My Darkest Shadow

Chapter 36

Dahli's response was a mixture of curses and threats. Face flaming, he circled Madeline while both his thugs closed in on her.

But Madeline's confidence was unwavering. Arms crossed she held her ground, unphased by Dahli's efforts to intimidate her. Mumbling, she rose a hand to her ear. Seconds later, eight men materialized behind Dahli and his crew.

I struggled to keep vigilant, to watch the growing crowd that would determine my fate. My hands were numb. The sharp pain in my hyperextended shoulders was unrelenting. In the deep recesses of my heart, the small seed of hope I nurtured was dying.

It took a moment for Dahli to notice Madeline's crew. His hand shot up, halting their advance. The numbers were no longer in his favor.

"This is a mistake, Madeline. She won't last long in this place. Does Sullivan know you're here?"

Madeline sneered. "No other nominees know. And Sullivan doesn't have the power you think. Just a short time ago, he was right where Harper is now."

"You should have killed me when you had the chance." The deep British accent came from the back of the room. It didn't belong to either of my captors.

My head shot up and focus returned to my eyes. I knew that voice.

Distracted by Madeline's men, none of us had noticed Kael enter at the back of the room. He looked different to me, though I wasn't sure why. A long black coat brushed the ground as he stepped down a level, closer to Dahli and Madeline. His jaw was set in the firm line I knew well, his hazel eyes focused. There was an intensity about him that made me uneasy. My heart pounded in my chest. Angst mixed with excitement at the prospect of rescue made me jittery.

Behind Kael, figures emerged from the shadows. Like ants they multiplied, taking over the back of the room. Sober-faced, their eyes stayed on Kael, as if their orders would be initiated by the flick of his hand.

Kael continued to advance to the lower levels of the floor. As he did, more men appeared, filling the entire upper room. They spilled from the middle outward, occupying the length of the place. The higher level at the back held at least thirty of them. Were they all here for me?

Madeline had her back to me, but her resolution wavered now. To get away from the drop, she slithered closer to the safety of the back wall. She touched her ear again, dipped her head, and mumbled something.

Worried, I tried to catch Kael's eye. But he never looked at me. Instead, his focus stayed on Madeline.

"No one is coming." His voice was a low growl.

Both hands fluttered to her ear as she tried again, dipping her head to speak into her coms.

His boot hit the last step with a thud. He was at the bottom level, six feet from the drop and eight feet from Madeline.

"I told you this would happen, but you had to play anyway."

"Kael..." Madeline started, her usually confident voice wavering.

But he turned away from her to face Dahli who had shrunk further from Kael as he advanced. Like Madeline, he seemed sensitive to the vast deficit he had in numbers.

Dahli lifted a hand defensively. "Obviously Arias prefers you," he huffed. "But don't think winning this round and having her is the victory. This isn't over, Sullivan."

Kael rose his chin in acknowledgement but stayed silent. One hand at his side clenched and released once, but he made no move to attack.

Dahli shouted at his men. "Let's go!"