turned them away from the firing squad letting my back be their only target. I felt the first spray of bullets pierce my back like the tips of ice picks. A pool of blood filled my mouth, and I couldn’t prevent coughing it out, spraying the pink blanket Rose was wrapped in.
I closed my eyes and prayed for a miracle.
The firing continued, but for some reason I didn’t feel the bullets strike me. How were they missing me?
I opened my eyes and found us surrounded by a protective shield just like the one Zoe used to make. I looked around half expecting to see my friend standing somewhere close by but only saw Harvesters still firing at us. Their bullets ricocheted off the dome causing an array of cascading light to dance where they hit the shield.
“What is that?” Lux asked, staring at the shield protecting us, completely dumbfounded by its sudden appearance.
I looked down at Rose who was looking at me with a seriousness a four month old just shouldn’t have.
I knew then she was the one who had made the shield. She made it to protect me. If she could make a shield….
“Daddy,” I said, a trickle of blood sliding out of the left corner of my mouth. “Take us to, Daddy, Rose.”
The room melted away from us, and I held my breath waiting to see when and where we would end up.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The space around us coalesced back into being but we were only met by darkness.
“What the hell just happened?” Lux asked, shaking slightly in my arms. “Where are we? Why isn’t there any light?”
I didn't answer her, mostly because I was just trying to concentrate on my bullet wounds and heal them before I tried to figure out where we were.
Healing my own wounds was simply a matter of thinking about them now. Within in a matter of seconds, I felt whole again. I let go of Lux and stood to my full height, no longer having to completely shield her and Rose with my body.
“I'm not sure,” I finally answered, turning my head to look around us but not being able to see anything, only pitch black.
I didn't have to close my eyes to concentrate on the sounds in the room because it was already so dark. I just listened and immediately heard the ragged breathing of a man coming from somewhere off to the right of me.
“Stay here,” I told Lux, walking in the direction of the breathing.
I held my hands out in front of me to prevent colliding with objects I couldn't see but ended up banging my shins against something hard and cursing softly. I reached down with my hands and found Jace.
I felt around and found that he was lying on a cot of some sort.
“Jace?” I called softly, gliding my hands up his neck and cupping his face between my hands.
He didn't answer, but, honestly, I was just happy to find him alive. I knew he was injured somewhere because the metallic scent of blood surrounded him.
I ran the tips of my fingers across his face to see if I felt any physical evidence of damage. Finding none there, I continued my exploration down his neck and along the length of his arms. It wasn't until I touched his chest that I found them. Deep gashes laced his torso in a crisscross pattern. The sticky feel of congealed blood coated the tips of my fingers. I cursed under my breath knowing without a shadow of a doubt who gave the order to torture Jace. Or did she have the guts to do it herself? I had a hard time believing the queen would dirty her hands with such a menial task.
I laid the flat of my palms on his torso and began to heal his wounds while my hatred of the queen simmered just below the surface, threatening to blind me with rage. Only Rose's cry was able to bring me out of the dark place I felt my soul slipping into.
“Is she ok?” I asked Lux.
“I think she just wants you,” Lux answered. “But, hell if I know for sure. I can't see shit.”
“I'll look for a door in a minute,” I told her, “to get some light in here. Jace needs to be healed first.”
“I take it Jace is the baby
I closed my eyes and prayed for a miracle.
The firing continued, but for some reason I didn’t feel the bullets strike me. How were they missing me?
I opened my eyes and found us surrounded by a protective shield just like the one Zoe used to make. I looked around half expecting to see my friend standing somewhere close by but only saw Harvesters still firing at us. Their bullets ricocheted off the dome causing an array of cascading light to dance where they hit the shield.
“What is that?” Lux asked, staring at the shield protecting us, completely dumbfounded by its sudden appearance.
I looked down at Rose who was looking at me with a seriousness a four month old just shouldn’t have.
I knew then she was the one who had made the shield. She made it to protect me. If she could make a shield….
“Daddy,” I said, a trickle of blood sliding out of the left corner of my mouth. “Take us to, Daddy, Rose.”
The room melted away from us, and I held my breath waiting to see when and where we would end up.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The space around us coalesced back into being but we were only met by darkness.
“What the hell just happened?” Lux asked, shaking slightly in my arms. “Where are we? Why isn’t there any light?”
I didn't answer her, mostly because I was just trying to concentrate on my bullet wounds and heal them before I tried to figure out where we were.
Healing my own wounds was simply a matter of thinking about them now. Within in a matter of seconds, I felt whole again. I let go of Lux and stood to my full height, no longer having to completely shield her and Rose with my body.
“I'm not sure,” I finally answered, turning my head to look around us but not being able to see anything, only pitch black.
I didn't have to close my eyes to concentrate on the sounds in the room because it was already so dark. I just listened and immediately heard the ragged breathing of a man coming from somewhere off to the right of me.
“Stay here,” I told Lux, walking in the direction of the breathing.
I held my hands out in front of me to prevent colliding with objects I couldn't see but ended up banging my shins against something hard and cursing softly. I reached down with my hands and found Jace.
I felt around and found that he was lying on a cot of some sort.
“Jace?” I called softly, gliding my hands up his neck and cupping his face between my hands.
He didn't answer, but, honestly, I was just happy to find him alive. I knew he was injured somewhere because the metallic scent of blood surrounded him.
I ran the tips of my fingers across his face to see if I felt any physical evidence of damage. Finding none there, I continued my exploration down his neck and along the length of his arms. It wasn't until I touched his chest that I found them. Deep gashes laced his torso in a crisscross pattern. The sticky feel of congealed blood coated the tips of my fingers. I cursed under my breath knowing without a shadow of a doubt who gave the order to torture Jace. Or did she have the guts to do it herself? I had a hard time believing the queen would dirty her hands with such a menial task.
I laid the flat of my palms on his torso and began to heal his wounds while my hatred of the queen simmered just below the surface, threatening to blind me with rage. Only Rose's cry was able to bring me out of the dark place I felt my soul slipping into.
“Is she ok?” I asked Lux.
“I think she just wants you,” Lux answered. “But, hell if I know for sure. I can't see shit.”
“I'll look for a door in a minute,” I told her, “to get some light in here. Jace needs to be healed first.”
“I take it Jace is the baby
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