Page 333 of Shadowblood Souls
At least four of us can find each other through our marks.
But we have to bring Griffin with us too. It’s either that or kill him, and no matter how he’s helped Clancy or what he’s agreed to, every cell in my body recoils from the thought.
I can’t imagine the others will feel any different.
As long as he’s with the guardians, he can pinpoint our location almost instantly. The only way to make sure he isn’t with them is to keep him with us.
I’m just not sure how we’re going to accomplish that when I doubt he’s going to come willingly.
As that uneasy thought passes through my head, the floor beneath my feet vibrates with a faint tremor. My breath catches in my throat.
That’s got to be Jacob. He’s starting to shake the whole fucking mountain.
When I concentrate on my marks, I can sense that he and Dominic are together, somewhere near the facility entrance. Twinges of strain resonate from both of them.
They must be pouring a ton of effort into the attempt if a hint of it is seeping through our connection. Will their powers be enough to trigger the emergency system?
Or has all my worrying been pointless?
As I get up to turn off the music, the tremor expands. The quivering sensation spreads through my bones from the floor.
My heart pounds faster alongside it. What if the guardians realize what’s happening?
For a few seconds, the vibration plateaus, not getting any stronger or weaker. Then the stone floor lurches so hard I have to smack my hand against the wall to catch my balance.
An unnerving creaking sound resonates through the air, followed by a distant peal of an alarm—and the whir of my bedroom door sliding open.
Adrenaline jolts me into action. I dash into the hall, my attention split between possible threats in the hall outside and my awareness of my three guys through our marks.
Dom and Jake are rushing deeper into the facility, toward me. Andreas is… farther down the hall in the opposite direction, around at least one bend, but hurrying toward me too.
A few confused faces appear around the doorways nearby—younger shadowbloods trying to figure out what’s going on. Before I’ve taken more than a step toward them, two guardians hurtle into view.
They’re carrying their electrified batons and a tranq gun, but I don’t give them a chance to use either. With only a slight pang of guilt, I shriek at the one who’s slightly closer—a short, sharp scream designed to tear right through the most vital parts of him as quickly as possible.
He crumples, and the other guardian slams into the wall headfirst. Not because of me. As she slumps to the ground amid pooling blood, Jacob charges up from behind her with Dominic at his heels.
“Come on!” I shout to the younger shadowbloods, darting down the hall and beckoning them. “Everyone out—out to the facility entrance. We’re taking off!”
Nadia and Tegan venture from nearby rooms, their eyes wide but chins up. Other kids duck back into their rooms as if more afraid of escaping than staying.
Why wouldn’t they be? They have no idea what we’ll face out there.
Most of them don’t even really know me.
Andreas dashes around a corner farther down with Zian beside him. Relief flickers through me, but it isn’t enough just to have my guys.
“Let’s go!” I call out. “You don’t have to live with guardians controlling everything you do, forced to go on missions and train and the rest. We can find something better.”
My guys peer into the open rooms, motioning to the kids who are hesitating. Booker and Ajax must have joined Andreas and Zian as they rushed this way, because I spot them in the increasingly crowded hall.
Another guardian sprints into view, only to be tossed aside by a shove of Jacob’s power. Jake comes up beside me, his hair sweat-damp along his forehead and his jaw tight.
“We’ve got to get moving quickly while they’re still confused.”
“We need Griffin,” I say.
The darkening of Jacob’s eyes shows that he understands why without me saying anything more. He pauses for an instant and then strides onward. “I can find him.”
