45. Honey
Honey
When we took the smaller road and the cars swooped in around us, the noise of motorcycle engines died out. I tried to look behind me, but Lazarus’s shadow shielded me from the rear window. I couldn’t see what was happening, and it made me sick to my stomach.
We’ve been driving for at least two hours, based on the digital clock on the dashboard, and now the sun is starting to set. Not a single word has been spoken the entire drive.
We pull off pavement onto a dirt road, and the SUV jostles around. If it weren’t for Lazarus’s shadow holding me still, I’d slam back and forth around the back seat.
Twenty minutes later, we pull up in front of what can only be described as a second community.
The buildings are different, metal instead of wood, but the layout looks exactly like the community I escaped from.
Except the building for sequestering is larger.
A lot larger. Bars cover the windows, but the windows have sort of a sheen to them, almost reflective.
It’s the same sort of torture on a larger scale.
Lazarus squeezes my hand, and I draw a breath. Maybe he’ll protect me from being alone. Maybe we’ll stay together. Maybe nothing bad will happen.
The vehicle rolls to a stop, and the doors are pulled open on both sides. Lazarus’s shadow goes up in defense around me while a disciple, John, tries to pull me from the vehicle.
“Lazarus, let us take the omega somewhere safe. We need to convene a meeting of the apostles since your situation has caused new hardship.” Clement sighs like we’re an inconvenience to him.
I don’t want to go. I freeze in Lazarus’s shadow.
It is tight around me, keeping me safe, but I don’t feel safe.
I don’t feel like this will just be a bad dream behind us in the future.
It feels like this is how it all ends. I finally got a tiny taste of freedom with the twins, and now it’s back to the life I ran from.
A gun. I’d seen the apostles and disciples carrying them before. But faster than I can truly comprehend, one is pointed at Lazarus.
“Don’t make me hurt you,” Clement snarls as he moves, and the gun makes a clicking noise. “I won’t even feel bad watching her suffer as she loses you from that fresh mating bond of yours.”
Lazarus lowers his shadow, and it slowly recedes down my body and falls into place at his feet. He doesn’t even look at me when the disciples grab me. I fight and try to break free, but I’m just one omega. The pain of their grip as strong fingers dig into my arms brings a pained yelp from my lips.
“Honey, don’t fight.” Lazarus’s voice is calming, and he sounds so close to me. “I won’t be gone long.”
I want to believe him. I want to have faith in Lazarus that he’ll protect me, but being faced again with the same horrors still has me wanting to struggle.
I look over my shoulder, and he is watching me closely.
Those brown eyes of his are warm against my back.
The steady blink, nod of his head, and tension in his brow are why I believe in him.
Those little things, all Lazarus, are more reassuring than I am scared.
The disciples lessen their grip on my arms as I stop struggling. I walk more willingly with them. But as we get closer to what I know will be the sequestering building, my stomach fills with dread, like stones weighing me down. My feet are forced forward despite my attempts to move them backward.
The other omega will be so disappointed I’m back. She sacrificed for me to escape, yet here I am again.
I struggle to breathe as my heart races in my chest. The first door, the one into the building, opens, revealing a long hallway with rooms on either side. It’s nicer than the last building, but it’s secluded all the same. They drag me down the hallway and unlock a room on the left.
“We’re putting her in with that bitch, again?” John hesitates. “She escaped with that one before.”
“She escaped because Clement was careless.” The other disciple, Daniel, scoffs. “Besides, she’s not going anywhere. Look how attached she was to Asa.”
Harshly, they push me through the door. I stumble over my feet into the dark space, but arms wrap around me, catching me before I hit the floor.
“You made it to Hod’s Landing, didn’t you?” Her voice is much stronger, and she pets my hair. “Good job. Proud of you. Who did you bring back with you? Who is Asa?”
“He’s my alpha. He goes by Lazarus now.”
I cry as she holds me to her chest. Stroking my hair, she sings softly. It’s a song I don’t know. Her words about boats floating on the glassy sea are comforting.
“Lazarus is a good alpha. Gospel liked him.” She reassures me and brushes hair out of my face.
The room isn’t totally dark. Just barely lit, from an overhead bulb, like the light is afraid of entering the room.
“I knew you’d be the right choice to get us help.”
“Help?” I squeak. My voice is as tight as my chest and the struggle to breathe. “I failed. We’re right back where we started.”
She shakes her head, and a soft smile plays at her lips. “No, when we started, no one knew where to look, and we didn’t have Lazarus. They’ll come for us.”
“You’re Iona, aren’t you? The one they’re looking for?” I whisper, not sure I trust my voice louder than that.
She nods. “I’m Iona, and I hope they’re looking for me.”
Her optimism feels so misplaced, but compared to how I last saw her, nearly dying on the floor of a dirty sequestering room, she’s much healthier. Her fingers move from where they pet the back of my head to the side of my neck and brush the hair away from it.
Her eyes lock on the single bite mark marring my skin, and she smiles. It’s genuine and big, pulling at both edges of her mouth. “Finally, we’re getting out of here.”