Page 56 of Wrapped in Their Arms

NOELLE

The clang of heavy boots outside their cell joltedNoellefrom the thin layer of sleep she’d managed to find after the three of them had lain back down.Shebolted upright on the cold metal floor, her heart already thudding, breath catching.

Something about the sound wasn’t right.Itwasn’t food being delivered and it wasn’tLupincoming back with a smirk and another awful spa treatment.Thiswas different…heavier…more final.

Bright sat up beside her, instantly alert, andBurnwas already on his feet, his massive frame coiled like a spring.

Then the door opened.

A group ofSkowguards filled the entrance, long rifles held tight in pale gray hands.Theirappearance was just as nightmarish asNoelleremembered.Swathedin ragged black robes that looked like they’d been dredged from a battlefield, the creatures wore tarnished metal helms that obscured their faces—except for their mouths.

And those mouths…God.

Only the lower half of their faces were visible beneath the angular steel masks, but that was somehowworsethan seeing the whole thing.Theirgaping, lipless maws stretched impossibly wide, filled with long, yellow-gray teeth like gnarled fingers.Theirgums were ashen and rotted, caked with dark, moldy sludge.Whenthe one in the front spoke, it was with a grinding, wet rattle that echoed in her bones.

“Prisoners.Youwill come with us.”

Burn’s eyes flashed red in an instant.

“The fuck we will.”

Bright jumped to his feet, one hand going out fast, bracing againstBurn’sbroad chest.

“Wait,” he hissed.“Burn, look at their rifles—those are molecular disruptors.”

Noelle’s heart nearly stopped.Disruptors.Whatdid that mean?

She soon found out.

“Those things’ll turn us into clouds of dust,”Brightmuttered.“Theypull that trigger and we’re gone.Nothingleft.Noteven bones.”

Burn let out a low growl but finally stepped back.Hismassive shoulders heaved as he fought down theRagehe was obviously feeling, the whites of his eyes still glowing faintly crimson.

“Fine,” he snarled through clenched teeth.“We’llgo with you.Butdon’t fucking touch our female.”

The leadSkowmade a creaking, mucus-wet sound that might have been a laugh.

“Come quietly and no one will be touched.”

Bright stepped forward, his jaw tight.

“Noelle, get between us.”

She was already moving, instinctively pressing herself into the space the two warriors made, their big bodies flanking her like living armor.Themoment she was tucked between them,Burn’shand slid protectively across her lower back andBrightbrushed his knuckles down her arm in silent reassurance.

The guards motioned with their weapons, and the group began to walk.

The corridor outside the cell was wide, but the cold metal walls seemed to close in as they moved.Everystep echoed like a drumbeat, the sound of their bare feet and heavy boots clanging on the steel floor.

Noelle’s skin prickled.Herheart hadn’t stopped pounding since the moment the door opened.Hermouth was dry, and her stomach was twisted into a knot.

Why did she feel like they were marching toward the edge of a cliff?

Eventually, the long hallway ended in a shuttle bay.Asmall transport vessel waited there—matte gray and boxy, with whatNoelleassumed must beSkowsymbols etched along the sides.Theguards hustled them aboard, still keeping their disruptors trained with deadly accuracy.

Inside, the shuttle was cold and industrial—metal benches, dark walls, no windows.Noellesat betweenBrightandBurn, her shoulders pressed into their arms.Shecouldn’t stop shaking, but she didn’t want to make a sound.Itfelt like if she breathed too loudly, someone would punish her for it.

As the shuttle launched, a single curved viewscreen flickered to life at the front of the cabin.Andoutside,Noellecaught her first glimpse of where they were headed.