That was definitely something she never wanted to say again.
“My prince!” Signa cried. But he was too late to warn Aven about whatever thoughts he’d just read, because Jordan had pulled the juggling balls out of his coat and thrown them onto the floor. Dark smoke instantly rose up around them, clogging the air to a near-suffocating point and hiding everything—and everyone—from sight.
“Run!” Samson’s grisly voice called out from somewhere in the darkness.
Alex hoped the others were following his order and she spun around in the direction of the exit. But she wasn’t quick enough to escape the hand that grabbed her upper arm and yanked her backwards.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Aven hissed into her ear. “Not until you take me to my city.”
She couldn’t see him and could barely breathe. The polluted air burned her lungs and she started coughing as she struggled uselessly against his unyielding grip. She fought him in the murky darkness but he wouldn’t let her go.
Alex began to feel faint from the lack of oxygen. Just when it seemed her legs would not be able to hold her weight any longer, she heard Aven grunt in surprise and he released his iron-clad grip on her arm. She collapsed to the floor, but just before she blacked out, she felt a pair of warm arms scoop her up and sprint her off towards the door.
compou nd.
Nineteen
“Alex, please, you have to wake up.”
A gentle hand stroked the side of her face and she released a pain-filled groan with her return to consciousness. The following inhalation of clean air sent her into a violent coughing fit. She sat up, gasping for oxygen, and tried to clear her lungs of the noxious smoke. All the while, her rescuer ran a comforting hand up and down her back.
“Just take a few deep breaths. In and out. In and out. That’s it.”
Alex did as she was told until she was able to breathe normally again. She turned her head to see Kaiden kneeling beside her.
“Where are we?” she asked, wincing at the raspy sound of her voice.
“In the gardens at the back of the mansion,” he said. “I tried to get us up to our meeting spot on the hill, but Sir Oswald and some of the others nearly caught us when I made a break for it. I thought it best to hide until you woke.”
“How long was I out?”
“Less than five minutes,” he said. “But you had me worried since your breathing was so ragged. And after your fight…”
Alex looked away to avoid the question in his eyes. She wasn’t ready to answer what she was sure he would ask. But he surprised her, and rather than beginning an interrogation session, he stood and offered her his hand. She took hold and he pulled her effortlessly to her feet. He steadied her until she was able to stand unassisted.
“Did the others make it out okay?” she asked as they began to walk back around the mansion, staying hidden behind the hedges and statues.
“Yeah, they’re all fine. Samson’s chemical cocktail made it almost too easy for everyone to escape,” he assured her. “Hopefully they’re waiting for us and not planning some kind of suicide rescue mission.”
“Unlike what you did,” Alex said. “Twice. Care to explain yourself?”
“What’s to explain?” Kaiden asked as he ducked under a statue’s arm. “The first time you and Jordan took way too long to get back to us that it was obvious something must have gone wrong, so Declan and I decided to investigate. We bypassed stealth and went for the surprise approach. Not that it did us any good. Who were those people?”
Alex figured his comment was rhetorical—or at least that’s how she took it—and she pressed for his continued explanation. “And the second time? How did you know Aven had me trapped in the smoke?”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw him shrug. “It wasn’t that hard to guess,” he said. “Everyone else made it out and said you were right behind us but I couldn’t see you anywhere.”
“How did you find me? I couldn’t see anything in that darkness.”
Kaiden hesitated, but then said, “I’ve told you before I have pretty good intuition. Plus, it wasn’t hard to hear your struggle with Aven.”
“About him…” Alex trailed off awkwardly. She drew a breath and said, “He’s not someone you want to go around talking about.”
“I’m not stupid, Alex,” Kaiden said. “Aven Dalmarta isn’t someone I’d choose to have as an adversary. Unlike you, apparently.”
“That particular decision was out of my hands,” Alex huffed as she pushed a branch away from her face. “He’s been after me since the first day I arrived in—”
She stopped speaking, having almost said way too much. She mentally replayed her words and was relieved to note that she hadn’t given away anything too incriminating. But then Kaiden’s statement fully registered, and she asked, “How do you know his full name?”
Kaiden didn’t answer immediately, but Alex refused to break the silence or change the topic. When they were safely out of the gardens and heading up the hill he explained.
“I’ve never seen him before, but tonight wasn’t the first time I’ve heard of Aven. I know who he is, where he comes from and why he’s no longer a prince of Meya. I also know what it’ll mean if he makes it back there. What I don’t know is where you fit into the picture, and why Aven believes you can ‘escort’ him to Meya. Last I heard, the city was impossible to locate.”
She bit her cheek and avoided eye contact, even when she felt him waiting for a response.
“I also have no idea how you managed to fight like that,” Kaiden pressed. “I’ve never seen a human move so fast.” When she still didn’t speak, he added, “Alex, I’ve gone up against you in class and I’ve watched you fight others, but you’ve never shown anything close to the skill you demonstrated tonight. You held your own against a Meyarin. That shouldn’t have been possible.”
“Guess I’m just full of surprises,” Alex said, trying to make a joke of it but failing miserably.
“You saved my life tonight,” Kaiden said quietly. “I’m not going to force you to tell me anything, and I’ll make sure Declan doesn’t either. But you have to know that I’m… concerned. I was worried when I thought you had Marcus Sparker on your tail, but Aven Dalmarta…”
Kaiden trailed off into a sigh. He stopped walking and reached out for Alex’s hand, halting her beside him. Looking straight into her eyes, he said, “Just promise me that if you ever need help, you’ll ask.”
Alex kept her gaze locked on his. She couldn’t escape the emotions pouring out of him. Above everything else, she could see how much he wanted her to trust him.
“I promise,” she whispered. And she meant it. But only as a last resort. She would never willingly drag him or anyone else into the mess that had become her life.
He continued looking at her for a moment longer and then nodded, apparently satisfied she was telling the truth. He dropped her hand and she immediately felt a sense of loss at the broken contact, absurd as that was.