Page 58 of Protected by the Fallen
Odette returns her attention to me. “Come, Veronica. There isn’t time to wait.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.”
She sighs, sounding exasperated, as if I’m being a stubborn teenager for no good reason. “Darling, Lukas sent me to get you. He is in need of your help.”
My head snaps to The Council, and I cringe as awareness blooms in every council member’s face.
“You are the one the Light Council seeks,” the once friendly female states.
Of course they know about the Light Council’s search. That’s just my luck. I bet Dark Fallen are just as interested in learning how Lukas’ soldiers heal after dealing with The Darkness. Little did they know, I’ve been living under their roof, in easy reach.
Odette’s words have sealed my fate. I cannot stay at the embassy, but how to get out? I’m sure as hell not going with her. Adrian and Zeke maintain their positions, and they are careful not to take their eyes off Odette. Why haven’t they detained her? Didn’t they just hear her say she’s here to take me away? What are they waiting for?
“We cannot let her leave,” Paul speaks to no one in particular. He looks around the room until he spots one of the guards who’d originally been tasked with keeping my soulmates in line. “You there,” he points to the armed Fallen. “Seize the girl. We cannot let her escape.”
The scene bursts into a flurry of action. Adrian and Zeke leap to intercept the guard. The Council resumes their slew of attacks, though Odette has erected a barrier to rival theirs. None of their powers manages to glide by. They collide with the sorceress’ power, sizzle, then disappear into nothing. Joey grabs my hand and pulls me toward the room’s entrance. I follow him without pause, but pull back when I realize we are heading toward the crowd of demons and wolves.
“What are you doing?” I ask in a panic. I try to pull again, but Joey is stronger than I thought. I barely manage to slow us down.
“Come on, Ronnie. We don’t have time for this. Odette can only hold them back for so long.”
“You’re with her?” I renew my efforts to break away.
“I’ll explain everything later,” he tells me. “I promise. Just trust me.”
A month ago, I wouldn’t hesitate to trust my best friend. But things are different now. I’ve experienced too much to blindly trust anyone. I’m even skeptical of my soulmates sometimes, even though I know they would do anything to keep me safe.
“RON!” Zeke shouts. I whirl around, still dragged by Joey, but manage to make eye contact. I’m shocked to see him and Adrian working with Odette to keep The Council at bay. “Go,” he tells me. “Go with them. It’s going to be alright.”
He can’t be serious.
Doubt tickles the back of my head, and it distracts me from my fight with Joey. He draws me closer to my enemies, and we’re surrounded in the blink of an eye. I’m rushed out of the chamber and into an abandoned hallway.
Odette’s form shimmers in front of myself. A bead of sweat trails down her temple. “Finally,” she huffs, a blurry, black cloud forming around her. “Let’s go.”
Joey dives for Odette’s outstretched hand, still holding onto mine, and we are drawn into her portal, leaving the Dark Embassy behind.
Twenty-Six
Odette,Joey, and I exit the portal in the middle of a hedge maze. Vaguely, I note the statues positioned around the perimeter of the area. A fountain sits in the center, spewing water from the middle, eliciting the calming sound of rushing water. If only I could feel calm.
I don’t bother asking Joey or Odette for an explanation. I make a break for it, using Joey’s disorientation from our travel to tear my hand from his. Glad I’d kicked off my fancy shoes in my prison cell, I ignore the stinging in my feet as I run down the cobblestone path, diving between two, tall hedges.
“Ronnie. Wait!”
I ignore Joey. Pumping my arms, my legs fly faster than I’ve ever moved. The hedges blur into a mass of bluish-green. Maybe I’ve finally managed to tap into my angelic speed.
Adrian! Zeke!I shout their names in my mind.
No response.
I don’t dare say their names out loud. I need to get out of this maze and far away from wherever Odette brought me. Zeke might have encouraged me to go with the sorceress, but I tell myself he only did it under duress. He wouldn’t have encouraged me to leave if there was another choice. I had to get away from The Dark Council. Now that I have, I can work on getting away from my second-most pressing enemy of the day.
I take a sharp right and come to a fork in the path. I veer, left. The hedges are adorned with flower buds, some blooming while others are closed tight. I take another right, and I randomly continue turning one direction or another, frantically searching for a way out of the disconcerting maze.
Up ahead, I see a break in the hedges, and a stark white building is visible through the greenery. I rush toward the exit. I am feet away from the opening when an arm wraps around my waist, robbing me of my escape.
“NO!” I scream, then flail my arms and kick my legs. I am a bucking horse, using all of my strength to dislodge the person holding me back. Despite the effort, I remain contained. I release another guttural scream. I’m tired of this. I refuse to be weak.
