67
EMERSYN
The look on Griffin’s face as he climbed into the boat nearly brought me to my knees.
Then the mask of a soldier slammed back into place, and he signaled for Angel to leave.
Angel fixed him with a hard look before he waved at the Captain, and the boat whipped around to face the open ocean.
I stood next to Griffin and watched the shore recede.
The treeline was alive with muzzle flashes.
Bursts of light exploded in the dark and against the chaotic light, I could have sworn I saw the silhouette of a man holding his ground.
Maybe it would be okay. Maybe he’d find a way to escape.
Maybe he’d—
An explosion rocked the edge of the cliff and all rational thought left.
“No,” I breathed, sure I was hallucinating again.
“No!” Griffin gripped the boat’s sides and looked like he was about to bail out. Angel grabbed him.
“NO! Seven!” The agony in his words cut through my chest. “Fuck!”
“Oh god,” I choked and watched the entire side of the cliff crumble down onto the shoreline, completely obliterating the path.
“Seven come in!” Griffin barked into his comms unit. “Come in, Seven—fucking come in damnit!”
I leaned heavily against the rail of the boat. My chest was tight in a way that should have surprised me, but didn’t.
“Damnit it!” Griffin raged and yanked himself from Angel’s grip. “Fuck!”
Griffin ripped out his comms unit and threw it viciously across the boat.
The glow of the explosion was burned into my retina, and even once the island disappeared through the fog that sat at the mouth of the bay, it was all I could see.
The shadows closed in. I could smell the smoke from the explosion and it mingled with the smoke from my memories.
My hands shook. Seven didn’t deserve to die.
He’d done nothing but help me. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t.
Griffin sank to his knees and held his head in his hands. I didn’t even hesitate—I knelt down with him and wrapped my arms around him. If he noticed, he didn’t react. I rested my forehead against his back, and felt the fury and grief vibrate through him.
I was vaguely aware of footsteps that stopped at my back.
When something bit into my neck, I realized I shouldn’t have let my guard down.
I jerked backward at the same time Griffin slumped forward.
The warmth of a drug swept through my body and my vision blurred.
But, not before I saw Angel, with two empty syringes in his hand and a regretful look on his face.
“It’ll be okay, Emersyn,” Angel said.
Then, the floor of the boat rushed up, and darkness swept me away.