Chapter 260. The Competition VIII

Chapter 260: 260. The Competition VIII

Maisie

My nostrils flared.

I grabbed the bow off the floor, vision bleeding red at the edges as I aimed at her again.

But something sharp pressed against my jugular, a lethal presence pressing against me from behind. "Release it and I’ll slit your damned throat."

The sound of the cheers coming from all around us nearly drowned out the words, but I’d recognize that authoritative tone anywhere. "Hello, brother," I said, lowering the useless weapon. "Still the Queen’s favourite doormat, I see."

The blade edged deeper into my skin and I felt the warm slide of blood run down my neck. "I told you not to come back."

"Yes, well, everyone knows how terrible I am with instructions," I responded dryly, and groaned when he pulled the knife away, only to grab the back of my collar and shove me aside roughly.

I stumbled into a different pair of hands and when I glanced up, my breath caught.

Empty sterling grey eyes met mine and I breathed, "Bastian."

He didn’t look much different than the last time I saw him, but it still hit me like a bucket of ice cold water, just how much it felt like being in close proximity with a complete stranger.

He had on a different black gear from the horde of the Queen’s guards flanking him, but they stood in line behind him in what looked like deference. It was the same fabric Kisten wore. He was also heavily armed.

My eyes snagged on his neck at the new tattoo etched against his pulse, but upon closer look, my eyes widened. It wasn’t a tattoo. It was a brand. He had the Queen’s crest branded into his skin.

"What happened--"

He turned me around in a vicious twist and I let out a cry of pain as he dislocated my shoulder in the process of placing the handcuffs on my wrist behind me.

I felt the silver clamp around my skin and a feeling of suffocation spread through my chest, doubled when Bastian yanked on the the cuffs like a leash.

"Don’t let her out of your sight. Not for a second," Kisten said and paused. "On second thought, take her to the facility now. Ahead of schedule. Best to avoid anymore interferences."

My stomach dropped. "T-the facility?"

Kisten’s mouth curved in a humourless smile. "We expected you to do something stupid. You’ve always been predictable that way. I am sure attempted murder of the Queen won’t look good on your stellar record."

"Kisten, wait--"

Bastian was already shoving me down a dark narrow side passage. The roar of the stadium faded fast and panic flooded my veins as Atlas’s voice, still addressing the students, grew thin and distant behind us.

"Welcome to the much-awaited Annual Interschool Games..."

I stumbled as Bastian continued herding me. "Is this the part where you kill me and hide my body where no one will find it?" I tried to sound sarcastic, but even I could hear the dread in my voice.

Bastian didn’t answer. His grip only tightened until the bones in my wrist ached.

Three more turns and a heavy door came to view. The guards moved ahead of us, cracking the door open and I blinked hard at the sudden light.

There were no students around. I thought we were somewhere behind the Academy, but I couldn’t be too sure, and as we approached the small cluster of guards flanking the open door of a black van, it sank in then.

We had taken a hidden path. The Queen didn’t want anyone knowing she was taking me back to the facility.

Which meant this wasn’t official business. I was being abducted.

I opened my mouth to scream but Bastian clamped a hand down over my mouth before the sound could escape. "A little too late for that, don’t you think?" His breath burned my ear. "You’re a selfish, little bitch, you know that? Just like mother, you only care about yourself. Kisten should’ve killed you when he got the chance."

He pushed me roughly, into the arms of the waiting guards. "You brought this upon yourself."

I felt hands clamp on my shoulders and I twisted on wild instinct, boots scraping the gravel as I slammed my shoulder into the nearest guard’s chest, knocking him away from me.

He staggered, but another already moved in his place to breach the gap and I kicked high between his legs and my boots connected with his groin.

He folded with a choked sound. Another guard grabbed me by my hair, hauling me back harshly, and I pushed forward, feeling the pull of the strands from my scalp right before I smashed the back of my head into his face.

"Fucking bitch," he cursed, but his grip had loosened and I was already running.

Fighting would be great. But the Academy’s grounds was teeming with more of the Queen’s guards. They could call for reinforcements and I’d still end up in the van. I was better off finding Jericho--

I heard a soft, silenced pop in the air and I felt a stir of warning from my Lycan, forcing me into a swerve left.

But I wasn’t fast enough as something blasted through my left shoulder, knocking me forward.

I looked back and found Bastian aiming a gun at me. The bastard shot me!

His sterling grey gaze twinkled as he lowered the gun, aiming for my legs. He spoke from far away, but I heard his voice clear as day. "She didn’t say we had to bring you in one piece."

I broke into a desperate run. Only to collapse into the ground as a ripple exploded inside of me.

It felt like every organ in my body had been seized and crushed at once. My knees slammed into the gravel. Air left my lungs in a raw, broken sound. I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The world tilted hard to the side and I hit the ground, gasping for air.

I vaguely heard the sound of boots crunching against gravel, heard someone say, "What the fuck is wrong with her?"

"Get her up," Bastian muttered. "Just another one of her silly acts."

The skies were swiftly blackening above. And the pain in my chest was becaming unbearable.

I felt the drag of phantom talons up my spine, the caress of something colder than death on my skin, and the voice from earlier returned, but it seemed to come from above this time.

"There you are."

A horrid screech tore through my mind and I screamed.

"Maisie!" I heard Bastian yell.

The temperature plummeted. And lightning struck hard in the skies. It began to rain.

The pain vanished as swiftly as it started, leaving me staring at the clouds that had gone from bright, clear blue to dark. Darker even than night with white streaks of lightening in the gathering storm.

I didn’t know how I could tell. But I just did. I felt it in my gut.

Something was coming. No. It was already here, and whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t as friendly as Gruer.

I snapped my gaze back to Bastian and I rasped, "You have to get the Queen."

He pushed his gun back into its holster and circled a hand around my injured shoulder, yanking me up. "Why? Would you like to chat over tea about the sudden change in the weather?"

"You don’t understand--"

"Clearly."

"We have to evacuate." I staggered as he brought me back to the van, nearly slipping on the rain-soaked gravel. "Something is coming."

"Yes, yes. I’m sure it is--"

Another shriek exploded through my ears. I groaned, clenching my jaw so hard, I tasted blood.

There.That same horrible sound again. It was closer, so much closer.

I could hear the frantic beat of enormous wings somewhere above the worsening storm.

My eyes flew toward the Bastian and the other guards. None of them reacted to the sound. "Can you not hear that?"

Bastian’s expression hardened. "If you think your antics will work on me--"

"Take me to the Queen, then."

He paused.

The desperation in my voice seemed to catch even him off guard and I stepped closer. "Take me straight to her if you won’t do it, so I can tell her that every damned person, every student in there is in fucking danger!" I snarled.

Bastian stared at me like I was insane.

But like a switch turned on, the drizzle became a heavy downpour that intensified in seconds.

Then it started to snow. The first flakes hit the ground beside Bastian’s boot and we both looked down to find the snow hitting the ground and becoming ice.

Within seconds, the gravel around us glittered beneath a rapidly forming sheet of frost.

Bastian stared at it. Hard.

"Does that look normal to you?" I demanded.

He hesitated, the skeptism cracking as he realized something was wrong. But I couldn’t wait around to convince him. I could hear the beating wings as loud as my heart beats now. Close. Far too close.