Which meant I could get out—if I could get past the glass.
I gently placed my hand on the nearest peaks. The jagged edges sat against my palm, ready to pierce it should I exert the slightest bit of pressure. I looked across the width of it. Eight feet had never seemed so far.
But I really didn't have much in the way of options. It was either walk across this barrier or take another round of Aedh questioning. At least with the first option, it was only my feet that would be cut up.
And I could do something about that.
I sat back on my heels and undid my jeans, slipping them down my hips before shifting onto my butt and pulling them off my legs. Tearing them in half wasn't so easy—not when my whole body felt as if it had been torn apart. Hell, right now I wasn't entirely sure that parts of me weren't going to start unraveling.
Eventually the seams gave way, tearing in half along the crotch. I carefully wrapped each foot in one jean leg, tucking in the ends to stop them unraveling as I walked.
I grabbed my phone, then stood and eyed the expanse of embedded, broken glass between me and that door. There was no obvious path where the glass wasn't quite as sharp.
I breathed deep, my nostrils flaring and filling my lungs with the scent of my own fear, then gingerly stepped onto the glass. The jeans helped a little, as long as I didn't put too much weight on my feet for too long. I took another quick step, then another, concentrating on that door and the freedom it represented. The metallic tang of blood began to taint the air. Sweat trickled down my hairline, and my breathing became short and sharp. The jeans grew heavier and my feet felt like they were on fire. I kept my gaze on my target, and punched the bolt across when I was near enough, then thrust the door open.
I was dead meat if there were guards. But I knew that, and I didn't care. I just had to get off the glass.
Thankfully, there were no guards.
I caught the door before it could slam back against the wall, then leaned a shoulder against the brickwork, hopping gently from one foot to the other, trying to ease the pain. It didn't help much.
But my head felt clearer, and the aching buzz that had become such an underlying presence in my mind had gone. Still, I didn't reach for the Aedh. Not only because I was so weak, but because they might just sense the surge of power. Even us half-breeds could sense the presence of another Aedh, and I had no doubt that a full blood would have sharper senses than us. Besides, Lucian had commented that I felt full Aedh even in human form, which might just mean that if anyone did notice me out here, they'd maybe dismiss me as one of their brethren.
Maybe.
I unwound the bloody remnants of my jeans and tossed them back into the cell. If I was caught and put back, maybe I could use them again. If they didn't take them away, and if I managed to survive another bout of questioning, that was.
I shut the door, then looked around. The corridor was long and filled with shadows. Though the air was rich with the earth and humus, the corridor itself was lined with red bricks that looked to have seen more than a few hundred years of wear and tear. It made me wonder if it had been a part of the sewerage system that had serviced Melbourne from settlement to the twenty-first century. If it was, then there had to be a way out—service entry points or whatever the hell they were called. The system might not be in official use, but there'd been recent newspaper reports of the "mousers" who spent every available free hour down here, and there were undoubtedly a ton of homeless folk who'd made themselves at home, too.