Page 22

CHAPTER 21

C alla

T he wolves are arguing again. This one looks fairly heated. Gideon understands why I need to go inside these walls. Caleb doesn’t. That’s pretty clear.

I don’t know what my bracelet… or The Aether … thinks. Hopefully this doesn’t earn me more discipline, but I can’t just leave. Not if other women are in danger.

“What’s going on?” Fiona whimpers. “We’re already here. Why can’t we go inside?”

“Maybe the tunnels aren’t safe,” Tansy says cautiously. “Maybe they’re arguing over whether they should take us to the front gate.”

“That’s not it,” I say under my breath.

I need to tell the others what is going on. I’ve already told Abigail, and she’s distant now, huddled with the others that were in the cage with her.

But before I can say anything, Brenna clears her throat.

“I should let you all know, I’m not going inside,” Brenna says. “I was going to wait until you went into the tunnels and slip away, but I feel like I owe you more than that.”

“What do you mean you’re not going inside?” Nara asks, confusion evident in her tone. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere but here,” Brenna mutters. “I’d rather take my chances in The Tangle than spend the rest of my life in the Lower District. That’s not a life. It’s just… a prison for people they don’t give a shit about.”

“You can’t be serious!” Nara protests. “After everything we’ve seen out here? You want to go into The Tangle by yourself? You won’t have Calla’s bracelet to help you. And you sure won’t have five wolves that can handle pretty much anything you run into.”

“Caleb says it isn’t as bad if you go north,” Brenna sighs. “Once you get far enough, there are roads you can follow to New Chicago. It won’t matter if I’m Unassigned there.”

“Brenna, that sounds like suicide,” Tansy whines, tearing up for the first time in a while.

“We all know what most of the women in the Lower District end up selling to survive,” Brenna says. “That’s why slavery didn’t seem like the worst thing in the world to me at first. I’d already come to terms with what I would have to do if I wanted more than half-rations and dirty water.”

“We’ll take care of you.” Tansy looks around. “Right, everyone? We can help Brenna out, so she doesn’t have to do that.”

“I’ll help,” Fiona chimes. “Any way I can.”

“Same here,” Nara adds. “But we all know how unrealistic that is. I could help, but I barely make enough as a student teacher. Fiona… Tansy… You two won’t even start earning silver until your third year of college.”

Fiona and Tansy look a little heartbroken. Fiona glances at me and I can already see the question bubbling. I haven’t said anything.

“Y-you can help, right Nurse Calla?” Fiona asks. “Aren’t you supposed to graduate? You’ll make a lot more money after that.”

“I’d give her every silver I earned,” I sigh. “But I won’t be graduating. I’m not staying. I’m leaving too…” I glance toward the wolves, who are still bickering. “With them.”

There’s a collective gasp from Fiona, Tansy, and Nara. Brenna doesn’t look shocked—she just smiles and shakes her head, like it isn’t much of a surprise to her.

“I knew there was something going on,” Brenna laughs. “The way they were looking at you. All of them except Caleb.”

“N-nurse Calla, they’re wolves,” Fiona stammers. “What if they hurt you after we’re gone? Or try to eat you?”

“They won’t,” I say confidently, then gesture to my bracelet. “I’m connected to them. Just like I’m connected to The Tangle.”

“That’s why they were protecting us,” Nara deduces. “Why The Tangle let us pass. Why the tree that growled at Tansy apologized. They’re not helping us out of the kindness of their hearts. They’re helping us because you made a deal with them.”

“To get the rest of you home,” I confirm. “But they’re not going to drag me away kicking and screaming. I’m going with them because I want to.”

Want to. Have to. Maybe they’re one and the same, because I have a piece of The Aether inside me. A piece that healed them, and if Silas is right, it will heal the rest of the world, too. My children will shape more than Haven North’s future.

“I’m going to miss you, Calla,” Tansy sniffles, wrapping her arms around me for a moment, then she reaches for Brenna. “I’ll miss you, too.”

Brenna is stiff, but she succumbs to the hug. Fiona grabs me around the waist and hugs as hard as she can. Nara looks like she wants to say something else, but she doesn’t. She lets out a long sigh and joins us.

“I’m going to miss all of you,” I whisper. “I mean that.”

None of our eyes are dry when we finally pull away. I sniffle away the tears I can, and wipe what I can’t with my hands. While we haven’t been together long, it’s going to be strange not to wake up with them nearby.

“Okay, I’m going to go before I really start crying,” Brenna whispers, wiping her eyes and grabbing her backpack. “Wish me luck.”

Another round of hugs, just as sorrowful as the first. I’m the last to pull her into my arms.

“Take care of yourself, Brenna. If you hear something, go the opposite direction. Same thing we did,” I say, not having any real wisdom to impart. “I think Frank went to New Chicago. If you run into him, tell him thank you. Things would have been much worse for us if he hadn’t been there.”

“If I see Frank, I’m not getting close enough to thank him,” Brenna says. “I plan to stay far away from hybrids, if I can.”

I reluctantly smile and nod. I can’t blame her for the hesitation. I believe there is good in Frank, especially since The Aether spoke to him through me, but he was still one of our captors. I just hope Brenna survives long enough to get to New Chicago. She deserves better than what the Lower District has to offer.

Brenna waves goodbye and I watch until she disappears into the darkness, headed north, based on her direction. I notice the wolves approaching out of the corner of my eyes, so I walk over to meet them before they get to us.

“We’re going to help you, mate,” Gideon says. “Come on, let’s open the hatch.”

Jace smirks at me. Vance shrugs his shoulders, almost apologetically. Knox glares as he walks past, and I get the sense he’s not fully onboard with this. Caleb locks eyes with me and I see something different in his stare, but all he offers is a low growl before looking away. He’s definitely not in agreement with this plan.

Gideon opens the hatch, hops down, and makes sure the way is clear before motioning for his brothers. All of them except Vance join him. Vance stays beside me, and we help the other women down into the tunnel.

“Your turn,” Vance says, offering a hand.

“Thank you.” I smile, taking his hand, and climb down the ladder. I only make it halfway before strong arms pull me the rest of the way. Knox. He puts me down gently on my feet. “And thank you,” I whisper, looking up at him with a smile.

“Mm,” Knox grunts, then looks up at Vance. “Close the hatch on your way down.”

We wait for Vance, and the tunnel gets a lot darker once the hatch is closed. My bracelet provides a little illumination, but we’re still mostly in the dark. My mates seem to know where they’re going, so the rest of us follow them, eventually reaching another ladder.

“I don’t know what is up there now,” Gideon admits. “I’ll check it out.”

Gideon ascends the ladder quickly, making it look easy. He opens the hatch, climbs out, and the rest of us wait. I’m just about to call out for him when two gold eyes appear.

“All clear. It’s an old warehouse or something,” Gideon mutters. “I don’t see any peace officers outside.”

“Good,” Jace says.

The brothers go up first. I get the other women up the ladder before I climb it. Like before, I get hauled most of the way by Knox. He steadies me once my feet hit the ground. Caleb slams the hatch shut and walks to the exit of the warehouse, peeking outside.

“Anything?” Jace calls out and Caleb shakes his head.

“So, that’s it?” Fiona asks, some excitement in her voice. “We can just go home?”

“Yes, you should be safe now,” I say, squeezing her hand and looking toward Tansy. “Your guardians will probably call the peace officers, and that’s okay. Just tell them what happened. You were drugged, kidnapped, and managed to escape thanks to some people who helped you. Probably not a good idea to mention my bracelet or the wolves.”

“They’ll think we’ve lost our minds if we start talking about magic bracelets and wolves that can turn into people,” Nara sighs. “But I can handle questions from the peace officers.”

Abigail is standing nearby. She listens to my instructions, then repeats them to the ones who were in the cage with her. They’re the first to leave. Caleb holds the door open and glares at them as they walk past. I say my goodbyes to my friends one last time, before watching them go.

“What now?” Abigail asks. “We go to Clyde’s new apartment and make him wish he was never born?”

“You should go home, Abigail,” I tell her. “We’ll take care of Clyde. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you, especially after getting you home.”

“I wish I could see it,” Abigail mutters. “And I can’t believe you’re abandoning me again.”

“I’m not abandoning you. You’re going to be fine.” I shake my head and hug her. “Just keep helping people, like you already do. You’re a good nurse. It won’t be long until you graduate and get to do all the things we talked about. Living in the Middle District. Shopping in the Upper District.”

“Won’t be the same without you,” she sighs.

After another tearful goodbye, Abigail leaves the warehouse. Vance figures out how to turn on the lights, and we get a good look at what is inside. It appears to be storage for some of the shops in Haven North. Excess inventory. Things they no longer sell.

“We’re not going to go running through Haven North searching for this guy,” Knox says. “Calla, tell us everything you know about him.”

I don’t have a lot of information about Clyde, but based on what Abigail said, he should be living in the Middle District now. Working at Haven North General Hospital. It isn’t much to go on, but it’s a start.

“I guess I’ll see what information I can pick up,” Vance says. “I’m not going to talk to anyone, but I’ll have a look around. Maybe I’ll overhear something useful near some of the bars. I’m sure they haven’t closed yet.”

“We’ll learn more if we have a few more sets of eyes and ears on the streets,” Gideon says, glancing toward the door. “Caleb can stay with our mate. We’ll need to be careful and stay out of sight. Don’t use your wolves unless you have to. If anyone runs into trouble, howl.”

“I don’t think I’ll need to howl if I run into trouble in Haven North,” Jace chuckles. “They’ll be the ones howling for help.”

“Try not to cause a scene,” Knox growls. “We don’t need a bunch of peace officers on the streets looking for us.”

“Meet back here at sunrise,” Gideon says, walking to the door.

“Be careful…” I whisper, but none of them react.

Gideon, Jace, Knox, and Vance leave the warehouse. I’m alone with Caleb, now. I assume there will be no conversation. Maybe not even a glance. But then he closes the door, turns toward me, and I see it in his eyes. The same hunger. The same need.

“You have my scent,” I whisper, feeling a tremor shoot through me.

“Yes,” he growls, moving toward me with a purpose. “But before I claim you, I’m going to punish you for dragging us into this fucking city again. Putting us all in danger. And for what, Calla? Revenge?”

“It’s not just revenge. I want to make sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else.” I say, standing my ground. “And you’re one to talk. Didn’t you burn Haven South to the ground after…”

“Shut your damn mouth,” Caleb snaps. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I get it, Caleb,” I sigh, still standing my ground, even when he towers over me. “You were hurting, and you lashed out. It sounds like they deserved it, too. But you don’t have to keep carrying the pain. The grief. You can let go of it. He’d want you to.”

A guttural growl echoes in Caleb’s throat. “You don’t know a damn thing about Silas.”

“I-I’ve met him,” I admit, biting my lip and looking up at Caleb. “In my dreams. He talks to me. He told me his pack would claim me before I even knew what was lurking in the dark.”

“You’ve been talking to Silas? In your dreams?” Caleb asks, leaning closer. “This entire time? And you didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”

“It’s hard to explain. I’m not sure how much I should tell you,” I say apprehensively.

“You’re going to tell me everything ,” Caleb growls. “Then I’ll decide how bad your punishment is going to be for keeping it from us. If you’re our mate, there can be no secrets, Calla. Especially secrets that concern the pack.”

“I didn’t mean to keep secrets,” I say meekly, knowing I’ve had plenty of opportunities to tell them. “I don’t really understand everything myself.”

“Then we’ll figure it out together,” Caleb says.

Caleb turns away from me. He walks to a stack of the boxes and starts opening them. I see him collecting a few things, but can’t tell what they are.

“And you’re not going to help me, are you?” I mutter, looking down at the bracelet. “You probably think I deserve it, because I’ve got something sacred inside me.”

My bracelet continues to pulse, not offering any input. Caleb finally turns around and I see that he’s holding several strips of leather. I swallow hard and my core clenches. I should be scared, especially if he’s going to punish me, but I’m not.

“What is that for?” I ask, despite already having a good idea.

“I’m not going to make you ask your bracelet to tie you up,” he says darkly, walking toward me.

“I-I’ll tell you what I know,” I whisper, taking a step back as he gets closer.

“You could have done that anytime,” Caleb mutters, grabbing my arm and wrapping the leather around my wrist. “But don’t worry, after I’m done punishing you, you’ll know not to keep secrets from us again.”

Caleb secures my wrists, then pulls me toward some old furniture in the corner of the warehouse. He undresses me quickly, but his gaze doesn’t linger, even when I feel the arousal I know he can smell. He spins a wood chair around, bends me across it, and ties the leather to the legs. The chair is heavy and difficult for me to move—he probably realizes that.

Once the leather dangling from my wrists is tied down, he starts binding my right ankle. I groan and protest, but it doesn’t do any good. As soon as he pulls my legs apart to secure my left ankle, I can feel the heat between my legs. The dampness. The traitorous trickle. I’m turned on, even though I know this is going to hurt.

“This isn’t necessary,” I whimper. “I won’t keep secrets. I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

“Too late for that,” Caleb says, folding a length of leather in his hand. “I’m going to make sure you don’t leave anything out.”

I swallow hard and tug at my restraints. They’re so tight they make my wrists burn when I do.

There won’t be any secrets left when he gets done with me.