgust. “How can we overtake them if they have all the power?”
Taking a few more gulps, revenge and fury churned in my gut, forging more of my broken pieces together.
I turned to Tracker, my voice full of conviction and promise.
“A swarm of bees can take down a herd if they are fighting for their lives.”
Chapter 6
“Hope you’re not jerking off to thoughts of me.” I leaned up against the cell wall, my real body back in my own cell. I grinned down at the occupant on the ground. “That would just be awkward.”
“Holy shit.” Scorpion jolted at my voice, scrambling to sit up, yanking his hand out of his pants and pulling them all the way up. His eyes met mine, and he huffed out a long breath. “Fuck, you scared the shit out of me.”
“Yeah, I could see you were... occupied.” I smirked, glancing down at his hand, then over his shirtless frame. The man was sensual—the kind of hot that unsettled you.
His lids narrowed. “You might have just ruined the only thing I had left here. Now, I’m paranoid you’re gonna pop in at any moment.”
“And here I thought you brought me in.” I winked.
“You weren’t who I was thinking of.” He leaned back against the wall with a smug grin. “Not that you aren’t hot as hell and great material, but I think Warwick would cut me into little pieces even having you anywhere near those types of thoughts.”
I couldn’t fight him on that.
“Can I ask who you were thinking of?” I lifted a brow.
“You can, but you won’t get an answer.” He mimicked my expression. I had an idea who it might be, though he’d never admit it.
Silence grew between us, and I realized we hadn’t spoken since the night in the pit. Hadn’t confronted what had happened when we were almost forced to kill each other.
“I’m sorry...” I bit into my lip.
“For?”
“Everything. That night. Doing what I had to do and eliminating you from the equation. For... Andris.” Blinking, I looked down at my boots.
“Brex.” His tone tugged my head up. “It would have been cruel to let him die that way. He made his decision to go in. You gave him peace at the end.” He rubbed at his chin. “And if you don’t think for one second the thought of losing you instead...” He tapered off, his hand moving over his face and into his hair. He shook his head, not finishing his thought. “Though punching me out? You will pay. Fuck, it hurt.”
A choked laugh came up my throat.
Scorpion watched me for a while. His gaze was heavy and full of unsaid sentiment. I would never lie and say we didn’t have something there—a spark—how could we not when we had this crazy link? But there was no contest. With Scorpion, I’d sacrifice myself to save him. With Warwick, I would sacrifice the world.
“We’re back.” Scorpion motioned to me, his voice low and quiet. He tried to hide the emotion behind it, but I could feel it.
“We are.” I couldn’t fight the joyous smile beaming over my face, which pulled Scorpion’s mouth into the same happy grin. It was so rare to see; I felt tears building up in my throat.
We didn’t touch or say anything else, but it was all there.
Home.
Scorpion would be part of my life, part of me, forever. Whatever fate put him in the way of my magic that night, I was so thankful.
“So, besides interrupting my alone time?” He pulled up his legs, dropping his arms over his knees with a wink.
“What would you say if I asked you if you wanted to start a mutiny, overthrow the guards, and get the fuck out of here?”
“I’d say it’s about fucking time you asked.” He went up onto his feet, rubbing at his bare chest. “Tonight good?”
“Whoa, cowboy. We get one chance. I need you to get close to Killian tomorrow in the factory, learn anything you can about this place.”
“Why not ask him yourself? I mean through me, of course.” Scorpion pounded on the wall. “Hey, your highness, you up?”
My mouth parted. “Killian? Killian’s next door to you?”
“Ash is on that side.” He nodded to the cell on the other side of me.
“Ash?” I whirled around to the wall like I could see through it. The need to see my best friend had me wanting to plow through it.
“Hey, fairy, someone wants to talk to you.” Scorpion went to the corner, hissing into Ash’s cell.
“For the last time, I won’t give your dick a pep talk. It was a one-time thing,” Ash muttered back through a yawn.
I glanced at Scorpion; eyebrow curved up.
“He’s kidding.” He cleared his throat, his head wagging.
“Don’t worry,” I smirked at Scorpion. “He’s probably jerking off over there to both Kek and Lukas.”
Scorpion sputtered. “Both Lukas and Kek? Seriously? At the same time?”
“Whoa. Who the hell did you hear that from?” Ash was suddenly off the floor and standing at the corner of his cage.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding?” Scorpion snorted, addressing me. “Interesting. And with that demon—she’s fucking terrifying. Call me impressed.”
“Bazdmeg.” Ash sighed. “Brexley’s there, isn’t she?”
“Yeah, or I finally lost my mind.” Scorpion scoffed.
“There is a good possibility of both,” Ash replied.
“Tell the asshole I miss him.”
“Brexley says you’re an asshole.”
“Scorp!” I smacked Scorpion. The sensation was like touching someone through plastic. Real, but not completely yet. “Tell him.”