Page 85 of Beg the Night

“Where is the nearest town?”

Benedict took a look around. It all looked the fucking same. Months ago, I might have had a better sense of direction. But now? I’d spent the last several months trapped in a dungeon. I had no clue what was up and what was down.

Benedict pointed ahead of us. “That way. It won’t be far.”

“Great.” I still wore no shoes. Athena, either. I was very aware of my lack of shirt, her lack of, well, clothes. Everyone else was dressed more appropriately than we were, but we all needed shelter.

Fast.

The others fell in line behind me as we headed in the direction Benedict claimed would lead us toward civilization. In reality, I didn’t fucking know what we were headed toward. But we couldn’t stay out here forever.

The Ministry would come for us. Nowhere was safe.

Silence.I never minded silence. I preferred it. Why make so much noise talking when simplynottalking was far more enjoyable? Half the shit people talked about was a waste of time, anyway. A waste of breath, too.

For hours, we trudged through the tall grass in the darkness. The bottoms of my feet were screaming, cut and torn by the landscape. Katherine hadn’t said a word since we’d taken off. Even Mags and Athena had been mostly quiet, only whispering every now and then at the back of the group.

For the first time in my life, this silence drove me crazy.

I actually sighed in relief when somebody finally spoke up.

“Wait!” Mags yelled. “Slow down!”

I spun around to find Athena stopped with one hand pressed to the trunk of a tree while Mags stood beside her, holding her up. “She needs a break. She’s bleeding!”

I scanned Athena quickly, assessing her injuries. She had gone through a lot tonight. We both had. But where my feet were sore and raw from walking, hers were literally covered in blood.

“What the hell happened?” I asked, closing the distance between us. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I’m fine,” she breathed. “I just need a minute.”

Her long dark hair hung loose around her face, stringy and damp with perspiration, her throat now bruising in the obviousshape of handprints that I could only assume belonged to Katherine.

Her, I would deal with later.

“We can’t keep walking like this,” I said. “Benedict, can you jump us the rest of the way?”

He sighed. “Unfortunately, I used every ounce of my power to get us out of the mansion. I’ve never jumped with five people before. It’ll take hours to regain even a fraction of it.”

My gut twisted painfully. Dammit. “Okay, we need a new plan. You can’t keep going when your feet are practically falling off.”

“I said I’m fine,” she argued, her eyes meeting mine with that same stubborn fire she’d shown me the day we met.

“I can heal her,” Katherine stepped forward.

Athena was already holding up her hand. “Absolutely not.”

“Don’t be so stubborn.” Katherine took another step toward her sister. “You clearly need it?—”

“I saidno!”

The group fell silent as Athena’s words echoed off the trees. Katherine could heal her. I’d seen her do it multiple times in the dungeons, and we had seen her power at work during Director’s dinner.

But Athena wanted nothing to do with her traitor of a sister. She sure as hell didn’t want her kindness. That was a feeling I knew very well.

“Fine.” I stepped forward and eased Mags out of the way. “Then I’ll carry you. We can’t be all that far anyway.”

“Are you serious—” Athena’s words were cut off when I scooped her up, but she clung to my neck and held tight. “This is ridiculous! I can walk!”

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