BLOOD AND BONE | rewritten

33

Delphinium couldn't tear her eyes from Isira's face. There was the steady tap of blood dripping onto the ground from her soaked curls. For an instant, time stood still as Delphinium's mind whirled to account for this turn of events. And what it meant.

There was only one way out. Each step careful and calculated, Delphinium began the path to safety. She summoned all the power she could muster and put it on a low simmer beneath her skin.

Something shifted in the space around her.

Throwing herself into a niche in the wall, Delphinium barely survived an explosion that shook the block. Shielded as she was, the blowback still managed to throw her to the ground. Her palms were shredded. The pain in her leg brought tears to her eyes.

Delphinium could feel the pressure reopening her wound as she sprinted back to Jake. When her feet hit the sidewalk, she heard calls for help from civilians trapped under collapsed buildings. Over her shoulder, she was half-aware of a group of gun-toting Needles barreling from the smoke.

The shooting started just as Delphinium threw herself into the passenger seat. Her hearing was gone, reduced to a steady tinnitus, but she'd been used to the sound for years. Jake hit the gas. The tires squealed as they struggled to gain traction. When they did, Delphinium was thrown into her seat. At the sound of tearing metal, she knew the Needles' shots peppered the entire rear of the vehicle.

They were weaving through traffic at an alarming pace, but Delphinium didn't believe for a second the Needles weren't prepared for this turn of events. They'd be following Jake and Delphinium's trail relentlessly if they didn't do something to shake them off.

"What was that?" Jake asked, cold ferocity filling the space. When she looked over, Delphinium saw blood seeping through his clothes at the arm. A bullet graze.

"She's dead. They slaughtered her." Delphinium struggled to regain her breath. "I knew something was off."

"In our two meetings, Oleson didn't lie once. But you have."

Oh, god, oh, god, he knew. "What are you insinuating?"

"Did you or did you not leave out anything important about their meeting yesterday?"

"The only news to me was that Orozco had some vague surprise planned for us, which could have been anything. If Oleson wasn't lying, as you are so adamant about, they must have already known she was a traitor. I had no idea they'd kill her." Delphinium was growing more panicked by the second. "You think I left out the fact that they were going to blow us to bits? You really have a low opinion of me."

"I think I've made my opinion of you quite clear. Why wouldn't you say that Orozco had something large planned for us?"

"I was a bit sidetracked by your interrupting me to conduct your constant manipulation tactics," Delphinium deadpanned, keeping all anger hidden inside. She was unsure where the line lay with him and wasn't looking to find it. "We're only stuck with each other for a few more days. It's only necessary to remain a team until we find the others."