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CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

~Arcay~

ULGAR’S FOOT CRACKED into my ribs and I groaned, not even having the energy to try to roll away from it. I knew I should care about Ulgar and his plans, but the emptiness inside me was eating away at my very soul, consuming me piece by piece until I had nothing left.

It felt like I would fall entirely into the darkness inside me, falling forever into a hellish limbo of nothingness. But I managed to keep myself together by holding onto one thing, one tiny spark of light in the darkness; Clay was free. He was safe and far away from here, even though that meant I would never see him again.

When I first woke up, I was too out of it to realize we were not in Ulgar’s quarters anymore. But now as he kicked me, moving me in jolts across the blood-slick floor, the wide viewing screen of the observation deck came into view. My eyes rolled towards it, and the stars beyond.

“Enjoying the view?” Ulgar asked, taking a break. He nodded towards the alpha who stood stiffly to one side, spear in hand. “I had Sallin bring you up here—using the back passages of course, so no one would see us. My room is compromised, thanks to you and that omega, so I needed somewhere else private to enjoy our time together. And no one ever comes up here.”

I closed my eyes, not wanting the place where Clay and I completed our soul bond to be tainted by Ulgar. I wanted to remember Clay’s face, bathed in pleasure, and the way he had clung to me as our bodies and minds became one. Not Ulgar. And not this.

But a moment later, a low rumble shook the ship, sending a tremor through the floor beneath my back, and I opened them again. Ulgar looked up, and bright light shimmered across his hard features as he looked at the screen.

“The wormhole has collapsed,” he said, as though it was a point of minor interest.

I breathed in relief, even as the hole tugged me further into darkness. Clay was free, safe, and gone forever.

Ulgar must have read my thoughts in my face, because he kicked me again.

“If you think it will prevent me from getting what I want, you are more stupid than I thought.” He crouched over me, leaning close so he could spit the words into my face. “I am patient. I always achieve my goals. I thought you would have realized that by now.”

Just then, the sound of footsteps made him pause, ringing loudly in the quiet. I turned my head towards the noise, heart pounding. A beta appeared, breathing heavily. He eyed me uneasily, but did not approach.

“ Arani , Jursin is searching the ship for the Second,” he said. “He has requested your help.”

Rising, Ulgar spoke over his shoulder to the guard. “Bring me the serum.”

The guard obeyed him instantly without reaction, marching to the bench where Ulgar had laid the syringe so he could give me his full attention. Sallin had a horrifyingly dull look in his eyes. I pitied him for what he must be suffering. He did not deserve this.

He handed it to Ulgar, who primed it with a sharp click of his fingers.

Ulgar nodded at the guard “Go and join the search. We must be seen as taking part.”

Sallin left, and Ulgar turned to the messenger. “And you, tell Jursin I will search the upper floors for our beloved Second. They do not need to send anyone here.”

He turned his attention back to me. “This has been enjoyable, but it looks like our time has been cut short. We must continue.”

My eyes tracked his movements as he approached slowly, savoring the moment. There was no strength in my body, but I attempted to move away from him, my limbs slipping uselessly in the blood that pooled beneath me. He was going to make me like Sallin. Bind me to him in a twisted mockery of the soul bond. It was worse than death.

He planted a foot on my chest, pinning me in place as he squatted over me. I struggled as his fingers dug into my jaw and he turned my head, lining up the needle to my neck.

“Hold still,” he said. “From what I have seen, this is pure agony.”

The cold of the needle pierced my skin, the pain minuscule compared to the rest of my body. I still screwed my eyes closed and cried out in fear and rage—

“ARCAY.”

The shout echoed across the room. My eyes snapped open. Ulgar’s fingers kept my head pointed towards the viewing screen, so I could not see where the shout had come from. My mind was playing tricks on me, because it sounded exactly like Clay. But it couldn’t be, he was no longer here, he was far away and safe.

Ulgar shifted, the needle left my neck, and his grip fell away.

I turned my head and my heart stopped.

Clay, illuminated in the ghostly light from the window, his face drawn, his startling blue eyes stood out wide with shock. His dark hair was in disarray, his clothes haphazard.

He looked even more beautiful than I remembered.

My head swam. Without the bond, I could not tell if he was real or not. But no, I was hallucinating. My stricken mind was playing tricks on me, trying to give me what I craved in my moment of strife.

But then why was Ulgar rising slowly, staring?

I took a deep breath, and the sweet, familiar scent of Clay filled my lungs.

It was him. But it couldn’t be. He’d left. I made sure of it.

“Clay?” I whispered.

“I knew you were alive,” he breathed. Tears leaked down his cheeks as he stumbled forward, arms outstretched.

“Omega,” Ulgar growled. And my sheer joy at seeing my Clay again crumbled into horror. No. Clay could not be here.

Clay stopped, his eyes moving between where I lay on the floor covered in blood, to Ulgar standing over me.

“Clay, get away.” My throat constricted my frantic words to a hoarse croak. “Run. Now.”

Clay still stood frozen, mesmerized by the blood. But at my shout, Ulgar burst forward, his sights set on Clay.

“CLAY.” I struggled to push myself up, and finally, he jerked backward, breaking into a run. But it was too late. In an instant, Ulgar was on him. Clay missed his footing, stumbled, and sprawled on the floor. He rolled onto his side and struggled to get up onto his hands and knees.

I roared and cursed as Ulgar put his foot on Clay’s back and pushed him back down to the floor, keeping him pinned there. His foot was huge on Clay, covering half the length of Clay’s spine.

The sight made me feral. “Get away from him. Do not touch him.”

Clay struggled under Ulgar’s foot, his round eyes locked on mine.

“I thought you said he was not here?” Ulgar leaned towards me, putting more weight onto Clay’s back. Clay groaned in pain.

I slipped in the blood again and managed to crawl forward. “You do not need him, just use me,” I begged. “I will do whatever you want.”

Ulgar shifted, picked Clay up by the scruff of his neck, and put him back on his feet. He tucked Clay under his arm, tight against his body. It almost looked like the embrace of two lovers but for Ulgar’s punishingly tight grip, and Clay’s dread. He closed his eyes, his face drawn, lips pressed thin and bloodless. He was terrified of Ulgar. My stomach rolled and I swallowed down bile.

“I am not cruel, Arcay,” Ulgar said, watching me with heavy-lidded eyes. “But I must admit I enjoy seeing you struggle.”

I managed to get up onto my hands and knees before falling again.

“Please, let him go,” I groaned. “I will do anything.” There must be something I could give him in exchange for Clay. I tried to speak again, but pain shot up my side and all that escaped my mouth was a sob.

Ulgar dragged Clay over to me, holding him close as he lashed out with his foot, catching me in the stomach.

“You do not have anything I want, Arcay. Not anymore.” He kicked me again. My vision swam.

“I will… I can…” I wheezed.

Clay’s face was a mask of desperate terror.

Ulgar bared his teeth in a vicious smile and kicked me in my shoulder, making me cry out in pain. “No, Arcay, I think I—”

Clay spun in Ulgar’s grip and brought his knee up hard between Ulgar’s legs. Ulgar howled. He curled forward on himself, clutching his groin and going down. Before Ulgar’s knees touched the floor, Clay was running, his head down, arms pistoning.

But instead of heading for the door, he ran to the far side of the observatory. What was he doing? He could not escape that way, there was only one way out.

“No,” I called.

I tried to crawl to Ulgar, to throw myself on him, but far too quickly he recovered and got back to his feet, breathing raggedly. He took off after Clay, his gait uneven, leaving me behind. With a jolt, I realized what Clay was doing. He wasn’t trying to escape; he was drawing Ulgar away from me.

I cursed. He never did as I said.

Clay reached the other side of the observatory and, with nowhere else to go, made a running jump onto the rungs that threaded up the wall to the walkways above. He climbed quickly hand over hand, the muscles in his shoulders shifting under his shirt. But he was not going fast enough, Ulgar was going to catch him; he was already at the foot of the rungs and he was pulling himself up behind Clay three at a time, gaining on him.

High above me, Clay reached the walkway and pulled himself up, followed closely by Ulgar, his claws snagging at his heels, and they both disappeared from view.

I groaned and closed my eyes. I was a fool, everything I had done was in vain. Ulgar was going to catch him. Our future lives flashed before my eyes; both of us bonded to Ulgar, slaves to his insanity. And I could do nothing to prevent it. The hole inside me crept even larger, taking the last of my strength with it, and I finally sunk flat to the floor, completely empty. I was a weak-minded fool. I had failed myself, and, even worse, I had failed Clay. Despite everything I had tried to do, soon Ulgar would have him, and then—

Above me, a scream rang out. It struck me like a bolt of lightning. My eyes snapped open. Ulgar had him, Ulgar was hurting him. And Clay was screaming, making a noise I had never heard before. I did not need the bond to know his fear and pain, it was all there in that terrible scream.

All thoughts left my mind as it passed through me like a tide. It swept away all of my crippling self-pity and despair, and poured into the hole in my chest, filling the emptiness with an anger so powerful it took my breath away.

All that remained were the undeniable truths, more solid and vital than anything else in the universe. Clay was MINE.

And Ulgar was hurting him.

My vision tunneled red. My heart jumped. Thrumming rage overflowed from the now full hole and filled my veins. All of my insignificant hurts fell away.

I roared.