Page 15 of Bite of Sin

“They’ll realize it the minute they see your face.” He brushed his knuckles over my cheek. “Your jaw is already bruising.”

“I could say I got into a fight.”

He scoffed. “You know that won’t work.”

I knew that. Norman would be looking for anyone who stood out, and since his men saw someone tumble down a cliff, they were expecting someone to be hurt. I glanced over my shoulder, my fear growing larger when I realized all the exits of the city center were being guarded.

I had no way out. I should have gotten my bag first. I might have a chance if I had my weapons.

“We have a traitor among us.” Norman’s voice echoed as he spoke into the microphone. “Helena Mackley was caught outside the walls. Running to vampires to sell out our secrets.”

Shocked gasps exploded throughout the crowd as Tim’s fingers tightened on my arm. I barely acknowledged him as I watched in horror as a man dragged Helena onto the platform. Her wrists were tied in front of her, and her mouth was gagged with a thick cloth. She was walking with the man on her own, not fighting or trying to escape. I lunged forward, only for Tim to haul me back to his side.

“There’s nothing you can do for her now,” he said softly. “I know you’re close but—”

“Helena was beside herself that we needed to take her friend, Lisa, to treatment.” Norman spoke again, drowning out the rest of Tim’s sentence. “Instead of coming to us, she decided she didn’t want to be with us anymore. Her actions could have put us in jeopardy.”

His lies brought a surge of action from the crowd, and a few began yelling, their anger focused on Helena. Just like they wanted. Helena was staring over everyone, as if she wasn’t listening, her body sagging in defeat. I raised on my tiptoes, seeing blond hair weaving and pushing through the bodies.

“Kali, don’t,” Tim ordered when I slipped out of his hold.

I ignored him, shoving through the crowd, keeping my eyes trained on Warner. He was attempting to get to the platform without raising too much attention, and I slowly gained on him as Norman spoke up again.

“We can’t have people like this in our community. They are a threat. We must always choose the human race before ourselves, or we won’t survive.” The crowd cheered at his words. “She can’t be trusted anymore.”

A chill ripped through me. My worst fear—her being made an example of—was coming true.

“Traitor,” someone screamed from the crowd.

“Punish her.”

“Lock her away.”

The yells had my heart sinking. The people here put so much trust in PARA—they wouldn’t believe anything else. They were the reason we’d survived the war. They were respected. Feared. No one ever went against them.

“Warner,” I called his name as I got close.

He whipped around, his frantic gaze softening a fraction when he saw me. He hesitated, giving me a chance to catch up to him. He had two backpacks on, and he shrugged one off and pushed it into my arms.

“I stopped at home first,” he said in a rush, his eyes going back to the platform. “I thought Helena was safe. I didn’t know they had her.”

I put the backpack on, ignoring the few curious glances we were getting. Most were too focused on Norman to notice us, but now suspicions were high.

“I put extra supplies in there,” he said. “You should be good for a while. You remember there’s a faction of the group that lives free. Find them, Kali.”

“We don’t know where they are,” I said, my voice shaking. “And I’m not leaving you here, so stop talking like I am.”

“Yes, you are,” he growled. “I’m getting my sister. And you’re leaving right now. Before they get a hold of you too.”

“No—”

“Run,” he cut me off. “Leave and find someplace safe. You know that abandoned city on the other side of the forest? Stay in one of those buildings. I’ll find you once I get Helena.”

He was talking as if it were simple. There was no way to get Helena away from Norman. The crowd would get involved to stop him now that they saw Helena as a traitor.

“The cells aren’t enough for her,” Norman said, his voice cruel. “We can’t let her try it again.”

The people screamed in agreement, and I froze when Helena suddenly attacked the man who was holding on to her. Like me, she was trained to fight, and it only took her a couple of simple moves to free herself. She raised her tied hands, pulling the gag out of her mouth.

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