Page 82 of Bite of Vengeance
“Viggo,” I grabbed his shoulder. “It’s her. Not Keeva.”
Pax burst into the small space as Viggo’s eyes trailed down me, horror filling his eyes before rage quickly replaced it.
“What the hell did they do to you?” he asked, his voice deadly.
Pax stared at me before yanking me close and pulling me into a hug. “Fuck, Zan. We thought you were dead.”
“I’m fine. We need to get out of here. Keeva and Rowan are downstairs, and I’m sure they won’t be for long.”
Pax pulled off his jacket, handing it to me. “Can you walk?”
I nodded, throwing the jacket on. I clenched my teeth when the cloth rested on my cuts that wouldn’t heal because of the fucking hawthorn lotion. “You have a way out?”
Viggo smirked. “Out? You didn’t hear? We don’t need to sneak out. There are enough Shadows making sure PARA can’t keep a hold on the city. They’re running out in droves as we speak. They’ll be captured or out of the city by nightfall. We already cleared most of this building.”
“Keeva is still here.” Kali’s eyes darted to me. “I don’t know if the Shadows will listen to her or not.”
“They won’t.” Rya stepped into sight, bright red blood smeared on the side of her face. Her eyes warmed when she looked at Kali. “They know she’s the reason you were taken. They don’t trust her.”
“Then I’m going back down there.”
I caught her arm when she tried darting past me. “No.”
She froze, turning to look at me. “No? This might be my only chance?—”
“Chance for what?” I asked, watching annoyance grow on her face. “You told me yourself that you can’t kill her. She’s stronger than you right now. You’ve been practically starved for two weeks. She hasn’t. You need to rest before we go after her.The guns my brothers have won’t be enough when there are fifty soldiers down there with them.”
“And what if we lose her? What if she gets away?”
“There are Shadows up there, Kali,” Pax said gently. “If she leaves the building, they’ll stop her.”
Indecision flashed across her face, but I pulled her toward the exit. “Going after her now isn’t the answer. We need to plan. We just got away. I’m not letting you get anywhere near Rowan again.”
“I can handle him,” she snapped.
“Where he is, so is Keeva. He’s not stupid. He knows we’ll be out for blood and your twin is the only one strong enough to protect him from us. He’ll be glued to her side.”
A muscle in her jaw clenched. “Fine.”
Her steps were hesitant until Rya grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the stairwell. I sagged slightly when she began striding down the hall with Rya. Viggo came up beside me and put my arm around his shoulder, helping me walk.
“You okay?” Viggo asked under his breath.
“I will be once I know Rowan can’t touch her,” I muttered.
“It’s good to see you, little brother.” Viggo chuckled lightly. “It’s been a long fucking two weeks.”
I scoffed. “It’s only been two weeks?”
We followed Rya down the halls, Pax keeping the gun in hand in case we ran into any soldiers. But soon, Kali pushed the door open, and I inhaled deeply, relishing in the fresh air. We rounded the building, and I scanned the area, surprised to not see the carnage of a fight.
“How did you find out where we were?” I asked Viggo.
He opened his mouth to answer, but a louder voice cut through the air. I craned my neck, seeing a group of people huddled in an open area. Two men were on a raised platform, one of them holding a microphone.
“We are not here to hurt you,” he said into the microphone. “Most of you know about our group. The Clovers. PARA’s reign needs to end. They don’t have your best interest at heart. We do. The ones who entered the city aren’t going to hurt you. They have black blood, like the loved ones who were torn away from us. PARA lied to you. They didn’t send Shadows to get help. They killed them.”
Murmurs ran through the crowd, many of the onlookers looking uneasy. Kali had halted and was watching with a hint of a smile on her face.
