Page 52 of Captured
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rakir
I run, branches and leaves as sharp as knives on the skin of my face. There’s no pain, no blood. My exoskeleton protects me perfectly. But it’s not my body that’s in danger right now. My heart, my soul, my sanity are all cracked and vulnerable.
I have to get to Juliet. I have to bring her back safe at all costs. She’s the only thing that matters.
Not the List. Not the rebellion. Not even peace.
Juliet. My Amara.
I stop suddenly. I’ve just run for the last two hours, but I’m not even close to being winded. This is the moment I’ve been training for all my life. The one moment my life has a true meaning.
I squat, my fingers running over the leaves and the dark, undisturbed earth.
Where did they pass? I haven’t lost the trail in hours, but I lost it now.
As I slowly turn around, my gaze wanders off to the rocks. The slope is steep and the climb is hard, but it’s not impossible Henrick took her that way.
He thinks he’ll be safer up higher, in shelter of some kind or the other. In a cave, maybe.
A new ripple slithers across my mind. My eyes go back to the rocks and the dust of the steep slope. I see it now. The long gashes of claws, the discreet indentation of paw prints.
This is where the apex will have its lair.
I waste no time. My eyes rake the rocks for the smallest clues as to the direction they took. It doesn’t take long, but every second counts. I’m well trained and it doesn’t take long to see what I’m looking for. Disturbed sand, rocks rolling out of their natural positions not yet completely settled.
I was right. He took her up there. Right up there is the dark opening of a cave like the eye of some evil God, taunting me.
She’s there, I can feel it in my bones.
Just at this moment, the scream of a women rips through the air. I would recognize that voice in a thousand, in a million.
I get back to my feet and run up the hill, my talons forming, covered by my scales in perfectly sharp, deadly weapons.
Henrick stands no chance against me.
I reach the outcrop of rocks as the sun lowers below the horizon and the sky is painted in the colors of war.
The stench of blood and gore assails my nostrils. My mind fogs with panic as I climb on the ledge, full of the fear of what I will find. My eyes adapt instantly to the darkness within. First thing I see are three of the apex, tearing into the soft flesh of a body. They’re consuming it in greedy mouthfuls. The largest one stands in the middle, eating the thickest, choicest morsels. On each side stand smaller animals, eating with furtive, frequent glances at their alpha.
My gut squeezes at the sight of what remains of the body, but I know it’s not Juliet. The remnants of the clothes laying on the ground are proof enough.
Where is she?
Then I see her. She’s inching forward, her body pressed against the wall. Her eyes are full of fear, but her breathing is even as she takes one careful step after another.
She hasn’t seen me yet, her entire focus on the apex predators.
I can’t help but feel pride at the sight of her. Although she must be terrified, she still manages to control her fear. She’s truly a marvel.
But then she misplaces her foot and a small pebble rolls on the rocks. It’s small and the sound is barely audible, but the effect on the apex is instantaneous. They turn on her with an almost sentient expression of surprise.
They’d forgotten all about their easy meal ticket. But now that they see her, they won’t let her escape. Such is the cruel law of nature on any planet, this one no exception.
There’s no time to waste. They’ll be on her in a heartbeat.
I leap between the apex and Juliet, landing in a clean swoop just at her feet. My back is turned to her, but I can hear her small whimper of relief. Or fear. Or both.
