Page 58 of The Hidden Falling
“I have tried you,” he murmurs, licking his lips as his pupils dilate. “And I find I like playing with you.” I shift in shift in my seat, the ache in my body a reminder at how he owned it. I was not expecting his words after the way he left last night, with the things he said to me… Is he playing me? Using me? It would make sense as we are using each other to try and get what we want, though he has no reason to touch me to take me to the Highers. He can just drag me there with the threat of Eridian over my head, he’s already doing so.
A laugh comes from further down the table, and I see Sebastian looking between us at the bite marks and scratches the two of us have with a grin on his face. “You know,” he chuckles. “The best fucks are the hate kind.”
“Sebastian!” I snap, glaring at him even as my cheeks heat. He winks back, smiling like he knows something I don’t.
“Come on, Alpha,” he purrs, his voice silky smooth, and I feel rather than see Darius tense. “Releasing some tension is a good thing– Oww!” he whines, as Josh slaps the back of his head.
“Thank you, Josh. It was either that or the knife.” I pull out said knife from my boot and start chipping away at the table in front of me.
“And who taught you how to use a knife?” Sebastian lifts an eyebrow at me, putting his head in his hand as he leans an elbow on the table.
“You,” I admit, pointing my blade at him. “The student surpasses the master.” I grin, feeling some of the hazy darkness lift from my memories. I close an eye, pretending to throw my knife at him. The bastard doesn’t even move.
“Fucking children,” Damian mutters, while Zaide and Jerrod grunt in agreement.
“Smiling won’t fucking kill you, you know?” I tell him, the miserable idiot.
“What is there to smile about?” Damian asks. “I’ve been stuck in The Deadlands for weeks and weeks, looking for a dead woman with a time limit over my head and staying in a place that has the bare minimum. Sure, I’m all smiles.”
This little shit. “You know.” I fake a smile. “If your stay in our subpar home is as awful as you say, you’reverywelcome to fuck off back where you came from.“ I bat my lashes at him. “I’ll even help you pack.”
“We have a few weeks left to fin–”
“Alpha!” A scream comes from my doorway, and I shoot to my feet in an instant, my chair slamming to the floor while I rush for the front door. I enter the hallway and see Sybill staggering inside, tears down her face. My heart instantly stops.
I run to her and grab her shoulders as she falls to the floor. I go down with her. “What’s wrong?!” I panic, making my voice harsher than I intended it to be.
“S… Sam,” she gasps. “I can’t find Sam anywhere.” I snap my head to Josh, but he’s already aiming for my front door, Seb and Taylor following.
“What do you mean? Where did you last see her? Did she seem okay?”
Sybill shakes her head, a sob escaping her. “She was last at the river earlier today, but she doesn’t go further than that. I went back and checked on her when she hadn’t come back for a while, but she wasn’t there. She’s been quiet and jumpy the last few days, I thought she may have wanted a bit of time alone, but now she’s gone.” She grabs my hands and squeezes. Sam doesn’t know the forest very well. She’s only been out there a few times and only if she’s with someone. “Please find her. Please.” Sybill begs, lowering her head to my hands. “She wouldn’t just run off, and she would tell me if she was with Kade.”
I pull her to me, giving her a quick hug before pulling back. “Stay here and wait for me. It’ll be okay.” I help her stand and take her over to the seats in my living area. “I’ll find her, I promise. Try not to worry.”
Thirty One
Rhea
Iraceforthedoor, grabbing my blades and holders and attaching them around my thighs. I waste no time running out the door, jumping the decking steps and heading for the gathering. I sprint, Runa helping me to reach the others as quickly as possible without question. I try to reach Kade through the link as I look around for any sign of Sam in the area, but he still has me shut out.
“No one has seen her,” Josh tells me when I reach him, Taylor, Seb, and Hudson. Their postures tense.
“She’s gone into the forest,” I tell them, and start heading toward the river we use to get water. “She’s only been out there a few times with her mom and Kade. She won’t have a clue where she’s going.”
“Why would she stay out there on her own anyway?” Taylor asks, searching the floor for any sign of footprints.
“Sybill doesn’t know. It’s not like Sam to do something like this,” I rush out. “She’s not inside the barrier, we would know.” Someone would have seen her if she was. “Fuck,” I mutter when we pass the lilk trees and reach the river, my eyes glancing everywhere trying to see if she’s here. She’s not, and there is no scent of her either.
“I’ll go right and see if I can see any tracks or pick up her scent,” Taylor tells me, and he speeds off.
“Josh, go across the river and search that side. I’ll follow it down. Seb, go further out to Josh. If you see Colten, tell him to go up the river and see if she went that way. I’m sure she’s only been as far as this so we should find her soon. She couldn’t have gotten far.” I scan the river, the banks and the ground around it, trying to seeanything.
“Where do you want us to search?” Darius’ voice sounds behind me suddenly, making me jump. I didn’t even know he was following us. I’m surprised by his question, but with more people searching, we can find her quicker.
“Split your Elites up with mine,” I tell him, already moving down the side of the river. “If you see her, make sure one of mine goes to her. It will scare her off if an Elite does it.”
I rush forward, letting my senses roam free while Darius joins me. All I hear is the water from the river and sticks crunching underneath our feet. Not a single sound of another person can be heard. The forest is quiet, too quiet. I stop when the river splits off into two different directions and look at the bank, seeing if I can see any signs of her. I walk into the river and wade through the water, ignoring cool liquid splashing against me. Reaching the other side, I stand on the edge and look down, no footprints, no disturbed earth. I look up and down along the grassy ground and see nothing to suggest another person was here apart from me and Darius.
