My body is jerked away from the wall toward the edge of the pit below. Cold rushes over my skin, blowing my hair back, and for one instant, I think I’m falling to my death.
His grip jerks me back into his chest, but the void below looms. The threat more than clear.
“Do you know what’s down there?” he says through gritted teeth.
I nod, tears streaming down my cheeks.
Come find me, the voice calls again. Is that what they’re doing, calling to me so they can eat me alive?
“They’ll eat you alive,” he tells me, mirroring my thoughts. “And if you are caught out here?” He twists so I’m facingthe open tunnel. “You’llwishyour demise was finished that quickly.”
He whips me around once again and pushes me up against the wall.
Wasn’t I just caught? Won’t that be my fate now?
“Quiet,” he says. “I don’t know if they heard you.”
As if I could suddenly turn off my panic. I’m quietly sobbing against his hand, all my weight sinking down to the ground, but he holds me up.
“Shhhh,” he says gently now. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I don’t know if I should believe him, but my body does not for a second believe that I am safe. Not at all.
I can barely think past the panic.
I am this monster’s property. Just a plaything for powerful men. And now, I’ve been found faulty, not worth the trouble. I’ll soon be with her, the girl in the prison.
We stay like this, pressed up against each other, for what feels like hours, and until every place our body touches comes into sharp focus. His right palm on my lips, his left clasping my wrists. His hips against mine.
“Breathe,” he whispers.
Easier said than done,I want to yell at him.
“We’re going to go back to our nest now. I need to know you can be quiet or we are both doomed. Do you understand?”
I nod quickly. Slowly, he pulls his hand away and decreases the weight against my body.
I work to calm my burning lungs and soothe my terrorized soul.
“Come,” he tells me then pulls me by the wrist down the hall. His steps are surprisingly quiet given his size. I do my best to keep up with his pace while also ensuring my steps light.
He stops only when we reach a fork.
Straight is the way back to the den. Right leads?—
He tugs me to continue on, to the right.
“Where—”
Before I can even blink, he again has me against the wall, breathing down my neck. This time, though, he places one finger against his mask, where his lips would be. My breath catches, but I obey his silent command.
No questions. Got it.
I don’t know exactly what his plan is, but considering he seems intent on helping me evade the guards, I’m willing to play along.
It might make no sense whatsoever, but it’s the best chance I have.
The sound of rushing water slowly grows in the distance. The cascades?
