Page 31 of Cherished By the Alien Outlaw

My heart beat so fast, it was going to slam its way through my chest. Freedom was close, but the three Veerenads were determined to ruin this opportunity.

The door at the end of the hall banged open, and guards stormed toward Brax. Snarling, he kicked out and punched those rushing him, his tail smacking one of them into the front of our cell. His punch sent a guard reeling backward. But there were too many of them. En masse, they tackled him to the stone floor in a pile of limbs. A blow to Brax's head made him slump, and when they climbed off him, breathing fast, he lay slumped on the stone, his head lolling back and his blank stare pointed to the ceiling. Unconscious?

Or dead.

The guards snarled at all of us, and we slunk to thebunk, sitting. They dragged Brax into his cell and locked it again, taking the pryer with them. The door banged shut at the end of the hall, and quiet descended once more.

So close.

As if someone had plunged their fist into my chest, latched onto my heart, and crushed it, I slumped against the wall. The defeat I felt . . .

What were we going to do now? Tears prickled in the backs of my eyes, but I did not allow myself to cry. One step forward, followed by two back, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t rush forward again.

Firion squeezed my hand, but he didn’t speak. If I knew my mate, he was thinking, planning, plotting. This was not the end. We were getting out of here no matter what.

Firion’s jaw was set with determination as he turned and pressed his palm against the cold stone wall. I watched, barely breathing, as he closed his eyes and began humming, the tones soft and altering in pitch. Each subtle sound seemed to ripple through the rock, vibrating in my bones, stirring something ancient and powerful. I didn’t know if this was a true god—how could it be? –but what I did know was that there was a force at work here that wanted to help us.

The only sound in our cell was Firion’s deep humming, but I could feel the weight of anticipation barreling down on me, mingling with the terror I’d become used to living with. If this didn’t work . . . I squeezed my eyes shut, focusing on his voice to drownout the whispers of doubt nipping at my confidence. A bead of sweat trickled down my face, leaving me shivering in its wake.

Firion’s brow furrowed in concentration, and his body went rigid, as if the mere act of speaking to the stone god required every bit of his attention.

Then he stopped.

Silence settled, thick and heavy in the frigid room.

Across the hall, Brax’s shadow remained on the floor. Was he alive or had they murdered our friend?

Firion’s eyes fluttered open, and he nodded toward me. He shifted around to face forward again, his expression guarded. My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to meet his gaze.

“Watch and wait,” he whispered, his voice low and measured. “I think something’s going to happen, though I don’t know what.”

I wanted to believe him. Needed to believe him. This could be our only chance.

Brax shifted on the floor, and his low moan rang out. Alive. We had to help him. Guilt gnawed on my bones. He got injured trying to help us escape. I assumed he’d planned to go with us, but would he have tried if we weren’t here?

A low thud rang out behind me, and I spun, my pulse hammering through my veins.

A metal key lay on the bunk, a key that hadn’t been there seconds ago. My breath caught, relief mingling with disbelief. It had worked. The stone god had answered.

Adrenaline shot through me. I grabbed the key in trembling hands, turning to Firion. He gave me a sharp nod, not needing to say a word.

Together, we moved to the front of the cell. My heart thundered and when we stood by the door, I handed Firion the key. The silence was deafening, the tension a force pressing down on my shoulders as he inserted it into the lock. For one terrifying second, time stretched on forever.

With a faint click, the lock released.

A gasp escaped my lips, and I pressed my palm to my mouth to hold my excitement back. This could be our new beginning or our doom.

Without wasting a second, Firion swung the door open. The whispers of the other prisoners immediately filled the hallway. They surged forward, hands outstretched, some clawing at the bars of their cells. Their muted cries were filled with desperation. Had anyone ever escaped this mine?

“Please,” one of them hissed, his eyes wild, his clawed hand stretched through the bars. “Give us the key. Don’t leave us here.”

Firion hesitated, his eyes flitting to me. My heart ached for them, but I knew the odds. One misstep, and we’d all be caught.

“We’ll help those we can,” I whispered. “But we need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

We rushed to Brax’s cell. My skin crawled with terror as Firion slid the key into the lock. I kept watch, waiting for the door at the end of the hall to slam open and forguards to rush through. For the three to realize what was happening and start banging on the bars.

The guards would slam us to the floor like they had with Brax, and I wasn’t confident we’d survive their attack.

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