Page 125 of Elas

He’s right fucking there, reaching for the door of the SUV when he turns and sees me.

“Elas!” he cries, and the world freezes as he runs back.

He runstowardsme, towards the bullets that pierce the air in determined death wishes that seek us both.

“No!” I scream, the word ripping through my vocal cords and shredding my throat on its way out. “August, go! You have togo!” Blood rushes down my thigh and my body quakes as I claw my way off the ground, fighting to run to him, tomakehim leave. But my ruined leg crumples beneath me, and my broken body falls.

My palms slam into the dirt, and I bellow into the dry earth as he gets closer. “Leave me! You have to leave me!” I beg as I find his eyes. Moonlight dances off his golden hair as he lands on his knees in front of me.

A sad smile crosses his face, blind to the chaos as he cups my cheek. “Where you go, I go. Always.”

His lips press to mine as a sob tears from my throat, splitting the night in half with its sorrow. A foot connectswith my spine and kicks me to the ground as August grunts and lands beside me. It takes three of them to pin me in place, but I don’t stop fighting even as my cheek is shoved into the dirt. Zip ties whir as they bind our wrists behind our backs, and I watch in horror as a soldier fists August’s hair and jerks his head up. A thick metallic ring snaps around his neck.

“No!” I roar, but more hands are on me, fisting my braids and forcing me into a collar so tight it chokes me. “Fuck you!” Another shattered scream leaves me as I spin, slamming my foot into the guard’s shoulder. “Fuck you! Let him go!” I bellow, willing my body to move.

Drenched in sweat and shaking, I fight my way off the ground when a lightning bolt of electricity blasts through my body, and I collapse. Dry earth and dust fill my nose as my limbs quake and seize, and my teeth clamp on my tongue hard enough to bleed as my vision goes fuzzy. By the time they release the button, my heart feels like it might burst out of my chest.

“If you don’t calm down, I’ll do it to him next,” a familiar voice says, and I freeze as dread fills my stomach like concrete. Another rough foot kicks my shoulder with enough force to make me call out, and I’m thrown onto my back as Commander Khors walks closer. A sadistic grin covers his face as he kneels and smacks at my cheek, and he chuckles as I bare my teeth. “Gods, it feels good to see you on your back. Did you really think you had me convinced, Elas? You always were a sentimental fool.”

“Fuck you,” I grit, jerking my torso off the ground and headbutting him in the nose. More bodies pin medown as he snarls, blood gushing in a steady stream from his nostril.

“Emotional idiot,” he growls, before nodding at a guard. Horror floods my chest as August cries out, and I contort my body to find him seizing. His hands and legs flex into unnatural positions as that desperate, wailing shout blows past his tensed jaw.

“No!” I sob, fighting to crawl to him as I’m kicked in the face. Stars swim in my vision as tears well in my eyes, my nose bloodied as payback for his. “Stop,” I rasp, unable to look away as August writhes in pain. “Stop, please.”

August sucks in a long, gasping inhale as the collar shuts off. Tears streak his face, turning the dust into mud as I realize I’m crying, too. Khors leans down again, blood staining his lip as he sneers. “I knew you would go after Ronan. You’re too stupidly loyal to turn on him. Did you really think I’d believe you’d work against your oldest friend? We found that discarded tracker at the camp, and I knew you’d gone. That was an inconvenience, I’ll admit, but don’t worry. The guard that showed it to you has been dealt with... permanently.” Another punch of agony hits me, knowing her blood is on my hands.

One more tally mark on my death count, and another scar on my soul.

“I thought you’d disappeared.” He glances behind him with a chuckle, then turns to me again. “Never in a thousand years did I think you’d be foolish enough to show your face here, but you always were so fucking arrogant. They’ve been waiting for you, just in case.”

“But—”

“Didn’t you find it curious that the commander was dodging a meeting with such anesteemedvisitor?” He sneers with the word, showing me his teeth. “This ismybase, Elas. What did you think you were going to accomplish by coming here? Whatexactlydid you think you could do against this place? Againstme?”

“But… Glaston—”

Khors snarls and shakes his head. “Leave it to my idiotic uncle to get himself killed when I’mthis fucking closeto a breakthrough. The only reason I’m at Glaston is because the High Commanders ordered me to keep an eye on it until a permanent replacement can be found.” His eyes dart to August again as an evil grin spreads across his bloodstained lips. “But something good came of it, didn't it? I hear you’ve gone and found yourself a mate.”

Frigid panic freezes my veins to solid ice. None of it makes sense, and I shake my head as I try to work it out. “How?” I rasp, my face streaked with dusty tears.

“All those years of lowering yourself to havingfriendsreally blinded you, didn’t it? Nobody can be trusted, Elas. You should’ve eliminated the threat. My uncle would’ve taught you that.” He steps aside and reveals a pale figure with long, white hair. An impassive, almost bored expression sits on his face.

Xeni.

Fury hurdles through my body. I jerk my arms, ripping through the zip ties and launching myself to my feet. My leg screams underneath me and another shock of electricity charges through my limbs, but my rage has made me numb. The guard holding August’s remote tries to push it, but I shove his shoulder at the same time I slide myfingers around the hilt of his sword. It pulls from his scabbard and whistles in an arc, slicing through muscle and bone. The remote falls uselessly to the ground, his bleeding remains of a hand thudding next to it.

“Turn up the power!” Khors shouts as I whirl, charging him with a war cry. Another bullet grazes my arm as I leap forward and throw my weight into the swing of the sword. Khors dodges away, throwing an arm up to block me. The blade makes contact, cutting through his shoulder and hitting bone instead of severing his head like I planned.

Two guards shove me back, and Khors bellows and falls back onto his ass, gripping the wound as blood pours into a puddle beneath him. “Turn itup!”he screeches as I face Xeni.

A sword feels too impersonal for him.

His eyes flare as I toss the weapon aside and roar, more beast than man as I launch myself forward to kill him with my bare hands. I palm his head, my thumb pressing into his eye socket as he flails, fruitlessly trying to push me away. “You don’t understand,” he rasps, and I squeeze harder with a vengeful smile spreading over my lips. “Stop.Please, stop,” he commands, and the tingle of his magic tickles my senses.

“That won’t save you now,” I growl, compressing my hand as he releases an agonized shout that’s almost a howl. Another blast of electricity rings through my body, stronger this time. Impossible to fight. August sobs my name from behind me as it takes me to the ground.

I have no voice left. Can’t speak, and can’t hear anything past the ringing in my ears and the desperate pleas of my mate.

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