by Amy Braun
“See what I mean?” he taunted. “You had fun there, didn’t you? A little lead up to the foreplay.”
He leaned down, placing his face in the crevice of my neck and shoulder. I turned my face away, squeezing my eyes shut and trying to move. Davin took a deep breath from my hair. “Damn it, you smell better than any woman I’ve had.”
His tongue snaked along my throat. I thrashed and bucked, but couldn’t move from under him. He was too heavy and my arms were trapped. I whimpered.
“Taste better, too,” he said. “Sawyer’s going to be so jealous that he didn’t get first bites.”
Davin nipped the skin of my throat, a sharp pinch that I knew would be the lightest touch he gave me.
“Don’t worry,” he crooned, his claws stroking down the side of my face, down my neck, and hovering over the slope of my breasts. “I won’t bleed you too much. The Vesper will need a snack later on.” He pushed down on my upper body, pulling my arms further from their sockets. I gasped at the flaring pain.
“Sorry about the arms, though,” he teased, red eyes flashing with hunger. “Can’t have you punching me during our little romance.”
When I realized that I was truly trapped, that no one would come help me, that I couldn’t fight back, the fear began to settle in my chest. It crept in like smoke through cracks, twisting and weaving, poisoning my heart and drifting to my lungs, constricting my breath, catching in my throat as I tried to scream–
“What were you told?”
Davin paused his groping, looking over his shoulder. Davin must have left the door open by accident, but at the moment I didn’t care how Riley had gotten into the room. I barely felt the embarrassment of my position under Davin.
Because he looked like Riley. Not the vacant-eyed, empty face of the puppet the Vesper used, but the Riley I knew. The strong, kind young man who stood and fought his tormentors. The man who comforted me when no one else would. The man who made my little sister smile and showed her how to read the stars.
The man I missed so much, my heart burned just looking at him.
“You were told not to touch her,” Riley told Davin. He stalked deeper into the room, a predator concentrating on his prey.
Davin sighed and shoved away from me. I gasped with relief, and immediately started lifting my hands over my head to remove the shackles from the bedpost.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” Davin taunted. “I’ll even let you have a piece of her when you’re done. I’m not opposed to sharing with friends.”
Riley’s blue eyes flashed, the only semblance of life to him. His skin was pale and dark around his eyes. The black Sky Guard jumpsuit he wore was pristine, but hung heavy on his shoulders. He was even thinner than the last time I saw him.
The only way I knew it was him was because of the defiance in his eyes. The anger about what Davin had nearly done to me.
“You were given specific instructions, and you chose to disobey them.”
Davin heard the danger in Riley’s voice now. A frown crossed over his pale face.
“You don’t command me, boy,” growled the twisted marauder. He approached Riley with a predatory gait. My arms were now freed from the bedpost, and I was helpless but to watch.
“The only reason I haven’t killed your King yet is because the timing isn’t right,” Davin went on, displaying his claws and his fangs.
Riley didn’t flinch. “You forget your place.”
Riley was the son of a Sky Guard. He had received extensive training under his father. I had seen him battle with intensity and speed.
But I’d never seen anything like this.
He lashed out at Davin with a sudden jab, catching him off guard. Davin knocked away the punch, opening his chest to Riley. My former friend rushed in, laying down a flurry of punches to Davin’s chest. His hands were blurred, he was moving so fast. The thud of the blows reminded me of a war drum.
Davin couldn’t defend himself; not even when Riley planted an uppercut in Davin’s chin and slammed his boot into his chest. The larger man went flying, his head hitting the far wall with a loud crack.
He grimaced and shook his head. Red eyes filled with fury when he fixed them on Riley again. The growl that crept from his throat was primal, and sent a shiver through me.
Riley still didn’t move. But his eyes flashed, a shiver of red going through them.
He was using compulsion, a trick the Vesper gave him in order for him to command and control others. He’d used it on Sawyer a few times. He’d used it on me.
I shrank against the headboard.
“Prepare a skiff and a crew,” he ordered. “We’re leaving within an hour.”
Davin had no choice except to obey. He pushed off the wall and stormed out of the door. Riley stood in the middle of the room, staring through the frame as if anticipating Davin’s return. After a few long, silent minutes, Riley turned to face me.
Concern filled his blue eyes.
“Are you all right, Claire? Did he hurt you?”
His voice… It even sounded like him. I remembered so much of that voice, reasoning with Sawyer, whispering over my shoulder as he held me, offering comforting words to my sister.
The way he was looking at me now, the way he walked toward me, I was so certain it was him.
My heart lifted for a split second, then dropped like a stone. What if I was seeing the ghost of Riley? It was so close that I was almost willing to overlook the strain the Vesper’s influence held on him. I had to be sure.
“Who am I talking to?” I whispered.
He paused as if in thought. For a moment, he even looked sad. Then his eyes changed to the vacant look that filled them when he’d held my sister prisoner. When he’d betrayed me. “You know who I am.”
Hopelessness crashed over me in an unforgiving wave. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. “Why are you doing this to him?” My voice trembled with heartache, and fear.
“He is dead, Claire,” reiterated the Vesper, using Riley’s voice.
“Then let him go,” I pleaded. “Let him rest in peace.”
“No,” replied the puppet. “His soul is dead, but his body is giving me the life I need to restore myself. He continues to serve his purpose.” Riley swept a rigid hand down his torso. “This body fools lesser minds. It shows me who to protect my back against. He will prove instrumental in your journey.”
“Riley’s coming with us?”
He nodded curtly. “Travel continues to exhaust me, and I do not trust Davin to remain alone with you. Perhaps you should thank me for that.”
I scowled, anger suddenly rushing through my veins. I knew that the Vesper didn’t really care if Davin violated me. He would have seen what happened, and probably let it happen as punishment to me.
But Riley cared. He would have acted exactly the way he had moments ago. Riley was still inside his body, smothered by the Vesper maybe, but there nonetheless. I had to believe that I had a friend I could trust to help me.
“You tortured my friend,” I gritted out. “I will never forget that–”
“Do not be childish,” he snapped. “The man you knew as Riley was never your friend. He was a tool I used. He continues to be as such.”
I balled my fists. “I don’t believe that.”
“What you believe is irrelevant. You will do as I command. I have not killed Riley’s body. Not yet. I can pull back the façade just as easily as I can put it into place.”
Riley closed his eyes and sighed out. When his eyes snapped open again, I was looking into the blue eyes I knew so well. A flash of life went through them, igniting into a fire when he locked eyes with me. A gentle smile curved his lips. My heart broke.
“Claire,” he breathed. So full of longing and friendship. All of it a lie.
Riley took a step closer to me. I backed up.
“No,” I begged.
He came to a stop, confusion filling his eyes. He looked pained, unsure as to why I didn’t want to see him. Realization slowly
dawned across his face.
“Claire, I’m so sorry–”
He grimaced in pain and stepped back. On instinct, I reached for him. I was only a foot away when his eyes snapped open, empty of the life I had seen just seconds ago.
“Do not try to save him,” the Vesper said through Riley. “There is nothing in him left to save.”
He turned on his heel and stalked away. “I will return for you in one hour.”
The door slammed shut, closing me away with my dark thoughts. I struggled to swallow the tears lodging in my throat. Riley’s face played through my mind again. It had looked so much like him– kind and strong, devoted to those he cared about. I missed him so much, and for a moment, I had him back. Then the Vesper exercised his will, and showed me that Riley was just as trapped as I was.
No, I thought. I’m not going to leave him to that fate. The Riley I know would fight. He has to. If he won’t do it himself, I’ll force him.
It wasn’t going to be easy, and I could fail. But I had to try. I had to believe that I wasn’t alone.
***
The first time I went through the tunnel between Aon and Hellnore, I thought I was going to die.
Heavy winds had threatened to push me from the skiff. Lightning had crashed in every direction, blinding me with unrelenting flashes. Thunder had roared and rumbled in a constant stream of noise.
This time was no different, save for our method of travel. Our vessel was similar to a raiding skiff, the lower half constructed of cold metal. The top half was curved glass bolted together, shielding us from the violet storm. There were no benches or mast, the vessel having only a wheel at the helm for Davin to navigate with. I was still in chains, tucked into the corner at the front of the skiff. Seven other Hellions lazed around the sides of the ship, their glass-eyed and needle pointed masks obscuring their faces. Past the glass above our ship, I spotted another vessel with ten more masked Hellions crammed together under the dome.
No matter how many times I saw them, I still shuddered at the horrid sight of the masks. They concealed every inch of the Hellion’s head and part of the neck with a thick, hard plastic that wouldn’t allow any sunlight in. Two bulbous glass eyes were fixed to the front of the mask, right above a needle almost a foot long. When the needle was stabbed into someone, it allowed the Hellions to drink from that person. As soon as the monsters figured out how to shield themselves, they began hunting during the day, ensuring that we were never safe.
Davin’s face was covered, but I could feel his eyes on me. I could picture his twisted smile behind the black plastic. I turned away, staring through the glass to the storm we were speeding through.
Lightning lashed the sky in cracking whips, illuminating the rolling clouds that were a mess of black and blue. Thunder bellowed from behind the bruised clouds like the defiant cry of a dying man. I was still scared, but I saw the beauty of the tunnel. The roaring chaos of something uncontrollable, the respect it commanded by frightening me. Loath as I was to admit it, the display was truly spectacular.
And you helped make it, a nagging voice said in my mind. I turned away. Improving the storm-maker was no longer my task, but my first few days here had been spent maintaining it so that would become a trap for anyone trying to enter the Breach.
Of course, I only knew one person crazy enough to try.
I shut his face away from my mind before he could reach my heart. Westraven was a big city, and it was more than likely I wouldn’t see him. It was better that I didn’t, at least for now. I had to slip away from Davin and the others discreetly and make sure they wouldn’t follow me. Sawyer would come in swinging his sword and firing his gun, and doing everything he could to fight his brother. Davin would expect it. He would enjoy it when he began to inflict pain. I would do anything to make it stop, and we would be right back to where we started.
But getting away from Davin and the Hellions would be tricky, especially with the Vesper’s borrowed life force sitting right beside me.
I glanced at Riley. He stared ahead blankly, lost in whatever thoughts the Vesper was putting in his head.
No matter how hard I tried not to think about it, I could still see Riley in there. Just a couple hours ago, he’d spoken to me. A piece of him remained. I just had to dig for it. Hope that it would be enough to get him away from the Vesper’s dreadful hold.
“Riley?”
He turned his head slightly, the only indication that he acknowledged me.
“Did you like living on the ship? The Dauntless?”
“Why do you ask?” There was no trace of interest in his voice.
I shrugged. “Curious, I suppose. You and Sawyer were always at odds, but you seemed happy there.”
My eyes traced along his face as he looked away again. “I don’t remember much.”
My heart tripped, suddenly hopeful. The Vesper wasn’t in his head right now. If he were, he would have drawn me out instantly. Still, I had to be careful. I had been fooled before.
“What do you remember?” I asked.
He stayed silent for so long I was sure he either forgot my question, or was ignoring me.
“I helped a little girl read the constellations. She looked like you.”
Hope surging through me, I turned to face him and pressed on. “What else? Tell me what you remember.”
Riley’s face scrunched up as though he were in pain. I wondered if I was pushing him too hard, but this was the furthest I’d ever gotten with him. I couldn’t relent now, no matter how sorry I was to be hurting him.
“I remember training you how to fight,” he said. The corner of his lips twitched. A smile fighting to break free. “You were a difficult student.”
I had to control my own smile. I couldn’t let Davin see what I was doing. Riley’s smile faded as quickly as it came.
“I remember the engineering bay in the Meridian,” he said gravelly. “The story I told you about the girl I killed for the Hellions’ entertainment. I remember the look on your face when he got hold of me again.”
I was losing him. Being as discreet as I could, I reached out and took Riley’s hand. “Riley, please, you have to fight him. I know you can.”
He pulled away. “I know what you’re trying to do, Claire. It’s not going to work.”
A twinge of fear went through me when I realized I might have made a mistake. I thought the Vesper had caught me.
Riley continued to speak, growing colder and more distant with every second. “I can’t fight him. He’s got almost complete control of me. I’m only free when I’m away from him and in some kind of interference.” Bright blue eyes flicked up to the raging storm around us. The sky was lighter than before. We were close to Aon.
Riley glanced down, meeting my eyes straight on.
“I can’t help you, Claire. Not unless you’re going to do something drastic.”
Words escaped me, replaced by a rush of emotion.
Riley was encouraging me, sending a message the only way he knew how. He knew what it would take for me to save him, and myself.
I just didn’t know how to apply it.
Before I could ask him for one more clue, one more hint about what we could do, the bruised storm clouds were replaced by a tumbling, dreary grey sky. I watched the hard determination in Riley’s eyes shift to the bland, empty gaze that was now common for it. Riley was gone.