Chapter 17
DIANA
Making our way through the Black Mirage this time isn't nearly as terrifying.
I even notice that this wild place has crystal chandeliers dangling from ceilings.
A woman sits in an alcove, weaving what appears to be human hair into intricate patterns while humming a tune.
Two children dart past, carrying a jar filled with glowing insects, giggling like this is normal.
I even notice that there’s a dome of glass above us as we near what seems to be a twelve-story atrium, and we’re at the top.
One level below us, I see a man yelling at a group of others, his face bright red. "Who took my juice box? WHO brOKE THE SACRED SNACK TREATY!"
Before I can process any of that, someone behind him screams "WITNESS ME!" and sprints past in nothing but boots and what appears to be elaborate war paint covering his chest and face, his cock flopping about before he disappears into an alley of sorts.
Judge throws an arm around me instantly, pulling me tight against his side. I don’t feel nearly as much of a target now, wearing a similar long jacket to him that makes us blend in pretty well. However, with Judge's hand perpetually on some part of my body, disappearing seems highly unlikely.
I almost find it endearing.
The painted man careens around a corner and disappears again, his bare ass a pale flash against the dim corridor, two others chasing after him with what look like nets.
A few more men appear from a side passage and drag the juice box guy away.
He's still yelling about treaties, his voice fading into the general cacophony of the Mirage.
I hate going lower, because at the top, the light falls in golden shafts, catching dust particles and making them dance like tiny stars.
Plants climb the walls in thick, verdant ropes up here—real plants, green and alive, their roots digging into the metal and rust like they're trying to reclaim this place for nature’s sake.
Flowers bloom in impossible colors, their petals perfectly catching the light, while the one I’ve been given is dark and macabre.
"This place is so cool," I breathe.
"And entirely unsafe," Judge adds, already pulling me forward. "Keep moving."
That makes me smile, despite everything.
We descend down until the petals on all the flowers are black, which just takes the life back out of me.
I made sure that Judge had the dumb rose the Witch Doctor gave me.
I need some kind of souvenir from this fucking place.
We’re near our destination before I touch his side, and he glances down. “Judge, wait.”
He stops, adjusting us so my back is against a wall, his head moving to keep an eye on anyone passing us by. “What’s wrong?”
“Where did Rebecca go?” I ask, the guilt unable to be ignored. “She had a dark bond. She likely couldn’t help herself—”
“She’ll be fine, Diana. I ran into her after her scent gland was removed. I told her where to go, and that although she couldn’t come back to Dominion, I wasn’t going to come for her.”
“Even though she freed me?”
Something about the word freed makes his eyes narrow with distaste.
“She was looking out for another omega. I can’t punish her for the dark bond doing what it did to her.
She’s lucky you’re alive, or it would have been a different outcome.
I’m choosing to let her go because,” he quirks a brow with some sass, “I actually have some decency.”
My face deadpans, and I smack him in the gut. “Whatever. Did she use me at all, do you think? Like,” I look around, knowing I need to know, “was I a part of a plan? I have to know before we leave.”
He gives a small shake of his head, his gaze trailing over my face. “No.”
My breathing hitches slightly. “I didn’t get to say goodbye, then.”
“She’s long gone.”
“How do you know?”
“Slash is keeping an eye on who is leaving. Beast’s hawk.”
My heart starts to race. “Did Selene leave?”
“We can talk about that later.”
My mind and soul are pulled in so many directions, but when my alpha gives a purr, my body falls in line next to him. I’m sad I didn’t get to say goodbye to Rebecca, especially if she wasn’t actually using me. And Selene… no. Not right now.
We take a ride down the rickety elevator platform that groans and shudders as it descends, the gears grinding with a sound that sets my teeth on edge. Judge's grip on me tightens, his body angling slightly in front of mine like he's ready to catch me if the whole thing falls apart.
At the bottom, we board a bus that’s attached. Every transition, every step, every moment of vulnerability, his hand is somewhere on me.
Some part of my mind wants to believe my alpha really did come for me. And that part isn’t filled with any anxiety; it just feels good. Like when I gave him that very impromptu hug.
I see a warrog in the distance as I sit in a seat on the bus, immediately rising to my feet like I’m being hunted out here. Judge reacts instantly, connecting the dots without me having to ask, putting a hand on my hip. “That one’s with us, Diana.”
"Who is that?" I ask, nodding toward the rider perched on its back, my skin crawling to be near one of those beasts again. “Why is there one of those with us?”
“The man’s name is Rust. He’s a bounty hunter.
" Judge's voice is matter-of-fact, as if hiring bounty hunters is a perfectly normal Tuesday activity. "Has unusual control over warrogs, like Beast does with birds of prey. He’s with my bike, which is what we’re riding on. His warrog is safe. Although I can tell him to leave so you don’t have to go near it. He’s aware of what happened to you.”
I inhale slowly, hold it, and release even slower. “Yeah… that might be best.” My body loosens in its tension. “So did you really did get a bounty hunter txxo track me down?"
"I wanted to ensure you were properly found." He pauses, and something shifts in his voice. "And I can't see the Mirage anymore without the invitation.”
“Does that mean I won’t be able to once it’s gone?” I ask, peeking around him to see if I can still witness the massive contraption.
“That’s up to the Witch Doctor. Even if you can see it, you still need the invite to board it.”
"Is that magic, or what?” I ask quietly. “Seriously, that’s beyond my understanding of science.”
"I don't honestly know." He shrugs, the movement rippling through the heavy fabric of his coat. “I don’t like going to that thing because it doesn’t make any fucking sense. That woman is batshit insane.”
I give a small chuckle, and dare I admit that there’s a sense of camaraderie right now?
We still have a while to go, but… I’m intrigued. I want to see where this version of Judge takes me.
The wave of anxiety returns as the bus comes to a stop, like my instincts are screaming not to trust this, but honestly?
I oddly feel calm. I can't tell if it's Judge’s confidence bleeding through the bond or if it's my own, finally surfacing after days of terror, grief, and desperate running. Or maybe it’s closure?
A strange, settling sense of completion?
I made it to the Black Mirage. That was the goal, the distant hope I clung to during the worst heats alone. I got so much clarity on how this works, and I could have removed the bond. The option existed.
Theoretically, anyway.
I just don't want to anymore. I don’t want to remove it and start over without Selene—
No. I don’t want to feel it right now.
I think if we didn’t have the bond, I wouldn’t be able to lean on what small sense of trust I have in this alpha. In that, I sort of understand why he did what he did. I don’t care anymore about the part of me that wants to fight for decency.
This isn’t a decent world.
And he took care of me when everyone else left or hurt me.
Each step in the dirt is another footprint of sadness, despite it all. I won't see Rebecca again, even though she's out there somewhere, heading who knows where, starting over without the burden of her dark bond…
"What's wrong?" Judge asks with that grovely voice I’m so addicted to, because of course he can feel my concern.
“Eh, nothing. I mean, obviously it’s not nothing,” I say, not sure how I ended up in a place where I’m talking to Judge like how I used to talk to Selene.
"She was my friend. Selene was. And she just abandoned me, and what did she mean that it was an accident? Did she send that warrog or something?”
My throat slightly tightens, my eyes squinting when the sun hits them just right. I know it’s just rhetorical, but still, I don’t know what she meant by accident. It’s not like Judge knows.
His touch tightens on the back of my neck.
“It’s best not to ask questions about Selene, Diana.
She might have felt like a good friend, but she’s got a selfish center.
Pretty much every asshole out in the wastes does.
It won’t be like that once back at the castle.
The omegas there are steady, and you will be with them.
Especially after this shit show blew my planning to pieces…
Suppose it doesn’t matter anymore with Jack being eliminated as an issue. ”
Yeah… yeah, maybe.
There’s a bike with a bag on the back of it, the machine looking like it was rebuilt with violence in mind. Matte black frame, custom exhausts, and a shiny mark of Dominion right on the front.
It takes me a moment, honestly. I seriously cannot comprehend that not long ago, I would have seen Judge’s bike and literally lost my shit. Whereas now, it’s almost comforting. Especially the odd details of the leather seat being smooth from years of use, molded to fit one body and one body only.
My alpha’s body, whether I like it or not.
And he saved my life.
"Am I getting on that thing?" I ask, my voice climbing slightly, trying to spot a horse or something.