Page 116 of Phoenix Falling
I searched my mind frantically for a solution beyond crawling under the table and grabbing the girl myself. Force would only make her hysteria worse, though. Rissa stood up next to me, and the next thing I knew, Imogen knelt on the floor. Gasps filled the room near us. I did a double take before I realized what my mate had done.
“I’m right here, Clara.” She held out her hand. “Come to me, sweetheart.”
Clara hesitated, but then reached for Rissa’s hand. “I’m scared, Immy!”
“I know you are,” Rissa assured her. Clasping her close, she began to rub the little girl’s back. “I know. I’m scared too. But we’re going to be all right.” She turned her eyes—Imogen’s eyes—toward me, a question mark in them. I had no idea what would happen, but I gave her my answer anyway: I nodded. I’d do everything I could to keep them both safe.
“Come on,” I said, taking Rissa’s hand. “We’ve got to get you both out of here.”
She carried Clara. The little girl was sobbing, her body tense as she clung to my mate like a monkey. Rissa murmured reassurances constantly while hurrying to keep up with me. At the far door, we came to a stop.
“They’re already outside, my king,” the soldier guarding that door said.
I nodded. “We will use the emergency exit.”
“What if I can’t find the dorms from there?” Rissa asked.
“You will.” In my mind I formed a map of the path from the emergency exit to the dorms; then I sent it telepathically to my mate. “Got it?”
She closed her eyes as if reading internally, then shook her head. “What if I forget?”
“You won’t forget. You’ve got the map in your head; it’s not going anywhere.”
“Sun—”
I clasped her cheeks, forcing her to meet my eyes. “You are going to make it, do you hear me? You won’t forget. Clara’s life depends on it.”
I could see her fear plain as day, but she nodded all the same. “I won’t forget.”
I leaned in, kissing her quickly but thoroughly. “Come on.” Leading her over a few steps, I pressed the hidden latch for the secret passage, entered the code, and watched as it opened. Then I turned to her. “You go through this passage, and then you take on a warrior’s persona. You hear me? That’ll keep you safer.”
“I hear you.” She was breathing heavy, her fear palpable, but she met my eyes without faltering. Placing her hand on the back of Clara’s head, she told her, “Keep your eyes closed, sweetheart, okay? Just keep them closed and we’ll make it.”
I nodded my approval, gave her one last kiss, and pushed her into the dark passageway. “Go! I’ll find you when this is over.”
ChapterForty-One
IMOGEN
Jacob grabbed me by the hair and pulled me across the room. “There’s someone here who wants to meet you.”
“Let go of me, bastard!”
He stopped, turned to me to face him, and slapped me across the face. “Shut. Up.”
A disapproving growl came from our right. I didn’t dare turn in that direction. My guess was that the sound came from the shifter who’d led the Anigma inside. Just looking at him across the room had started me shaking; I really didn’t want to meet him up close.
“Bring her to me.”
I didn’t think I was going to get my wish.
Jacob dragged me over until we stood in front of the commander. I kept my eyes on the floor.
“Here she is. The one you were looking for.”
Why would he be looking for me? I assumed this was Helios, the male Demetri had said was in charge of the Anigma now. I’d never met him, although I had heard he’d been to Maddox’s compound. Why would his attention be on me?
The male reached out, taking my arm, and snatched me away from Jacob. “Indeed,” he said, confirming Jacob’s words and confusing me even more. “You’ve fulfilled your part of the bargain.”
