Caged

33

I was still in hysterics as Alastair carried me out of the building.

I didn't know how we managed to make it out. All I remembered was seeing Elijah look away one last time, before everything was a series of hallways and stairs and stained glass windows blurred together.

I'd fought Alastair the entire time, trying to make him let go of me, so I could go back and change Elijah's mind.

To make him understand that we could find another way. To make him understand why he needed to live.

"We have to go back!" I screamed, kicking my legs around and Alastair grunted as he wrapped his arm tighter around my waist. "You have to help him!"

Distantly, I saw a man getting out of one of the black cars parked there, and I recognized him as Roman. His eyes were hard as he stalked towards us and took in my condition.

"What happened?" He asked firmly.

"Elijah stayed behind," Alastair cursed when I swung my legs up in the air, and kicked the car door shut with my feet as soon as he opened it. "Izzy, calm down."

"No! Elijah - you have to go help him! Roman!" I yelled, managing to free myself from Alastair's grip.

I slipped out of Alastair's arms and ran over to Roman. His face was blank as he stared down at me, and I didn't care about the fact that I'd been terrified of him a few days ago.

"You need to help him," I begged.

"We can't," Roman replied flatly. "Elijah ordered us to take you back home."

"Please," I sobbed. "He needs to come back, too. You can't let him...you can't let him - " I broke off, my knees buckling as I remembered.

Elijah's birthday was in seven days.

He was supposed to turn twenty-five.

Roman opened his mouth to speak, but the sound of tires coming to a halt behind us made me spin around. Roman pulled me behind him and I gasped as both Alastair and him drew their guns when the car doors opened.

I peeked around Roman to see who it was, and my breath hitched when I recognized Kaiden and Ethan moving towards us.

I didn't waste any time.

While Roman and Alastair tucked away their weapons, they still had all their attention on my brothers walking towards us.

I swiftly moved around Alastair and his hand dropped away from my arm. I was already running towards the building that we'd just come from when they started shouting my name behind me. I heard footsteps coming after me, but I didn't look back.

I'd just almost made it to the doors when hands gripped my shirt from behind and I was tackled to the ground. I flinched as I was pinned against the ground. Rocks dug into my spine, but I didn't care about the marks they'd leave behind.

I didn't care about anything right now except one person.

"Ethan, get off!" I grunted, trying to pull myself away from. "We have to get to Elijah. Get off of me!"