Page 41 of Devoured By the Stormbrought

As soon as we were alone in the dark passage, she grabbed my sleeve and pulled me to a stop.

"What are you doing with that?" She snapped.

I turned to face her and met her eyes, red and swollen from crying. A pang of sympathy struck me, but I didn't let it linger too long, lest I lose my nerve.

"I am trying to do you a favor," I remarked, holding the note out to her. "There was more, but I didn't dare bring it."

She was ignoring me, reading the note with creased brows and a deep frown. After several long minutes, she appeared to comport herself and crumpled the note in her palm.

"I don't know what this means," she stated haughtily.

I held up a hand and silenced her.

"It makes no difference to me. I just thought you deserved to know. If it were me, I would've wanted to know..."

She narrowed her eyes at me, and her nostrils flared. I got the distinct feeling that she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for me to make my demand, which made it all the harder when I was forced to speak next.

"Tatyanna, if you know where either of them might have gone, you need to tell me," I implored, keeping my voice soft but urgent.

I felt her recoil from me in the tight space, clutching the note to her chest and glaring at me.

"Don't you think if I knew I would have gone after them? You think I wanted to stay down here like this? They turned their backs on me just like everyone else."

She stormed away, her pained cries filling the hallway until she was far in the distance. For once, I felt like her and I had something in common.

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