Page 27 of Angel Captive

I grabbed the arm around my throat with my free hand, trying to pry him off me.

Charred knocked my arm down, stomping on my hand and smashing the device along with my fingers.

The freed guards rushed me. Their bodies crashing into mine with punches and kicks. I swung with my uninjured hand, but they shot me with tranqs. I jerked my head in Riley’s direction, silently telling her to run, to not look back.

Tears spilled down her cheeks and it killed me to see her pain.

“Fucking cunt,” Charred spat in my face.

I couldn’t even wipe his spit away with the half dozen Roulex holding me down and the tranq starting to take effect.

“Now I’m going to teach your bitch a lesson and let you watch when you wake up.” Charred turned toward Riley, stalking toward her.

“Run, Riley,” I yelled.

She screamed; her hands trembled as she yanked out another wire.

I fought to get free, to reach her.Riley!My strength was gone, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open as the drug pulled me under to darkness.

17

Riley

“Xaden!” Tears clogged my throat as he went still under the Roulex guards.

“Come here, girl,” Charred said in a snide voice that made my skin crawl.

My gaze shifted past him to Xaden.Please let him be okay.

“If you obey me, I promise I’ll have them be lenient on both of you.”

I didn’t trust him for a moment, but how could I leave Xaden with these monsters? I squeezed my eyes tight for a moment. If I was pregnant and didn’t take this opportunity to save myself and the baby, I would never forgive myself. And I knew that Xaden wouldn’t either. There would always be part of him that would resent me for giving his enemy what they wanted—the key to destroying his people.

As much as it hurt, I knew I couldn’t do that.

I snapped my eyes open and touched the black wire to the blue. The elevator door dinged open.

Charred’s scaled face went from faking being open and hospitable to shocked. It was an amazing sight. I ducked into the elevator, swearing to be back as soon as I could to rescue Xaden. Hell, to rescue everyone here.

“Stop,” Charred shouted, his boots pounding on the stone floor.

But I had already rigged the elevator to open once on that level. They’d have to repair it to get it working again.Xaden.Oh God, I couldn’t believe I’d left him back there. I swallowed the lump throbbing in my throat.

The elevator rose past another floor and I inhaled deeply, my mind racing over what Xaden had told me about the prison. He thought there were a dozen floors with ours being the first-level basement, so to speak. There were more guards the higher the prison went, especially if they had any more Angelimir. He’d told me there were two others of his kind captured after him, but they’d escaped before I showed up. What if there were more? And the Roulex could have other aliens here which required extra guards.

Should I get off on a different floor in case the top floor was overrun with guards?

No, stick to the plan.

From the information I’d gotten from Xaden, this was the best way. There should be fewer guards and a shuttle I could take out of here.

With a ding, the elevator stopped, and then the doors opened. I held my breath, peeking down one way and then the other. Three guards stood to the left laughing as one of them reenacted someone with a hobbled leg.

I shimmied against the wall; my back pressed to the stones. All I had to do was reach the end of the hall to the stairwell, which would take me up to the roof and the shuttle launch. Any access codes I could bypass and rewire.

This would be perfect if Xaden was with me. My stomach cramped, but I kept pushing forward. Once I got out of here, I could get help for him—for everyone.

Voice echoed around the corner and I pressed behind a boulder carved into a square column. Six Roulex guards drifted down the hall toward my hiding place. One of them turned my way and I held my breath. Could they hear my heart hammering in my throat?

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