Cornered (The Corded Saga #2)
Page 1
Cornered
The Corded Saga
Alyssa Rose Ivy
Copyright © 2017 Alyssa Rose Ivy
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written approval of the author.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
* * *
Cover design by: Sara Eirew Photography
Created with Vellum
Contents
Books by Alyssa Rose Ivy
1. Quinn
2. Kayla
3. Mason
4. Maverick
5. Quinn
6. Mason
7. Kayla
8. Maverick
9. Mason
10. Kayla
11. Mason
12. Quinn
13. Maverick
14. Kayla
15. Mason
16. Kayla
17. Quinn
18. Kayla
19. Maverick
20. Mason
21. Quinn
22. Kayla
23. Mason
24. Kayla
Thank You
Afterword
Forged in Stone
James
Ainsley
Books by Alyssa Rose Ivy
Flight (The Crescent Chronicles #1)
Focus (The Crescent Chronicles #2)
Found (The Crescent Chronicles #3)
First & Forever (The Crescent Chronicles #4)
Soar (The Empire Chronicles #1)
Search (The Empire Chronicles #2)
Stay (The Empire Chronicles #3)
Savor (The Empire Chronicles #4)
Storm (The Empire Chronicles #5)
Seduction’s Kiss (The Allure Chronicles #0.5)
Lure (The Allure Chronicles #1)
Lust (The Allure Chronicles #2)
Lost (The Allure Chronicles #3)
Love (The Allure Chronicles #4)
Dire (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #1)
Dusk (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #2)
Dawn (The Dire Wolves Chronicles #3)
Forged in Stone (The Forged Chronicles #1)
Forged in Ice (The Forged Chronicles #2)
Forged in Fire (The Forged Chronicles #3)
Forged in Light (The Forged Chronicles #4)
Hunt (The Grizzly Brothers Chronicles #1)
Heat (The Grizzly Brothers Chronicles #2)
Torn (The Pteron Chronicles #1)
Heart of the Wolf (The Heart Chronicles #1)
Corded (The Corded Saga #1)
Cornered (The Corded Saga #2)
Shifter’s Fate (Willow Harbor #1)
The Hazards of Skinny Dipping (Hazards)
The Hazards of a One Night Stand (Hazards)
The Hazards of Sex on the Beach (Hazards)
The Hazards of Mistletoe (Hazards)
The Hazards of Sleeping with a Friend (Hazards)
Shaken Not Stirred (Mixology)
On The Rocks (Mixology)
Derailed (Clayton Falls)
Veer (Clayton Falls)
Wrecked (Clayton Falls)
Beckoning Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #1)
Perilous Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #2)
Enduring Light (The Afterglow Trilogy #3)
Life After Falling
Full Moons and Mistletoe
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One
Quinn
I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t afraid. I wouldn’t give up. I repeated those affirmations over and over until I believed them deep down in my soul. My reason for living was Bailey, and I refused to let her down. She would make it out of Central and have a chance at a real life even if I died ensuring it. Kayla was out there somewhere. I felt it in every grain of my being, and I would get Bailey to her. Both of them would survive.
Over the weeks I had learned tricks to deal with the pain and the testing. I could close off my mind, separate myself completely from my body. I’d only learned so I could teach Bailey. I had her transport her mind to a field full of butterflies. For myself I focused on darkness. It was the only thing that seemed remotely real anymore.
I held onto the edges of darkness when I first heard my name.
“Quinn.”
It was easy to ignore at first, but eventually my alternative dark world disappeared, and I opened my eyes. “Dr. Morton.”
“I am sorry I had to hurt you.” His eyes were kind, but I’d stopped caring about that. Kind eyes didn’t mean a kind person. They meant guilt.
“No you aren’t.” I usually didn’t argue with him. Of all the doctors, he was the one who seemed to enjoy the torture least.
“I am, Quinn. I wish you would believe me. I am only doing this to help humanity.” He took a step closer to my hospital bed.
“No you aren’t. We both know that’s a lie.” In the beginning, I’d actually believed it, believed him. I’d taken all their claims seriously, but quickly I learned the truth.
“Quinn.” Dr. Morton leaned over me. He was wearing a long white lab coat that nearly reached the floor. “Please. This is all for the greater good.”
“I don’t appreciate lies, Dr. Morton. If you are done torturing me, please leave.” He wasn’t going to help me. People don’t just suddenly change without reason. My reason was Bailey—and I would never forget that.
He rubbed the stubble on his chin. He had a very young face, but I knew he had to be in his mid-to-late twenties. “This is all about Bailey. I understand. I assure you we are doing everything we can to minimize the pain for her.”
I grabbed his wrist without thinking. “Minimize the pain? She’s a little girl. Why should she be in any pain?”
“We are afraid of what anesthetics would do. They might counteract the process, and—”
* * *
I released his wrist. “I’m not talking about drugs, Dr. Morton. I’m talking about leaving her be. She’s a child.”
“She’s more than just a child. She’s extraordinarily rare.” He glanced down at his wrist as if checking to see if I’d left a mark.
“And rare means she deserves this life full of torture?”
“Of course not. But one day she’ll understand.”
I released his wrist. “No. She will never understand. She will never understand what you are doing to her.”
“Do you want humans to go extinct?” His eyes held a different expression now. They were cold.
“No. I want my daughter to live.” I closed my eyes, signaling the end of the conversation.
“This won’t last forever.”
“Every day is forever.” I kept my eyes closed. I refused to let another tear fall from my eyes in front of the so-called doctors that ran Central.
“I’ll bring Bailey in to see you.”
“Good.”
“Rest up, Quinn.” He put his hand on my cheek.
I kept my eyes closed and said nothing.
I waited until I heard the door close before opening my eyes and allowing myself a few seconds to grieve for another day of childhood my daughter had lost.
Two
Kayla
I woke up with a start. The dream had been so vivid, so real, and the moisture from the tears running down my face was still present.
“What’s wrong?” Mason sat up beside me in our makeshift bed.
/> “A bad dream.”
“The same one again?” He brushed hair away from my face. “The one about your sister?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “It has to mean something.”
“You are worried about her—the dreams might just be—”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear that argument again.” I understood his need to comfort me, but I knew the dream meant something. I could not ignore the message.
“You didn’t let me finish. I was going to add maybe it is more since you keep having the same one.”
“Thank you.” It had only been a few weeks since we had left the club, but it might as well have been years. I could barely remember the days we’d spent there together. I was now completely focused on finding a way into Central to rescue Quinn and Bailey. I didn’t want to wait. I had no patience, but Mason insisted, and I knew he was right. After the fire at the club, security was higher than ever. We needed to wait until the panic died down. I’d given in, accepted his words, but my dreams were becoming more and more frequent and waiting more difficult. I still hadn’t told Mason about the new dreams I was having. The ones about a poisonous gas and lots of water. “Have we waited long enough?”
He gazed at me in the dim moonlight. “I’m not sure any amount of time will be long enough, but the hysteria should have died down.”
“Then it’s time to go.” Any semblance of sleep disappeared.
“Soon, but only if you swear to stay hidden. I’m not losing you.”
“I could go with you. I can wear a disguise.”
He shook his head. “It’s too risky.”
“What do I do if you don’t come back?” I didn’t want to say it out loud, but I had to. “How long should I wait?”
“I will come back.” His expression lacked the confidence of his words.
“We need a backup plan.” I could pretend all I wanted, but sitting back and waiting on Mason was not a viable option for me.
He pulled me back into him. I loved the feel of his strong chest behind me, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to get too used to a comfort I might not be able to rely on. I trusted Mason with everything I had, but I didn’t trust the rest of the world. I also didn’t trust myself. I loved him and would do anything for him, but I wouldn’t put my own happiness above Bailey’s. She deserved a future, and I would do everything in my power to ensure it.
“You are only saying that because you want to come. I understand, but it’s too dangerous.”
“But it’s also dangerous for you to leave me. What if someone is watching us?” I played on his own fears.
“You like making this hard on me.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
“Do I?” He ran a hand down my arm.
“You don’t want to leave me behind. It would save so much time if I went with you.”
“And how do you plan to disguise yourself? You’d have to do a far better job than you’ve done in the past. I’m not just letting you walk in with me.”
“We can talk about this in the morning.” I pulled away.
He held on to me tighter. “Wait. You are giving in that easily?” Skepticism dripped from his voice.
“I’m too tired to argue with you.” His hold told me everything I needed to know. He was never going to willingly let go of me, even if it was the right thing to do. He held me because he cared, but doing something for the right reasons didn’t necessarily make it right.
“You are never too tired to argue.”
“It’s the dream. It takes every ounce of energy I have.”
That did the trick. He loosened his hold and helped me lie back down. “We will rescue them. I promise.” He kissed my cheek.
I said nothing. Instead I snuggled into his chest. I would enjoy a few hours of comfort with him by my side because they would likely be my last.
Mason would never forgive me, but that didn’t mean I made a mistake.
Quinn and Bailey needed me, and that fact took precedence over anything else. Mason would never allow me to truly risk myself on their behalf. He would always put my safety first.
I had predicted this crossroad from the moment we left the club. Mason didn't need to say anything; it came through in his words and his touch. He valued me, he wanted to protect me, and although that kind of protection and care felt good, I couldn’t let it blind me to what was most important.
I waited at first because it was the smart thing to do. The fire caused a commotion, and too many people would be sweeping the area for survivors—especially girls.
I hoped the frenzy had died down, but no matter how long I waited there would always be people out there looking. There would always be risk and danger. Even hidden in the woods it was dangerous to fall into a false sense of security.
I remembered the hours after the fire. The fear-infused adrenaline that had sent us running into the woods. It was too dangerous to risk going far and too risky to cross the city, so we were stuck in a small area with nowhere to go. We’d have to leave eventually, even Mason admitted that, but eventually wasn’t soon enough for me.
I never went back to sleep that night. I waited until Mason was sleeping at his deepest and slipped down and out of his arms. Managing that maneuver was easier than I expected. Mason was sleeping deeper than normal. Maybe it was a result of being woken up earlier in the night.
I kissed him gently on the forehead and slipped a small note beside his hand. Maybe one day he'd understand, but I wouldn't even pretend I believed I would see him again. I was getting too used to goodbyes, but leaving Mason would be one of the most difficult things I ever did. It was a short letter, but I hoped it gave him some semblance of closure. I knew I was doing the right thing, and I refused to let myself harbor regrets. There was far too much at stake to get sentimental.
I watched him for a moment, maybe a moment too long. I wanted to remember him this way. Peaceful, happy, full of hope. He’d been none of those things when I first met him. Something in him had changed in the past few days. Maybe it was leaving the club. Maybe it was me. I needed to believe he would go on to find even greater happiness. Maybe not with a woman or family, but some kind happiness that existed in our less than perfect world.
I wrenched my eyes from his sleeping form and hurried away through the woods. He might have been sleeping deeply at the moment, but I had no idea how quickly that would change. I couldn’t outrun him. I needed to move fast, both to stay out of his reach and to make sure I didn’t change my mind.
Even in the woods the smoke from the city obscured the sky. There were no stars to guide me, so I had to rely on my memory from when we arrived a few days before.
The ground was damp from the storm that had passed through earlier in the evening the night before.
Thomas was the one who knew how to navigate without the stars. He remembered every overturned branch, noticed old footsteps where I saw nothing at all. I missed my brother desperately and hoped he had found an easier life now that he was no longer hiding his sisters.
I concentrated trying to remember every step we took, but I’d been so frazzled because of the fire that most of the trip through the woods blurred together. We had mostly followed a straight line, but we’d also turned a handful of times.
The hoot of an owl made me jump. I’d missed the sound of wildlife while at the club, but this sound wasn’t welcoming. What other animals were out here with me? Normally I wouldn’t have worried. What wild animal would be worse than facing the Reine? But falling victim to a bear would mean there was nothing I could do for Quinn and Bailey, and that wasn’t an option I could accept.
Three
Mason
I stared at the off-white piece of paper again.
Dear Mason,
I am sorry. I know those three words cannot change anything, but I had to say them anyway. Quinn and Bailey need me. You have given me so much in such a short period of time, and I will never forget our time together. Thank you. I hope you forgive me one day.
- Kayla
I will never forget our time? That line jumped out at me, blazing itself in my brain. As if our time together could be forgotten? A mix of anger and fear surged through me as I searched the clearing. Gone? She had run off? She had such little faith in me she felt she had to face the world on her own?
I had failed. I had failed to make her understand I’d do anything for her. But I would prove it. I’d find her and show her she no longer had to fight alone.
I put the letter in my pocket and headed deeper into the woods to search for her. I couldn’t risk yelling out. That might put her in even greater danger.
I heard nothing. Not the sound of footsteps even. I returned to the clearing to pack up and clear away any evidence we had ever been there before heading back the direction we’d come days before. I wasn’t sure how many hours she had on me, but I couldn’t waste a second more.
I had never cared about someone more in my life, yet here I was somehow chasing her back to danger. I’d let my need to protect her endanger her more. If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself.
I understood her determination. I wanted to save her sister and the child too. How could I ever live with myself if I did nothing to help an innocent child? I’d experienced life in the system, and even as a male it was awful. The system destroyed any innocence I had ever known, and I shuddered to think of what Central was doing to Kayla’s young niece.