This Coven Won't Break - Isabel Sterling Page 0,82

disdain written all over his face. “Don’t forget your place. They destroyed the cure. This is the least they deserve.”

He turns back to Archer, repositioning the lighter in his hand as Benton pulls himself to his feet.

“Wait!” I shout when Mr. Hall relights the flame. Fear shakes my voice, but I can’t let this continue. Even if they know where we hid the teens, they won’t be able to get past the barrier. With Benton out of jail and the trial on hold, there’s no reason for Elder Keating to put the town at risk. “Riley and the others are in Salem. They haven’t been hurt. They’re fine.”

Mrs. Hall closes her laptop and stands. “We’ll need an exact address.”

I glance at Archer, but I can’t tell if that’s disappointment or gratitude on his pain-stricken face. I rattle off the address.

“Good.” Mrs. Hall grabs hold of my chin and forces it left until I can’t see anything but Archer. “Now pay close attention,” she whispers as her husband pockets the lighter and smashes his knuckles against Archer’s face.

Again.

And again.

“We decide when this stops. Not you.” Her grip on my chin tightens. “And once we’ve re-created our cure, we will decide how and when you die.”

22

WHEN BENTON’S PARENTS GROW bored, they call for guards to bring us back to the basement. I know I should try to keep track of the twists and turns through the halls, but I can’t focus on anything but Archer’s slumped body as they drag him in front of me. Benton leads our group and stops before a cell. He pulls a key from his pocket and unlocks the door, swinging the creaking metal wide.

Archer’s guards drop him in a heap in the center of the small room, and large hands shove me hard from behind. I stumble forward, and the door slams shut by the time I can whirl around. One of the guards spits at us before he leaves. Benton is the last to go, his jaw still red from where his father hit him.

And then we’re alone.

I spin and drop to my knees before Archer. The backs of his hands are angry and blistered, and blood flecks the front of his jacket. Shame twists my insides into knots. I should have been able to protect him from the flames. If I could just—

Archer sucks in a deep breath, surfacing out of unconsciousness. He groans as he tries to pull himself into a seated position.

“Let me help. Hang on.” I move him toward the edge of the room so he can lean against the wall for support. Once he’s up, I can see more of the damage. His left eye is already swollen shut. Benton’s dad split his lip, and the blisters on his hands are starting to ooze. “I’m so sorry, Archer. I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t . . .” Tears cut off the rest of my apology. I felt so fucking helpless, watching them hurt him, unable to do anything but scream.

Archer clutches his ribs and gingerly turns his head until I’m within range of his right eye, the one that isn’t swollen shut. “This isn’t your fault, Hannah. You didn’t do this.”

“But I did! I’m the one who went after Benton. I’m the one who gave up your address and couldn’t stop the flame from the lighter and—”

“Hannah.” His voice is slow and thick with pain. “Blaming yourself isn’t going to help us get out of here.”

He may believe we have a chance at escape, but I know better. We’re outnumbered and outgunned. Neither of us have access to magic, and the only one of us trained for this sort of thing can barely sit up, even with a wall to lean on. We’re going to be lab rats, and the second the Hunters don’t need us anymore, we’ll be dead.

Will Mom even have a body to bury?

Archer reaches out and grips my wrist with surprising strength. “You have to stop, Hannah. If you give up on us now, we won’t stand a chance.”

Tears slip down my face, and I wipe them away with my free hand. “How can you possibly believe we’ll get out of here?”

“Because I believe in you.”

I scoff and roll my eyes. The normalcy of the reaction makes me feel a fraction better, but Archer doesn’t relent. “I’m serious,” he says, his grip on my wrist urgent now. “You are resourceful and driven. You’ve been through so, so much the past few months, and you