Skye's Sanctuary (The Sanctuary Series Book 5)

by Nikita Slater

  As we get closer, Wolfe cuts the engine and pulls a pair of oars from beneath our feet. I have to stifle a giggle while he fights to figure them out, sending us in another circle. It seems odd to laugh under such strained circumstances, but I find it adorable to watch my big, bold warrior struggle to figure out how a rowboat works. Not that I would do much better, which is why I try to keep my laughter to myself.

  We silently row toward the island, watching as it grows progressively larger. A few moments later, the bottom of the boat scrapes along some rocks. We jump out and pull the boat onto the beach.

  Elation rushes through me. It feels unbelievable that we’ve made it this far. Though I know we’re surrounded by danger, I can’t help the joy that fills me. I’m on an adventure with the man I love, seeing new sights, experiencing new experiences. In a world where survival is considered good enough, I treasure these moments.

  “There.” Wolfe points in the darkness.

  I follow the direction of his finger and see a light, which flickers after a few seconds. Our contact is waiting for us.

  “Be ready,” Wolfe growls, pulling his knife and holding it low at his side. “Trust no one.”

  “I don’t.” I pull my own knife and follow him through overgrown grass and weeds toward our contact.

  That man greets us without pleasantries, telling us to follow him. We look at each other and then do as he says. There’s not much else we can do at this point, other than trust this total stranger who seems content doing Agatha’s bidding.

  “You’ll have ten minutes once you’re in,” he explains, handing me a key. “You’ll have to be out by then or risk being caught by the next rotation.”

  We hurry after him as he walks swiftly up to a building. Looking around us, I can tell that there are at least three more buildings in use, maybe more. I’m curious what Riker’s looks like during the day. Agatha told us the place was a prison before the Great Fall, but during the commotion of the Primitive attacks on the other islands and the mainland, there were mass breakouts. There weren’t enough guards to keep the prisoners contained. The current Warlord had it reinstated as a prison.

  “Why are you helping us?” I ask the guard as he escorts us to a door and uses his own set of keys to open it.

  “Underground sticks together,” he says, as though it should be obvious. “Take the stairs up two flights. Your girl is being kept by herself in this building. It’s where Malachi keeps the special prisoners. I’m her guard tonight.”

  “Will you get in trouble?” I ask him.

  He shakes his head. “Nope, next rotation will. That’s why we’re doing it this way.”

  I’m uneasy with another being blamed for our actions. He could be punished, or worse, because of us. But we have no choice. We have to rescue the doctor, and this appears to be the only way.

  As we move through the corridors, the building appears deserted, and I wonder if we’ve been tricked into coming here. It doesn’t feel like a prison, let alone a place where they keep supposedly special prisoners. I say as much to Wolfe.

  “Don’t imagine you need much for security on an island,” he says, climbing the stairs in front of me, his gun out and pointed low, ready for potential attacks.

  “We’re breaking in,” I point out, following close behind him, my own weapon out.

  “We’re special.”

  I grin into the dimly lit stairwell. “Yes, we are.”

  We reach the top of the stairs and find another door, this one unlocked. Wolfe pushes it open and disappears through. I follow him.

  The floor is eerily deserted and silent, but I can tell where the doctor is being kept. Light seeps from the crack at the bottom of a door at the end of the hallway.

  We make our way forward and I hold my breath as Wolfe fits the key in the lock and turns it. The door opens easily, and he lifts his gun, hunching his shoulders, ready to take out any threats on the other side.

  Thirty-Four

  Dr. Summers

  I hug my pillow against my stomach and stare at the bars covering the window. There’s no point in staring beyond the window since it’s been painted black.

  I’ve been in this prison for three days. It took Malachi four days to drive us into New York, which means it’s been seven days since my abduction. I think.

  It’s not easy to tell the passage of time when the only frame of reference is guard rotation, and even that isn’t perfect. The guards don’t always check on me. They don’t need to. Where am I going to go? I’m in an abandoned building, on a prison island.

  I feel the burn behind my eyes and roll onto my back. I count the marks in the ceiling, little black dots made with pencil or charcoal, until the tears have passed. I’m not sure where the marks came from, or why they’re there. I imagine they mark the passage of time and I group them in my head, using the same method.

  I wonder when Malachi will come see me? When he dropped me off, he told the guards that I was to be cared for in this specific building, which seemed to mean something to them. I haven’t been harmed.

  Malachi didn’t touch me during our drive to New York Sanctuary. He barely spoke to me. He seemed concentrated on the task at hand and moved like a machine, driving long hours and at speeds that were terrifying. He tied me up and gagged me when he slept, which was luckily only for a few hours at a time.

  The guards won’t speak to me and barely look at me. They drop off food and water, take my waste and leave. At first, the process horrified me, but I realized there was no running water here. No way for prisoners in this building to relieve themselves, except for a bucket.

  At least I’m given clean water for drinking and washing.

  There are women’s clothes here, as well. After travelling in the same outfit for four days, I’d been grateful to find them, though they’re not my style. Dresses, skirts, and delicate blouses. Everything looks new, which is confusing. Why would a prisoner need new clothes?

  I hear the scrape of the key in the door and my heart speeds up. My evening meal has already been delivered. I look around for a weapon, but there’s nothing nearby. I pick up the candle off the shelf next to the bed and stand.

  The door opens, revealing Wolfe, who points a gun at me.

  I gape at him.

  In the initial days after my abduction, I’d hoped my Sanctuary would come for me, but I feared it would be too dangerous and take too many. They would have to let me go. It’s the law of the land, which is why most Sanctuaries guard the things they hold precious.

  In my darkest hours, when I wondered if Malachi would slit my throat and leave me to rot in the dirt on the side of the road, I thought perhaps my Sanctuary didn’t value me. They’d sent me to the mountains with one guard. What is one guard supposed to do against a surprise attack?

  Then I remind myself that I wasn’t supposed to be a target. That people travel between the mountains and the Sanctuary all the time. No, Malachi targeted me, and he got what he wanted.

  I step toward the door as Skye comes through. Happiness hits me, and I rush toward her. Wolfe takes the candle from my hand before I can throw my arms around her. I squeeze her tight.

  “I didn’t think you would come!” I exclaim.

  She grips my shoulders. “Of course we came. We would never allow one of our people to be abducted. Are you hurt?” She scans me, a frown wrinkling her brow. “What the fuck are you wearing?”

  I laugh and wipe the tears from my eyes.

  “It’s all they gave me.” I’m wearing a filmy nightgown that flows down to my feet, giving the illusion of modesty, which is ruined by the plunging neckline and sheer fabric.

  “Yeah, harem clothes,” Skye says grimly.

  “I don’t think I’m meant to be part of the harem, or they would have taken me to the Warlord’s stronghold.”

  “You aren’t meant for anything except to be our Sanctuary doctor,” Skye says, taking my arm and tugging me toward the door. “Wolfe, give her your coat so she stays warm on the boat ride.�
��

  My heart sinks as I pull my arm from Skye’s grip. She looks at me curiously, and I have to swallow past the lump in my throat before speaking. “I can’t go with you.”

  I’ve been practicing this moment in case they did come. As happy as I am to see them, sending them away without me is going to be heartbreaking. Every part of me wants to go, but I know I can’t.

  “Of course you can.” Skye reaches for me again, but I step back, shaking my head.

  Wolfe watches me carefully, his eye unwavering. I hate disappointing them. Two people who have shown such faith in me.

  “I can’t,” I insist. “I need to stay.”

  “We have to go now,” Wolfe says. “Ten minutes, Skye.”

  She ignores him and approaches me. “Please, Sheela. Come now. We only have a short time. I don’t know why you think you can’t leave, but I promise, you can.”

  I shake my head and take another step back.

  “Why?” she cries out in frustration. “We came all this way!”

  “I know, and I’m so grateful,” I whisper. “I’m sorry.”

  “Never mind that,” she tells me. “I know you have your reasons, but whatever they are, trust me, we can figure it out.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  “Dammit, Sheela!” Skye snaps, then turns to Wolfe. “Force her to come with us.”

  Wolfe studies me, and for a moment, I think he might do it. He’ll do anything for Skye. But then I see the refusal in his gaze. He’s given up on me, angry that Skye has risked her life to come for me and I refuse to go.

  “No,” he says to Skye.

  “Then I’ll do it,” she snarls, stalking toward me. “Sorry about this, doc, but desperate times…”

  Before she can reach for me, Wolfe grabs her and swings her around. Their eyes clash along with their wills. A second passes, but it feels like a lifetime, and I feel like an intruder on an intimate moment.

  “You have to go,” I say softly, directing my words to Wolfe.

  He nods and drags Skye toward the door.

  “No!” she yells and throws a fist into his shoulder. “Not without Sheela.”

  Wolfe doesn’t pause. He throws Skye over his shoulder and jogs down the hall toward the stairwell that leads out of the building.

  Just before the door to the stairwell slams shut behind them, Skye pushes herself up on Wolfe’s back and stares at me, her eyes wild. I lift my hand to smother a sob while lifting the other to wave a farewell. This will likely be the last time I see her.

  I hadn’t realized it before now, but she has become my best friend. A woman capable of so many incredible things. I feel lucky to have gotten even a few months to bask in the light of her sun. One day, she will be the one to lead us all into the future. Lady liberty.

  “Good job.”

  I freeze as Malachi’s voice reaches out to me from the shadows, wrapping around me and holding me tight. I can’t move as he steps up to my back, his hands curving over my shoulders. I shudder in response.

  My last hope for rescue has left. Sent away by me because this man knew they were coming and used them against me. He made a deal with the underground. They could keep their ventilation shafts for another year if they helped get Skye and Wolfe onto the island.

  Malachi is an intelligent man, far more than I thought. He figured out that if Wolfe, Skye and the others were willing to follow me all the way here, they wouldn’t leave easily without me. He also knew that if he went to war with them, he would have to fight two powerful Sanctuaries. So he used me. He forced me to send them away, knowing only I could do it.

  “You threatened to kill my friends if I didn’t do my job,” I say dully. “You didn’t give me a choice.”

  “We all have choices,” he murmurs against the top of my ear, sending shivers skittering down my back.

  He turns me on the spot, holding me loosely in the cage of his arms. I glare into the triumphant obsidian eyes above me.

  “I won’t forgive you for this.”

  He smiles grimly. “I don’t need your forgiveness.”

  “What do you need from me?” He has yet to tell me why I’m here.

  “You’ll find out soon.”

  I step away from him. “Then we have nothing more to say to each other.”

  He follows me as I walk back into my room and reach for the door. Before I can close it in his face, he says, “Sleep well, wife.”

  I slam it closed and fling myself on the bed, glaring at the lit candle.

  I hear the turn of the key in the lock.

  Thirty-Five

  Skye

  We make our way quickly back to the mainland, following the same path into the underground. We retrace our steps through the tunnels, Wolfe holding the lantern aloft as we follow the yellow X’s spray painted on the walls. As I run through the tunnel, my hand on the butt of my gun, I contemplate Sheela’s words.

  Why did she think she couldn’t come with us? She’s refused to elaborate, but I know there must be a good reason. I could see the desire to leave in her eyes and in her body language. Whatever the reason, I’m frustrated that we came all this way and must now go home without her. Tabitha and the others will be disappointed.

  “Why do you think she refused to come?” I ask Wolfe as we make our way deeper into the tunnels. We’re not far from the underground settlement.

  “Don’t know,” he says gruffly, and I hear an edge of anger in his voice.

  “It’s not her fault,” I say, not wanting him to be upset with the doctor. “She’s a good person. There has to be a reason.”

  We approach the wall separating the tunnel from the Undergrounders. Wolfe bangs on the door and repeats the password Agatha gave us. We’re allowed through and quickly make our way back toward the old train car that Agatha had pointed out as hers. She’d intended to take Tabitha and Nova there while we went in search of the doctor.

  As we approach, an echoing scream rockets down the tunnel toward us. It comes from the train car and sounds like a child.

  I glance at Wolfe and we both take off at a run. I reach for my knife, palming it, along with my gun. No one tries to stop us as we hurtle past the people guarding the train car. They look confused by the commotion.

  I reach for the handle and pull myself up onto the car. Gripping the door handle, I fling the door open and rush inside.

  “Skye!” Tabitha shouts, drawing our attention.

  Tabitha is standing in front of Nova, her gun drawn and pointed at Agatha who is surrounded by three of her people, who, in turn, are surrounded by Kingston and the rest of our guard. Lanterns cast an eerie glow across the group.

  “Give us the child,” Agatha says, her voice coaxing. “She’s sick.”

  “She’s not sick!” Tabitha snaps.

  “She has the illness. She’s one of them,” Agatha insists. “She must be put down.”

  My blood boils as I listen to this woman talk about killing Nova. I step forward.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

  Tabitha looks relieved when she sees me. “This crazy old bat wants to hurt Nova.”

  “Yeah, I got that. Why?” I demand, turning to Agatha, my fingers twitching on the trigger of my gun.

  I feel movement to my side as Wolfe holds his gun on the group. Together we edge around Agatha toward Tabitha and Nova. She watches us, her sharp eyes gleaming, but doesn’t try to stop us. With my best warriors flanking me, I feel more confident in the situation. Agatha might outman me, but she’s not as organized or as skilled.

  “She has the mark of the enemy.”

  I look to Tabitha with a raised brow.

  “We tried to give Nova a bath,” she explains, “and we found bite marks on her neck.”

  Agatha nods emphatically. “She’s been taken by the disease. We need to end her suffering.”

  “Have you looked at the child?” I demand. “She’s not suffering.”

  “She will,” Agatha insists. “The turn is coming. It always does.” />
  I shake my head impatiently. “She would’ve turned by now and you know it. She’s either had the vaccine or she’s immune.”

  “There’s no such thing as immunity to the Death Kiss,” Agatha says scornfully.

  “Where do you think the vaccine came from?” I pace closer to Tabitha and Nova, edging in front of them in case Agatha attacks. “The vaccine couldn’t have been engineered without antibodies, which I provided.”

  I drag the leather collar away from my throat and bare my mark. I’ve spent a lifetime hiding this mark. Having it on display for all to see is an uncomfortable feeling.

  Agatha recoils back. “Impossible!”

  “Not impossible.” Wolfe steps to my side, a weapon in each hand.

  “But I’ve never seen anything like it.” Agatha is horrified. The looks on the faces surrounding her range from fear to curious to hopeful.

  “The vaccine is going to change the world,” I say to her. “We no longer have to accept that Primitives are the apex hunter. With the vaccine, we stand a much better chance of fighting this virus.”

  She shakes her head. “But you’re infected.”

  “I’m not!” I snap sharply, my impatience growing. “You need to accept the evidence in front of your eyes. There is such a thing as immunity. I have it and this child has it.”

  I reach back for Nova without looking. She slips her tiny hand in mine and hugs herself against my side.

  “I can accept that you aren’t acting like a Primitive now, but you’ll turn, eventually. They always do.”

  “I was bitten fifteen years ago,” I snap. “If I haven’t turned by now, then I won’t.”

  Tabitha puts her hand on my shoulder and says quietly, “She’s not going to believe you. She tried to kill Nova and almost succeeded before I got in between them.”

  My anger grows as I stare at Agatha. “We’re leaving now. You better hope I don’t see you again.”