The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 60 - TRITTEON

This was a waste of time. Rilyin was out there somewhere, possibly dying over and over again and Orion was off chasing a daydream. The Creea would never exonerate them. I couldn't imagine how she'd gotten them to agree to send Dawith in the first place, but that was really as far as it could go. The Truth Drug was difficult and costly to make and the amount of people stepping forward to demand it would increase significantly, not to mention the Creea's law being challenged.

But would Orion really go through with the execution? I didn't believe that for one second. If anything, even more time was going to be wasted when she did something impossibly stupid. And without Rilyin here to speak on our behalf, there would be no saving either of us.

I pressed the back of my head to the wall. Our small window of opportunity was closing, and I couldn't calm my mind enough to consider any sort of plan. I knew her guilt alone would push her to hand herself over. But no matter how much I hated that she'd chosen my safety over his, I could never let her do it. Not after everything we'd already been through. Not with the way I felt about her. She really was the everything Desraeon had promised she would be. And I couldn't wait to see what she might become.

But the binding. I had to leave in a little over a year. It was inescapable. But her Poeirs. They would be weakened by my absence. How could Desraeon have ever asked her to do what she did when such a possibility was on the line? He knew more about it than even I did.

But separate from killing myself, was there anything I could do to fix the situation?

I did know about one thing. But I wasn't sure if it could make the situation worse.

The Interrogation door beeped and opened abruptly with a hiss, and I stared, open mouthed as Aeryn, Vialla, and Gauwin stepped out, their hearts still pounding, all very much alive.

"How?" was the only thing I could think to say. Because there she was, behind Pharro, that beautiful, charming smile on her face, talking to Dawith. I gripped Pharro's shoulder as he past. "How the hell did she do it?"

He nodded behind him. "Ask her yourself. I think it's time you stopped doubting her." He released a breath. "I think it's time we all stopped doubting her."

Shame heated my face. She caught my gaze and grinned.

And Dawith stabbed something into her leg.

I growled, but the door slammed shut in my face as she collapsed.

"What happened?" Pharro yelled.

"He injected her and locked me out!" I roared, slamming my palm against the reader over and over uselessly. I swiped my claws across the door's surface but didn't create so much as a scratch.

"It's cobize, Tritteon," Gauwin said quickly.

"Desraeon!" I spun on Pharro. "We need Desraeon! Now!"

************