Page 11 of Drop His Mask

Nightingale twisted her head.

“Kill them,” she directed to the men behind her holding the remaining hooded captives.

The hoods were pulled off, revealing different members of the Facility. Knives swiped against their throats, almost in unison, spreading crimson onto the stage below. Those made sense to kill, but surely she wouldn’t. Not Raven?

He was almost there, he could practically touch the stage.

“I want this to be a reminder that there are no innocents when it comes to tyranny. Bystanders are just as guilty as the transgressors. Even thecherishedare not safe!” Nightingale yanked Raven up by her hair. A knife appeared in her other hand.

Cherished?

Julian met Raven’s eyes. A million thoughts and emotions flowed between the two. She was terrified. He could stop this. She would be okay. This wasn’t happening.

Nightingale leaned forward, whispering into Raven’s ear as she plunged the knife into her stomach,deepand then twisted.

Raven’s mouth was gagged, but Julian could see the glassiness in her eyes. The confusion, the sadness, theagony.

A moment later, theThump Thumpof her heart no longer filled the space.

Surely that can’t be right. She can’t already be dead.

The room broke out into shouts of outrage and disgust, but Nightingale wasn’t phased. “There are no innocents in this war. Not even thecherished,” Nightingale reaffirmed to the camera.

Julian was jumping onto the stage when an explosion went off. The aftereffects propelled him further, and he landed on top of Raven.

He heard screaming in the background. Nightingale hurling orders. The rushing of the crowd. But he paid no attention to any of that. His eyes found Raven’s.

He carefully pulled off her gag.

“It’s okay,” he cooed, reaching down to find the knife still in her stomach. Perhaps her only saving grace.

“Julian.” Tears rolled freely down her cheeks. “Sparrow. Anadil wanted to kill us both, she told me that Jayce knew. That he went along with it.”

“Hush, he didn’t know. That man loves you. Loves you both.” Julian frantically looked around. He needed to get her somewhere safe, to find a friendly face. Anything.

His anxiety and fear were swirling to the surface, but he did his best to stamp them down. Just as he did before his fights.

But this was worse.

Where the fuck is Jayce?

“You need to leave, it isn’t safe here.” The voice came from behind him.

He didn’t move from his protective spot over Raven. “She needs help.”

He heard approaching feet. The first he saw was the newcomer’s arm.

A tattooed Griffin took up the entirety of it. Julian’s guard went down a bit, he knew about the Griffin gang and was friends with several of their members.

“She does need help,” the man confirmed. “Get off her. We need to move. Quickly. But I know a place. A doctor.” The man stepped into his field of vision. He was a bit smaller, with brown hair. He moved with cat-like grace as he circled them slowly.

The stranger was right, but as Julian went to get off Raven, she weakly held onto him.

“Promise me you’ll save her? Promise me you will do whatever you can to keep Sparrow alive. Please?”

She offered her pinky in a feeble attempt, and he took it. They both performed the ritual, kissing their thumbs. He had broken her trust once, but he never would again.

“I promise,” he murmured as Raven fell back, her eyes fluttering shut.

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