“Are you okay?” Mycah asked me as he cradled my head between his hands. He was alive. Thank goodness.
“Zaylie. Zaylie?!” I screamed for her, not seeing her head over the headrest anymore. I sat behind her seat and my seatbelt was jammed, keeping me locked tightly in place. I looked to Seth, whose head lay against the left frame of the car, bleeding. I didn’t think they were wearing their seatbelts.
“Mycah, get me out of this!” I yelled, desperate to find Zaylie and make sure she was okay. Mycah immediately ripped the seatbelt loose, so I maneuvered my view to the front of the car to see around the seat.
Zaylie was lying forward, head across the dashboard.
Oh, my god. I could feel my eyes were wide with horror and my face drained of blood. I felt faint, striving to hold onto consciousness. I was overcome with regret and love for her at the same time, and also an overwhelming desire to heal her and make her better, even though I knew I couldn’t. I regretted not letting her in, opening up to her and deepening our friendship—because I loved her so much. I finally got it. We were true friends. Best friends. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, and I now knew that I wanted us to be closer. I would have done anything for her to be okay, to live through this, and if she did, I promised I’d never take her friendship for granted again. I instinctively tried to move closer, my insides screaming at me to do something, to take away her pain and fix her injuries.
And then if it couldn’t get any worse, the car door was torn away and I was pulled out by strong hands who didn’t even try for gentleness. I looked up into the familiar, evil eyes of the man that had captured and tortured me once before.
“Mycah!” I screamed, and then too fast for my eyes to catch, he was suddenly by my side punching the man in the face. I was jerked back as the man held on tighter, stumbling from the hit. He tried to move us farther away from Mycah as quick as he could.
“Give us the Sindora, Mycah!” the man shouted. Mycah didn’t say a word as he instantly appeared before us again, crossing the large space in less than a split second. My eyes rapidly blinked, trying to understand. I’d never seen Mycah move that fast before, it was so instantaneous. In the same split second, he placed a hand on the man’s arm, glowing, and I was immediately released. Mycah grabbed me and carried me fifty feet away.
“Run!” he demanded before turning back to the man who was now power-walking toward us in a fury. He held onto his nose that gushed with blood. He was still wearing the same black suit I saw him in last time.
“Stop right there!” Mycah growled. The man obeyed. I couldn’t move either. I was mesmerized by the situation and refused to leave Mycah’s side.
“I don’t want to kill you. But if you touch her again, I will. Please. Don’t make me kill you,” Mycah pleaded in a pained voice, his English accent thick.
“So, this time you would kill me instead of just erasing my memories? I guess this means you are learning from your mistakes.” The man smirked, seeming to appreciate that new fact instead of being intimidated by it. Mycah clenched and unclenched his fists, just listening. “Go ahead. Kill me. Or take my memories again. It matters not. For there will always be a replacement ready and waiting in my stead. Now, hand over the Sindora. None of this would have happened if you would only cooperate,” the burly man sneered with a hard accent of his own and waved his hand toward the car crash. His accent was different from Mycah’s. Again, it sounded German or Austrian. I didn’t know the difference, if there even was one.
“Never,” Mycah seethed through gritted teeth. His hands were still clenched by his sides and his chest heaved.
“Oh, I do not know about that. What is that American saying? Never say never? Look around. You are completely surrounded. You either come with us now, or one of our snipers gets to have fun. We have a little game going. Whoever snatches a headshot on the girl first wins a prize.” He held out his arms to the side and lifted them up like it was a big happy contest, grinning from ear to ear. Mycah stiffened. The man nodded his head in my direction and pulled up his eyebrows, signaling Mycah to look at me. When he did, my heart stopped at his expression. He was stricken with terror.
I looked down at my body. Tons of red dots danced along my chest and my arms. I could even see the red lights reflect off my cheeks into my eyes. I looked up to Mycah, confused.
“Don’t,” Mycah beckoned with wide eyes, not taking them off me, but I knew he wasn’t talking to me. “I’ll go with you. Take the snipers off her this second, and I’ll go with you.” He practically breathed the words, not believing his eyes.
I finally understood what the red dots were. I was the target, several snipers all had their powerful weapons aimed at me, and the dots were their spot indicators. I would have been dead if any one of them wished it. I looked around but couldn’t see a single person or where the dots came from. It could have been the setting sun glaring in my eyes or that it was turning dusk, making it impossible to see them. Either way, it was very disconcerting. Why did it feel like a ghost town?
“Good. We knew you would say that. Let us go.” The man beamed with joy and self-satisfaction as he started walking away.
“Wait!” I commanded, horrified for my friend who might've been dying if not already dead. Mycah was my only hope to ensure she was okay. “Please, give him just a few minutes, I beg you. Mycah, you have to save Zaylie. Please, you have to save them both. Just make sure they’re okay, please, please.” I laced my fingers together and dropped to my knees, beseeching with all my heart. Tears streamed down my face, but I didn’t move to wipe them, knowing they wouldn’t be stopping any time soon.
Mycah rushed to me in a blur, taking me with him without stopping, and then we were instantly by Zaylie’s side. I felt windblown and wild, surprised by the movement.
“I give you my word that I’ll come with you, Nikolai. I need five minutes,” Mycah called behind him toward the man who was now running to us. So that was his name...
Mycah turned to Zaylie who was still unconscious and put his hands on her head and closed his eyes. After a minute, he did the same thing to Seth. I watched as his head wound closed up and healed right before my eyes. Mycah made the blood disappear, removing the evidence that he was once injured.
“They’ll be fine. I’ve made them stay asleep for a little longer whilst I leave. Are you alright?” He gently wove his hands through my hair at the nape of my neck and held my head, searching my eyes. He was inches from my face, and his intricate blue eyes were dancing with worry. I slowly nodded my head, captured by the intensity of his eyes.
Nikolai caught up to us and grabbed Mycah by the arm. Mycah yanked out of Nikolai’s hold and tightened his jaw. “You don’t touch me,” he threatened without actually needing to say anything threatening. It was all there in his voice.
“Bring the girl,” Nikolai said into his wrist while smirking at Mycah.
“No,” Mycah growled. “No,” he said again as he ran two hands through his hair and turned away. He cursed under his breath and then moved right back next to me, pulling me against his body. I looked around and noticed movement from the corner of my eye. Men began drawing all around us. There must've been twenty or more, all dressed in black suits.
A huge black SUV screeched to a stop next to us followed by two more that looked just like it. They were all completely black, including the windows that were too dark to see through.
“Get in,” Nikolai demanded as he opened a door for us. I slowly walked toward the open vehicle and stretched up to sit inside but was immediately grabbed and forced down. A gun was fixed against my head. Mycah watched with terror in his eyes, and Nikolai held up an arm in front of Mycah, stopping him from entering the vehicle. “You are in the other one,” he said to Mycah. “You really think we would let you ride together?” He laughed. Laughed! I had the crazy urge to spit on him. Again.
Mycah stayed silent, staring at me. There was nothing he could do, and I could see it in his eyes. He was terrified for me, and that.
..did not feel good.
“Let us go,” Nikolai demanded in his hard accent as he moved toward the next SUV. Mycah reluctantly followed, slowly tearing his eyes away from mine. I could no longer see him. The loss of his presence hit me in the stomach, and the short distance between us felt like miles. I tried to swallow, but my throat felt choked and dry. I didn’t know what was going to happen or what was to come. If Mycah was afraid, then I had a million more reasons to be, too. I had no knowledge of how to defend myself. And even if I did, could I really stand up to these overgrown steroid-inflated men? Did I even have a chance?
A crackling noise followed by a commanding voice said, “Ausziehen” through a high-tech walkie-talkie contained up front next to the driver. The language didn’t sound very English. It was German, I thought. We immediately started moving.
“Where are we going?” I asked timidly, wondering if this guy was going to keep the gun to my head the entire time. No one answered my question. Maybe they didn’t understand English.
Fantastic. The only foreign language classes available in school were French or Spanish, and since I barely passed English, I never attempted taking a foreign one. If they couldn’t speak English, then we were out of luck in the communication department.
“English?” I asked nervously. I tried not to let my teeth chatter and give me away. Don’t show fear. Don’t show fear. That was always my mantra when dealing with angry men with too much testosterone. I was sure they could smell it, and it only fueled their rage.
“Englisch? Nein,” the man holding the gun to my head said sternly. I couldn’t turn my head to look at him, so I had no idea what his appearance was, but from the deep and rumbly tone of his voice, I pictured him big and beefy to match it. I’ve heard the word "nein" before, usually in those historical Nazi documentaries during World War II. The word was definitely German and meant no. The car must have been filled with men. I could hear them breathing behind me and could see the driver and back of the head of the man sitting in the passenger seat. Seriously, none of them spoke English?
I squeezed my eyes closed tight, trying to keep calm and not panic. I just needed to figure out a way to convey to them that they could drop the gun from my head. It was extremely unsettling and even more unnecessary. I wasn’t stupid; did they really think I would try to get away from an SUV full of men? No. Unfortunately, I wasn't going anywhere.
I slowly lifted my hands up, palms out, the way one does when surrendering. If only I had a little white flag to wave. That’d be much easier.
“Aufhalten! Beweg dich nicht!” the gun holder shouted, pressing the gun firmer against my temple as I felt the rest of the men all move closer to me in one swift movement. Holy crap.
“Whoa. I’m sorry...I’m sorry,” I repeated quietly as I put my hands back onto my lap. Umm...never mind. It wasn’t worth my head getting blown off due to a misunderstanding. I would just have to stay still and deal with the cold that seeped into my clammy skin from the metal of the gun. No big deal....
The sun went down too soon as it made its full departure, leaving us in darkness. I couldn’t tell where the sun had set, so I had no way of figuring out which direction we were going. We continued to drive who knows where in complete silence, trapped in our own thoughts. My mind kept drifting to Zaylie, the way she lied unconscious and bloody like a rag doll sprawled across the dashboard, and me unable to do a single thing about it. I would have given anything to have been able to save her—to undo the pain and suffering, to make her happy and healthy again. To tell her that she was one of my best friends. To explain to her how much she made me laugh and brightened my day without her even trying to. Every bone in my body ached with desire to save her.
I would have given absolutely anything.
Chapter Thirty-Five
~Naminé~
My mind started to cloud, and I felt the shadow approaching. I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I just had to hold it and not let go. Every second that passed made it harder to maintain. I could feel beads of sweat on my brow, and I struggled to stay focused. That area in my left temple twitched with pain, yet I persisted in keeping my breathing even and concentrated on remaining where I stood.
Every time we met, I got stronger. I was able to last longer, and it was easier as time went by. I opened my eyes and saw he had taken a step closer as well. We were now about three arm lengths apart. I longed to reach out and touch him—make contact with him—but I knew if I did it too soon I would lose him.
We stood there and gazed into each other’s stares. I could see the desperation in his eyes. I dared not move much closer; I didn’t want to lose our progress. We could never get that close before. I looked into his bright eyes, and though we still could not communicate, we had developed something special between us. Oh, how I had come to look forward to seeing him. I ached to connect with him on a physical level, just wanting to be able to touch him somehow.
He smiled at me, a smile that melted my insides and instantly made me weak in the knees. I took a deep breath as he slowly took a step toward me.
He reached out his hand, and as I reached out toward him…I instantly succumbed to total darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Six
~Nari~
It was difficult to see through the dense darkness that surrounded the already darkly tinted windows of the SUV, which only added to the bleakness of my situation. I would have figured the black windows were what made the night seem more black, but they weren’t. And it wasn’t because there was no moonlight either.
We were driving with no headlights on, through the night.
Lovely.
If I wasn’t going to die from the gun still pressed to my temple, then I was sure it was going to be by a major traffic collision. How in the world could anybody on the road have seen us? How could we have seen them? How could we have seen where we were going at all? Every now and then when a vehicle would pass us, they’d honk warningly at us.
And if it couldn’t get any worse, we drove way too fast through mountains. Mountains! If we didn’t run head first into a truck then certainly it would at least have been the giant wall of rocks enveloping us from all sides. Needless to say, my anxiety had reached new heights. Several hours must have passed by now. Or had it only been forty-five minutes? I had no way of knowing for sure, but if the stiffness of my muscles and numb bum were any indicators, then I’d say it had been forever and a day. How could this man not get tired of holding his weapon against my head this long? I was getting tired just thinking about it.
I began to see faint lights up ahead and squinted to gain more focus. We were coming to a tunnel that went through a mountain, and the ultra-low lights that flickered along the curved walls painted an eerie yellowish-green tint around us. Yay...
But at least there were some lights, despite them being completely creepy. Any light had to be better than utter darkness when driving under a mountain. And then just as we entered the mouth of the tunnel, my nightmare came true.
Each soft light mounted onto the surrounding walls were eliminated as we came to it and then increased in speed down the line in front of us. I watched in horror as each one exploded into a sparkling fizzle, leaving us in that utter darkness I had been afraid of. Oh god.
I imagined the men guarding me, who I could not see through the blackness even if I wasn’t squeezing my eyes shut from fear of crashing, were at any moment going to freak out and start yelling, but there was silence and no movement. Perhaps they had arranged for this to happen to keep us hidden and were expecting it.
Strange...I could feel the gun was no longer pressed against my skin, so I risked a peek and shot one eye open. Just as I thought, I could not make out anything through the total darkness. And then right on cue, a dim glowing light burst into the cramped tunnel space above us and illuminated my surroundings for a few seconds.
And what I saw in those few short seconds practically blew my mind.
Okay, not practically. It did. It blew my mi
nd.
I immediately regretted peeking. Everyone and everything literally moved in slow motion except for me. The man that once held the gun to my head was looking down at his gun with wide eyes and confusion, and the men up front were slowly, very slowly, turning their heads to look in the back seat, wearing the same wide-eyed, wide-mouthed expressions. I didn’t even think the SUV was moving anymore, or maybe it was and it was just too slow for me to tell. That was all I was able to see in those tiny seconds, and it was just enough to have me scared out of my mind, once again.
And then it hit me like a huge smack in the head. This was supposed to be my escape. I quickly jumped out of the crawling vehicle and ran to what I hoped was the side of the tunnel, which didn’t take me more than half a second since it was a narrow space to begin with. I prayed that no cars were coming and would smear me against the wall like jelly.
Just then, I was pulled against a body and a hand was placed over my mouth, silencing my attempt to scream. I watched in shock and terror as a giant, hot, and extremely bright explosion broke out just ahead of me. Through the fire that bathed the tunnel in light, I could now see the three black SUVs were all smashed together and burning, but just as quickly I was pulled away from the sickening scene.
Almost overwhelming relief ignited every one of my veins once Mycah’s sweet woodsy scent reached my nose. I turned into him as he continued pulling me farther and farther away from the crash and out of the tunnel. But something was wrong; I could feel the strain and struggle emanating from Mycah’s rigid body as he took heavy step after heavy step.
“Are you hurt?” I squeaked out, almost choking on the dirty words. Oh god...please don’t be hurt...
The Sweet Series Box Set: Books 1-4 Page 23