Page 80 of Locke 2

He said he’d find us on the other side.

We were never going to escape him.

In this life. In the afterlife. We were his, and everything he gave us, he would take away.

Then silence.

Cold, long silence.

It didn’t last.

As I lay there, under the bed, unmoving, my tears running down my face, forming a puddle around me, I felt somethingchange in the air. A wicked energy that made my heart collapse in my chest.

I knew before I’d even seen or heard him, that he had found her. And in that instant, my world broke apart.

Aurora screamed my name.

“KALI!”

He said something.

I didn’t know what.

I would never know what.

It would haunt me for the rest of my life.

She screamed my name, and a bullet screamed back, silencing her.

Thirty-Four

Kali

Iknew he was in the room before I opened my eyes.

The bedroom felt full, as though it was crowded to the brim with people. That was what Locke did: he filled a space with the energy of ten men.

I opened my eyes. The room was pitched in darkness, but I could see the silhouette of him seated on the edge of the bed. His head was angled in my direction, as though he’d been watching me sleep. If it were another man, that would have unsettled me, but I felt the opposite with Locke.

In an instant, I remembered that face on the wall and felt a sharp bolt of fear. No, I was not unsettled by Locke at all. In fact, in a world so cruel, having Locke in the same room as me made me feel protected.

“Locke?” I whispered.

It took him a few moments to respond, “I’m here.”

“What time is it?”

“Early.”

I sat up quickly. “Did I sleep in?”

“You can rest a little longer—”

“We had plans,” I cut in. “You know, people to beat up, right?”

“Ever the violent one.” I could hear a smile in his voice.

“Jem said it, not me.” I felt my lips twitch. “And I’m not violent. You are,wolf.”

---