they had to hike out to meet them before sunrise. Wanting to ask questions, she glanced around the kitchen until she saw a pad of paper and a pencil. She walked over and snatched it up and then scribbled her question on it.
“What about your wounded man? Are we carrying him out with us?”
Terror’s face softened fractionally at her question, but the general looked annoyed as he said, “That’s not your concern.”
She frowned at him and scribbled her reply. Holding it up, she let them read it. “Yes, it is. That man almost died trying to rescue me.”
“Not that you needed rescuing,” the general retorted. “I wonder why that is?” He took a threatening step forward, looming over her like the giant he was, and she took one back, putting space between them. “Bit odd that you—just you—survive the landslide. That you are the only prisoner who made it up the mountain. That you just happen to fall in with people who can understand you and communicate with you. A bit more than a coincidence, huh?”
Maisie glanced at Terror who stared right back at her, stone-faced and cold. Her stomach dropped as she realized that Terror could so easily cast any concern for her aside. Only moments ago, he had been touching her, pushing the boundaries between them as he tried to suss out whether or not she felt the same needful pull. Now, he looked at her as if she were a prisoner to be questioned. He would believe anything his friend, the general, said or insinuated.
He’s not your friend. You’re nothing to him. Be careful.
Taking a deep breath, she started to write out her defense but then stopped. Crossing out the few words she had written, she sighed and wrote two letters. “No.”
The general’s mouth settled into a frustrated line. He looked at Terror who gave a subtle shake of his head, silently telling him to drop it. The general held her gaze and said, “We leave in three hours. You should get some rest.”
When the general was gone, Terror stepped toward her. He reached out to touch her, maybe to take her hand and draw her in close, but she sidestepped and gave him a wide berth on her way out of the kitchen. As she went to find some place to rest, she settled her mind against Terror. Whatever kindness she had shown him in the mines didn’t matter. Whatever she thought she felt for him was a lie.
You’re infatuated with him.
Cursing herself for the ridiculous dreams of romance that only a stupid little girl would entertain, she accepted the truth of the matter. He wasn’t going to save her. He wasn’t going to take her away from her shit awful life. She had built him into something he could never be.
He didn’t come for you because he cares. He came for you because he suspects you have something he needs.
She accepted that she was nothing more than a pawn. She was like prey being batted between the paws of a cat, between the Splinters who needed her back and Terror’s people who wanted to exploit whatever intel she possessed. Once either side got what they wanted, her life was over. The Splinters would kill her to tie up loose ends. Terror’s people would probably send her to prison as a collaborator.
Someone grabbed her shoulder, and she was roughly spun around and pushed toward the wall. She lifted both hands to shove at her attacker, but her panicked gaze landed on Terror’s face. His expression was fierce, but he wasn’t angry with her. It was something else, something darker and more possessive. He planted his hands on either side of her head. He held her gaze for an uncomfortable moment. She looked away, unable to meet his stare a second longer, but he wasn’t having it. His warm finger slipped under her chin and tipped her head back so she had no choice but to look at him.
“I will keep you safe, Maisie.”
She wanted to believe him. She wanted to trust him.
But she had lived in the real world long enough to know that the only person she could trust was herself.
She grasped his hand and held it against her chest, right over her heartbeat, and used her fingertip to tap out her answer. “No, you won’t.”
His face slackened when he translated her taps, and she ducked out from under his arm to escape. He caught her wrist and hauled her right back into the cage