Page 27 of Bonded Ever After

Elora. I have to get Elora.

ELEVEN

Elora

I’m sitting on my bed feeling completely alone. My stepmom had gone out for wine, not that it makes much of a difference. She was just going to end up in the hot tub drunk anyway. I want to call Beva or Serrill, but Beva is probably sleeping in preparation for her big day tomorrow, and Serrill is cracking the whip to do better at school, so he has a chance of escaping Paradise Falls. I don’t want to bother any of them.

So I do the only thing I can think of: I head into the attic.

Knowing that Ari was aware of my hiding place has made me feel even more so like my stuff isn’t safe in Paradise Falls. I go to the chest, dig through the pictures, and select my favorite ones of me and my parents, including the one of them on their wedding day, then I put everything back the way it was.

Slipping back downstairs, I take my mom’s journal out of my backpack and slip the pictures into it before repacking my bag. Now, when I go to Neverwood in just a few days, I’ll be able to hide my most important things from any eyes in Paradise Falls.

I hear a crashing sound from in my house and feet running. Tensing, I leap to my feet, not sure what to expect, but tryingto be ready for anything. My bedroom door comes flying open… and I spot Teth and Callum.

“We need to go,” Callum says, his face pale, his voice full of panic.

Before he says more, Teth says, “I’m going to run to your house and get your bag.” Then he takes off running like there are ogres chasing after him.

“Go?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion, staring between Callum and where Teth had disappeared. “What’s going on?”

Callum looks like he’s about to break some really terrible news, his expression a mixture of sorrow and fear. “Your stepmom must have heard about us being pregnant…”

My gut tightens. “What? No.”

“She went to the Council and told them, and I found out what they have planned for us…” And there’s something dark in his words.

“What are you talking about?” I say, head swimming.

He grabs my arms. “Elora, the new science building, that scary floor, it’s meant for us. They’re planning on imprisoning us and killing our baby so they can harvest our eggs and sperm and create an army of Gold Keepers that they can raise to be their perfect servants.”

I feel the color drain from my face. “That’s impossible.”

“Elora.” Those brilliant blue eyes of his lock onto mine. “I heard it all. They’re sending Security for us tonight. Right now.”

My heart hammers. “Where are we going to go? What are we going to do?”

Was this what Ari was trying to warn me about?It must be. Fuck.Why didn’t I listen to her?

“We need to go to Neverwood, just like our dads did. We need to run away from the Council and this whole damn place. It’s our only chance.”

“Livein Neverwood?” I ask, just imagining never returning to Paradise Falls.

He takes my hands, holding my gaze. “We don’t have a choice.”

I nod unsteadily and grab my bag from off the floor, except the scientist’s badge falls out from the pocket I hid it in. I ignore it, but Callum grabs it.

“There’s something we have to do first.”

I frown, confused.

“We need to steal their goldarium. There might be a way for them to use it to come after us.”

I feel sick.They could possibly follow us in?

He grabs my hand, and we start running. We leap into the truck and pull out of the driveway when Teth comes running up. I open my door, and he tosses in Callum’s backpack.

“Good luck,” Teth says, his dark gaze saying a hell of a lot more.

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