14
The entire arena goes still. The air practically vibrates with silence. Looking around, it’s clear that some people have no idea who just walked in, while others are all too familiar with the general and what she represents.
“Oh fuck,” Justin says, clearly falling into the latter group. Rook said this place was a secret from The Shield. Did I lead her straight here and ruin everything they’ve been working toward for decades?
“Language,” Navy whispers, and her brother tosses her a worried look.
Rook remains lying on the floor, struggling to sit up, blood running down his temple. He sways, almost tipping over with a hand planted to the earth.
“Someone help him,” Summit says in a low voice, pointing to his son. A pair of medics scurries over, helps Rook sit up, and then begins tending to his injuries.
High Commander Athira holds out a hand, and a moment later, someone arrives to place his shirt in his outstretched fingers.
He tugs it over his head and shoves back his sweaty hair before rolling his shoulders.
His reaction makes no sense to me. Shouldn’t he be sounding an alarm or something?
I can tell I’m not the only one thinking this as people exchange confused, bewildered looks.
“General,” he says, his deep voice ringing out over the arena. Whispers circulate through the crowd in a muffled hush. Even without knowing who she is, there’s no question she radiates power and confidence. “What are you doing here?”
“Where are they?” she asks, storming into the center of the arena. Her gaze lands on Rook before scanning the floor and then the bleachers. “I see your son made it back, so where is she?”
I try to shrink away, resisting the urge to hide behind Justin’s broad frame.
“Who is she looking for?” Navy asks the moment before it clicks. “Oh,” she says on a breath as General Sol’s gaze finds me a second later.
Summit approaches the general. “Nyxia, perhaps we should take this to a more private location?”
“Of course,” she replies. “But these two are to be watched.” She points to her Circle Guard. “I do not want them escaping again.”
“Very well,” Summit answers, though it seems to cause him great pain.
Two Circle Guards make their way over to me. I swallow thickly, sweat beading on my forehead and my legs turning to jelly.
“Come with us,” the one on the left says. Obviously, I have no choice. Awkwardly, I climb over the barrier separating the audience from the arena floor. After a quick exchange of looks with Navy, I turn to follow General Sol’s Guard.
The medics now have an unconscious Rook laid out on a stretcher.
“General Sol,” Summit says. “Let’s head this way. Your Guard may accompany my son to the infirmary while we talk.”
“I’ll go with him,” I say, causing every eye to turn my way. I nearly wilt at the penetrating look both leaders are giving me. “I’ll stay with him until you’re . . .”
I’m not really sure how to finish that sentence. Until she’s ready to haul me back to New Manhattan and deal with me? Trinity exposed me as a Keeper, but Rook thinks the general might be a Storm Caller. Will she believe that I’m one, too?
“Very well,” Summit says, eyeing me with a certain kind of interest. “You may go with him.”
“Thank you,” I say, and then the high commander and General Sol turn to leave, crossing the arena floor with purposeful strides.
They stop to speak with Faroe before they exit the arena together.
Their departure serves as a signal, as the cavern erupts into conversation while everyone tries to puzzle out what’s happening.
The medics pick up Rook and carry him to a different exit, while I walk between Sol’s Guards like a criminal, refusing to look back despite feeling the attention of the entire room on me.
I have the vague thought that Sol normally travels with six Guards, but today there are only four.
Because Rook and I killed two of them, I realize with a sick swirl in my stomach.
They came after us when we jumped from Amery’s roof, and then we cut the net.
With everything going on, it hasn’t been at the forefront of my thoughts.
Now all I can hear is the visceral crunch of their bodies hitting the pavement.
They died trying to stop us, and Sol found us anyway.
We enter a hospital wing and make a few turns before Rook is brought into a room with a bed and a heart monitor. Observation windows line the hall, and I spot Fisher lying on a bed with his eyes closed. Calliope sits slumped in a chair at his side, and she glares at me as I pass.
“Give us a moment to deal with him,” one of the medics says, turning to me. “You can see him once we’ve assessed his injuries.”
“Sure,” I say while two Circle Guards take up positions at each end of the hall, ensuring there’s no way for me or Rook to escape. I’m not sure what authority General Sol has over Rook, but I understand that I still belong to her.
A scuffle behind the Guards reveals Navy and Justin, both demanding entry to check on their brothers.
The Guards hesitate, but Navy keeps talking until they relent. I have a hunch that she hasn’t heard the word “no” very often.
“You okay?” Navy asks when she sees me, and I shrug.
“I have no idea.” I study the pair, so like Rook. “Do you know what your brother was doing in the city?”
They shake their heads. “We knew where he went, but his mission was classified.” She gives me a sly look. “Of course, you aren’t beholden to the same rules.”
I snort as she not-so-subtly digs for information.
“Leave her alone, Nav,” Justin says and then addresses me. “Don’t tell her anything. If you want to get on our dad’s good side, you’ll keep whatever you know to yourself.”
“I truly don’t know anything,” I say softly as I watch Rook’s lifeless, pallid face.
After checking on Fisher, they’re both silent as they each take a chair across from the observation window, leaving an empty seat between them.
The medics work on Rook, but there’s nothing to be gained by standing here. I turn around and settle into the empty chair, tucking my knees up under my chin while I wait.
About an hour later, one of the medics opens Rook’s door and gestures to us. “You can come in. He’s still sleeping from the sedative we gave him, but he’ll be fine when he wakes up, if a little sore.”
I unfold from my position, wincing at the ache in my stiff limbs. Navy, Justin, and I enter the small room, where the only light comes from a lamp in the corner.
Navy drops into the chair beside Rook and takes his hand. “I have no idea what you were thinking,” she says. “I get that you wanted to show off for your new girlfriend, but you knew Dad was gonna wipe the floor with you.”
“He was just trying to protect me when he killed the Whisper,” I say. “It wasn’t even his fault.”
“Rook would rather be punished every day of his life than let someone he loves get hurt if he has the power to stop it,” Navy says.
“He doesn’t love—”
“He does,” Navy says, interrupting me. “My brother has never spoken about someone the way he spoke about you last night.”
“He lied to me,” I say. The words come out raw, like a confession. “He deceived me. I get it for the most part. I understand why he couldn’t share everything, but he was there when someone important to me died, and he didn’t tell me.”
It feels good to say it out loud. I don’t know if I’ll ever see these people again once Sol has her way with me, which offers me a kind of absolution.
A moment to cleanse away this thing I’ve been carrying in my chest ever since I saw Rook in that blurry video of the night Raine was taken from my life.
“I’m sorry,” she says. “But he wouldn’t have done any of that without a reason. And he does care for you. Whatever happened between you, know that. I can see it.”
I nod, tears burning my eyes as I stare at Rook’s sleeping form. I care for him, too. More than care. I sigh and run a hand down my face.
“Excuse me,” someone says at the door. “Navy, Justin, your mother would like to see you.”
“Sure,” Navy says, sliding off the chair and walking over to me. She draws me into a hug. It catches me by surprise, but after a moment, I return it and give her a squeeze.
“We’ll see you later,” she says, and while I’m not so sure about that, I nod.
Once they’re gone, I’m left alone with a sleeping Rook. The general’s Circle Guards remain at each end of the hallway, and it’s clear I’m not going anywhere until it’s time to face her.
So I settle into the chair Navy just vacated, staring at Rook’s sleeping face.
They’ve cleaned up the blood, revealing a cut on his eyebrow and one on his lip.
His breathing is steady, and I reach over, taking his hand and feeling for his pulse.
I tuck back a lock of his hair, marveling at how beautiful he is.
I vow that when he wakes up, I’ll give him the chance to explain. I owe us both that.
Slowly, I lean down and press my lips softly to his, wishing he were awake. Wishing he could tell me what might happen next.
He moans softly, and I run my fingers over the curve of his cheekbone and down the line of his jaw. He needs a shave, I think idly as the stubble pricks the tips of my fingers. But I also like him like this.
Then, with his hand clutched tightly in mine, I settle back to wait for whatever fate has in store for us next.