Page 71 of Breakaway
I keep my thoughts from sounding as frantic as I feel. We're still too far away from the studio, too far away to be of any help.Reese hasn't moved, and based on the terror in her thoughts, I don't think she can. It doesn't stop me from prompting her once more.
Reese, love, please. I need you to hide until I can get there.
It's a whole new terror to listen to her beg her body to move, to want to flee and run and get away from the danger, all the while her body is locked up, frozen, all of her instincts screaming for her to do something, but her body's response is to shut down.
I can't. I can't.
It feels like my world is crumbling around me. Reese's mind is so vivid in what she sees, in what she shares with me. So, when the man Jeremy has been meeting with, who offered him so much money, steps out of the shadows of the parking garage, I know exactly what's about to happen.
"We'll be there soon," Kolos tells me, his eyes tracing back and forth as he watches the same thing I am. I'm not sure if he's trying to reassure himself or me. "We'll get there in time."
I want to believe him, want to will the transport to move faster, to get us to Reese before something bad happens. When a syringe flashes in the man's hand, I have to keep myself calm. Me freaking out in Reese's mind won't help her. It won't make this any easier on her. Kolos and I both flinch as if we're the ones feeling the bite of the needle. Reese's thoughts are a slurry of fading thoughts, and I try to soothe her as she falls into slumber.
Reese, we're coming. I swear we're coming. Just hold on a little longer, love. I'll get to you.
"I'm getting Jeremy," Kolos says, not giving me a second to take in what he's saying before he wrenches open the transport door and tosses his body out. I watch from the window as he clumsily rolls, his shadows keeping him from getting too scraped up. He gets to his feet and then starts running full sprint from where we came from.
"We're going to get her," I say out loud, trying my best to soothe myself and my shadows. They haven't fallen into despair yet. If anything, they want blood. Good, at least we're on the same page.
CHAPTER 25
REESE
Breaking News! Empress's brother stands us up for a follow-up interview. Did the pop star sic her watchdog on him?
My mouth is dry, and my head is groggy as I slowly wake from my unwanted sleep. I wince as a pounding in my head grows in intensity. I rub my eyes, trying to wake myself fully. The events right before I lost consciousness come back to me and hit me like a bucket of ice water. I stiffen, head slowly lolling around to take in everything.
Based on the metal flooring and the plating on the walls, I'm likely aboard a spaceship. It could be one of the ugly buildings downtown that attempts to mimic the appearance of a spaceship, appealing to those who want to live on a spaceship but don't actually want to leave Earth. Still, chances are good that we're up in the spaceport.
My head feels awful. I go to rub my temples, my fingers touching something warm and metallic that is stuck to one side. I try to pull it off, but something sticky has it clinging to my skin. I get a fingernail underneath and am just about to try to pry it off when a door opens behind me.
"Oh, good, you're awake," a masculine voice calls as the door slides shut.
I whip around, looking for the man who kidnapped me. I'm not tied down to the chair I'm in, so when I see him, I bolt to my feet, stepping away from him. Of course, I'm moving now that there's less of a chance for me to get away. Thanks, body, so glad we're absolutely useless when it matters.
"Don't act so scared, Empress, I'm not going to hurt you," the man says, stepping closer to me as I take another step back.
His nostrils flare at my retreat, something dangerous sparking to life in his cold, dead eyes. I stop moving, very clearly realizing that I am the prey in this situation and he is every bit the predator. I need to get away, but if he's angry, I have no doubt that my freedom of movement will be taken away.
"Where are we?" I ask, wrapping my arms around my stomach and holding myself tightly. I can't hear Zill at all, and I don't think it's because he's keeping his thoughts from me.
Zill, are you there?
I don't get a response from Zill, but the stranger, my stalker, moves closer to me. He's slow, almost like he knows I'm one wrong move from running. I want to bolt for the door right this second, but with him between me and the exit, I need to wait until I have a better chance to get away.
"We're on my ship," he says, a smile on his lips that feels anything but happy.
I try to slow my breathing because I'm huffing and puffing like I'm having a panic attack, and I need to calm way down so I can think properly. Zill can't hear me for some reason, and my best guess is that it's the device stuck to my temple. The stranger is wearing one as well, and since Isha said she couldn't hear anything before she collapsed, I'm assuming they're blocking out Sombran's mind-reading abilities.
"Uh, who are you?" I ask.
He takes another step toward me, and now only a few feet separate us, and it's taking everything in me not to dart away. "My name is Leo, but seeing as you're to be my wife, I'd prefer it if you called me husband."
My stomach cramps, but I manage to keep the disgust from my features. I don't respond to him. I don't move either, which is enough for him to think he should take another step closer to me. A whimper builds in my throat, but I stuff it back down. Leo could reach out and touch me if he wants, but he's just standing there. A slight smile remains on his face that unsettles more than comforts me.
"I've been watching you for so long, and now here you are," he tells me, an awe in his voice that sends a chill down my spine.
"What happened to my friend?" I ask. "Isha, the Sombran who was with me. Did you…"
