My heart beat harder, but in encouragement now. I took deep gulps of air. With each step, my mind cleared. I could breathe. My raging mind went silent. I tore through the city in blue as rain pelted me, but I welcomed it, willing it to wash it all away.
The buildings slowly grew shorter, closer to the earth, less ornate. I wasn’t far from my building now. I’d have to stop soon. The wounds slowly reopened as my building came into view.
My mind begged me to run more, but my body couldn’t. I was too out of shape. I began to slow, the forty-eight windows and bricks just ahead on the right. I gasped for breath, my lungs ravaged, but my heart refused to settle. Little stars popped into my vision. I hadn’t run in over a year.
They had taken that from me too.
“Emeline?” I heard a deep voice say behind me.
Collin had come. My legs trembled, threatening to give way. I needed to sit for a minute, just inside. I could make it inside. My soaking gown slipped from my grasp, and strong arms grabbed me, keeping me upright. I leaned my head back into a hard chest, looking for sapphire eyes, only to find starburst ones instead.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you, Moonlight.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
HAL BROUGHT ONE ARM UNDER MY KNEES AND THE OTHERaround my shoulders, lifting me off the ground and pulling me in close. I felt the world shake, or perhaps I was shaking. He held me tightly, making small, calming noises while he rubbed his thumb in reassuring circles on my arm. The collar was too tight.
“I want it off,” I begged, my chest aching. “I need it off.”
“Okay, we’ll get it off,” he reassured me. A buzzing sound filled my ears, drowning everything out. “I need help,” Hal stated, readjusting me in his arms. “Give me your wrist.”
I dropped my glowing wrist as he shifted until I heard the beep and the familiar click of the glass door. “We’re in,” Hal said quietly. I shivered viciously, my wet gown chilling me to the bone even as we entered the empty lobby of my building.
“Give me your wrist again,” Hal’s warm voice coaxed. I felt the elevator lurch upward. Hal tucked me in closer against his chest. “Almost to the floor.” A heaviness settled over me, the thundering in my ears too loud as I began clawing at the collar again. “Which room?”
“On the right,” I croaked, my throat dry. I clutched the metal, my breathing still too shallow, too fast.
“Almost inside. Give me your wrist one more time,” Hal whispered. “And we’ll get this off of you.” I dropped my wrist again. “That’s it,” Hal encouraged before opening my door and stepping into my living quarters.
I heard the door shut.
“We’re in,” Hal reassured me, but his arms remained wrapped around me as he leaned against the door—pulling me in closer still. Our bodies melded. I rested my head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. The firm beats caressed my nerves. I didn’t know how long we stayed there, how long he held me, giving me space and time to come back until my panic finally released me. My breaths became deeper, longer, until the shaking turned into a mere shiver from the wet silk. Still, Hal held me quietly.
“I—” My voice cracked. I cleared my throat. “I can stand now.”
“Okay,” Hal said, slowly lowering me to the ground.
My feet ached as they met the floor. My legs wobbled under my weight. Hal kept his hands on my sides. Something poked me. In his right hand, the one that had been under my legs, he held my clutch.
I glanced up at him, taking him in. He was soaked; his jumpsuit was tied around his waist like he had become too hot while he ran. His blue undershirt was also drenched, revealing his muscular chest and torso.
My throat ached in an entirely different way. “You followed me all the way here?”
“It’s not every day you see a woman in a blue gown run through High Town. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Our eyes met. I didn’t look away. Hal cleared his throat. “Do you still need the dress off?”
I nodded, my hand flying to my metal collar. I heard the bag thump on the bed before he approached me. A foreign panic found me. I had never been alone in my living quarters with a man.
“I need you to move your hair,” Hal instructed quietly, his breath warm on my neck.
I lifted my hands to my wet hair, untangling it from the low bun. “What were you doing in High Town?”
Hal hesitated for a moment. “I was walking to work. I wanted fresh air and to see the moon’s light. The ground is usually empty at that hour, but then I saw you. That was an impressive run.”
“I used to love to run,” I told him, my hair finally free. I pulled it over my shoulder.
“Used to?” Hal asked, his strong hand brushing a stray hair away. His calluses scraped lightly against my skin. A shudder ran through me that had nothing to do with the wet gown. His hands began to work on the clasp.
“MIND said it made me less fertile,” I said quietly. “Fertile vessel, remember?” I felt the collar give way. A sigh escaped my lips. Hal’s hands stilled at the sound.
