Page 213 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

But that was then. King will no longer get to control me like that again.

“Come with us.” Malik glances at me. “It’s not worth it,” I tell him.

“What isn’t?”

I glance around before looking back at him. “Staying in a cage because it’s become all you’ve known. It is still a cage. One you’ll die in.”

Malik clenches his jaw, glancing away.

I continue. “There will never be any more than this for you, if that’s what you choose. There’s a whole world out there, but you’ll never know it if you stay here.”

“What if there’s nothing left of the me I once knew?” Malik swallows hard, frowning.

“Then you become something different, something more, but somethingyouchoose. It’s something I’m also learning for myself.”

Malik hesitates before nodding to himself. “What else have I got to lose?” He turns and heads after the shadow beast.

My stiff body relaxes as I follow after him. If he had chosen to stay, I would’ve knocked him out and got the shadow beast to drag his heavy ass out of here. He reminds me too much of myself, and I’m not leaving him behind when I know it is only his fear that is stopping him from taking his freedom back.

Keeping an eye out for any more guards, we silently move along the hall, passing a handful of more rooms.

We follow it, coming to a smaller hall, one with the odd chair and decoration on the walls. It leads out into a wide, open area with two large tables to the right and a small kitchenette to the left.

This must be where the guards eat.

I look over at the shadow beast and spot him near the double glass doors on the other side of the room. He looks at me before moving through it.

I move toward him, making it halfway there, when someone shouts out behind us.

“Stop!”

I whip around, finding the blonde guard from before. The one who came into my room. His dull blue eyes still have that spark of interest as he moves closer. There’s a thick black baton in his hand and a smirk on his face as he stares right at me.

“Thought you’d make a run for it? I’m afraid that won’t be happening.”

I glance at the door behind me before looking back at the guard and raising a brow. “Looks like you don’t have a say in that”

His smirks grows. “I wouldn’t head that way if I were you.”

I narrow my eyes on him. His smug smile making me wonder why he feels confident right now, especially when we’re the ones closer to the door. “Why?”

“Behind that door is a hell of a lot more guards, and that’s without our special…guests.”

He could be lying, but the spark in his eyes tells me different.

“What guests?” I ask, but it’s Malik who answers.

“He meanscreatures. The experimented-on kind.”

“The kind that also only listen to us.” The guard nods his head, taking a step forward. “So, here’s how this is going to go.” He points at Malik. “You’re going to go back to your cell, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

His eyes veer to me. “Butyou, you’re coming with me, and we’re going to have a little…fun.”

I roll my eyes as Malik steps in front of me. “She’s not going anywhere near you.”

I step to the side with a smile of my own. “I’ll pass.”

The guard laughs. “I thought you might say that.” He presses a button on his watch, a buzz sounds out just before a loud thumping comes through the door behind us.

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