Page 25 of Beg the Night (Mystics of Ashora #1)

TWENTY-FIVE

sinner

I gripped Mags’s hand like my entire fucking life depended on it as we fell through the air.

With a heavy thump, then another, we landed on solid ground like we were dropped from the sky.

With a groan, I snapped my eyes open to find Mags, Athena, Katherine, and the motherfucker who just…who just teleported us.

Between one breath and the next, I was on my feet and barreling toward him. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I wrapped a hand around his throat and squeezed, shoving him backward. “Where are we?”

He held his hands up. “I’m on your side,” he choked out. “Those guards would never let you leave alive. Any of you. I got us out of there.”

“Benedict is a tier two. He can jump through space. That’s his gift.” Katherine stumbled a few feet away, then bent at the waist and vomited. As she stood, wiping the back of her wrist over her mouth, she grimaced. “I can’t say I approve.”

I loosened my grip a fraction but didn’t release him.

“Why?” Athena asked from behind me as she, too, found her footing. “Why would you help us? Katherine hates me. She was all for letting the Ministry use us as weapons.”

Benedict gave Katherine a sideways glance. “Just because she is my claimed doesn’t mean we share the same beliefs. She wasn’t trapped in those dungeons. Not like I was.”

I dropped my hand and stepped away, my heart thumping wildly.

“That was a stupid decision,” Katherine said, her face scrunched up in disgust as she backed away from the vomit on the ground. “They’ll come for us. You know they will.”

Benedict shrugged. “They’ll have to find us first.”

“I have to say,” Mags said, stepping up to my side. “I’d considered a whole bunch of outcomes, but this was not one of them.”

The five of us stood in a circle, eyeing one another. The air was thick with tension, as if we were all considering which of our new counterparts we could trust. Then Mags started laughing. Actually laughing.

It was quiet at first. Somewhat restrained. But it quickly turned into a full-on fit. She clutched her stomach and bent over as laughter erupted from her.

God, my sister was crazy.

Athena giggled, bringing a hand to her mouth like she could stop the sound. Within seconds, though, she gave up and laughed out loud. Benedict caved next. It was almost…refreshing? When was the last time I had heard a sound so light, so full of promise? It sure as hell wasn’t during the months I’d spent in those dungeons.

Katherine didn’t give in. Why would she? She was against all of this. She’d likely try to betray us again. Though what did it mean that she was tied to Benedict?

They were so different. He’d stepped in and teleported us out of there without hesitation.

Why? Why would he risk his own life to save us?

“We need to find shelter for the night,” I said, turning away from the group of ridiculous children. “It isn’t safe. Like Katherine said, they’ll come looking for us.”

The laughter slowly died, leaving me feeling only a little guilty for being the cause.

“I know where we are,” Benedict said. “We’re in the northern lands.”

Oh, fuck. “You teleported us halfway across Ashora? ”

He lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “The power of the blood moon strengthens my gift. All I wanted to do was get us somewhere safe.”

“Does the Ministry have other jumpers? Other people who can follow you?”

“Not that I know of,” he said. “Maybe deployed, but none stationed with Director.”

I scanned our surroundings, taking in the less dense forest. The leaves here were lighter, the trunks taller. They didn’t suffocate us in thick greenery like the forest before. The shelter was sparse, the grasses nearly reaching my knees.

“Where is the nearest town?”

Benedict took a look around. It all looked the fucking same. Months ago, I might have had a better sense of direction. But now? I’d spent the last several months trapped in a dungeon. I had no clue what was up and what was down.

Benedict pointed ahead of us. “That way. It won’t be far.”

“Great.” I still wore no shoes. Athena, either. I was very aware of my lack of shirt, her lack of, well, clothes. Everyone else was dressed more appropriately than we were, but we all needed shelter.

Fast.

The others fell in line behind me as we headed in the direction Benedict claimed would lead us toward civilization. In reality, I didn’t fucking know what we were headed toward. But we couldn’t stay out here forever.

The Ministry would come for us. Nowhere was safe.

Silence. I never minded silence. I preferred it. Why make so much noise talking when simply not talking was far more enjoyable? Half the shit people talked about was a waste of time, anyway. A waste of breath, too.

For hours, we trudged through the tall grass in the darkness. The bottoms of my feet were screaming, cut and torn by the landscape. Katherine hadn’t said a word since we’d taken off. Even Mags and Athena had been mostly quiet, only whispering every now and then at the back of the group.

For the first time in my life, this silence drove me crazy.

I actually sighed in relief when somebody finally spoke up.

“Wait!” Mags yelled. “Slow down!”

I spun around to find Athena stopped with one hand pressed to the trunk of a tree while Mags stood beside her, holding her up. “She needs a break. She’s bleeding!”

I scanned Athena quickly, assessing her injuries. She had gone through a lot tonight. We both had. But where my feet were sore and raw from walking, hers were literally covered in blood.

“What the hell happened?” I asked, closing the distance between us. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I’m fine,” she breathed. “I just need a minute.”

Her long dark hair hung loose around her face, stringy and damp with perspiration, her throat now bruising in the obvious shape of handprints that I could only assume belonged to Katherine.

Her, I would deal with later.

“We can’t keep walking like this,” I said. “Benedict, can you jump us the rest of the way?”

He sighed. “Unfortunately, I used every ounce of my power to get us out of the mansion. I’ve never jumped with five people before. It’ll take hours to regain even a fraction of it.”

My gut twisted painfully. Dammit. “Okay, we need a new plan. You can’t keep going when your feet are practically falling off.”

“I said I’m fine,” she argued, her eyes meeting mine with that same stubborn fire she’d shown me the day we met.

“I can heal her,” Katherine stepped forward.

Athena was already holding up her hand. “Absolutely not.”

“Don’t be so stubborn.” Katherine took another step toward her sister. “You clearly need it?—”

“I said no! ”

The group fell silent as Athena’s words echoed off the trees. Katherine could heal her. I’d seen her do it multiple times in the dungeons, and we had seen her power at work during Director’s dinner.

But Athena wanted nothing to do with her traitor of a sister. She sure as hell didn’t want her kindness. That was a feeling I knew very well.

“Fine.” I stepped forward and eased Mags out of the way. “Then I’ll carry you. We can’t be all that far anyway.”

“Are you serious—” Athena’s words were cut off when I scooped her up, but she clung to my neck and held tight. “This is ridiculous! I can walk!”

“No, you can’t. And the more injured your feet are tonight, the harder it will be to travel tomorrow. Don’t be stubborn.”

With a giggle, Mags started back down the path. Katherine rolled her eyes and followed, Benedict stepping into stride with her.

“You’re unbelievable,” Athena whispered, even as she sank into my hold.

I basked in the feel of her small body as I held her to my chest.

“You can’t carry me the whole way. You’re not wearing shoes, either, you know.”

“My feet are tougher than yours,” I reminded her. “And you haven’t seen unbelievable yet.”