Chapter 16
One of the Conclave goons is up in my face.
—Nymph?—
—LU?—
“I said,” the guard sneers, “are you the student who rooms in the basement?”
Thank Gods my janitor is safe.
“Are you listening, girl?” the black-clad stormtrooper yells.
Shit. “Er, yes.”
“Then unlock the door, or we break it down and you are reported for being uncooperative."
—The guards want into the basement, Alexis. What do I do?—
—Feign ignorance if they find the girl. I’m trying to get out of here, but Communis is still being searched…tell Max to make another diversion—
—MAX! The guards are going to find the kid…I don’t know what you can do, but we need to distract them—
—On it—
I do an extremely slow job of unlocking the door; first by dropping the key, then by breaking down and crying with ‘nerves’.
Gods, we need a miracle.
“What’s the problem, remedial?” When I’m threatened with a stun gun, I know I can’t delay any longer.
“Sorry,” I say, pushing the door open. “I’m such an emotional klutz.”
The soldier shoves past me, his boots thumping down heavily on the wooden stair treads. Taking a deep breath, I quietly follow.
If he finds the kid, I’m going to have to do something drastic.
Not sure what, but hopefully the Lumina will have an idea.
My bedroom door gets torn open.
From where I’m positioned at the bottom of the steps, I see the man toss my bed then grunt. He storms out and marches toward the shower. As he pulls the plastic curtain, hooks go flying.
Thanks, dude.
Finally, he starts going around the basement room perimeter. When his hand reaches for the corrugated metal sheet that hides the tunnel, my breath hitches. I’m ready to launch myself at his back, to claw at his eyes—anything to stop him—when his radio crackles.
“Disturbance in west gardens. All units respond.”
My stomach flips. Thank Gods.
The man swivels on his heel, spotting me for the first time. “Back in line,” he barks, pushing past me then speaking into his own mic. “All clear in the basement.”
Feeling like I’ve just aged several decades, I rejoin Willow to stand meekly with the rest of Defectivum.
We watch in silence as the guards withdraw. The lead Peacekeeper pauses to remind Bilderblast of the curfew. “Don’t let anyone leave. Any breaches will be on your head.”
The little professor puffs out his chest. “Enough, young man. You’ve cleared this house, any further rudeness is entirely uncalled for.”
Whoa, the balls on him!
Bilderblast stares at the guard not backing down, until the big man grunts a ‘whatever’ and heads out to join the rest of his unit.
All of us duds breathe a sigh of communal relief.
“Alright, kids,” the Defectivum head says, clapping his hands, “excitement over. Try to keep calm and carry on, as they say. I know you’ve missed dinner, so I’ll arrange to have food sent over from the kitchens. Pizza, I think. We can all eat our emotions.”
As the rest of the students shuffle off looking shell-shocked, I grab Willow’s arm, and we bolt for the basement stairs, stumbling in our haste.
That poor little thing must be terrified.
Stepping around a mess of broken mugs and spilled hot chocolate, we race to where she’s hidden.
“It’s just us,” I call softly, putting my hands on the metal and beginning to drag it aside.
“THEO!” Willow shrieks. I look up to see a huge, black-clad soldier coming out the gloom of the tunnel
And he’s holding the girl.
"Let her go!" I scream, my Lumina sparking violently at my fingertips. Can I burn him with it?
And not hurt the kid?
The soldier doesn't reach for a weapon. He doesn't move to strike.
Instead, he slowly reaches up to his helmet, then pulls the black visor up.
Long, snow-white hair spills over the tactical suit's dark collar. Then beautiful mismatched eyes meet mine—tired, pained, but unmistakably his.
"Ludo," I breathe, the tension draining out of me so fast my knees nearly buckle. Willow lets out a sob. “Thank Gods.”
The little girl is tucked against Ludo’s chest, her small hands clutching the webbing of his vest. —Nymph. She is safe.—
Willow and I run forward, Willow bundling the girl into her arms, while I throw my arms around Ludo. He smells like smoke and blood and sucks in a breath as I cling to him.
“Are you hurt?”
—It’s nothing— He drops the helmet, and it clatters on the rocky tunnel floor. In the next breath, Ludo lifts me up, bringing my face level with his.—Nymph—
He buries his face in my hair for a moment then pulls back. Our lips are a millimeter apart as our breath mingles.
And then they meet.
At first, Ludo just gently brushes his mouth against mine, tentative, almost questioning. My breath hitches as he traces the seam of my lips with his tongue.
A beat later that changes.
This kiss is hard and needy; it’s the best feeling in the world, a desperate affirmation of life and connection. It’s a physical shockwave.
A burst of golden-lilac light erupts from my center, catching us both in its maelstrom. My veins feel like they’re being filled with liquid stars and the connection between Ludo and I snaps into a solid, unbreakable bridge of pure energy that feeds on our relief and our love.
Winding my arms tighter around his neck, I feel his hard length between us.
—Want—
—Need—
—Love—
I open my eyes, and his lids raise at the same moment.
Ludo’s pupils are blown with desire as we gaze at each other.
Ludo. My Ludo.
We press impossibly closer, smashing our bodies together until I can’t tell where I end and he starts.
And that’s just how I want it to be.
Time slows. The purest, most exquisite feeling enters my heart and I know this moment will stay with me forever. My soul hums with the rightness of it all.
I don’t know how long we kiss, but eventually he pulls back, a look of utter wonder on his face.
—I love you, my Nymph, now and every second until the universe collapses. But even then, I love you. My atoms will seek yours in the deepest, darkest, nothingness, and together we will be whole—This I vow—
“Ludo, Gods, Ludo…I love you more than you can even imagine,” I whisper back. “Never leave me again.”
—Never, Nymph—
Again, his mouth moves towards mine. Our tongues touch, caress, dance together.
—How have I been blessed like this, Nymph?—
A moan escapes my throat and I find myself grinding against Ludo’s hardness.
—Want—everything—
Eventually, our frenzied kissing draws to a close.
—Your safety above my desires, always, Nymph—
He looks over my head, keeping me shielded in the circle of his arms.
—The gryphon is arriving. He will want to plan—
With a heavy sigh, I lean my head on Ludo’s shoulder. “I wish we could stay longer in this moment. Make time stop for us.”
—Our time is coming, but for now we make a future where children can live without fear—
???
Alexis hands me a slice of oily cheese pizza, followed by a paper napkin.
The normalcy of the small action allows my brain and body to kick it down a notch. The past hour has gone from fright, to fight, to fuck, with barely a pause.
“Mmmm.” A small satisfied noise escapes from the girl.
Ludo meets my eye.
—She’s eating. That is good—
—Very—
“So, did Cosmo get back to Electus OK?” I ask Alexis.
“Yes, just as all the mayhem Max made took place.”
That makes me grin. “So put us out of our misery, Lex. What did our hound do to get all the guards rushing out of here?”
Alexis smirks. “The guards got a report that Ludo had been spotted around Electus.” He takes a slow bite of his pizza, eyes dancing with amusement.
“Apparently, there’s an Elite kid on the second floor who is into anime and cosplay.
Max broke down his door and liberated a long, flowing white wig from the student’s costume collection.
Then he went sprinting through the Tower gardens, smashing a few urns and planters as he went. ”
Willow snorts into her soda. “Maximus went full ‘Pale Beast’ mode.”
Alexis nods. “He ran through the shadows near the North gate, letting that white hair stream behind him like a ghost. The whole unit of guards charged after him.”
I smile, imagining a Benny Hill scene.
“They spent twenty minutes tactically surrounding part of the holly hedge, because Max had stuck the wig on a statue of Pan, then placed it behind some bushes. By the time they realized what was up, Max was back in the penthouse drinking whisky.”
“Oh my Gods.” Hilarious. And clever.
And brave.
Ludo lets out a huff of breath beside me.
—The hound would never be able to carry off magnificent hair like mine—
I smile at Ludo’s words, then notice the child has finished her slice. Her eyes are sleepy and half-closed. “Let’s get her into bed,” I say softly.
“I’ll do it,” Willow replies, bending down and scooping the kid into her arms. “You all still have stuff to discuss.”
“Thanks.” She’s not wrong.
“What happened to you, Lu? How did you get out?”
Ludo gives me the mental run down of his escape with Cosmo’s aid, then I repeat it aloud.
“We have to hope none of this blows back on him,” Alexis sighs. “He took a large risk.”
“It was one hundred percent worth it,” I growl, taking Ludo’s hand in mine.
Alexis doesn’t reply, but instead directs a question to Ludo. “You got the little girl out, but did you see other prisoners down there? More children?”
Ludo shakes his head.
Hmm. I look between my janitor and my professor, two men I love, and pour Lumina into our telepathic connection.
—Try talking to each other—
Alexis raises an eyebrow. “Really?”
“Won’t know until you try.”
—Ludo?—
—Gryphon—
“Whoa,” the professor mouths. “Nice work, pulu.”
—There were only six cells in the facility. I overheard someone talking about how the girl was to be sold. They said someone called Regan Grieves was involved in the sale—
An involuntary shudder runs through my body. “So they sell the kids after they’ve used them for the fucked up ascension. But where are they kept before they’re turned into dark energy stores?”
“We’ll find wherever it is,” Alexis scowls. “I promise.”
“And we have to figure out what to do with our little guest,” I add, nodding towards the bedroom. “We can’t hide her away down here forever.”
And I’m supposed to play the docile little doll for the next few weeks. “It’s too much,” I murmur. “How are we supposed to do this? Gods, guys. Does anyone else feel like we are on a runaway train headed for a giant crash?”
I feel panic building up in my chest.
—Breathe, Nymph—
—Yeah, relax, my pulu. One thing at a time—
—Fine, so what first?—
“The girl,” Alexis says out loud. “Where can she go?”
Willow exits the bedroom, gently closing the door behind her. “Actually, I have a thought about that. My parents.”
“Huh?”
“My folks. They’re good eggs, honestly. And they’re not big Conclave fans. I think they’d leap at the chance to help the kid and stick it to the man in one go.”
Hmmm.
“Well, I trust you to the ends of the earth, Wills, so if you think it’s a good idea, I’m on board. What do you two think?”
Alexis shrugs. “It could be the answer, but getting her there is going to be a challenge. Ludo?”
—They are strangers—
—Not to Willow, and we have faith in her—
He crosses his arms, looking mulish.
“What other choice do we have? She can’t grow up hidden in the tunnels down here.”
—I did—
Oh, my sweet giant.
—But I believe in your judgment, Nymph—
—Are you sure?—
He nods.
“OK, Wills. Let’s try and figure this out.”
“I’m on it,” she says. “You all have a world to save, leave the girl to me.”
“How did I get so lucky to have a best friend like you?” I ask.
“Yes. Thank you, Willow,” Alexis says, pulling me into his arms. I rest my head against his chest and a massive wave of weariness takes me over. I try to stifle my yawns but it’s basically impossible. “You need rest, pulu.”
“Not yet. There’s still so much to plan.”
—The gryphon is correct…sleep now. Tomorrow will bring problems that require a fresh mind—
I look up at my bestie. She looks wiped as well. “Go sleep, Wills. I’ll keep an eye on our baby.”
“No chance. I’ll run up and grab some pjs. We’ll squish in your little cot tonight. Gonna be cozy.”
—Tell your friend thank you. I will sleep in here and keep guard—
“You need to keep in hiding, Lu. What if there’s another search?”
—I’ll add another bolt to the door. No one will get through—
“I don’t want to leave but I must.” Alexis looks at me sadly. “I’ll feel better if Ludo stays with you. Get some sleep, and we’ll talk more tomorrow.”
I don’t fight them on this. We are all exhausted.
Alexis’s phone chirps. He takes it out, then groans.
“What now?”
“Crankshawe wants to see me in her office, now.”
“Trouble?”
“Administration bullshit more like,” he sighs. “Goodnight, pulu. Please sleep well.”
I see Alexis and Ludo meet eyes, a look passing between them.
—I’ll keep them safe— Ludo projects into our shared link.
—I know you will— Alexis replies.