wasn’t sure what a punctured lung sounded like, but she hoped and prayed the sound coming from him wasn’t from that.
“I know, Zeke. We’re going to get out of here.” Frantically, she looked around for a way out.
“They won’t let us leave, they’re monsters.” He didn’t sound afraid. He hurt, that was obvious; he sounded hopeless.
Grace didn’t speak any more. She didn’t want Zeke to exhaust himself further. She was comforted when his breathing evened out. For the time being, his mind was elsewhere.
The sides of her hands were raw from trying to pull free from the shackles. With one foot braced against the wall and the other on the ground, she pulled as hard as she could. It was no use. Despite her Chosen blood, she wasn’t strong enough to break the chains from the wall. She gave up, and let her arms fall to her sides. Her tired body shivered from the cold. Feeling hopeless now herself, Grace slipped to the ground, and held her face in her hands.
Long strides of movement sounded from the darkness. Someone was coming. She snapped her head up, and waited. Two glowing eyes appeared, hovering in the distance. The owner of the red orbs materialized out of the darkness as he drew closer. It was the guy from the parking lot yesterday, the one who was in the very front. “You’re finally awake.” He smiled. It was anything but friendly.
“What do you want?” Hundreds of years of Chosen ancestry reverberated strong in her voice. She steadied herself on the ground.
“Little girl, don’t play stupid. You know what I want.” Although he spoke softly, menace lurked behind his words. Hope flickered back to life within her at his demand. They were still looking for something, which meant Pandora was safe.
A stirring moved deep within her—a joining of mind, body, and soul as she found her center, her purpose. She no longer felt fear, in fact felt incredibly strong as every fiber in her being readied, calculating an attack. Quentin had trained her for this very moment. The just-in-case time he wasn’t around. Grace kept her eyes on the Fallen, studying how he moved, as she played for time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The chuckle that spilled from his lips should have frightened her, but it didn’t. “Tell you what, Grace. This is how we’re going to play. I’m going to use Zeke to get what I want from you, and I’m going to use you to get what I want from Quentin.”
She didn’t like being threatened, but glancing at Zeke almost made her resolve waver. No matter what, Grace couldn’t give the Fallen what they wanted. She lowered her gaze. “Like I said, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
The Fallen kept his eyes trained on Grace while he walked backward. Disgust moved across his features when he glanced down at Zeke’s sleeping form. “Maybe Zeke wants to play?” When he kicked Zeke in the back, he barely groaned. Zeke was in trouble.
Fear gripped Grace. “Stop! Please.”
“Please what?” He lifted his foot again.
Grace threw her hand out, motioning for him to stop. “I’ll give you what you want, just don’t hurt him anymore.”
He put his foot down, and smiled. “Good girl.”
But all she was doing was stalling for more time. Zeke still slept, she hoped. The Fallen sneered, then looked back down to Zeke, raising his foot. “No,” Grace screamed, pulling away from the wall, hands reaching for Zeke.
A sudden explosion shook the earth beneath them, almost knocking the Fallen off his feet. He jerked his head toward the darkness behind him, and swore under his breath. His red eyes cut back to Grace, making her insides melt with fear, but she wouldn’t cower. She steeled her expression, and waited for him to attack. The yelling and commotion started as soon as the earth stopped shaking. Grace braced herself on the floor, trying to see a rise and fall in an unmoving Zeke. She thought she saw some movement, but wasn’t sure.
Sounds of fighting ricocheted off the walls. Grace strained against the chains, trying to find a voice she recognized. Hope swelled in her chest, imagining it was Quentin despite not hearing him. The Fallen looked from Zeke to Grace, and swore again before retreating into the darkness. The Fallen was gone for not even five seconds before the sounds of grunts and bodies hitting rock split through the silence of the cavern. Feet hitting the ground seconds later had