24
BARRETT
Iblinked, agony lancing through every inch of my body, collecting and concentrating in my back.
“Barrett,” Lucia whispered, and I looked down at her, at her wide eyes as she lay amidst the rubble beneath me. Blood dripped onto her cheek, rolling down onto the dirt.
“Don’t move,” I groaned, feeling the weight of stone pinning me down.
“You’re bleeding,” she said, seeming to take no notice of her own wounds.
“I’ll be fine, just—” I winced as I pushed myself up, the rocks nearly too heavy. I managed to lift myself enough, muscles protesting as I shifted my weight onto one hand and shoved the sheet of rock off us.
I collapsed against it, chest heaving as I tried to pull in oxygen, the air too thin. “Fuck.”
“No…” Lucia muttered, drawing my attention to her, to her wide, panicked eyes as she looked to where the entrance should be. She rose to her feet and stumbled toward it. “No. No. We can’t…”
The scent of blood filled the air, and I grunted as I pushed myself to my feet. Crimson painted the stone, pooling on the ground and winding a path back to the pile of rubble that now barred our escape. The faintest glimpse of a leather-clad hand peeked out from beneath the massive pile of boulders and rocks.
“No,” Lucia continued to chant, her hands passing over the stone as she searched for any means of escape. “We can’t be trapped. Can’t be?—”
“Hey,” I said, reaching out to touch her.
“No, I can’t… Not again,” she said, tears rolling down her cheeks as she clawed and scratched at the stone. “Let me out!”
It was faint, but a voice cut through the silence, muffled.
“We’re here!” I called back, doubting they could understand. “I’ve got Lucia! She’s all right!”
No distinguishable response came, and Lucia continued to pull at stones. Air caught in my lungs as the boulders shifted, groaning under the weight of what remained of the ceiling. It might collapse on her.
“Lucia. Hey, look at me,” I said, grasping her arms to pull her away. Her wild, tear-filled eyes found me, her skin pale, her body trembling. “You’re gonna be all right. We’re gonna get out of this.”
Her eyes wavered, drifting back to the stone, to the glimpses of crushed bodies. “I need to get out. I need?—"
I forced her to look at me. “No, you look at me. I’m here with you. Focus on me.”
She swallowed but nodded, her breaths shallow—too shallow. The air was already thinner.
“Breathe,” I said firmly. “Slow. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
Her trembling hands tightened on my forearms.
“Close your eyes,” I said, and she did, drawing deep, shaky breaths. Carefully, I guided her through the rubble, feeling our way to an alcove where she was well away from what remained of her warriors. She stumbled behind me, holding onto me tightly.
“Here,” I whispered, turning to guide her down to sit.
“Please, don’t?—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her as I lowered to my knees before her.
Her lids lifted a fraction, as if she was too afraid to look up. I’d never seen her this afraid. She was always in control, level, and calm.
How the hell were we going to get out of this? Were Marcus and Alec both alive on the other side of that wall of stone? Were they getting help? I feared if we tried to move any of the stone, the rest of the cavern could come crumbling down on us.
I scanned the darkness, unable to make out much of anything, couldn’t even see the bars. Had every means of escape been cut off?
Lucia drew a shaky breath, and my heart twisted at how her hands trembled. I turned to settle in beside her, hating seeing her so shaken. I was supposed to watch her back, keep her safe. Now, she was trapped here, and I didn’t know if I could get her out.
