Page 101 of Dawn of Chaos and Fury
“Don’t say a fucking word,” he muttered, brow pinched in concentration.
Corbin prowled over, his massive paws silent on the rubble, and he planted himself between her and Lange. His feline eyes narrowed, a faint golden glow pulsing around them.
“We don’t have time. We’re out of it,” she said, knowing more sentinels would appear any second. Not to mention Lev.
“He’s to the south. Waiting,” Lange said, his eyes snapping open.
“He won’t once he learns we’ve stopped and there’s been an incident,” Eviana said. “We need to run. Now. To the woods.”
They took off, Lange snatching the pack right off her back, allowing her to move faster while he carried that weight. Corbin went ahead, taking down a sentinel while she combined her power with a gust of air from Lange, rubble slamming into another sentinel so violently, he was thrown feet into the air.
The males were faster, their strides longer, but she pushed herself harder. Once they made it past the tree line, they could slow. She could tell Corbin was holding back to stay by Lange’s side, and they were so close.
But not close enough.
She could see the shadows thickening. Knew Valter had been told what was happening.
Then she was crying out as she was lifted from the ground before she was choking on a lungful of water. Lev was walking calmly towards her, one hand raised and the other in his pocket, and she was trapped in a fucking orb of water.
Corbin and Lange skidded to a halt, spinning back to see what was going on, and she wanted to scream that they were being idiots. That they needed to keep going, keep running.
But then they did just that. A look passed between them, and they turned, racing for the woods and leaving her behind. It was what they should do. Every person for themselves and all that. It was the way of Devram, and yet…
Pushing down whatever it was she was trying to feel, she focused on Lev. Her features became impassive and unreadable as she stared back at him. Her lungs were burning now, unable to pull in oxygen, and she ground her teeth, refusing or unable to show her discomfort. She wasn’t entirely sure. She’d spent too many decades training herself not to show the pain but to endure it silently. Too many of the people she was forced to spend time with got off on inflicting pain, including her Master.
Deep blue eyes held hers, and he rotated his palm, the orb she was in spinning with the movement, making her disoriented.
Fucking prick.
Then she was falling, crashing to the ground hard enough to feel it in all her bones. She heard rips as various portions of her clothing tore on the sharp rubble scattered about, and she’d bitten her tongue so hard, she spat blood as she glared at Lev walking towards her. Her clothing was soaked, weighing her down, and the boots Tessa had given her were filled with water.
Curling her fingers into the rocks and dirt, she felt tree roots shuddering as she called them to her, the ground shaking.
“Don’t,” Lev snarled, a dagger of ice pressing to her throat. “I told you I would have to stop you if you tried to escape.”
“And I told you that you could try,” she replied, her voice a little hoarse.
And before he could say anything else, the roots exploded from the ground. Four found Lev, and he was on his back before he could fully process what was happening. The rest wound around her, soaking up some of the water from her coat and pants as they placed her gently on her feet. A single vine unfurled, slithering up like a snake to present the dagger she’d dropped at some point, and she took the hilt in her hand.
Taking the few steps to his side, she stared down at Lev. His eyes were hard as he struggled against the tree roots, but not even his ice weapons could slice through them.
She lowered to a crouch, the roots pulling back enough to reveal a space on his chest.
Directly over his heart.
“Do it then,” Lev gritted out. “What was it you said? None of us really care about survival anyway?”
“I…” Her fingers tightened, the dagger still at her side.
“Maya will punish me for losing you,” he said, his head dropping back in defeat.
“Would you prefer that? Would you prefer to live and face her wrath?” she asked, her tone as flat and cold as the Witches of the Underground.
His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth, and it was answer enough. None of them could ask for death. None of them could end their own misery. And she was already fucked if caught, so what would it matter if she added more to her punishment?
“You could come with us,” Eviana said, not sure where the words had come from or why she was offering it.
“No, I can’t,” he said, his voice thick. “We both know it. However you’re keeping Valter from finding you won’t work. I would be a beacon right to you, Eviana. I don’t know what you’re doing, but I meant what I said. I don’t want any part of it.”
