“Sayer?” I used the key card to open the barred door and crept slowly inside, afraid it wasn’t him. Afraid it was. “Sayer, is that you?”
The red of his t-shirt peeked through in small areas beneath the layers of grime, and his face was nearly unrecognizable, but I’d know him anywhere.
“Sayer!” I dropped to my knees beside him, resting a shaking hand on the back curled protectively away from me. “Sayer, it’s me. I’m here. Sayer, look at me!”
He didn’t move. Not a muscle, not a sound, nothing. He lay there as still as . . . “No.” No, no, no, no, no. “Sayer. No, Sayer, please . . .” My arms folded round my middle and the rest of me just sort of folded over them until my head came to rest on Sayer’s shoulder.
Tears carved scalding paths down my face, puddling in the crook of his neck.
“Aura?” His voice was so small—barely a wisp of sound—that I believed I’d imagined it. “What are you doing here?”
“Sayer?” I bolted upright, backhanding him by accident in the process. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. You’re alive?”
“I’m alive.” His attempt to roll over left him flopping onto his back with a groan.
“Come on. Let’s get you up.” It took some effort—more on my part than his—but we got him into a sitting position, which was one step closer to him walking out that door.
Blood dripped from a fresh gash below his left eye and from his lips, split in so many places they looked like they’d been put through a shredder. A cut along his scalp left his hair matted with dried blood and muck from the cell floor. His clothes were torn and stained, and every bare inch of skin that I could see bruised and swollen. My fists itched for payback as my eyes continued to leak. “You’re kind of a mess, you know that?”
“You don’t look so great yourself.” Lifting his arm looked painful, but he did it, sliding his thumb across my damp cheek. “You shouldn’t be here, Aura.”
“Neither should you. That’s why we’re getting you out of here. How badly are you hurt?”
“I think I can walk.” It wasn’t what I’d asked, but I’d take that bit of good news for now and deal with the rest later.
“Then let’s go.”
He stumbled and limped on his right ankle, but managed to move across the cell.
“You’re alive.” The fact was still registering in my brain. Part of me—a rather large part I’d chosen to ignore—was convinced he was dead. Especially after finding that locker empty. He’d given them what they wanted, so . . . “How are you still alive?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Sayer shook his head and winced through another step.
“Sayer, they obviously wanted something from you. Recently, judging by the fresh bruises all over your face. But you gave them the file days ago. What else could they possibly have wanted . . .?” I trailed off as realization swept over me. “Me. They were hurting you to find me.”
“Aura—”
“They tortured you to get you to give up my location? They hurt you so badly you gave up the file, but not me?” I was going to puke.
“Aura, listen to me.” Some of the fierceness returned to Sayer’s voice, demanding my attention and giving me hope. He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand and scrubbed it on the leg of his pants. “They could do whatever they wanted to me. I’d never let them lay a hand on you.”
“How . . . very . . . touching.” Galen leaned up against the door frame, arms folded across his chest as he enjoyed the show with a twisted grin.
“You son of a—” Sayer’s steel grip on my arm was the only thing keeping me from throwing myself at that merciless monster like some kind of screaming howler monkey.
“Thank you for joining us, Auralia. This really has gone on long enough. Now that I have you both, I can complete my mission.” Galen, no doubt, was talking about killing us.
“I wouldn’t get so excited if I were you.” Gently prying Sayer’s fingers from where they were embedded in my flesh, I checked my rage in favor of logic for one very rare moment. “You’ve got bigger problems than us.”
“Really? Because the way I see it, you’re the one with the problem here.” Galen stepped inside the containment area, cocky grin firmly in place.
Was it possible he hadn’t heard? “Why don’t you take a look at the news, then?”
That got his attention, and though it was obvious he thought it was nothing more than a stalling technique, he flipped open the comp strapped to his arm. Evidently, he was in no rush to end this. Sadistic freak. Which is why it brought me such great pleasure to watch his mouth drop open and all the color drain from his face.
“Not what you expected?” Now I was just poking the bear with a stick, but it felt good. “Your name is all over those bogus kill orders. Do you really want to add two more? The Legion is falling. They can’t protect you anymore. And the people are going to be looking for retribution. I suggest you run. And keep running.”
“You’ve been a thorn in my side for months.” Galen slapped his comp shut and straightened his impressive shoulders. “Like you said, they’re already out for my blood. What difference is two more kills going to make?”
Hadn’t really thought of it that way. “I . . . You’re wasting time. They’re coming for you.”
I had no idea if that was true or not. Sooner or later, someone would notice his endless involvement in all things shady, but in the greater scheme of things, who knew how long it would take for individuals to be hunted down and punished.
Galen seemed to be betting on the later end of that range as he stalked toward us. “And I’m coming for you.”
“Aura!” Sayer attempted to pull me out of danger, but he could barely stand on his own two feet.
Galen charged and sparks of light erupted as my head bounced off the wall. My fingers scrabbled for purchase on the taser, but it was useless. The tiny bit of hope it provided slipped from my grasp and—along with all of my luck—clattered across the floor, sliding seamlessly beneath the bars of the nearest locked cell. My knees gave out more due to surprise than anything else and Galen followed me down. He was quick. Quicker than someone his size had any right to be. I didn’t even see his hand coming before it closed around my throat.
I choked and clawed at his meaty fist, but it did me no good. Oxygen deprived brain cells started sending up red flags and I had to force myself not to panic. Panic led to nothing but wasted energy.
“Get off her!” From somewhere over Galen’s shoulder, I vaguely noticed Sayer grab a hold of him and pull with what looked like no small effort.
It wasn’t wasted. The vice-like grip around my throat eased a fraction, allowing me to draw in the slightest gasp of much needed air, before Galen tossed Sayer aside like a piece of trash. The Riverdance my heart was doing slowed to more of a Waltz and I was able to focus long enough to think.
Inches from my face, Galen’s eternity crux dangled from his neck. If I could just . . .
Letting go of the hand choking the life out of me went against every last survival instinct I possessed. Good thing it wasn’t the first time I’d chosen to ignore those. It made it easier to pry my fingers from Galen’s.
He realized what I was up to a moment too late.
“Hey!” His eyes widened with shock as I closed my fist around the crux with no particular destination in mind. Just the thought of jumping long and far.
Air rushed into my battered lungs as Galen released me to make a grab for his crux instead.
His mistake.
I’d never been so close to someone who was jumping before. Never witnessed it quite so up close and personal. I’d heard rumors that there was a moment—a fraction of a second—where the person existed in both places at once. Or neither, depending on the rumor. Whatever the truth behind the science was, I was seeing it happen right before my eyes. Galen shimmered and he seemed to . . . dim, as if fading from one time into the next.
I didn’t think. If I had, I probably would have realized ho
w incredibly, stupidly dangerous what I was doing had to be. But I didn’t. I just acted. Reaching for the cord of his crux, it felt odd, as though my fingers could slip right through it, but they didn’t. Impossible to describe. They wrapped in the leather band, like a tangible fog, and tugged. Hard.
I felt it snap as a bright blue light threatened to blind me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I lay on my back barely daring to breathe. Galen’s weight lifted. When the spots faded to black, I risked a peek. His sour stench still lingered in my nose, but he was gone. And there, dangling from my tingling fingers, was his eternity crux.
The resulting celebration of my utter and unparalleled brilliance was put on hold when I was swept up into a coughing fit that rocked my entire body.
“Aura. Are you okay?” Sayer dropped to his knees beside me, only wincing slightly on impact, and slipped his arm beneath my head. “Are you alright?”
I nodded, though my continuing hacking did little to ease the worry on his face as he helped me to sit. What did ease it was the anger that took it’s place as the coughing finally subsided and Sayer ran his fingertips along what must have been some pretty impressive bruising.
“Where did he go?” He said it as though he planned on hunting Galen down and getting a little payback of his own.
“No clue.” I tried to grin, but it probably came off looking more like a grimace. Talking wasn’t exactly easy after having your windpipe practically crushed. “But I’m rooting for something in the vicinity of T-rex chow.”
Sayer stared at me like I’d lost my mind for a long moment. Long enough that I started to question if maybe he’d lost his. Then he threw back his head and laughed. At that, I was certain of it. We were battered and bruised on the floor of the containment facility inside the Legion, while all of society was turning upside down just outside the doors. Neither of us could claim to have the slightest idea of what the future would hold for us or anyone else. And yet he was laughing. He was completely insane.
And, apparently, so was I. A smile tipped my lips as a chuckle trickled up my sore throat, causing no small amount of pain, but I didn’t care. The smile on Sayer’s damaged face was such a beautiful sight, and the sound of his laughter . . . There really was only one thing left to do.
Before I could overthink it, I took a breath and pressed my lips to his. Not a brush or a peck, I planted myself on him and hoped it expressed everything I still hadn’t quite figured out how to say. I felt his surprise in the way that he stiffened for half a second before his arms came around me, pulling me close as his mouth slanted over mine.
We didn’t need words. I could have traveled to the other side of the world, to the beginning of time and back again, and never have found another kiss like that. Sayer was mine, and I was his, no matter what came our way, for all of eternity.
The End
About the Author: Jamie Canosa is a full time author of YA literature, which she absolutely loves. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found with her nose in a book. She currently resides in Ravena, NY with her wonderful husband and three crazy kids . . . plus the cat, the bird and the rabbit.
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Website- http://jamiecanosa.wix.com/author
Books by Jamie Canosa
Dissidence (Dissidence #1)
Vengeance (Dissidence #2)
Fight or Flight (FoF #1)
Sink or Swim (FoF #1.5)
Now or Never (FoF #2)
Falling to Pieces (Pieces #1)
Angel (Pieces #1.5)
Resisting Atlantis (Atlantis #1)
Temptation (Heart and Soul #1)
Devotion (Heart and Soul #2)
Deception (Heart and Soul #3)
Our Own Worst Enemies
Dissidence
©Jamie Canosa 2012
Cover Design: Paul Beeley
Formatted by Cindy C Bennett
All Rights Reserved
USA
Eternity Crux Page 5
