Page 59 of Expose Me

Zey was murmuring something, looking between the door and her, trying to get her to calm down.

I yanked the zap from his hand and stabbed it into the side of Doendru’s neck. At the jolt of electricity, she dropped to the ground, passed out.

Wood splintered—they were almost through the door.

I grabbed Zey’s hand and pulled him through the open French doors.

We ran into the gardens that surrounded the house as more shouts erupted around us. It was dark and hard to see, but Zey snapped out of whatever was going on with him and took the lead. I guessed he could see in the dark, or he’d shifted his eyes so they could, because he took my hand and maneuvered us around fountains and garden beds.

“Which way, Sky?” he rushed out.

We were running away from the house and were bound to hit the fence at some point, but then what? I had no idea if it was guarded or magically protected.

We were so fucking fucked!

One quick glance behind us told me there were several people racing after us. They were going in multiple directions though, so the darkness was helping at least a little bit.

Not with the Vuulectians though—now that they knew Zey was here, they were locked on him and heading straight for us. The two Onuei in our possession probably didn’t help either.

A big, hulking form came rushing at us from the side, appearing from behind some hedge, too late to avoid.

Zey shoved me to the side and threw a punch.

The other guy dodged it, and I realized I knew him.

“Lowell?” I called, breathing hard. I knew his mannerisms, the way he moved his large frame way faster than most expected.

“Sky?” he called back, and Zey relaxed marginally. “Let’s move.”

I didn’t hesitate. I trusted Lowell with my life and ran after him as he ducked behind the hedge and led the way back to where he came from.

With Vuulectians hot on our heels and more and more shouts coming from the building, we reached the edge of the property.

A guard lay prone on the ground, relieved of his weapons and unconscious. There was a hole in the fence behind him, and Lowell helped us through before following us.

“This way.” He jogged away from the main road to the quieter streets behind the House of Sea and Serpentine headquarters.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, smacking his arm as we kept pace with him. “Why are you going around knocking guards out?”

“Spotted you when you arrived. Figured you might need a few exit options. Looks like I was right.” Even in this dire situation, he managed a small, satisfied grin.

I wanted to hug him. He’d saved my ass again. I’d done the same for him so many times too. We’d stopped keeping count years ago.

“You are going to get into so much shit. I can’t be responsible for ruining your life too.” I groaned.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, traitor,” he said, stopping at the entrance to a parking area and pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. “I saw you attack that guard and escape through the fence and went chasing after you. I’m a big guy and a good fighter, but I couldn’t take two of you, and unfortunately, you knocked me the fuck out before stealing my keys and jumping on my bike that’s parked right over there,” he pointed at the corner of the lot, “and I didn’t see which way you went.”

I took the keys from him and pulled him into a quick hug. My heart was bursting at how much he was willing to risk for me.

“The Vuulectians will still be able to track us, but this will be a good head start. Thank you,” Zey said earnestly, and I could hear the note of respect in his tone.

“Thank you,” I rushed out as I pulled back.

Lowell just gave me a firm nod and turned to Zey. “Hope you’ve got a powerful swing buddy, because this needs to be believable.”

No time to waste, Zey shifted. His shoulders widened and he gained a few extra inches, his clothing straining against the extra bulk.

“Oh man, that’s fucking weird.” Lowell chuckled, wide-eyed as he stared at a carbon copy of himself.

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