Daughter of Nyx (Book 2)

Chapter Fifteen

Her heart pounded in her ears but through it, she heard him again.

"She's alive."

She didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but he was standing between her and the open door. The adrenaline that had left her returned and she was on her feet, heading in the direction of his voice, all sense of reasoning gone, when an arm grabbed her. She spun free before finding herself against the bars, a hand across her mouth.

"I'm trying to help you," he said, voice low and soft.

But only fools believed that. She once more bit down and he cursed, shifting and then he was behind her, keeping her pinned against the cage.

"It's okay. Chevonne, I'm on your side. I'm not going to hurt you."

Slowly, his words eased into her mind, through the driving need to make him pay.

"I'm trying to get you out."

She went still, stopped fighting, though she remained tense.

After a moment, the hands on her eased up and turned her around.

"I tried to get here sooner, but I couldn't. Not without blowing my cover."

His hands were gentle now and she bent over, trying to qwell the nausea brought on by the taste of blood in her mouth.

"We don't have much time. This one was supposed to be watching you while the rest of us were in a meeting."

He took her hand and pressed something into it.

How could he see her? She couldn't ask, the swelling in her throat too great. Slowly, she reached out and her fingers brushed flesh then something that wasn't.

"Night vision goggles."

So, he could see her. See what she had done.

"Can you speak?"

She shook her head, putting her hand where the others were.

"Bastard."

She nodded.

"I'm going to tell you where to go. And you must go that way. If you take a different path, you will either run into guards or fall down a shaft or something. After I tell you this, I want you to take that syringe and put me to sleep. Leave it so they can find it. That will help with the story I'm going to tell. This is going to involve climbing a shaft. You need to be strong enough for that. Can you do it?"

She nodded once more. So great was her need for freedom, she would scale a high-rise if that was what it took.

His voice moved as he spoke and she heard metal on metal. A few moments later and a hand took hers. Madelyn.

"Why..." Chevonne tried to speak and a different hand touched her, covering her mouth.

"We don't have time to go over everything. I'm going to give you these goggles and you will use them to get out. After you leave here, take a right and follow the back wall to the right. You will go a ways and pass a tunnel on the left. Skip this one—" He cut off suddenly before cursing and she heard faint voices. "Change of plans. We go together. They're coming. Keep her hand and take mine. Don't let go."

She held hers out while tightening her fingers around Madelyn's.

His rough hand took hers. "Let's go."

~~~

Quickly and quietly, they followed him. As he said before he heard the others, they headed right then right. The tunnel seemed to go on forever before he stopped, taking the left that he told her about. The ground tilted beneath them, taking them further down into the group before sharply rising. At last, he stopped again.