Page 133 of Captive Bride

Every moment, I expect to hear footfalls rushing up behind us. I picture the tunnel collapsing, earth-like water raining down upon us. I hear gunshots, though I know there aren’t any down here.

When the ground begins to slope upward once again, I breathe a sigh of relief.

In a matter of moments, this tunnel has transformed from a lifeline to a tomb, and I’m ecstatic to be free of it.

A few minutes later, we reach more stairs. They wind tightly upwards, towards freedom. Our escape.

I patiently wait my turn, Merc and Benny going ahead to make sure there aren’t any traps. Tristan goes behind me.

Safely sandwiched between them, I climb the stairs towards the hatch covering them.

When Benny finally returns to tell us it’s safe, I nearly throw myself through the opening.

The cool night air washes over me, caressing my skin as it brushes back my hair. A chill creeps through me, invigorating and welcome.

We’ve emerged a couple of blocks from the Governor’s mansion, several from Tristan’s penthouse. The streets stand near empty, abandoned in the late hour.

“Should I call a ride?” Benny asks.

“No,” Tristan answers quickly. “At this point, I trust no one. We’ll walk.”

He turns to me, planting a kiss on my lips as he wraps his arm around my shoulder. He pulls onward, our feet running against the concrete, eerily loud in the still night air.

The events of the last few hours seem to spill from me, panic and terror fleeing in the face of my newfound safety.

We’re alive.

Both of us.

No matter how hard people have tried to kill or cage us, we’re here. We’re free, and more importantly, we’re together.

His body presses against my side, warm despite our surroundings.

I’ve never felt safer than I do at his side.

I was raised in a virtual prisoner’s tower, countless armed guards swarming the grounds day and night. I was under constant supervision, kept under lock and key.

Despite all of that, I never truly knew what it was to feel safe.

I never really understood the concept until I was pulled, kicking and screaming, from my old life...until I landed at Tristan’s side.

Going with him now, I feel warmth and life rushing through me.

All the forces in the world could never drag me back to where I came from. Not now.

I lean toward him, needing to close any space that remains between us. I feel, in this moment, that I am where I truly belong.

I am home.

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