Descent - Tara Fuller Page 0,60

babysit me. And when all was clear, they brought me in close enough to attempt to get a feel for Tyler’s presence.

There was never a question of if danger lay ahead in Hell. It was merely a question of what and when. And Easton seemed intent on not taking any unnecessary chances. I understood that this was the smart way to proceed, but I couldn’t stop my mind from playing out every possible horrendous outcome. If Easton were hurt out there because of something I’d caused, I wouldn’t be able to live with that. I willed his violet eyes to appear. He didn’t. I finally gave up and leaned against the wall at my back, taking comfort that there was at least one building in this place devoid of torture and pain.

“What’s taking him so long?”

Scout leaned against the wall beside me and folded his arms over his chest. “He probably just wants to be sure. He’s not going to take any chances with you, Gwen.”

“You know you don’t have to babysit me,” I said. “This would probably go faster if you were out there helping him.”

The truth was, I didn’t like the idea of Easton being out there all alone. I’d seen the naked fear in his eyes when he’d mentioned the Meat District. I’d felt it.

“If I left you alone, your boyfriend would do unspeakable things to me,” he said. “And if anyone is going to do unspeakable things to me, I’d much rather it be someone like your angel friend.”

I flushed in response to hearing him refer to Easton as my boyfriend. Despite my better efforts not to give in, I smiled. As for him doing anything with Sky? If only he knew. She wasn’t one to be handled. And that’s exactly what Scout wanted. Someone who would bend to his will, compromise their beliefs, and tumble headfirst down the rabbit hole with him. Too bad for him, Sky’s will was made of steel.

“You obviously don’t know Sky,” I said. “She’s not like me. She doesn’t make mistakes.”

“Ouch.” He chuckled. “Mistake, huh? Is that what I’d be?”

I raised a brow, unable to think about anything other than what it must have been like for Tyler to be dragged here against his will. To think this was the fate he’d been given after a life full of pain. If Scout compromised Sky…she’d fall. Just like I was going to. “For Sky. Yes.”

He stared off into the dark, jaw clenched, seeming to think about that. After a few minutes of stony silence he spoke again.

“I’d take it back if I could,” he said, almost too quietly for me to hear. “I wish I could take it back.”

He didn’t have to say who or what he was talking about. I knew.

“Did he say anything?” I asked. “Did he fight you?”

“That’s just it…he didn’t. I mean at one point he said something about this not being right, but they all say that down here.”

I thought about the Tyler I’d found in the hospital, held together by stitches and wires and tubes. That Tyler would have been resigned to Hell. That Tyler would have accepted it. To think he’d reverted so quickly tore at my heart and filled my chest with pain. All that work. All that time.

“I’m sorry,” Scout said beside me. “I am so sorry.”

I didn’t know if he was speaking to me or Tyler or simply the darkness ahead of us that held our uncertain future. It didn’t matter. The regret rolling off him in waves crashed into me, showing he was telling the truth. I stepped in front of him and touched two fingers to the creased space between his brows. Closing my eyes, I peeled the regret and hurt away from him in layers until the suffocating feeling was mine alone. He inhaled a sharp, deep breath and grabbed hold of my shoulders as I pulled away.

I blinked up at him when moisture filled his eyes. “What did you…what was that?”

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said. “You didn’t deserve to feel that way. So I took it.”

“What do you mean, you took—”

At the sound of approaching footsteps, I jumped away from him and turned to find Easton stalking toward us. His violet eyes burned through the dark, zeroing in on me. He shoved his blade back into his belt, looking back and forth between Scout and me.

“Everything okay over here?”

I smiled and wrapped my arms around my middle, praying Scout wouldn’t tell. Easton wouldn’t have liked it.