Chapter 29
Sam woke, and the instant she did, she knew where she was. The acrid scent of the sewer never failed to make her stomach churn. Shoving up from the hard concrete, her muscles whined and she craned her neck, stretching as best she could. “How long?” she asked, wanting to know how long she’d been out, but when no reply came, she turned to eye the cell. It was empty.
Heart suddenly racing, Sam sprang to her feet and looked around. There was no sign of Bellis, not even a hint that he’d been there. Rushing to the cell door, she jerked on it, but it was firmly locked.
Panic set in. Had Odium taken Bellis while she slept, and if so, why? Was Bellis okay? Had Odium caught on to them? Did he know that Bellis was a Skin Walker? Was Odium torturing him?
Pacing, Sam called out, “HEY!”
Silence.
She screamed louder, “HEYYYYYY!” Something was wrong. Bellis was facing Odium alone, and she couldn’t protect him from her brother and his minions if she weren’t there.
One of the guards came in, and the second his eyes shot from Sam to the empty cell, she recognized his shock. The bottom of her stomach dropped out.
“Where is he?” the guard snarled, and Sam couldn’t stop the hurt that slashed through her. “WHERE IS HE?” the guard bellowed again, but Sam could only blink as her grip on the bar loosened and she dropped to her knees.
He left me. Bellis had done the one thing she hadn’t expected. He’d let her get him into the Hive, and then he’d abandoned her. He wasn’t working with her, he was working for himself, for Monroe. He used her. The betrayal and sense of loss swamping her was dizzying, and the guard’s shouts faded to nothing. She was in a daze, and didn’t even attempt to stop the tears that flooded her eyes and slipped down her face. He left me!
“WHERE IS HE?” the guard screamed again, and this time he was so hysterical that it drew Sam’s attention.
Blinking rapidly, she swiped at her cheeks. Bellis had left her, and even now she felt compelled to protect him. She couldn’t out him, couldn’t let the Megalya know what he really was. Pacing to the back wall, Sam let her back slam into it before she slid down, resting her arms on her upraised knees as she sneered, “He’s a fucking Demon. Did you really think bars would hold him?” But her own words were echoing in her head. He’s a demon. She chuffed a quiet sound. Did you really think he cared? Stupid, stupid, bitch!
***
Bellis traversed the maze of tunnels with more ease than he’d expected. The sewer was dark, and it was conducive to his coloring. No one blended with the dark like he could. Something about it called to him and heightened every single one of his senses. A few Megalya had walked right past while he’d pressed himself into a darkened corner. The ridiculous creatures hadn’t even been aware of his presence. He knew where most of them were gathered, because they made no attempts at being quiet. It was easy to skirt the busier parts of the sewer and he realized that major construction had taken place down here to make it into what it now was. The Hive. This is where the Megalya kept all of its monsters, as Sam called them. Her revelation though, coupled with Jenny’s opinion, proved what they really were. Failures. They were scientific experiments gone wrong, a try at something the scientists had yet to get right. It worried him that they’d experimented on Sam. Clearly, they weren’t concerned with permanently ruining their live subjects and he was determined to get Sam back to Jenny’s infirmary for thorough testing once this mission was complete. He needed to find out what they’d done to her and find out if it could be fixed. His Sam deserved to have her life back, and she would once they got through this damn mission.
Mission. He was so close to finishing all this that he could practically taste it! Soon, Sam would be safe, free from what she considered her duty, free to disappear with him.
Dumb boooy! He could practically hear her voice sing-songing in his head as he momentarily lost focus. She was right. He needed to keep his eyes on the prize, because getting distracted could get him killed and where would that leave Sam? Alone and trapped, that’s where. Focusing, he frowned as he slunk along the wall. He didn’t know how the Megalya worked, but Sam had said there were only a dozen or so of the creatures here. He wouldn’t go for Odium straight away. No, he’d get himself acquainted with the area, and then he’d start picking them off one by one.
A noise brought him up short. There were raised voices, then shouts. Something was happening. An unmistakable animal growl rumbled through the tunnels, and Bellis moved. A large predator was fighting the Megalya, which meant either another Skin Walker had arrived, or a Keeper and his Soul Sentry were on the premises. Either way, he’d have to help.
Tearing around a corner, Bellis found Keo and Bronx surrounded by Megalya. There were too many for the three of them to defeat.
Bellis yelled, “STOP!”
Keo’s gaze jerked to him, and the Keeper snarled, “Where is she?”
She? Sam? Was he fucking kidding?
A chill blasted up Bellis’ spine and he spun to find Odium and three Megalya behind him. Odium canted his head as he studied Bellis, a cruel smirk on his lips as his eyes drifted from Bellis to Keo. “A Demon, a Keeper, and a Soul Sentry. All interested in my Sam.” The words ‘my Sam’ twisted something in Bellis, and his lip peeled back to reveal his wicked incisors.
“Was she yours?” Odium asked him mockingly, then jerked his chin to Keo. “Or his?”
Was? Bellis’ lip fell, and when Odium laughed at his reaction, Bellis fisted his hands to keep from punching the fucker.
Odium ordered, “Bring her! Let’s finish this now.”
Bellis was corralled toward Keo and Bronx until all three stood in the center of a circle of Megalya. Their pale, pasty skin and inky eyes were disturbing, but who was Bellis to judge?
He looked at Keo and then to Bronx who paced in front of them. “She’s safe,” he muttered quietly, hoping to ease the tension in the Keeper’s frame. He’d need Keo’s head in the game if they hoped to survive whatever came next.
Several minutes passed and all the while, Bellis tried to think up a plan. Worst case scenario, he, Keo, Bronx, and Sam would have to fight their way free. It wasn’t what he wanted. He’d prefer if Sam wasn’t involved at all.
Feet crunching on dirt-covered concrete drew his attention as Sam was led into the tunnel, but something was off. She looked…defeated.