Page 130 of Juniper Unraveling

Those two words explode inside my ears, sending a rush of panic to my muscles. “You’re going after Legion?”

“If they haven’t already cleared out, yes.” After dipping a canteen into the pool, he strides toward me and rubs the water over my stomach, washing away his now-dried release.

I push his arm out of the way and crawl toward my clothes. “I’m coming with you.”

“The hell you are.”

Tugging my pants up over my hips and fastening the button, I shake my head. “Rhys, you can’t … you can’t just. You can’t do that. I just found you again, and you’re going off to fight?”

“We’re just going to scope it out.” He slides a grisly-looking blade out of a holster at his hip before securing it back inside. “If it’s too dangerous, we’ll pull back.”

I pop my head through the T-shirt and jab my finger toward the knife he just pulled. “What’s that for, then? A jar of peanut butter along the way?”

“They’re our allies, Wren.” Hands set on his hips, he maintains a healthy distance from me. “The surrounding hives supply us with food and clothing for protection. I have no choice. We have to go.”

I lurch toward him as if I could wrap him up and steal him away. As if I have the power to move a man like him. “What if something happens to you?”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. I won’t do anything stupid.” He strides forward and comes a stop in front of me. Curling his fingers around my biceps, he tugs me into his body and brushes his lips over mine. “I’ve got too much at stake now.”

“Promise me you’ll come back.”

“I promise,” he whispers, and seals my arguments with a kiss.

Chapter 36

The cave has grown dark. Too dark. The cold breath of night settles over my skin, and I curl myself into the blankets, waiting for Rhys to return. A dull ache in my gut is the first brush of pain, letting me know it’s there. Waiting. I clamp my eyes and shake my thoughts of the possibility that he might not come back.

That I could possibly go through the horrific pain of losing him twice.

I wouldn’t. And perhaps staying here was a mistake.

I’ve lost too many people I love, in the most brutal ways, and losing Rhys, my beloved Six, would ruin me for good this time.

Isn’t that the way of love, though? It’s like a flame, a magnificent gift of nature that draws you into its warmth. The closer a person gets, the more they sacrifice themselves, until they’re burning in that unforgiving fire, wishing to become numb, as they turn to nothing more than ash on the wind.

That’s my take on love.

Yet, still my masochistic heart yearns for that heat.

My thoughts twist like a hurricane inside my head, and in the thick of it, the notes from Papa’s journal begin to surface, flashing a number behind my closed lids.

Six’s prison number.

The antibody.

My eyes flip open to a thought. Not a thought, an idea. An idea that might be more feasible than trying to sneak into Szolen and wage war on a giant.

A clamor echoes from beyond my wall. Shouts and screams. I sit up in the bed, eyes on the door ahead of me. My head tells me to run and see what’s happening.

My heart tells me I can’t face the pain.

My head wins, and I slip my feet over the edge of the bed, dash across the room, and throw back the door. The walls close in on me from both sides, as I scurry down the hallway and into the large cavern. Bodies rush around a mass of black in the center of the room, forming a tight circle I can’t see past. I focus on the black leather vests gathered in a tight cluster and hold my breath.

The steady hammer in my chest counts off every step, while I push through the small crowd and catch sight of legs, blood, arms, blood, a torso, blood. The sickness churns in my stomach, until I reach the eye of the storm and stare down at Crank, lying in a thick pool of blood. His own. Pouring out of wounds in his chest and leg. The others stand around him, as if frozen, not knowing what to do. A pale hue clings to his face, and I drop to my knees on instinct, slapping my palms against his wounds. His body is cold, ice cold, and I’m certain death is one breath away.

“I need rags!” My mouth spills words that my head hasn’t even begun to keep up with. “Get a canteen and a blanket!”

People move at my command, and in seconds, I’m presented with a small pile of rags and a canteen. Rigs drapes the blanket over Crank’s trembling body.