Page 61 of Born Free

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

The sun rises.I sit in a chair at the hospital and listen to the sounds of all the life around me. Feet hustle around. Equipment beeps and chirps. Someone cries, another person yells. Nurses comfort and doctors work furiously to save lives.

It’s the rhythm of life.

My next death is impending. I got the text from Sebastian thirty minutes ago that the plan is in motion. He’s delivered the grave news to Orlando that I, Juliet Doe, girlfriend to his long-lost brother, am a Night Council member. My sentence is death.

I’m not supposed to know it’s coming. Supposedly, Sebastian will accompany me to my apartment, privacy is key to this all, making sure I’m none the wiser about my impending execution. The House will arrive and kill me. Tomorrow, they will receive an anonymous tip that Sebastian is the last council member. They’ll kill him, I’ll die for him, and then, hopefully, the House will leave after delivering all the bad news to Roman.

That’s the hope.

I’ve gotten everything going for the day, and everything should be set for the next two days, just in case I have to hide out for a bit until Orlando leaves. The hospital is working like clockwork now, thanks to the many hands I have to assist me.

Sebastian still hasn’t said a word to me about this hospital that belongs to him. He hasn’t tried to take up his old position. It’s almost as if he’s completely forgotten it.

But Sebastian is meticulous, organized. Nothing slips his mind. This is purposeful. This is planned. I just don’t know what his end goal is yet.

My phone chirps, and I look down to find a message from the man himself.

I’m outside.

I stand and hang my white coat on a hook on the back of my door. I gather my things as if I were leaving at the end of any normal day. And I wave goodbye to Holly and Lily when I see them on my way out.

They have no idea I’m about to die again. I’m not even sure what number death this will be. To them, it’s business as usual. And at this point, death is business as usual, as well.

It’s fully overcast when I step outside. I pull my sunglasses on, but I’m grateful it’s not painful today. Sebastian waits just outside the door as he said he would. He never even glances at the hospital, and it’s a gigantic building right in front of him.

“You ready?” he asks.

I nod, and my adrenaline spikes.

“They’re five minutes behind us, so we need to keep moving,” Sebastian says, nodding down the way. He shouldn’t know where my apartment is. I picked it on my own. He hasn’t been invited over since he returned to Chicago.

But he obviously knows the way.

We set off down the sidewalk, walking side by side like we so often did under very different circumstances.

“How did Orlando take the news?” I ask, trying to get a grasp on the situation.

“He looked incredibly disappointed,” Sebastian remarks. “Sullen. He’s not making it up when he says he likes you.”

“But not enough to not punish me with death for trying to lead the city,” I note.

Sebastian shakes his head. “I think, for him, it’s more complicated than that. Something about a party. But I told him I’d get you somewhere private, away from his brother. He wants to get this over with quickly.”

“Lovely,” I say as the light changes and we cross the street.

For two blocks, we walk in silence. My brain is running through all the possible outcomes that tomorrow could have. Is all going to be good and peaceful if Orlando leaves? Will this damn city finally feel quiet for the first time since I arrived here? What if Orlando still doesn’t skedaddle? What then?

My eyes shift over to Sebastian when I realize he hasn’t said anything either. His brows are furrowed, and he stares at the sidewalk as if it’s personally offended him.

I want to ask him if he was spying on me and Roman last night. A part of me is dying to know so I can be angry at him. There’s a certain comfort to anger.

But something has shifted since we talked last. I believed him when he said he wasn’t going to get between me and Roman. So, in the end, I think I’d rather not know if he was stalking us.

“Once Orlando clears the city, what is your plan?” I ask, knowing I have to slip into this topic very carefully. “You think you’ll keep fighting off the assassination attempts or go find somewhere to start fresh?”

Sebastian’s eyes rise from the sidewalk, but he doesn’t look at me. “I haven’t made plans.”

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