Page 83 of Captured By the Monsters
“No one is taking our freedom away again,” I ended.
When I was done, Sylan walked over and turned off the camera. Rowen leaned in to hug me, and I let his body hold my weight as I melted into him. Inhaling deeply, I noted his birch and eucalyptus scent. Like my crystal, it calmed me.
“You did it,” he whispered into my hair reverently. “I’m so proud of you, my gem.”
Tears sprung into my eyes at his words. Sniffling, I pulled back to stare into his bronze eyes. “No, we did it—I would have been shot at the beginning of this battle if not for the three of you.”
“Don’t remind us,” Axton grumbled, making me chuckle. “Come on, I grabbed a keycard from one of the dead bodies to get us out of this underground hellhole.”
His words made me laugh again, an almost manic bubble of hysteria rising within me, a side effect from the aftermath of all that had happened.
“Let’s leave the underground so we can go back home…which is underground?” I teased, and all three guys groaned at my lame attempt at humor.
“You can do better,” Rowen teased, and I made a face.
Snuggled between him and Sylan, we followed Axton back to the elevator. No one said anything, but I noted that Axton had a gun shoved into the back of his waistband. He must have grabbed it from one of the fallen soldiers.
When the elevator slowed to a stop, his hand reached back to rest on the weapon before the doors could ping open. I realized he was bracing for trouble, but when the doors opened, the capitol building was empty.
Together, we walked toward the entrance, where a thunderous shouting could be heard. Upon opening the doors, I saw the Plaza filled with people—rejoicing. They were singing, screaming, crying in celebration, and the sight made my heart explode with happiness.
They were finally free of the tyranny that had reigned for decades.
As my mates and I stepped out into the light, everyone halted their revelry. Like before, they seemed shocked and somewhat fascinated by the sight of my monsters. My gut clenched anxiously, and Axton once more reached behind his back to rest a hand on the gun.
But we were met with no violence. In fact, the exact opposite happened. One by one, the people scattered throughout the Plaza began to clap until a deafening applause echoed in the space around us—they were clapping for us.
The moment was bittersweet, standing there amongst those who had been slain and those who stood strong for a new nation. My Trifecta hugged me in adoration as the people continued to shout and applaud.
Together, we walked down the steps. I was mindful of those who had been killed, not wanting to tread upon them. People parted as we came closer, offering thanks and murmurs of encouragement.
At the base of my throat, my crystal hummed with life, and I tried to tune in to the feelings I got from it. I loved this new open connection between it and me, but I needed more time to understand it in full.
Suddenly, it began to glow even brighter and burn with an intensity that made me yelp. Instantly, my monsters sprang into action, ready once more to fight, but I tuned them out.
Turning inward, I tried to discern what the crystal was telling me, but all I could sense was extreme eagerness—an anticipation, almost. Uncertain, I opened my eyes and whispered to Axton that everything was alright.
He seemed uncertain but trusted my words. I still didn’t really understand what it was trying to tell me, and I wondered if it was merely happy for the outcome of what had happened here today.
I took three more steps as the crowd parted for me, and tears instantly welled up in my eyes at the sight that greeted me.
It was my parents, waiting at the other end of the Plaza—and in my mom’s arms was Gizmo.
