Page 99 of The Cult

Tobias’s body was pressed against mine. I could smell his sweet breath, his skin, his sweat. His mismatched eyes burned. I could feel his heartbeat, each pulse mending a small piece of my broken soul.

He cupped my cheeks with his rough hands and brought our faces together. His lips found mine.

I opened my mouth to give him full access. I was expecting the kiss to be rough, but he surprised me with his tenderness.

Tobias took his time, like he was cherishing each moment. His lips momentarily left mine and traveled to the tip of my nose, my cheeks—both sides—then back to my lips. I moaned when his pierced tongue found mine. I never knew that a small orb and a gentle kiss could be so erotic.

My body hummed as we explored each other’s mouths. I gasped when his hard cock pressed against mine. My hunger for Tobias would never be satisfied. He pulled away and I couldn’t miss the war battling in his eyes. He closed them before shaking his head.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “Tobias, open your eyes.” I reached for his face and caressed his cheek.

He leaned into my touch. Then placed his hand over mine.

“Talk to me,” I urged.

He didn’t utter any words, but his stare was doing all the talking.

“Please?”

His breathing quickened, and, for a moment, I thought he’d walk away, but he didn’t. Instead, he leaned his forehead against mine, took another deep breath, and finally spoke. “I’m scared.”

“You are?” I was stunned by his admission. I didn’t think he got scared. He was an assassin and the bravest person I knew. “Scared of what?” We were so close our breaths mingled into one.

“I’m scared of you and what you’re doing to me.” Tobias caged me with his arms. “It scares me that I don’t think of Aurora and my past when I’m with you.”

“You’d never have to forget your past to have a future. I’d never make you choose. I’ll always be here for you,” I said, planting a chaste kiss on his supple red lips.

He closed his eyes. “I know, and that’s the problem.” He pushed his body off me and turned away. “Get some rest. We need to figure out a plan in the morning,” he said before walking away.

I remained planted where he left me for the longest time.

***

I peeked into the empty hallway. The commotion seemed to have subsided; it was finally safe to talk without looking over our shoulders. Around me were Two, Four, Seven, Twelve, and Nineteen, all eyes on me.

“So, when can we leave?” Twelve asked. “Did you tell them the fight was tomorrow?” His face was drawn with dread and trepidation. I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t know how many of us would survive once we stepped into the arena. “What did Five say?” Five was Joshua, our leader. He was the one organizing our escape from the inside while working with our connection outside. There was no easy way to let them know what we discovered last night.

I sighed. “The guys are gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” Seven asked, frowning.

“The barracks were empty when we got there. No guards either.” I strode to my bunk bed to grab the phone under my pillow. “They must’ve left in a hurry because their room was a mess and they left this.” I showed them the old cell phone.

Their mouths dropped simultaneously.

“Do you think they left without us?” Two asked.

“I don’t think so. They would never leave without us, and especially without this phone,” I replied. This was our lifeline; without it, we’d be lost.

The guys exchanged concerned glances. “Let’s turn it on, maybe they left clues for us or something.”

I was grieving last night and checking the messages didn’t even cross my mind. I turned on the device, my hands shaking with anticipation. We held our breath as the screen lit up. I entered the passcode and we waited a few seconds for the phone to connect to the network, but, to our dismay, there were no new messages since last week.

We delved into reading the old messages on the off chance we’d find something that could help us determine where the guys had gone. Every now and then, one of us would mutter a curse under their breath or let out a frustrated sigh.

“And Orcus killed my dad.” Just mentioning that my dad was gone made me see red.

“What?” Two asked.

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