Page 123 of Elas

It’s nearly identical to where we slept last night, and as soon as I place the trays on the counter, I turn and wrap him in my arms. He’s calmer now, but it doesn’t stop himfrom pressing himself against me and breathing in deeply. “I missed you,” he mumbles into my chest, and I cup the back of his head as I bury my nose in his hair.

“I missed you, too. Has anyone bothered you?”

He shakes his head as we separate, lifting on his toes to press a gentle kiss to my lips. “They’ve all ignored me, honestly. I haven’t stepped outside this room, though.”

“Good. Let’s eat and you can tell me about your day.” We sit at the small table and swap information over dinner. August shares what he learned about the prisoners and the security measures that are in place. I frown as he tells me about Taryn—how she’d been taken right from under our noses at Glaston. How she pleaded with him to leave while he still can. He’s so broken as he stares up at me, and I’d do anything to bring the sunshine back to his face.

Dinner is finished by the time he's finished sharing, and it’s my turn to recap what I’ve learned. The ember of a plan that started forming in my mind earlier has turned into a spark. We move to the couch, and when I’m done sharing it, the sun has set.

“Do you really think this has a chance of working?” he asks, his head on my thigh as I card my fingers through his hair.

“I don’t know,” I admit, and once again, that monster inside me rages at the position I’ve put us in. His anger slams against my chestplate like a sledgehammer, nearly jolting me with the impact. “I’d rather just take you and run right now.”

“Part of me wants that, too,” he admits, and my hand stills in his hair as I stare down at him. “But we can’t, El.We can’t leave them behind. Not after we’ve seen what’s being done to them.”

“We could come back. Collect a bigger group and plan an attack.” It comes out pleading, trying to feed that piece of him that might abandon this place, if just for now. But even as I say it, I know an outward attack would never work. There’s too much open space and too many advanced weapons here. We’d be blown into craters before we ever got close enough to see their faces.

His smile is soft as he sees the reality sink in. “Or you could go,” he offers in a gentle whisper. “You could go and leave me here, and I could try to make a difference to these people.”

“No,” I snarl, baring my teeth at him, as a physical pain feels like it’s cracking my chest right in half.

“You’d be safe, and maybe one day—”

“No!” It’s louder this time, deeper and more monstrous as I combat my instincts. My senses ramp up to a thousand as my pupils dilate, my skin too tight as I fight to maintain control. “Don’t you dare suggest I ever leave you behind. Don’t you fuckingdare.”

“But you could get out, El. Go back to where it’s safe.” He sits up, climbing into my lap and straddling my thighs. “You could go home.”

My hand lands on his mark, connecting us in a perfectmatch as a jolt of pure energy zaps between us. “Thisis my home.Youare my home. Don’t ever suggest I leave you behind again. We stay together… you and me, doc.Where you go, I go.”

“Always,” he whispers, kissing me softly before curling into my chest. I know I should go back to my room—avoid the inevitable questions if someone sees me leaving here in the morning. But there’s no telling what tomorrow will bring, and every stolen moment with him feels precious. August’s breaths turn steady in my ear, his body moving in tiny twitches as he falls asleep.

Inside my head, I scream to the Fates once more. Beg them to give me this—to give me him. But it’s silent in this room, and hours later, as I finally drift to sleep, there’s still no answer.

Elas

Asharpinhalejoltsme awake, and my skin tingles with awareness as I take a moment to assess my surroundings. Sweat beads on my forehead from August clinging to me, and my heart thuds double time in my chest as my senses come alive.

My eyes move through the darkness. The moon is barely a sliver outside and doesn’t offer any light, but I don’t need it. Predators never do. An unnerving silence fills the space as I scan the room and find nothing out of place, but my instincts scream a silent alarm.

Something is wrong.

August shifts in my lap, and a quiet, sleep-riddled grunt leaves his throat as he settles again. The rise and fall of his chest is calm, but the growing foreboding prickles my skin.

“August,” I whisper, and he whines, still asleep. The muscles in my eyes constrict as my pupils expand further, and the pitch black world forms in high definition. Myheart pounds an insistent, heavy rhythm against my ribs as my body prepares for action. Time crawls, nearly coming to a stop. My breath roars in my ears as my hearing amplifies, and the drop of water from the kitchen sink slams against my eardrums.

Fight or flight.

Something iswrong.

Distant footprints thud, different from the solo guards that make their rounds every few hours. Heavier, more determined, and in far greater numbers. They’re headed in this direction.

They’re coming.

“August,” I say louder, jostling his shoulders, and he startles awake with a gasp. “August, baby, put your shoes on.”

“Wha—why?”

“Shoes,now,” I command as I stand and place him on his feet. He blinks himself into awareness and his eyes grow wider, and his heart rate ratchets up as he slips into his shoes. His shaking hands and stuttering breath fill me with a nauseating dread, and I hate his fear.

---