Page 32 of Beg the Night (Mystics of Ashora #1)

THIRTY-TWO

athena

A fter the quickest rundown of what the hell Sinner and I had been through in the last couple days, Benedict got to work jumping anyone who wanted to leave.

Some of the men were still skeptical, and question after question was lobbed our way.

“If we do this, there’s no going back,” Sinner explained. “But this is our best chance at surviving.”

Carter stood in front of a few of the guys with his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw set. He wasn’t buying this. “More like our best chance at getting killed.”

“If you stay here,” I chimed in, “you’ll be the Ministry’s pawn forever. You want to play that game? Fine. But the more of us who act now, the better the chance we all make it.”

“How the hell are you even here right now?” Leon asked. “You just walked in without being stopped?”

Sinner and I exchanged a glance. “The coast is clear for now. But it won’t stay that way much longer.”

Leon frowned. “This is dangerous. There’s a reason the Ministry is so powerful, and it isn’t because they let the unclaimed escape easily.”

“Most of the guards are looking for us elsewhere. They would never expect us to come back to the dungeons.”

“Then why did you?” he asked, stepping forward. He seemed almost angry that we had come back at all. “Why’d you come back?”

Benedict jumped back, grabbed another, and was gone again.

Sinner cleared his throat. “We weren’t going to leave you all to the same fate. It’s bad enough that the Ministry has so many mystics in their clutches. If we get out now and band together, we stand a chance at fighting back.”

Fighting back. A chill racked through me. We really were starting to sound like rebels.

Benedict appeared in front of us, breathing hard. “We have to move faster.”

There were too many mystics for him to move out this way. Each time he jumped someone out of the dungeons, he grew weaker. We had already spent too much time here, exposed, and there were more than a dozen guys left.

“Okay,” Carter said. “I’m sick of this place, anyway. Could use a change of scenery. What do we need to do?”

“Athena.” Sinner leaned in close. “It’s time for plan B.”

“What’s plan B?” Leon asked. “We charge out of here and pummel anyone who gets in our way?”

Sinner shrugged. “That’s pretty much the plan, yeah.”

“I don’t know if I can jump anymore,” Benedict breathed. “Not for a while, at least.”

“You’ve done a great job,” I said. “The guard coverage was pretty sparse, and we’re all mystics, right? We can escape the old-fashioned way. We knew this was a possibility.”

These men—thank god—practically buzzed with a violent energy. I understood it. They had been trapped for months—some of them even years.

Not only were they eager to escape.

They wanted vengeance.

“We stay together,” Sinner announced. “Leave no one behind. Understand?”

The men, to my surprise, agreed. Nobody had a snarky comment to share. Not this time.

“Great. Out this door and up the stairs. There are armed guards waiting, but as far as we know, they have no idea what’s happening down here. Take them by surprise. Then turn right and sprint into the woods. Follow the tree line. Margaret will be waiting for you. And if you’re comfortable using your power, don’t hesitate.” Sinner clenched his fists at his sides. He did that frequently when he was nervous, I realized.

“You’re coming with us, right?” Carter asked.

“We’ll be right behind you,” I answered. “Now, go.”

Without hesitation, the men began funneling out of the dungeon.

It was Sinner’s idea to wait until everyone else had escaped. They were fighters. They would be okay leading the pack.

We were here to finish the job.

We stood guard as the guys moved one by one, stepping over the bodies without hesitation.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” I whispered as the guys filed up the stairs. “This seems too easy, doesn’t it?”

Sinner’s jaw tightened as he watched the men ahead of us. Some pride lingered there, but something else, too.

I turned and checked the other hallways again—all empty.

“Benedict, you go next,” Sinner ordered.

With a nod, he jogged up behind the last prisoner.

I saw the grenade rolling down the hall a second too late. Before I could even scream, Sinner’s body slammed against mine, and the world went dark.

“Oh, good. You’re alive. You can finally join the party.”

I cracked my eyes open at the sound of the one voice that had the power to make my skin crawl. Director stared back at me, an absurd smirk tipping her lips, her face and neck mottled with bruises.

I was strapped to a familiar metal chair, my hands secured behind me. Breath held, I searched my surroundings, and I only exhaled when I found Sinner sitting opposite me in a similar position.

His eyes were full of fury. Full of rebellion. Full of fight. Good . He hadn’t given up yet.

This was just a bump in the road, right?

I would do whatever it took to get us out of here. There was no way I’d let Sinner get so close to freedom only to have it ripped away again.

“You miss this place so much you really had to come crawling back?” Director asked. “I’m shocked.”

When I didn’t answer, she slapped me across the face hard enough that I tasted blood.

When a guard behind me gripped my shoulders and pulled my slumped torso back, Sinner growled.

“What can I say?” I gritted out. “It must be the welcoming hospitality.”

I focused on my breathing, searching for Sinner’s magic. Why hadn’t he used his power to kill these people yet? Margaret was far from the reach of the Ministry. There was nothing holding him back now.

My eyes met Sinner’s, and his magic tugged like it always did. Like it wanted me to wield it.

Just as I readied myself to pull, just before I forced his shadows out, his gaze shifted. “Athena, don’t.”

Confusion swamped me. “What? What’s going on?”

Director crossed her arms, her expression smug. “Did you really think you could escape? Did you think it would be that easy to get past an entire army, to get out of this place with all of your friends in one piece?” Her derisive laugh echoed off the stone walls. “You two are a hell of a lot more stupid than I thought you’d be, which is saying quite a lot. But don’t worry. Time with the Ministry’s army will fix that.”

She lifted her chin and focused on something behind me. I couldn’t see what was happening, but Sinner’s eyes filled with pain, with grief.

My chest constricted painfully. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let her get hurt. Not again.”

When they dragged Margaret into the room and dropped her bloodied body on the ground between us, I cried out.

“The two of you will follow every direction I give,” Director said. “Or precious, precious Margaret will pay the price for your disobedience.”

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. How the hell had they found her? They must have had another jumper, someone who knew where we’d been.

“I’m so sorry,” Margaret whispered.

“Don’t,” Sinner interrupted. “Don’t apologize.”

She sobbed, her body shaking. “I’m sorry, Sinner.”

Director skirted around Margaret, sauntering right up to Sinner, and, without warning, stabbed him in the thigh.

It was like she had stabbed me instead. His cry of pain was enough to crack my chest wide open.

Margaret screamed, too. Tied up and on the floor, all she could do was watch as her brother writhed in pain.