Darken the Stars - Amy A. Bartol Page 0,29

the same time, I kick my legs and struggle against another vicious soldier as he cuts my clothes from me. “The Brotherhood sends its love,” the one with the knife snarls. Kyon lifts his freston and shoots the soldier in the head. The soldier’s brains explode all over the bed. Before the other soldier can react, Kyon is able to get off a few more shots, killing the one holding me down.

Kyon collapses onto the ground. I see my future self sit up on the bed and crawl onto the floor to Kyon’s side. Placing a hand over his wounds, the future me tries to stem his bleeding, but it’s futile. Kyon’s injuries are far too serious.

More soldiers enter the room. They don’t attempt to take me hostage. Two shots ring out: One tears through my heart, and the other goes through my head. My corpse falls next to Kyon’s on the floor.

What happens next is chilling. One of the soldiers kneels down next to my body. He injects a tube into my vein and extracts my blood. While he does that, another soldier slices open my abdomen and extracts my ovaries from my corpse. Horrified, I can’t stay any longer. I escape from the house through the starlit rush of time.

CHAPTER 6

HAUNTING IDLE

Pain greets me as I fall into my body, reclaiming it. My back arches as I grasp my chest where I’m shot. I gulp in frantic breaths of air, trying to alleviate the pain in my aching heart. The tightness in my chest is strange, though. My fingers search for the massive, gaping wound, but I find nothing wrong with me. In a few more breaths, the pain eases and begins to fade away.

Kyon’s eyes are a soft blue as I look up at him. My head is on his lap. His hand is gentle as he strokes my hair in a slow, rhythmic way. My teeth chatter, not just from the pain and fear I just experienced, but also because I’m so cold. My whole body quakes.

“Easy,” he murmurs. “Breathe slowly.”

We’re still in the boathouse. Water laps against the support beams below us, making soft sounds.

“They’re—” I wheeze “—coming!” I take a few more straining breaths. “Soldiers—”

“Shh, I need to get you warm. You’re freezing.” He gently lifts my head from his lap and rests it on the wooden floor. He lies next to me, takes me in his arms, and holds me against his chest to share his body heat. My cheek rests against his shoulder as he rubs my arm, dispelling some of the goose bumps. It takes a few minutes for my breathing to slow and my teeth to stop chattering.

Kyon’s lips brush my hair before he murmurs, “When do they come?”

Fear is the unmistakable quality in my shaky voice when I whisper, “Tonight.” I try to sit up, but Kyon tightens his arms, not allowing me to move.

“How many?” he asks in a calm tone.

“At least a hundred—maybe more—”

“How do they come?”

“What?” I close my eyes, feeling his hand gently rub my back. It eases some of my anxiety.

“How do they gain access to the island? Is it an air strike?”

“No,” I shake my head. “They come by water—they swim to shore—that’s how they get in undetected.”

“On what part of the island do they stage their arrival?” he asks.

“The beach in front of your cottages.”

“Is that their only access point?” I think for a moment, and then I nod my head. Kyon pulls me closer to him, resting his chin on my head. “Good girl,” he whispers.

“You don’t get it!” I try to pull away from him. He lets me go enough so that I can look into his eyes. “We have to leave! They’re going to kill us!”

His eyes soften. There’s no fear in them whatsoever. “No, they’re not—”

I clutch his arm, trying to make him understand. “Yes! They are! They’re coming and you can’t stop them all—”

“They can’t do anything to us now, Kricket, because you’re going to tell me everything you know that will happen and I’m going to take care of the rest.”

Panic overwhelms me. He still doesn’t get it! “There are too many of them! They’re sent by the Brotherhood—by Excelsior!”

“I know. You scare them.”

“I scare them?” I laugh humorlessly.

My incredulous response is met by unflagging stoicism. “More than anything in this world,” he replies.

“Why haven’t you handed me over to him?”

His expression turns angry. What I just said to him is something he finds completely offensive.

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