to harness me. Two guards held my hands out at my sides, and one tried to inject a needle into my neck. Rage controlled my thoughts and actions.”
He pauses, looking out at the river. His arms rest on his bent knees. His words hang in the air for all of us to grasp.
“Then what happened?” I ask quietly, not fully wanting to hear how the story concludes.
“Then I ripped his throat out with my teeth, and he bled to death at my feet. A feeling of contentment filled my mind just before I fell unconscious,” Asher says, his steely gaze pinning me in place, his jaw locked tight as he waits for my judgment.
My mother and Ky remain silent. My eyes never stray from his.
Asher’s been punished his entire life. They tortured him before he ever stepped foot in the compound, doing more damage than they ever could within those walls. But he fought for his life. For his brother’s loss of life.
But he lost.
“Physical strength prevails when your mind is weak,” Ky says, nodding to Asher. An understanding passes between the two men.
“Do you think you could have killed them all if they hadn’t drugged you?” I ask, still wondering if I would have the courage to defend myself that way.
I see his chest rise and fall heavily. His eyebrows rise a fraction of an inch toward his hairline, my question surprising him.
“I guess I don’t know.” He searches my face, probably trying to find disgust in my reaction from what he’s admitted, but I have nothing but curiosity. “I think anyone would try, though. I would have tried and it would have ended one of two ways. I could have been locked away in a smothering sedation until a beautiful mortal helped me escape,” he says as a small, shy smile pulls at my mouth. “Or I could have killed them all and lived a life in hiding, more so than I already was.” He tilts his head away from me. His gaze settles on the flames again.
“Sometimes you don’t see the gift you're given. You count your losses, not knowing there are more things out there worth gaining.” His voice is quiet, little more than a whisper.
The weight of the gun seems to dissipate as I think about what they’ve said. Asher’s story circles my mind on repeat.
Maybe I’m not as powerful as Asher or as courageous as Ky or even as confident as my mother. I am compassionate and intelligent and driven, traits that do not make me more capable of killing someone but make me human. And we all live off of that same basic instinct …
Survival.
Nine
Ditch The Pack
The nights and days pass in a blur. My hand has finally healed, leaving a thick, fresh scar across my palm, a reminder of how far we’ve come.
Sleep occurs in spurts, but we eat well, devouring meals Asher easily provides. Ky makes sure our water bottles are filled from the river and that we are always well hydrated. Asher has been insisting on more breaks. He doesn’t say it, but I know it’s because of how unsteady Ky’s running has become.
With easy, rapid moves, my mother signs something to Asher. He glances down at me. We’ve become comfortable with one another and developed a strange friendship I never would have imagined weeks ago. Asher and I have spent every day together, working together as if we’ve been friends our whole lives. He’s patient and teaches me to hunt, and how to hold a sword, a few techniques here and there. He’s even taken the time to show me edible food sources that we pass on our way, explaining their identifying traits to me.
I don’t know where his knowledge comes from, but I never doubt him and he never gives me a reason to.
My mother’s eyes narrow, looking from me to Asher, waiting for his reply.
“We need to find a better place to cross. The current is too strong here; we’d never make it across the width of the river.” He pauses, looking around at the three of us. “Well, you guys wouldn’t make it,” he says with a lopsided but arrogant smile.
Ky gives a chuckle, and I roll my eyes. My mother stays silent. Did she expect him to continue signing with her? It doesn’t exactly seem like top secret information to me.
“Let’s walk farther up, at least a mile. If we have to cross and the river isn’t any better up ahead, we will just have