Crowed (Team Zero #2) - Rina Kent Page 0,46

I do.

Exhaustion and pain shred my muscles when I finally arrive at the cliff, and it’s the first time I wish I’m on Omega to get to her faster. I glance at my watch. Two and a half minutes. I don’t have much time.

“Eloise!” My frantic eyes search for a trace of her.

A strange feeling tightens my stomach as I run in all directions. The more the seconds tick away and I don’t find her, the more that feeling intensifies.

Then, I realise that the feeling is fear. An emotion I’ve never felt in my entire life is now turning into pure fucking terror at the thought of never seeing Eloise again. Or the mere image of her being hurt.

It horrifies the fuck out of me.

“Eloise!” I call again, hoping she can hear and reply.

Barks come from between the trees, not far from the cliff.

Cheerio.

I bolt in her direction. I push the entangled branches away to find a body huddled between the bushes. Dirt and leaves cover her creamy skin and strands of hair camouflage her unconscious face.

A vest bomb is strapped to her chest. The timer has only ten seconds left.

Fucking hell.

I run to her, already counting the ways I can remove that belt. Hopefully, it’s not the type that goes off when I remove it, but if I don’t—

BOOM.

I freeze in place, my heart falls to my feet.

The place in which Eloise used to be lying turns into a thick fog of smoke and there’s no trace of her.

My vision turns red as I roar. “ELOISE!”

Eloise

Shouts filter through my ears in a long ring. A strong smell of smoke permeates my nose. My lungs suffocate, and I gasp for breath.

“ELOISE!”

Someone roars my name. A tightness forms in my chest and behind my closed lids. He sounds so familiar. So hurt.

Crow.

My eyes snap open. Fog surrounds me, thick and suffocating. I can’t even make out my own hands.

Then, as I try to move my arms, I realise that my hands are tied behind my back. I strain against the bindings. The rope cuts into my skin, but doesn’t loosen.

Merde.

Something heavy covers my chest, but I can’t make it out in this fogginess.

I attempt to sit. Pain explodes in the back of my head like it’s been pounded on. I groan, and memories rush back in.

Xavier. That bastard. Who knew that underneath that refined persona and charming smile lurked a monster?

Has he hurt Crow?

Deep terror settles in my stomach as I stand on wobbly feet. My head still throbs. A sticky liquid trickles from the back of my head to my neck. My shoulders ache from being tied in an uncomfortable position. Dirt covers my skin and insects crawl up my arms and legs, but they’re the least of my concerns.

I frantically search my surroundings, moving from one direction to the other as if that will somehow dissipate the fog.

“Crow?” I call, but my voice comes out in a trembled whisper.

No answer.

Tears stream down my cheeks. My teeth chatter as if I’m coming down with a cold.

No.

I won’t cry. Crow will be fine.

He has to be. I have lost so much to death already. Not him, too.

And yet, I can’t help the overflow of tears or the sinking feeling in my gut. What if something happened to him? What if I—

“Eloise!”

My heart thunders to life as I’m being resurrected. “Crow!”

The fog dissipates, and Crow appears a few metres away. Although shrouded in smoke, he seems fine. No stains on his leather jacket.

I almost fall to my knees with relief.

He’s fine. He’s alive.

“Fuck!” He runs towards me. His large hands cage my face and he kisses me so wildly, it knocks the breath out of me. It’s desperate and rough and full of countless emotions. Love. Anger. Relief.

Similar to my relief, but so much more intense.

He pulls away to rest his forehead against mine. He exhales harshly while I try to catch my own breaths.

Mon Dieu.

He retrieves a knife and cuts my bindings. I flex my hands from the numbness.

“I thought you were dead.” His whisper is so pained as he closes his eyes. “I thought you fucking died in that explosion.”

“I’m fine.” My fingers sink in the back of his leather jacket as I cling to him, needing to feel him alive.

I don’t want to imagine the scenario where he could’ve died.

A shadow creeps from between the trees. “Gag.”

My entire body tenses at Xavier’s view. He’s leaning against a trunk, arms crossed, and some device dangling from his hand.

Crow’s back snaps