Page 53 of Hysteria Rises
Arrow isn’t doing much better, beads of sweat are popping out on his forehead, and I’m willing to wager that whatever transpired in this room when that snake was first discovered has him feeling every inch of the still-healing skin on his back. Not only that, but earlierthis morning, he could hardly move, so whatever happened in there must be doing a number on him. How he’s managed it to this point, I have no fucking idea. Running on adrenaline would be my guess. Bodies are capable of amazing feats of strength and endurance when they’re put to the test.
As I close the distance between us, I meet his worried gaze, then scoop Twenty-three into my arms. “I’ve got her.” He sags with relief, keeping a keen eye on Hayze on the other end of the room while he snatches at a pair of clean pants.
I don’t wait any longer, I hurry from the room, slamming the door behind me. Out in the hallway,fingers dig into my chest with each frantic inhalation. She’s so worked up, it takes a few seconds to get her attention. I bring a hand to her cheek and force her to look at me. “Hey. You’ve gotta slow your breathing. Inhale for a count of four. Hold it, exhale for six. You’re okay. It didn’t bite you, did it?”
Her eyes catch and hold mine, and she shakes her head.
“Good.” Relief courses through me. Snakebites are not something we have the capability of dealing with. Antivenom is hard to come by, but even more so for us to have on hand at the compound.
“Come on. Breathe with me.” I tug her close, pressing her chest to mine. She blinks up at me, her brilliant blues shiny with unshed tears, but by some miracle, she hesitantly follows my instructions. Weinhale. Hold our breath. Then blow out a steady stream of air. “Good. Now, again.”
With our eyes locked, we repeat the entire process multiple times until she calms and her breathing becomes regular. Satisfied that she’s not going to keel over in my arms, I nod. The tremble of her lips might be my undoing.
At the creak of the door opening, I glance up to see Arrow exit stiffly, a hand to his temple as a grimace slides over his features.
I raise a brow. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He clears his throat while his eyes skim over me with Twenty-three. “He took care of the snake.”
Following right behind Arrow, Hayze steps from the room and grits out, “He’snotokay. His back’s in bad shape.”
“It’s fine,” he counters, squaring his shoulders, but Hayze argues right back with a raised brow.
“You’re bleeding. It’s soaking into the waistband of your pants.”
That gets my attention, and I frown at Arrow. “Why didn’t you say something? Let me see it.”
Arrow grunts as he shifts around to show me, pain etched across his features.
“Oh hell.” I rub a hand over my jaw, thinking. “We’ve gotta get him downstairs. I don’t have what I need up here to fix you up.”
Eyes flicking toward Twenty-three, Arrow’sjaw tightens. If I know him at all, he won’t like showing any sign of weakness in front of her.
“We’ll go down in a minute.” Hayze pins his gaze on Twenty-three. “I’m interested in hearing how you ended up in our room to encounter the snake in the first place.”
Stiffening in my hold, she attempts to pull away, staring at Hayze. Her voice is quiet when she mutters, “I’m not supposed to talk. I’ve read the literature.”
There’sa touch of the attitude I’ve become accustomed to. That fire is what I like about her. For a second, I’m back with Hayze in his father’s rooms. Touching her. With him. My throat goes dry, and I give myself a rough shake, but the memory of what we did to her in that room is coming at me from all angles the longer we stand here with her.Fuck. I glance between the two of them. There’s a battle of wills happening, no doubt in my mind. The problem? Hayze isn’t one to give in, and we know Twenty-three is stubborn. I chuckle. “So, you think you’ve got us figured out, huh?”
Hayze shakes his head. “If you assume you can get away without answering because you know our women aren’t to speak unless prompted to do so by the Collective, you’d be wrong.”
Her plush lips have pulled into a tight line as they face off. Her disobedience kinda gets me going. Not gonna lie.
But then, I see her flinch… and so does Hayze. “There’s something you’ve missed.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I am Finneas’s firstborn son. And I act in his stead. Now, I’d like an answer.” His tongue darts out to wet his lip. “I’m waiting.”
Arrow lets out a belabored sigh but says nothing. And of course, whatever it is she doesn’t want to say, he clearly knows. All we have to do is ask him. I’m somewhat amused that Hayze is bothering to force the issue.
My lips twist as I encourage her with a half smile. “Shit, whatever it is, just say it.” Working my jaw to the side, I study the way she keeps glancing at Arrow. That’s when it hits me. She’s not holding her tongue to follow our rules. Or even because she’s being contrary. For whatever reason, she’s protectinghim.
“Just tell them,” Arrow grits out.
She lets loose a sigh, meeting his eyes. “I was supposed to clean the bathroom. I went in and found him on the floor.”
“I’d been in the shower,” Arrow’s voice is a thick rumble. “It was too much for me to handle, like a million needles jabbing into my skin.”
Well, fuck. I shake my head. “You coulda waited for one of us.Shouldhave.”
Arrow effectively brushes me off by looking away.
