Page 132 of A Silence So Divine

“It was after the Night of Indulgence. Curran had asked Richie and I to keep an eye on you, said he had some ‘suspicions’. Poor thing was worried about you; thought you might have succumbed to the seduction of Darkness.

Of course, we assumed it was the old man's paranoia talking. Or the gin.” He snickers to himself, glancing at the hulking, dark haired man for approval.

There’s a twitch of a lip, and then the stoicism returns.

“So imagine my surprise when I noticed how cozy you were with that… creature. I know times are tough, Bastien, but really? Screwingthat? What ever happened to self respect?” His shrill voice carries throughout the vacant building, an echo of nasal arrogance.

If he expects an answer, I don’t give him one, but I do catch the way heads from my own group turn to me. Sylvie faces forward, but she peers at me from the corner of her eye a few times. The thumb and forefinger of her left hand rub together idly, itching for a trigger to pull.

AJ steps in front of me, lips pursed like a scolding mother.

“So he has you followed. And what do we find?” He motions to those standing beside me. “A traitor. Under our nose the whole time. And as the lucky bastard to tip Curran off about you, I was given your assignment. Can you believe all of this was my idea?”Yellow teeth flash. “I might just be the new golden boy when I deliver you two over to Curran.”

My neutral expression falters, and I have to take three steadying breaths before I can speak.

“Who two?” Even asking the question makes me appear weak, but I can’t stop myself. Panic cracks the walls, beads of terror seeping through.

AJ’s smile grows, and he steps closer until I can smell the sour stench of his breath. The rest of the Brother’s appear just as delighted, grinning to themselves.

“Why do you think we brought you all the way out here? Use that big brain of yours.”

Dominoes fall into place, though I don’t want to believe it. He had me followed, which means they know where the campsite is. Hell, they probably know where the house is. They know about Eden. And Creed.

And they know where they are.

The edges of my vision blink out, blackness creeping in. “Where is she?” I hiss, stepping forward and peering down at the snake of a man before me. He raises his hand, and the barrel of his pistol comes to rest between my eyebrows.

“Somewhere you’ll never be able to reach her.”

They load us into the back of their SUV’s, wrists bound behind our backs. The vehicles have three rows of seating, so it’s Sylvie and I along with two guys from the Resistance. Jeremiah and Linden, both anywhere from eighteen to twenty years old. Before today, I’d barely spoken a word to them. And now they might die.

Because of me.

With a lurch, the tires roll, our driver none other than the burly man with AJ as his passenger. The wind outside picks up, lifting leaves and smacking them into the windshield. My eyes flit around, searching for anything that we might use as a makeshift weapon. A damn paper clip would be heaven-sent in a moment like this.

Resigned, I lean back in my seat and peer out the tinted window. Outside the city, the brick road turns to gravel and dirt, narrowing into one lane. The fields rush by in a blur of beige, but an inky figure begs to be seen. Wings flapping at an impossible rate keeps speed with the vehicle. Cocking my head to the side, I narrow my eyes, but it’s no more than dark motion. A bat? A bird?

“What the fuck is that?” AJ blurts, snapping my attention to the front of the SUV. He stares with rapt attention out the windshield. In the distance, the world vanishes. From sky to ground is an endless stretch of cloudy brown. The driver taps on the breaks, slowing our speed as we approach the mass.

“A dust storm,” Sylvie supplies, voice dripping with awe. There’s a sheen to her eyes, and when I glance behind me, both boys seem equally as perplexed.

In all my years living in the swampy lands, I’d never heard of a drought as bad as this one, much less a dust storm.

“Slow down,” AJ snaps, glaring at the man beside him.

“We have to get to the Sanctuary.”

“Yeah, alive. So slow down for fuck’s sake. You can’t even see the road.”

With a disgruntled huff, the brakes are applied and the SUV slows to a crawl. Now, when I look out the windows, my own reflection stares back at me. Our surroundings have disappeared into the dust, the press of the wind causing a slight sway.

The interior of the vehicle is cast in complete darkness.

Beside me, Sylvie shuffles faintly on the leather seat, her knee knocking into mine. My heart rate doubles, and I swallow heavily. Staring straight ahead, I hope the men don’t notice her movement.

Whether it’s luck, a God, or Fate, the storm couldn’t have come at a better time. Sylvie has enough cover to sneak her arms beneath her legs and to her front. Though they’re bound, it gives us an opportunity that we wouldn’t have had before.

A hand grazes my thigh, and I have to squint into the darkness to make out the movement of her fingers.