Page 102 of Victoria's Discovery

They jerked into action, circling the cell, looking for an opening while Snitch flew to the top of the cage. Facing Thegan, she searched what she could see of his body, looking for wounds, but found nothing. He was acting like he’d been drugged, but he didn’t appear hurt otherwise.

“Crik!” Vi’kail cursed sharply, making her jump. “There’s no opening. Thorn, look for a device: this big; silver.”

Victoria’s heart was pounding out of her chest, anxiety and urgency making her hands shake. They had to get him out of there.Now. Before whoever had done this came back.

Whohaddone this to him? Catty? That was Victoria’s first instinct, but she had no proof. It could’ve been anyone.

The idea that there could be people living in the complex capable of such barbarity shook her to her core. She knew these people, spoke with them every day, worked with them, helped them, cared for them. Why would anyone do this to Thegan?

The danger was supposed to be outside their walls, not in them. This was supposed to be a haven, a refuge, the epicenter of the slave uprising. A place of freedom and safety in a world of slavery and horror.

“Here!” Thorn barked, running back into the room, a small, silver device held in his hand.

Releasing a shuddering breath, Victoria turned back to Thegan, barely registering Snitch landing on her shoulder. “We’re gonna get you out, baby. It’s going to be okay.”

She knew he couldn’t hear her, but he raised his head just enough that she could see his glassy eyes through the fall of his hair. She tried to smile reassuringly, but it was shaky, and her eyes were full of tears. His mouth moved again. She couldn’t decipher the words, but he looked likehewas trying to reassureher. A sob caught in her throat. Of course he was trying to reassure her, even drugged and caged, because this was Thegan. He was one of the warmest, most caring, most protective people she’d ever met.

She loved him.

“C’mere, little flower. You hav’ta move away so I can open it.”

Scrambling back on her knees, she waited, barely breathing as Vi’kail did something with the device in his hands. Like magic, the glass on the front of the cage seemed to ripple before parting in the middle, forming an opening.

Thegan tumbled through, landing on the floor with a grunt.

Victoria started to rush to him, wanting to check on him, touch him, reassure herself he was okay, but the guys beat her there, hauling him roughly to his feet and slinging his arms over their shoulders.

She bit her lip to hold back a demand they be gentle, knowing they were right. They had to get out of there. She could take care of him as soon as they were safe. And then she’d find the fucking bastards who’d done this and… and… lock them in a stasis chamber.

Victoria had never wished to be more like Aria than in that moment. She wanted to be able to kill whomever had done this, to make sure they couldn’t ever hurt someone else, but she knew herself. She didn’t think she was capable of killing.

Scrambling to her feet, she rushed to follow them out of the room only to slam into Thorn’s back when he jerked to a sudden stop.

“Wha—”

“So, you found my plaything. Ah well, I knew I should have waited, but I have never been good at denying myself.”

Victoria jerked at the voice, her heart seizing in her chest before fiery rage poured through her.

Catty.

She saw Thegan raise his head slightly, a low, angry growl vibrating through him, echoed by Snitch on her shoulder. Without any warning, Thorn and Vi’kail launched into motion, Thegan a step behind them, unsteady on his feet but moving with more speed than she would’ve thought him capable. Snitch launched himself off of her, growing to the size of a Great Dane in the blink of an eye mid-air, wings flared wide, claws outstretched, ready to rend flesh.

Victoria caught a glimpse of at least seven males flanking Catty and reached for the dagger Thorn had given her, ready to fight, only to realize she’d dropped it when she saw Thegan.

Whipping around, she spotted it lying on the floor and started to run for it while the sounds of fighting began behind her.

She didn’t make it more than two steps before the sound of four muffled gunshots had her steps stumbling. Heart lurching into her throat to choke her, she spun around so fast she almost lost her footing.

No. Oh god, no.

The world narrowed to a pinpoint, blood rushing in her ears so loud she couldn’t hear anything else.

Everything seemed to slow down, sharpening into crystalline clarity and, yet, the images she was seeing felt disjointed, like fragmented snapshots that didn’t fit together.

Her guys were on the floor, motionless, their bodies twisted into awkward positions. Snitch, her fierce, brave little pet was crumpled into a heap, small again, and looking horrifically vulnerable. She noticed, distantly, that two of Catty’s henchmen were lying dead, pools of blood spreading out beneath them, and another looked to be gravely wounded, but her focus was fixated on Snitch and her guys.

She waited for them to move, to spring up and attack the remaining males, but they didn’t. They were so still. She couldn’t even see their chests rising and falling with breaths.

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