4. Luna #2
Sawyer rubs at his jaw, a chuckle escaping that has no humor to it. Only defeat. “Trust me, I’ve tried.”
For a moment, a naive moment, my heart pauses. I almost gasp to reawaken it.
He tried?
Then I remember his face while he looked out at the people doing yoga, the fake smile that looked devastatingly real.
He’s lying again. Duh.
To discourage me?
My arms cross over my chest, palms running up and down my triceps. “What do you mean you’ve tried?” My mouth stays open while I search for the right question, not for an answer but for a tell. Something to convince myself I’m not losing my mind, reading his behavior—his expressions wrong.
Adrenaline screams assess the danger.
My brain says he’s it.
But my gut has no words.
“Did they put you in a cell too?” I ask, just fast enough to cut off whatever words were about to slip through those parted lips.
“No.” He slides his palms on his knees, chest expanding like he’s getting ready to give terrible news.
“That’s only for the women… You’re the first to escape by the way, so kudos.
Usually, new female members are kept isolated for a month before they see any other part of the compound.
But now that you’ve seen it, I’m guessing they’ll let you skip that part. ”
I stare into his eyes, my heart beating out of control, faster than when we were running. Call it fear or anxiety or dread; whatever it is sinks into the pit of my stomach until my knees wobble.
He’s lying.
The cell was new—I am certain of it. There were no other women kept there.
But I can’t see it in his eyes. There’s no tell in his expression, none that I’ve learned. And that alone scares me more than waking alone in the dark depths of a cave ever could.
This man is dangerous. And he’s currently unreadable.
How does one analyze what they cannot see?
“Members of what?” I ask, out of breath yet standing still.
“The Shadow Sanctum,” he says, uselessly.
“I’ll explain everything, but for the moment it’s important that you understand you’re safe as long as you do what’s asked of you.
You can’t run. There’s no leaving. And they will hurt you if you try.
” He holds up the hand with the burn. “This was from my second attempt.”
He looks away as if it’s suddenly hard to meet my eyes. Fake, my brain screams, but the contraction in his neck is convincing. “As soon as you integrate into their society, things will get better for you. I promise you that. You don’t want the initiation process to take too long.”
I scrunch my forehead so much it feels exaggerated. “Initiation process?”
He opens his mouth, but it just hangs when an angry voice calls his name from down the hall. Sawyer’s eyes widen as he grips my arm and jerks me behind him, a gasp whistling through my teeth. The protective gesture is so sudden, so seemingly instinctive, I almost believe it.
A human storm wearing the same black outfit as the men we left behind bursts through the beaded curtain, his face an angry shade of red. His gaze finds me, and I back away, hands slapping the dresser as I bump into it.
When he speaks, he spews so much venom at Sawyer, I cringe. “Who the hell do you think you are?”
Sawyer’s hands raise in surrender while I cower.
“Look at her, Thorne.” Sawyer gestures over his shoulder. “She’s scared.”
“She’s an initiate. She’s supposed to be.”
Thorne goes to shove past Sawyer, but Sawyer squares his shoulders as he blocks the ball of rage from getting to me.
“Move,” Thorne growls.
“No.”
No?
“I am not going to let you do to her what you did to the last one. It’s cruel and unnecessary,” Sawyer adds.
“She has to be trained.”
“And she will be. In time. When she’s ready.” Sawyer speaks with confidence so convincing, I forget I shouldn’t believe him. My heart skips at the thought until I can ground myself in reality.
I am Luna Cox. Nobody could ever train me.
“No.” Thorne gives his head an angry shake. “Aurelius wants it done now. Her purification ceremony is in a week.”
“That isn’t enough time.”
“It isn’t up to you,” Thorne spits back, knocking Sawyer’s shoulder as he barrels through him. I hold up my hands and slam my eyes shut as Thorne nears me, a squeak popping from my mouth.
“Stop!”
Thorne grips my arm and yanks me toward him while Sawyer protests at his side.
“Please, just give her some time.”
“There is no time!” Thorne booms. “We have three Seraphs coming within days of each other… Now get out of my way.”
Sawyer flies backward with a forceful shove from Thorne, knocking into the bed. My eyes find Sawyer’s as I’m dragged toward the exit.
“Sawyer,” I cry out because I don’t know what else to do.
One week.
Ceremony.
Purification.
So many words with little context given. Is that on purpose? Do they want me confused?
My mind stumbles, struggling to catch up. There’s so much on the line that for a moment, I feel overwhelmed and want nothing more than to click my heels together and disappear.
Then I remember that every move counts. Every response from here on out will add up to a future I’ll have to live with.
My mind clearing, I shift my focus to physical responses, my heels digging into tiled floor, my breaths coming in pants.
Thorne hauls me halfway out the doorway when Sawyer calls to our backs.
“I’ll do it.”
Thorne stops, my body tensing as his grip on my arm tightens. My eyes hold Sawyer’s as he looks at me with a regretful expression.
Thorne turns to stare down Sawyer. “You’ll do it? What the hell do you know about training a Seraph?”
“I’ll get it done. You have my word.” Sawyer stands straight, his chin raising with bone-chilling conviction.
“Your word…”
“Yes.”
Thorne releases me, but I don’t dare move. When he laughs, it’s menacing. “You actually think you could do it?”
Sawyer nods, his face appearing pained.
“Would you bet your life on it?” The intrigue in Thorne’s tone hints at sadistic humor.
Sawyer looks at me with a sad apology in his frown. It takes him seconds to speak like he wants to change his mind, but finally, he says, “Yes.”
Thorne laughs as he shoves me toward Sawyer. I stumble into his arms where he catches me and holds on with a hug I lean into.
“You’re an idiot,” Thorne says. “But I’m glad. I look forward to watching you fail.”
Sawyer doesn’t respond, but I can feel his uncertainty in the tense way he holds me. He seems genuinely afraid, which scares me even more. I don’t fully understand it until I realize what it meant when he said he’d bet his life.
He’s saying if he fails, he’s prepared to die. That it’s both our lives on the line.
This man doesn’t even know me. And he expects me to believe that?
Do I believe that?
“You’d better get started.” I flinch at the bite to Thorne’s words. “Now.”