Chapter 25 – RAVEN
Chapter
Twenty-Five
RAVEN
T he rumble of the engine and the crunch of gravel under the tires are the only sounds that fill the tense silence as we speed away from the chaos.
My wrists ache where they're bound behind my back, the duct tape digging into my skin with every bump and jostle of the armored vehicle.
But the physical discomfort is nothing compared to the storm raging in my head.
Cosima.
My mate.
She's out there somewhere, alone and vulnerable in a wasteland that would tear her apart without a second thought. The image of her moonlight-silver hair disappearing into the treeline haunts me, playing on repeat behind my eyes.
I should be out there, tracking her down, keeping her safe. Instead, I'm trussed up like a turkey in the passenger seat of Geo's stolen ride, helpless and useless.
I want to fucking scream. But I know it would be pointless. Geo's always been stubborn as an irradiated mule, and right now, he thinks he's doing what's best for me. Protecting me from myself.
That's the only reason I'm only plotting to escape and not plotting to put a bullet in that double-plated skull of his.
But even as fear and worry gnaw at me, there's something else. A certainty, bone-deep and unshakable, that she's okay.
That she's alive.
I can't explain it, can't put it into words that wouldn't sound utterly insane. But I know, with every fiber of my being, that if something had happened to her—if she was hurt, or gods forbid, worse—I would feel it.
It doesn't make me want to find her any less, though.
I close my eyes, trying to focus on that connection, that inexplicable bond.
She's clever, my moonlight goddess. If she's survived this long in the cesspool that is the Outer Reaches, she's got more than just a pretty face.
Run , I think, willing her to hear me somehow. Run and don't look back. I'll find you. I swear I'll find you.
The vehicle slows, and I open my eyes to see we've arrived at the market.
Or rather, the unremarkable patch of wasteland that hides Geo's underground empire.
To the untrained eye, it's just more dead earth and scrub brush.
But I know better. Beneath our feet lies a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers, a haven for every kind of criminal and degenerate the Outer Reaches has to offer.
Home sweet fucking home.
Geo kills the engine and climbs out, leaving me alone with my thoughts for a moment. I hear him barking orders, his gruff voice carrying easily through the armored walls of the vehicle.
"You two! Yeah, you. Stop pretending you're not on duty and help me unload the piece of shit in the trunk. Take him down to the basement and make sure he's secured."
My heart rate picks up.
Nikolai must have survived the trip.
Geo is right about one thing. That shouldn't be a relief. I came to his hideout planning on putting a bullet in the bastard myself, so why the fuck did I put myself in the line of fire to make sure Geo couldn't?
I don't have all that long to contemplate it before Geo rips open the passenger side door.
"He needs a doctor," I mutter, not meeting Geo's eye.
Geo's expression hardens. "You're not calling the shots anymore, kid," he growls, reaching in to grab me.
I try to squirm away, but with my arms bound, there's not much I can do. When he tears the tape off that secures me to the seat, I lunge to bite him and end up facedown in the dirt. Geo grabs me by the back of my shirt and hauls me to my feet.
I spit in his face.
He stares at me in dangerous silence for what feels like a small eternity before wiping my spit off his cheek with the back of his hand and a low growl.
"I know you didn't just fucking spit in my face."
"I'll do it again," I warn him.
He shoves me up against the side of the vehicle, sticking his finger in my face.
"You fucking listen to me, and you listen good.
You're the one who involved me in all this bullshit, so I don't want to hear a goddamn word about how I'm not doing things according to your half-baked plan.
I just saved your ass, and nothing and no one made me do it.
I came to your rescue—again—because I do give a shit. Don't make me regret it."
I give a bitter laugh. "I didn't ask you to care."
"Is that what you're doing, then?" he asks, his gaze hardening. "Trying to piss me off until I stop caring about you? Because that might work on everyone else, but it won't work on me. Trust me, you've already pushed every button you could possibly push, and I'm still here."
For once, I have no fucking idea what to say.
But I don't have long to dwell on it before he grabs me again and slings me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The sudden shift in position makes my head spin, and I can't help the undignified yelp that escapes me.
"Put me down, you fucking Neanderthal!" I snarl, thrashing uselessly. "I'm not a child!"
"Could've fooled me, the way you're acting lately," Geo mutters, already striding toward the hidden entrance to his underground lair.
As we descend into the dimly lit tunnels, a hysterical laugh bubbles up in my throat. How many times have I imagined Geo manhandling me like this? Carrying me off to his private chambers for a night of debauchery? But this is about as far from those fantasies as it gets.
Be careful what you wish for, I guess.
Geo throws a glance over his shoulder, and I don't need to see his face to know he's looking at me like he can read my damn mind. Like I've lost it.
Maybe I have.
It's only when we pass the turn that would lead to Geo's living quarters that I start to get nervous. "Where are we going?" I demand, craning my neck to try to see where he's taking me.
Geo doesn't answer, but the pit in my stomach grows as I realize we're heading deeper into the complex. Toward the area I know he keeps for "special guests."
Oh, fuck no.
"Geo," I say, trying to keep my voice steady. "Geo, come on. This isn't funny. What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Giving myself a break from your constant whining and pestering," he grunts, shifting my weight on his shoulder. His big, burly hand is closer to my ass than he probably realizes, and I'm too fucking pissed to even enjoy it. "You need some time to cool off and get your head straight."
We round a corner, and my blood runs cold as I see the heavy metal door at the end of the hall. Geo's infamous "guest room."
AKA his personal dungeon.
The sight of the door stirs a renewed panic within me. If he puts me in there, there's no escape. "You've made your point," I hiss. "Let me go!"
But my pleas fall on deaf ears. Geo shoulders open the door and hauls me down the stairs into the dark concrete room that's part fallout shelter and part prison for anyone who gets too unruly upstairs.
He unceremoniously dumps me onto a cot pushed up against one wall.
I land with a grunt, the wind knocked out of me for a moment.
As I struggle to catch my breath, my eyes dart around the room, taking in the details.
The bare concrete walls. The single flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling. The ominous metal rings set into the walls at regular intervals. And there, slumped against the far wall...
Nikolai.
He's still unconscious, his white hair matted with blood and dirt. A thick iron collar encircles his neck, chained to the wall behind him. The sight makes my stomach churn, memories I've tried so hard to bury clawing their way to the surface.
I'm so distracted by Nikolai that I almost miss Geo reaching for something on the wall beside me. The rattle of chains snaps me back to reality, and I look up to see him holding another collar.
My eyes go wide. "Don't you fucking dare," I snap, trying to scoot away despite my bound arms. "Geo, I swear to all the gods, if you try to put that thing on me?—"
"You'll what?" Geo cuts me off, his voice hard. "Give me dirty looks? Make more empty threats?" He reaches for me, and I try to duck away, but there's only so far I can go. His fingers tangle in my hair, yanking my head back as I snarl in indignation more than pain.
Infuriatingly enough, I can tell he's trying to be gentle. Like collaring a feral kitten he doesn't want to get bitten by.
"Stop!" I cry, my voice cracking in spite of my rage. "Geo, please. You don't have to do this. I promise I'll behave. I'll stay put. Just... not like this. Please."
For a moment, I think I see a flicker of hesitation in Geo's eye. Of that softness that's always been there, no matter how many layers of concrete wrapped in barbed wire he tries to hide it behind.
But then his expression hardens, and I know I've lost. The collar snaps shut around my neck with a final-sounding click, and just like that, I'm chained to the wall like a damn dog.
Geo steps back, studying me with an unreadable expression.
"You've lost your damn mind," he says, his voice low and rough, but there's a hint of sadness to it that really tells me I'm fucked.
Sadness and resignation. "And clearly, you're not thinking with an ounce of self-preservation.
So you can have a little time out down here until it comes back to you.
" His lips twist in a bitter smile. "And as a bonus, you can spend some quality time remembering why you fucking hate that asshole.
" He jerks his head toward Nikolai's unconscious form.
"Geo," I try one last time, hating how small my voice sounds. "Please don't leave me down here."
He pauses at the door, and for a heartbeat, I think he might change his mind. But then he just sighs, running a hand through his shaggy dark hair. "I tried," he says quietly. "I really did. But today… today was proof it didn't work. I'm sorry."
I freeze, because I can't remember the last time I've heard Geo say those words. It takes me a while to work out what he even means by them, but then it hits me.
Nikolai's command.
Geo's training.
He blames himself.