Page 88 of Conform
“That’s it,” she coaxed as I took tiny steps toward the opening. When I reached it, her grip remained strong, anchoring me.
I hooked my left elbow and hoisted myself into the opening, bringing my other leg up, then shimmied through the entrance. “You can let go,” I told her as relief flooded me. I finagled my legs around, scooting against damp stone before dropping out the other side. A musty smell hung in the air as my feet met hard stone. The tunnel was dark. The entrance was big enough for one person at a time but no more.
“Thank you,” I panted. I glanced around to see a long stone tunnel. A ways down, small lights illuminated the path. I had made it to the Underworld.
“Turn around,” the woman instructed, smirking. Her light brown skin was covered in freckles, and she wore a tight sweater, leggings, and boots. She was tall, I realized, with weapons strapped to her long legs. Nothing she wore was blue. She had a formidable strength about her I didn’t realize a woman could have.
“Wait, I thought you said you’d help me?” I asked, confused as she tugged up my sleeves. A golden glow illuminated the tunnel. Cold metal clamped down on my wrists, and my left wrist throbbed wildly as she secured the restraints.
She stepped in front of me, staring at my mismatched gaze. “I said I wouldn’t let you fall. Which I didn’t. I never said anything about helping you. This might hurt.”
Her triumphant smile was the last thing I saw as pain erupted down my neck and the world went black.
“HOW HARD DID YOU HIT HER?” A DEEP ROLLING VOICE BROUGHTme back.
“I barely touched her,” my supposed rescuer responded.
“Now, when you saybarely,do you actually mean knocking her out cold?” another voice jeered. Warm hands gently touched my face.
“He is going to be pissed when he finds out,” a calm male voice stated.
“Ifhe finds out,” the woman countered.
“He’s going to find out, Bri.”
“Not unless you tell him.”
“What was the Reaper’s one request yesterday?” the calm voice interjected.
“I wouldn’t call it a request, more like a fucking order.”
“No one touches her,” that deep rolling voice stated.
What had happened? Were they referring to me and the Reaper? That didn’t make sense.
I finally opened my eyes to find myself before four complete strangers. Bri stood bickering with a man with bright red hair. I blinked several times, adjusting to the dimly lit room. Everything around me was stone. I groaned at the pounding in my head.
“I still don’t understand why the Reaper cares so much about her safety,” Bri snapped. “She’s in bed with the Illum.”
“I could make a list of things I don’t understand about the Reaper,” the redhead claimed. “One—”
“It isn’t for either of you to understand,” the man with the deep voice said. “Her Mate killed Christopher last night. If the Illum kills more of our spies, we’ll be in deep shit. We don’t touch the Illum’s Mate. We don’t make contact with the Illum’s Mate.”
The voice belonged to a large man with long black hair, rich tan skin, and ink covering his exposed skin. My heart found my throat. The dinner. The blood. The impending ambush. I tried to stand, but the room tilted off its axis.
“Whoa, easy, Emeline,” a man with dark brown skin told me, his warm hands gently grabbing my arms and steadying me.
They all fell silent, watching me. I tried to pull away. “How do you know my name?”
“Everyone knows the Illum’s pet’s name,” the redhead shot.
“You are known in all areas of the city,” said the man holding me. Black ink ran up his neck, disappearing into hair shaved close to his head. “I’m Gerald, that’s Kane.” He pointed toward the man with the long black hair. “That’s Barrett.” The redhead winked at me. “And you know Bri.”
My eyes narrowed at the woman who I thought had been helping me.
“How are you feeling?” Gerald asked gently.
“My head hurts.” I brought my hand to my head only to stop at the sight of the cuffs on my wrists. “Do these mess with the MIND?”
