Chapter 10 It Begins #2
He turns his head, those pale blue eyes locking onto me, and he frowns. “We don’t.”
“You are too in-sync. I don’t have a problem if you know each other, just don’t lie to me.”
He turns to me properly and ducks down so our heads are level. His eyes map over my face, and what he sees I don’t think he likes.
I’m panting and sweating, and I think I’m swaying, or the world is.
“Omega, I promise you, I have never met these two alphas before today, well, yesterday.”
I stare at him and swipe my tongue over my bottom lip as I try to decide whether I believe him or not. I sway and reach out, catching his shoulders so I don’t fall.
“It’s the way you move, the looks, your silent communication. You can’t think I’m an idiot,” I whisper, but the reason I’m asking is disappearing into smoke floating on the wind. “You’re going to kill me.”
I don’t know what I’m doing.
He reaches out to touch my cheek but stops and pulls his hand back.
“I do not know them. We probably move in similar ways because we’ve spent our whole lives being hunted, and we’re alphas—a part of us is instinctive, despite us wishing it were otherwise.
And killing you is the last thing I would ever do. ”
I stare at him, trying to believe him, but I’ve been wrong so many times before. Everyone I love dies, and anyone who knows me soon loses their life.
The cost is too high.
“I would not lie to you, Omega, not here. There is nothing to be gained by lying.”
“You don’t know each other?” My voice wobbles.
He shakes his head and smiles, and it takes my breath away. I don’t think Mordecai smiles much; if he did, he would know how potent it is and restrain himself.
“I know you don’t have any reason to yet, but you can trust us, Kaida.”
My eyes jump to his when he says my name. It’s said softly, low, like he’s teasing it out, tasting it.
Jarek jumps up onto a car, and rats race away, their skin wings unfolding as they leap into the air and soar.
“Ew, I hate those things,” Jarek snarls.
I lean against a metal box that’s tipped on its side and giggle. The three of them stare at me in concern, but I’m too wrapped up in watching the rats scurry away.
“The rats are omegas. Running for their lives.” I snort and double over, coughing hard enough that it sends stabbing pain into my lungs.
Mordecai stands up and gestures for me to go ahead of him. I do, skirting the rusted shell of the car just in case there are any more rats under there.
Jarek jumps off and tumbles in mid-air before landing gracefully. Cadel is in the shadows, watching intently.
“We’re not going to make it,” he says suddenly. “We need to hole up now.”
His urgency turns my blood icy. They explode into action, and I follow, knowing right now, I’m useless and a liability. Cadel leads, shoving open a door, revealing a huge marble-floored foyer covered in dirt and leaves. He grabs Jarek’s wrist and drags him through, his nostrils flaring.
He turns and kicks open another door, revealing the corpse of a woman clutching a man. They haven’t been dead long. Blood has dried on their wrists.
I swallow hard. It’s not like it isn’t an option. But it isn’t an option until all other options are gone. Not for me.
“I’m going to die,” I say calmly.
Cadel grabs my chin and forces my head up, staring intently into my eyes.
“No, you aren’t.”
I stare at him, so fierce and otherworldly.
“Okay. I won’t, then.” Another mad giggle escapes me.
Cadel curses as he lets me go. He’s careful to make sure I’m following as he leads us through the building, unerringly finding his way to a massive arched window that’s long since given up its glass. We step out, and he pauses before looking up and pointing to a single window.
“That room. If we need to, we can jump into this tree.”
I look at the tree in question. It’s huge, with branches that go in all directions and plenty of leaves. We would be hidden, but as I follow the branches, I see it leads onto the roof of the building we just came out of and goes to a third and fourth. Lots of escape routes.
“Hmm,” Jarek purrs. “I like the way your mind works, Cadel.”
I go to the building and pause when I realise that the bottom is completely blocked off. The only way to get to that window is via the tree.
He’s good.
I climb up and scurry easily up into the window, crouching and waiting to see if anyone pops out. Luckily, there is no one in here, alive or dead. I tumble through the window and land heavily with a groan of pain. It hurts so much.
I crawl to the wall and pull myself up so I’m sitting and wrap my arms around my legs. I can hear a scream from someone far away. It’s inside my mind and out.
The past and the now doubling over each other. Who is screaming? It’s everyone.
Mordecai lands next and turns to pull Jarek in. Cadel slips in easily and sits beside me, his thigh touching mine.
“You’re sick, Omega.”
“I know,” I whisper. “Don’t let me scream.”
At some point, it starts raining, and they carefully catch water in Jarek’s flask, and we drink sparingly, but as the hours creep by, the screams grow louder and closer.
There are a couple of times I become conscious of the alphas holding me still, hands wrapped across my mouth.
I expect they will leave me, and I fear sleeping because I don’t want to be alone anymore, but every time I open my eyes, the scent of these alphas is stronger than ever, and they are still here.
It becomes clear that whatever is going to happen, it’s going to be bad. Whatever I thought was the worst that could happen isn’t going to come close. Even in my illness, I realise my imagination couldn’t imagine how bad the Culling Grounds are going to be.
A scream comes from outside and travels up the street. I want to look out the window; I want to hide. Cadel puts a hand on my thigh. I lean into the rich scent of him, letting it soothe me, while I try not to cry.
I hurt so much. Inside and out.
Jarek silently crosses the small room and sits on my other side. He takes my hand and strokes it.
And I know it’s stupid, I know it’s dumb to be thinking about it right now, but I can’t believe I’m going to die and not find out what happened to my family. I’m never going to know.
Did she hate me at the end?
Did she scream for me?
Is my mother’s body lying in the grass down below this window? Is she in a hidden room just waiting to be opened?
I’m never going to know.
I didn’t expect it to hurt so much.
The screams and darkness mix together, and I fall willingly into it.