Page 71 of Revenant

I wish I could say he knew the flames wouldn’t touch him, but I highly doubt it. His rage overtook his common sense, leaving behind only the need for vengeance. Everyone was so distracted by the scene unfolding that no one noticed until too late when that bitch snuck up behind Rue.

Gunner bellowed her name, but it was much too late. The blow that was meant to kill her cracked her on the side of the head instead. Even as blood gushed down her face, I was running, the pounding of feet telling me the others followed.

Gunner didn’t even see the guards, just swiping them aside with his massive arm, stomping over the few that were too slow to move. By the time we reached her, Gunner barely caught Rue in time before she collapsed.

Hicks and I stood back-to-back to guard them while they were vulnerable. Jaceson crouched next to Crystal’s still body, his mouth set in a grim line as he checked for a pulse. When a furrow appeared between his brows, I knew she must still be alive.

Jameson dropped down next to Rue and gently took her hand, his complexion deathly pale. He was quiet, his face blank of all emotions, triggered at the sight of her bleeding.

“Heal her,” Gunner implored him.

Jameson blinked, awareness flooding back into his eyes, and a grim determination took over his expression. He barely set his hand on her chest before a wave of guards descended on us.

We did our best to protect ourselves, but a dozen tasers ultimately took us down. Some of the guards appeared worried about Rue’s condition, but it likely had more to do with what punishment the doctor would issue than the farce they called a fight.

The fuckers.

I grit my teeth against the need to protest when they whisk Rue away from us for treatment. Bile rises in my throat at the amount of blood she’s lost. Jameson has a complete meltdown at seeing her carted away again, insisting that he can heal her.

As much as we try to calm him, he’s inconsolable.

A combination of fury and numbness settles over our group as the guards escort us back to Rue’s room, locking us inside thegods-be-damned space. Gunner pounds on the door for a good minute, the metal denting with each blow. When that doesn’t work, Hicks pushes him away, then he presses his own hands against the door. My eyebrows shoot up when the metal turns a brilliant, glowing red and orange before it starts to dribble down the surface.

He sinks his hand into the metal, his fingers curling around the lock before yanking his arm back…taking the whole mechanism with him. He flings his hand, shaking the molten metal from his skin.

His uninjured hand.

Liquid drops of metal hit the carpeting and sear right through it with a puff of smoke, a tiny flame flicking up before he stamps them out.

James is pacing the floor, tugging on his hair, muttering to himself. Seeing her being taken again and unable to stop it from happening pushed him too far. I’m not sure he’s even aware of his surroundings.

With the door open, he looks ready to claw his way through the molten metal to escape, and it’s only Gunner blocking his access that prevents it. “We need a plan first. We leave here without one, and they might just kill us if we prove to be too much trouble. What good will we do Rue if that happens?”

“We’re not going to lose her again,” James snarls and begins pacing the length of the room once more.

Jace is scowling at an empty corner, twirling the ring on his thumb almost obsessively. When he catches me looking, he grimaces. “When Rue hit Crystal, she flung the cunt’s spirit out of her body. Crystal followed us here and won’t stop yapping. She says if we fix her, she will lead us to Rue.”

My eyebrows climb up my forehead at his explanation. That’s the last thing I expected him to say. I glance at the corner,adjusting my glasses, but see nothing. I shudder, glad I didn’t receive that particular gift.

The rest of the guys pause at what should be an outrageous comment, but the unusual occurrences seem to be our new normal.

“Do we trust her?” James tilts his head this way and that, like a dog trying to hear a pitch that humans can’t. From the way he winces, he must be able to catch snatches of her voice. Then he shakes his head, as if to rid himself of it, and glances at the rest of us. “We don’t need her. We can find pookie on our own. Ellis can hack the computers or some shit, right?”

The guys glance at each other, then turn to stare at me, and I reluctantly admit the truth. “I’m only able to access electronics close to me. I need more time and practice.”

“Or you just need a computer,” James muses, insanity sparking in his eyes, and I bite back a groan. While he is as good as his word, any plan he concocts is usually pure chaos.

Jace huffs, rolling his eyes in annoyance. “The bitch says she knows the way to the server room.”

The server room is next to the labs where we first woke up, and we head in that direction. Much to my surprise, the guards are pretty lax in their duties. Whenever we come across one of them on their rounds, we slip away before we’re caught.

It only takes us ten minutes to reach our destination, and I scowl down at the electric lock. I tilt my head, studying the electrical waves that stream from the device, then touch a single finger to the keypad. Combinations flash in my mind too fast to consciously register, and it’s only seconds before the locks click open.

Hicks grabs the knob but glances at me before he opens the door. “Cameras?”

“I looped the footage,” I reassure him, ignoring the way a vise tightens around my head. Using my abilities is like exercising amuscle I never knew I had. Doing too much at a time is taxing and strains the muscle.

Hicks studies me with concern as he passes me, and I wave him off. As long as we get Rue back, I can deal with the pain. The twins enter next, then Gunner waves me forward, guarding our backs.

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