I swore again under my breath.

  “That’s not why he let you out,” Reyes said. Her voice was quiet and gravelly. She coughed, and Vic gently rubbed her back.

  “Why then?” I asked.

  “For me,” she said.

  I threw her a look, but the tone in her voice, both sad and determined, said it all. Our eyes locked, and she didn’t have to say another word before I shook my head.

  “I know too much,” she continued. “You know I do.”

  “I’m sorry, but who the bloody hell is this lady?” Gunner asked.

  I cut him a glare. “She’s the… she’s… Reyes. Her name is Reyes,” was all I offered.

  “And why does she matter to us right now? We have to get the hell out of here. If she can’t keep up, just leave her behind,” Gunner said.

  “Shut up,” I yelled, causing Vic to flinch.

  My mind was rattled with thoughts, and I pushed against the door with my shoulder. Then pulled again, propping my foot against the wall for more leverage, but it didn’t move.

  “Pretty sure it’s locked, mate,” Gunner said, leaning against the wall a few feet away. His arms crossed and a cocky grin spread across his face. I wanted to wipe that smile right off his face.

  Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists and moved back to Reyes and Vic, swallowing back the need to punch something or rather someone.

  “Caspian, you know what needs to be done. We aren’t all getting out of here, not alive,” Reyes said. I covered my eyes with my hands, running them harshly over my face and through my hair. I wanted to scream. I wanted to pull out every hair on my head. And I sure as hell didn’t want to hear what she said next. “They have ways of getting answers from me, ways I can’t control. I know how to remove the cuffs stifling their powers… if they ever find out how…”

  She had tears in her eyes.

  I shook my head. “No, we’ll find a way out. And if we can’t, you can keep your mouth shut, I know you can. You’re the one who trained us!”

  Reyes shook her head and her eyes dropped. “Not this time.”

  Gunner leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest watching the exchange. His eyes narrowed as he assessed Reyes. Vic sat silently beside her.

  I threw my hands up, looking skywards. Why was she being so stubborn about this? I wouldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t let her do it, either. There had to be another way. I would find another way.

  I moved back to the door, using the scalpel from the tray to try and pull off the knob. It scraped feebly against the metal. Gunner let out a snort and shook his head at my attempts.

  “Caspian, look at me,” Reyes said.

  My back stiffened, and I didn’t want to turn, but this was the woman who had saved Jayla, who had pulled her out of the dark hole she’d been falling down. Even I knew I couldn’t say no to someone to whom I owed so much. Deep down I knew no matter the request, I couldn’t say no.

  I turned around.

  “It’s not just about the cuffs… I know where she is. I know who is with her. And I know what they plan to do,” she said. Her words were like a knife to my gut. Because even if I had names to give these people, I didn’t have locations, and I could trust Jayla to stay hidden and out of sight until I found a way to get to her. But if Reyes knew that much, and they had a way to get it out of her…

  Vic’s eyes widened as she watched me, a pained expression on her face because she knew I couldn’t let anything happen to Jayla. I wouldn’t.

  “What do they have on you? Can they read our minds or something? Is that what you’re worried about?” I asked.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  “Then what? Because the Commander I knew, the Commander I have always trusted with my life, would never ask me to do this if there was any other way…” I couldn’t even speak the words, her silent request reading clear across her face. The only way for them not to get information from her would be if she were dead.

  Reyes just dropped her head again. Vic was tense beside her, a hand still resting on her back. Gunner was still leaning against the wall, watching as we argued, but wisely keeping his mouth shut.

  No, I wouldn’t do it. “You can’t ask me to do this!” I yelled.

  “I have a son!”

  That stopped me dead in my tracks. I gaped at her, unblinking and trying to comprehend what she’d just told me.

  “I have a son,” she repeated, softer this time. “He’s here, alive. They will use him against me, torture him, and tear him apart before my eyes to get answers, and I know I am not strong enough to endure that.” Tears streamed down her cheek.

  My mouth opened and closed again. I couldn’t find the words, the questions running through my mind. “How?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t know about him—didn’t know he lived. I thought… I was told he died. But he didn’t. He’s still alive.”

  “How do you know they aren’t lying to you?” I questioned.

  “They aren’t,” she said firmly. Her gaze drifted behind me for only a second before she continued. “The things they know, about him, about… He looks just like his father.”

  “You’d do that? For a son you’ve never even met, never even knew existed?” Gunner’s voice surprised me. He pushed off the wall, his eyes watching Reyes from over my shoulder.

  She surveyed Gunner for a moment with one good eye, the other swollen shut, and then nodded.

  “They lied to you,” he said with a harsh tone, a scowl on his face I could hardly read or understand. “No one else survived that forest. There’s no one left. Even if they’re telling you the truth about him, he’s likely dead along with everyone else out there.”

  “He’s not.” The command in her voice startled Gunner for a moment.

  “How do you know? Have they confirmed he’s still alive after those Reeks destroyed the entire forest?” Gunner shouted. “It was a massacre out there, lady, no one could survive it… even we almost didn’t make it.”

  Reyes just shook her head, her eyes fixed on Gunner as he spoke, but her confidence seemed to grow the more he talked. “He’s alive.”

  “They’ve lied to every one of us.” Gunner inclined his chin to me and Vic. “Didn’t you hear Allard? They break deals and promises. We risked our lives, so I could get this thing to them.” Gunner pulled the round artifact from his pocket. “And we didn’t get so much as a thanks. That’s how they operate. They take the thing you want most and dangle it in front of you until you believe, for just a second, that it might be real. Then they snatch it away and move on to the next sucker.”

  “And what did they promise you?” I found myself asking.

  “Doesn’t matter anymore.” Gunner shoved the artifact back in his pocket and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall again. “I realize now that it was all a lie. Don’t be a fool and think you matter to them, that they wouldn’t turn around and kill every last one of us without batting an eye once they have what they want.”

  “You may believe what you want, and I will believe what I know,” Reyes said. “I will not allow any more harm to come to anyone at my expense. You have suffered for far too long already… you all have.” She looked at me now, her jaw tightened, and I knew she wasn’t bluffing. Her lips quivered as she said, quietly but firmly, “Please.”

  I scratched the back of my neck, my other hand gripped around the scalpel. I moved a step forward.

  “You can’t seriously be considering this,” Gunner argued, pushing off from the wall. He waved a hand towards Reyes. “She’s being played, we all are! They’re probably sitting back watching us right now, laughing their heads off.”

  I glanced over my shoulder at Gunner, fury filling the canvas of his face, but I didn’t offer him a reply. I didn’t think I could have said my answer out loud.

  “You can’t agree with this, too, can you?” Gunner turned to Vic, but her eyes immediately dropped, and she slowly slid away from her spot beside Reyes and moved around the bed, giving me space. “Now would be a good time to speak up!” Gunner pushed Vic, but she kept her mouth closed. She hadn’t spoken since he’d arrived, since she had to become the Ghost again.

  And as I watched her move quietly to the other bed, I understood what Reyes meant when she said she wouldn’t be strong enough to watch them torture someone she cared about. Hadn’t I done the same thing, at the thought of them getting to Jayla or Em, to my brother and his family? I’d put both mine and Vic’s life at risk just to protect the possibility of these monsters finding them… wasn’t Reyes doing the exact same thing?

  We all knew our own breaking points, and even Reyes had hers.

  “Please,” she repeated, and I gave her a tight nod. “Make it quick,” she whispered and again I nodded.

  Gunner threw his hands up and stalked back to his bed on the far side. “Whatever, your funeral I guess.”

  A tear trickled down Reyes’ cheek as her gaze landed on Gunner for a moment before focusing back on me. She gave a small shake of her head, and I knew the silent request. I wouldn’t tell him; I wouldn’t reveal who she was, or who she was doing this for, because that would keep him safe. Now that they had Gunner here, they could do whatever they wanted to him, so Reyes would spill every secret she had—and she would, if it came down to his life or her secrets. It now made sense why Gunner had been the one to retrieve the artifact. The Six didn’t just want it; they wanted him.

  I took a seat beside Reyes. The scalpel was still in my hand, and I wrapped my other hand around hers. She clung to it tightly. My brows rose, one last plea to make sure this was the only way—this was her final decision.

  “I’m ready,” she said, voice hard, even though another tear slid down her cheek. She closed her eyes and whispered so only I could hear, “Protect him, please. Keep him safe.”

  “I will,” I replied and placed the tip of the scalpel in the soft spot between her neck and her shoulder.

  I’d done it a hundred times before. A quick and clean death. Minimal pain. It was over before the victim had a chance to realize what had happened. Minimal blood as it all seeped down into the chest cavity below, from the artery near the collarbone my blade hovered over.

  My hand shook before I felt Reyes’ other hand reach up and wrap around mine. I couldn’t do it, and she didn’t make me. With one last squeeze of my hand, Reyes pushed the sharp blade quickly down, deep through skin and muscle, to the artery pumping with blood below.

  Reyes let out a gasp, her grip tightened, then went slack, and her body stilled. Her head dropped to the side, and I gripped her shoulder against mine. I removed the blade. Only a small trickle of blood seeped down onto her already stained white shirt, and tears I didn’t realize were spilling from my face mixed with it.

  Vic helped me move Reyes down onto the bed. We laid her back as though she were just sleeping. Vic’s lips moved, but no words came out, and I realized she was saying a silent prayer before she moved the blanket to cover Reyes’ body.

  Vic looked back at me, taking the scalpel from my hand and placing it back on the tray.

  I sat down on the bed, Vic beside me with one small arm wrapped around my waist, as she hugged me close.

  I stared at Reyes’ body, covered with a white blanket. Tears traced down my chin. I didn’t dare glance at Gunner, the guilt of what I’d done still there. But I’d done it for her, and I’d done it for him. Even if he’d never know. My fists clenched so hard I broke through the skin on my palms with my nails. She’d saved us, saved Jayla—and I couldn’t do that for her. I didn’t realize my hands were shaking until Vic placed hers overtop of them. I couldn’t look away from where her body lay, my throat closing up like something was lodged there, and my chest was caving in. What had I done?

  We were silent. All around us was eerie, unnatural silence.

  Until an alarm blared through the building.

  SIENNA

  The Dred Wulf circled us. Its glowing yellow eyes danced in the fire’s light. The thick fur covering its body was dark grey and white and black, and its sharp teeth gleamed under its long snout. They were much larger this close up. Sharp claws, as long as one of my fingers, scraped over the stone.

  Tynan had a torch waving in front of the Wulf, pushing it back as best he could, but I got the feeling this beast could easily swat away the torch and pounce on us at any moment. Yet it waited.

  I fumbled with the knife jutting out from my jacket, the only thing I had. If it came down to me using them, the Wulf would be far too close, and I’d be ripped to shreds. Theo had his guns out and ready to fire, but we both knew in these close quarters of the cavern it wasn’t wise to use them, unless it was our only choice. The sound alone could attract other predators straight to us, and if the Wulf found a way in, so could the others.

  Petra stood behind Tynan, an arrow notched and aimed at the Wulf who continued to pace.

  “What do we do?” I whispered.

  “Don’t run,” Tynan ordered, not taking his eyes off the Wulf. He had a long sword in his other hand and circled around, keeping himself between the Wulf and us. “Take them to the tunnel,” Tynan ordered.

  “No,” Petra refused.

  “Now, Petra. He’s waiting… for the others. We don’t have much time,” he said again.

  “I will not leave you, brother,” Petra argued.

  The Wulf let out a low rumble, pacing before us, but not moving to attack. Its yellow eyes were fixed on Tynan, and it dipped its head low, angling itself towards the tunnel to our right.

  “What is it doing?” Petra asked, her brows scrunched.

  Tynan tensed, he took a step forward, keeping the sword between him and the Wulf, but the beast didn’t attack. Instead, it inclined its head towards the tunnel.

  “They’re coming.”

  “More Wulfs?” Theo asked.

  Tynan shook his head. “Reeks.”

  A shiver ran down my spine. A chorus of howls echoed from down one of the tunnels, moving closer, then the sound of guttural screams and feet moving fast over stone. The Reeks had gotten into the tunnel.

  Tynan spared only a glance back at us, fire in his eyes like I’d never seen in anyone before. “Please, Petra, I will be right behind you.”

  Petra swore under her breath before she shoved the arrow in the quiver on her back and placed the bow over her shoulder. She sprinted the few steps to her tent nearby and lifted it off the ground, tossing it out of the way.

  Under the tent was a smooth rock with a square line carved around it, like a door. Petra took her knife, digging it into the seam trying to pry the rock up, but it wouldn’t budge. Theo moved to help, but even together they couldn’t get the heavy rock to lift.

  The Wulf’s back raised as it squared its body to the tunnel the sounds came from. They grew, the chorus of howls and guttural screams. Pounding footsteps ran fast towards us, matching the beat of my heart.

  “Get a move on!” Tynan screamed.

  Light from the fire bounced off the wall, illuminating more shadows from the multiple Dred Wulfs that arrived. They didn’t turn their gaze on us; however, they created a solid line before us, facing the tunnel. The sound of the Reeks drawing near was like thousands of spiders scurrying across the ground. Their footsteps drummed against the rock, louder and louder.

  “What are they doing?” I asked Petra.

  She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening at the sight of the Wulfs. “Giving us time,” she whispered, moving back to prying the rock up.

  A black wave smashed into the Wulfs. Claws and teeth ripped through the black monsters. The cries and howls of Wulfs surrounded us, mixed with the sickening crunch of bone and teeth as the Wulfs tried to keep the hoard from reaching us.

  “Help Petra, stay with her.” Theo shoved a small dagger into my hand before pulling out another long sword at his side Tynan had given him.

  “No—” I started, but he was already moving beside Tynan.

  “Get this side,” Petra ordered. I clenched my teeth, my gaze still following Theo, before I let out a hissed breath and I knelt down beside her.

  Tynan stood side by side with the Wulfs, his sword dripping black blood. The few Reeks that snuck through the front line were met with Theo’s blade. A scream from Tynan tore my gaze from Theo as a Reek grabbed hold of his arm, but the Dred Wulf that had arrived first knocked the Reek down and took off its head.

  My hands shook as I dug my knife into the crack around the stone and pulled at the heavy, unyielding rock, feeling the presence of more Reeks closing in.

  “Focus, Sienna, if we don’t move this rock, then none of us will survive,” Petra hissed. I turned my attention back to her. Her body strained to lift the stone, even while her gaze lingered to where Tynan and Theo, along with a dozen Wulfs, were being pushed back by the Reeks.

  Another scream of pain sounded, this time from Theo, and I almost dropped the stone again. I found him in the sea of black limbs and fur. He had a gash on his arm, but he’d taken down the Reek and continued to push them back.

  “Pull!” Petra yelled, and it took every bit of willpower in me not to move towards Theo. I could hear the clash of metal and claws scraping the stone. The Reeks roared.

  Something smashed into my back and I fell, dropping the stone before scrambling to my feet. As quickly as the Reek broke through, it was brought down. Petra stood over me, her bow strung and launching a third arrow into the Reek’s side to keep it down.

  She gripped under my arm to pull me back to my knees.

  “Help me get this damn thing open, or we’ll all die!” Her warning was less of a threat and more of a plea, and it had me moving quicker this time.

  My shoulder barked in pain as the rock shifted under our effort. A corner lifted high enough for Petra to slide her fingers under, and she shoved the rock clear to reveal a small, dark hole and the stone ground below.

  “Go,” Petra ordered. I moved towards the edge, glancing down before peering over my shoulder. Tynan and Theo were both covered in blood, but still standing. Seven Wulfs still stood fighting, but another six were dead, and the Reeks inched closer. “We’ll be right behind you.”