Page 81 of Whispers of the Dead

Zoey’s eyes widen. She lifts her chin, her voice sharp. “Excuse me?”

Avery stands before us with his arms crossed over his chest, looking every bit the confident bastard he always is. He’s assembled a dozen men, all dregs who claim to be loyal to him rather than to Eugene. It’s not much, but it’s something. More than we already had, anyway, which is nothing.

“We need to end this once and for all. Eugene slipped through your fingers once. I won’t let that happen again.” Avery is as arrogant as ever. Still, he sacrificed himself to protect Zoey, so that’s enough for me to stand by his side rather than grabbing his throat.

Benji stiffens beside me, and his voice cuts through the room for the first time since we started talking. “Yeah? Care to share your plan with the group?”

Avery grins, like he’s about to unveil some grand master plan. “Find him. Kill him.”

Oh, brilliant. I could never have come up with that myself.

“Unfortunately, one of these men betrayed me. He stole the rotter I was going to throw at Eugene, and he set it loose on Zoey instead. I don’t know who it is, but when I find out, I’ll kill him.” Avery’s eyes turn to ice when he glares at each of his men, and that earns another piece of my respect. He’s officially the first dreg to ever accomplish that. Though, maybe he’s not a dreg after all.

Zoey shifts on the other side of me, crossing her arms tightly around her once again. The movement draws Avery’s attention, and his expression softens when he looks at her. “You’re not coming.”

Zoey’s eyes widen. She lifts her chin, her voice sharp. “Excuse me?”

Avery steps right up to her and softens his voice. “I need you out of here, Zoey. As far and as fast as possible.” His fingers twitch at his sides, like he wants to reach for her, but stops himself. “You’ve done enough, firecracker. Hell, you’ve been through more than enough. Let me take the rest of it off your shoulders for you.”

“Where’s the best exit?” I ask.

Avery frowns. “He will have them all blocked off. Maybe it’s better if you stay hidden somewhere for a while until this is over.”

Her lips part like she wants to argue, but before she can, one of Avery’s men speaks up, brushing flaming red hair out of his eyes. “There’s a tunnel. Hardly ever used. It leads outside.”

Avery’s brows knit together. “What tunnel?”

“Not many know about it. It’s tucked away in the east wing. Should be clear, but it’s long, tight, and dark. If they move fast, they can reach the outside in less than twenty minutes. There’s a gate at the end, but I can open it from the other side. I’ll just have to go get the key first.”

Zoey looks up at me, then at Cole, then Benji. It’s our best shot.

Avery turns back to her. “I’ll send someone to meet you on the other side.”

Then, before I can process what’s happening, he steps forward and pulls her into his arms. The kiss isn’t gentle. It’s desperate and claiming. Zoey’s body softens for a fraction of a second, her fingers clutching his shirt before she pulls back, breathless.

I see it.

The way her eyes flicker with confusion and something deeper. The softness in Avery’s eyes when he looks at her, then the way it disappears when he looks at anyone else. Maybe, just maybe, I’ve been wrong about this guy all along.

His jaw tightens, and he nods once before stepping back, his mask sliding into place. “Go. Before I change my mind and tether you to me.” Lola barks, and he gives Zoey a lopsided grin. “Take Lola, too. I feel better knowing that she’ll protect you over any other person. Plus, I don’t think she’ll ever leave your side again.”

The tunnel isnarrow and damp, but the worst part is the air that’s thick with decay. The scent of mildew and rot clings to every breath.

Benji carries our only light source, a flickering torch that throws eerie shadows against the stone walls. He and Cole walk ahead. Their voices are low, not much more than a murmur I can’t quite make out.

Zoey walks beside me with her hand still in mine. She hasn’t let go since we stepped into the tunnel. Not that I want to. I’m perfectly happy to walk the earth without ever sliding my hand out of hers.

I glance down at her and notice the tension in her shoulders, and the way her fingers have a slight twitch, like she’s deep in thought. “You doing okay?”

She lets out a slow breath. “Excited to get out of here.”

“Could’ve fooled me. You don’t sound excited.”

She sighs and slows her pace to fall an extra step behind Cole and Benji. “I’m worried about Benji. Things didn’t end well between us the last time we were together, which is partly my fault, with needing extra time to think and process some things.”

I frown. I wasn’t there for whatever initially happened,but I saw the end of it when she wasn’t talking to him. Benji has been oddly quiet ever since, but we’ve all been on edge. Still, it could help to talk her through her side of things. “What happened?”

She slows her pace even more. Now we’re on the edge of the area that’s illuminated by the torchlight. If we fall any farther behind, we’ll be swallowed by the dark.

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