Page 27 of Hell Storm

I slipped into the dark clothing and grabbed a pair of soft-soled shoes from the floor of the closet. Once both hands of the clock pointed toward the ceiling, it was go-time.

Following the same path I traveled the night before, I left my room for what I hoped would be the final time. I descended the broad staircase that reminded me of a waterfall spilling into the foyer. It seemed to take forever to finally reach the first floor, and the entire way down, my heart threatened to burst through my chest.

The house was eerily quiet. Reaching the moonlit corridor, I honestly considered turning around as fear took me in its grasp. The same concerns flitted through my mind as before, and just like last time, I ignored them.

My steps were painstakingly slow as I crossed, counting the seconds it took to reach the staff kitchen, praying like never before no one would be there once I made it.

Like Levi.

Hopefully, he had his fill of wine at dinner, and was in his room for the night.

I didn’t hesitate at the stone archway like I had before. This time, I had a one track mind.

Escaping.

A quick skim of a few cabinets and the duffle bag was full. I topped it off with some fresh fruit I recalled sitting in a bowl on the center island. Liv, especially, would appreciate that.

I tiptoed toward the far corner where I remembered spotting the door. Quietly, I turned the lock and disengaged it before pulling gently. The door crept open, and my pulse quickened yet again when I took in the sight of the inky-black abyss that awaited me. But what unnerved me most, was the thought that the darkness wasn’t theonlything that waited for me across that threshold.

Were there hellhounds assigned to patrol the tunnels?

Was there heavy security down there just in case?

Suddenly, I wished I had thought about these things before, but had reached the point of no return. As insane as this plan was, my mind was made up already.

Just go for it, Cori. Never seeing your family again is the worst thing that could happen. Not death.

My palm pressed into the wall as I descended the short staircase. This was the beginning of a blind journey through Julian’s pitch-black tunnel system. A tunnel system I had never walked before, had never scouted.

Fifteen minutes in, a heavy sense of regret took my breath away. I imagined myself getting lost down here, being discovered the next morning when a team was sent to find me. If that happened, it wouldn’t matter that Julian, Levi and I had formed some semblance of a bond. I’d likely be out of lifelines and would face harsh punishment like the Ianites seemed to think I deserved.

The walls felt like they were closing in and I had to stop, at least for a moment. A loud thud echoed through the void when I set down the bag. It felt like I’d suffocate if I didn’t pause to catch my breath.

Pull it together.

You’ve been in tough spots before and you came out every time.

This is no different.

My breathing slowed and the sense of being stalked through the darkness subsided a bit. It struck me that, if I wanted this to be over quickly, I’d have to pick up the pace. Running with one hand bracing the wall to my right, and the other outstretched before me, I covered a lot more ground. The tunnel wound in different directions, but there were no hard turns, no decisions to turn right or left. I was grateful for that, seeing as how I hadn’t thought to nab candles or a flashlight. As I pressed forward, I was keenly aware of the moment the sound around me changed. My steps echoed a little less and the air, in general, felt denser. If I wasn’t mistaken, the ground was steadily sloping upward, which meant I was close to resurfacing.

That was worth celebrating.

A broad smile stretched across my face and I felt a small inkling of pride from having made it this far, one step closer to freedom. That broad smile nearly turned into laughter when a thin sliver of light seeped beneath a door in the distance.

I was close.

So, so close.

A brisk jog turned into a full-on sprint then, and the bag I carried felt weightless with a sudden surge of adrenaline. More light framed the door as I got closer and I knew this had to be it. During my visit to Julian’s garage with Elle, she shared that the tunnel entrance there led to the staff kitchen. With no turns or subsequent tunnels to throw me off, I knew I’d gotten this right.

A pang of guilt hit me when I thought of her—Elle. She’d been so kind, so trusting, she didn’t think twice about giving up what seemed like innocent palace secrets. In another life, in a world much kinder than ours, she and I would have been friends. I meanrealfriends. Not the kind where one had to consider the other as more of a resource than a confidant. As terrible as I felt using her kindness against her, it was the only way to come by the valuable information that made this escape possible.

Knowing I’d likely never get the chance to explain why I betrayed her trust, I whispered a quick apology as I reached for the knob and crossed the threshold into the garage.

The array of bikes excited me as much now as thefirsttime I’d been here. They were all tempting, but I hadn’t forgotten the beauty I spotted yesterday—a solid black beast I could practically feel purring beneath me.

If I was going to risk my life, it may as well be on a sexy bike like that.

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