Chapter 25 #3
“One more block, sunshine,” Ursuline said, their reassurance coming at the perfect time.
Renewed urgency flooded through me, and we strode to the right, past a set of storefronts with their neons lit and a steady stream of customers flowing up and down the sidewalk, even at this time of night.
Here, we could mingle with pedestrians a bit better.
Here, we’d stand a chance at hiding from whoever Frederick had sent to prowl the streets.
I had no idea what power was at his command, but he had an in with Alpha Blue, and that meant he was downright dangerous.
At the end of the block, I spotted the sign for the subway, the arrow pointing down where steps would lead us to salvation. We just had to get there.
A sedan began to slow down nearby, coasting along the edge of the road, as if they planned on trying to park. Ursuline’s shoulders tightened, and they quickened their pace.
A few people jostled around me, obscuring the car from view for a moment, and my heart rate shot up. I surged forward, trying to move as fast as possible without drawing attention.
When I glanced back again, the car was parked, and the doors cracked open. The men who emerged were dressed all in black, wearing typical bodyguard attire. Fuck. Cold rushed through me.
“Get to the station,” Ursuline said. “Run.”
They surged ahead, their tentacles whipping around them in their mad dash. I didn’t hesitate. I lunged forward. My feet thumped against the pavement, the force resonating all the way up my shins.
The sign for the subway awaited up ahead, close and too far at the same time. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Sweat trickled down my back as I raced forward, ignoring the shouts around me as I shoved past people who didn’t dodge out of the way fast enough. We were drawing attention to ourselves at this point, but if we didn’t get to the station quick, we never would.
If I tuned out the honks from the street, the shouts from passersby, the thrum of the city, I could hear the thump of quickened footsteps, just like ours. Ice rushed through me.
The steps to the subway loomed in front of me, a dark descent.
I plunged down them.
Ursuline burst ahead the slightest bit, but they kept glancing back, to meet my gaze, to make sure I was still there. The fact they watched out for me, even now, made my chest squeeze tight.
Ursuline flung the door open, and I jumped through before it shut behind me.
Down here, the sounds echoed, especially the rattling of the subway cars.
How often did the subway come? I should be embarrassed I’d never taken it before, but when we traveled around the city, it was always by car or personal driver.
Ursuline slowed as we closed in on the platform, and I followed suit.
They reached out and offered a hand, which I took, even though my palm was slick with sweat.
I cast a glance back to the door. No one had plunged through it yet, but the tension hummed in the air, the understanding that at any moment Frederick’s men could be upon us.
From the end of the tunnel, the headlights flashed our way from the subway car, and my pulse sped.
Almost there.
It zipped forward in a cacophony of clanks and squeals, and then it came to a halt right in front of us.
The subway doors slid open.
“This way,” Ursuline said, tugging me onto the subway car with them. We didn’t wait by the entrance—no, we walked another car down and then stood in the center, grabbing onto the pole. I squinted as I tried to catch sight of the platform we’d just exited.
Two men dressed in black emerged at the base of the stairs.
Oh, fuck.
The subway’s doors clicked shut, and it surged forward. The breath sagged out of me, and I watched through the windows as they raced in our direction. However, we’d already started chugging away.
“Well, that was lucky,” Ursuline murmured, their shoulders rising and falling from the exertion. “Saved by the subway.”
A hysterical laugh bubbled out of me, and their eyes crinkled with a soft smile.
We zipped into the darkness of the tunnel, and I leaned against the pole, clutching it tight. The air-conditioning in the car caused the sweat on my skin to dry with a tacky sort of feeling.
“And how many stops away?” I asked.
“Three,” Ursuline said, not taking their eyes away from the doors. “We’ll remain vigilant.”
I didn’t know how much more vigilance my heart could take.
The subway zipped forward at top speed, and while a few people sat in the seats lining the car, it was far emptier than during the day.
“You sure you don’t miss the quiet?” I asked, trying for a joke. Still, a part of me wondered if they regretted their choice to come along with me.
“That place was louder than you realized,” they responded, the sobering look in their eyes conveying everything I needed to know.
That they’d been haunted there for years, so much so that even being hunted like this could be worth it for a taste of freedom.
“Besides,” they said, their gaze skimming up and down my body.
“Once we settle at the Spires, I’m looking forward to a different sort of loud. ”
Their tentacle curled around my leg, creeping up my thigh, and heat rushed through me.
In our rush from the Triton Manor, arriving at Sofia’s, and this escape, I’d almost forgotten I was still caged for Ursuline.
Still unable to come, and after this long without being able to masturbate, my balls positively ached.
I licked my lips and looked up at them. The feral expression on their features had my heart fluttering, my pulse pounding in a far better way. I’d been too exhausted when we’d arrived at Sofia’s, but if we made it to the Spires…
We had to accomplish that first, though.
The subway screeched to a halt. I swayed with the motion, and my body tensed as I watched who hopped on. Just an older man who used a cane and a few minotaurs who lumbered on board.
Then the doors shut, and the subway took off again. I exhaled, not realizing I’d been holding my breath the entire time.
“I’ll protect you,” Ursuline said, their voice the same level of calm they’d been throughout. I’d wondered how they could remain that way through all this chaos, but after hearing what they’d gone through, I could understand a little more. They’d been dragged through fire and survived.
“When can I do something for you?” I asked, more of a pout in my voice than I wanted.
Ursuline arched a brow, and a wicked grin split their lips. My cheeks flushed at the implication from the gesture alone, and their tentacle brushed against the inside of my thigh again. Fuck.
The subway stopped again for a moment, but the doors didn’t open. A second later, we were off.
The next stop was ours. My heart accelerated a little faster. I wasn’t sure how far a walk the Spires was from the station, but at least we’d thrown off Triton’s men for the moment. Gretel would hopefully lead them on a chase through the city, far away from our direction.
“You ready?” Ursuline asked. Their reassurances, their check-ins meant the world to me right now, because I held on by a thread.
I bobbed my head and tugged the strap of my bag, the weight dragging down my shoulder. Insane to think the contents of my life were packed into such a small thing right now. I chewed on my lower lip, my legs humming with the need to move, even though I needed to rest badly too.
The subway began to slow.
Ursuline made the first strides toward the door, and I set into motion as well. My veins lit on fire again, my skin feeling exposed as we waited to reach the stop. No one paid us any mind, but it felt like they watched us regardless. The crawling sensation would be rough to shed.
The subway came to a firm stop, and the doors slid open.
Ursuline and I lunged through the exit.
When we stepped out, Casino Alley’s flashing neons and dark alleys created a barrage of noise and chaos. The subway zipped off behind us, and the air whooshed around us in its wake. Dry leaves skittered by, circling around my feet.
The Spires loomed over all of it, a dark, craggy silhouette against the skyline.
To many it might be ominous, but to us? It spelled salvation.
Ursuline extended their hand, and I rested mine in it. The squeeze of our palms bolstered me like nothing else.
“Let me introduce you to the ‘Beast’ of the underworld,” Ursuline said, flashing me a wicked grin. “If we’ll be safe anywhere, it’s here.”
Together, we set off to safety.