Escape from Harrizel (59 page)

“Alright,” Clarence glances to Mae, Jace, me
and back to Pratt. “Ready?”

We all nod.

A gush of wind propels us and we’re up, the
jungle disappearing completely.

Something rustles ahead.

“What was that?” Pratt whispers.

“Get down,” I put myself in front of her,
peeking past the tree. But there’s nothing. It’s just quiet. Still.
Maybe it was the wind. Maybe we imagined it. But then the rustling
starts again. “Stay here.”

“Reid…” Sampson starts but I’m already
jetting past the first wall, keeping my back to Ellae’s ivy covered
stone.

Of course Pratt’s behind me in an instant.
She never can stay put. If it’s a Vermix out for a midnight stroll,
I’ll take care of it. Sampson taught me that much. I may not
understand where my original trainings came from, but at least I’ve
got the knowledge he gave me. If it’s just one Dofinike it
shouldn’t be an issue. Two or three and we might have a problem. I
wish Pratt would get back. It makes me uneasy having her so close
to something that could be dangerous.

I throw her a look but pause when the
rustling sounds again. I place a finger over my mouth and she nods
as I quietly peek past. And again, she’s peeking past with me. At
first it’s nothing…

But then a girl steps out.

Large brown eyes look around, taking in
Ellae with a deep sense wonder. She’s not scared, not surprised,
just…confused. Curious. And those eyes…
God
those eyes are
beautiful. Hypnotizing. I want them to look at me. As if she heard
me, she turns, scanning the walls of Ellae that Pratt and I are
hiding behind. I think my heart stops. Her face… her face is like
her eyes—powerful. Enchanting. Determined. It’s framed by long
brown curls that run the length of her shoulders and down her gray
baseball tee. Those curls look soft. Probably smell good too.
Suddenly I have an urge to touch them, to run my fingers through
them, to hold her face to mine—

“It’s a
girl
,” Pratt is surprised,
jarring me from thoughts I had no business thinking. I don’t know
her. She’s just an Arival—albeit, a brave one—but just a new face
here. That’s all. Still, Pratt is right to be surprised.

And frankly, so am I.

For a while, a few people tried escaping out
here. Most were guys—future Rogues by the time I got to them.
Others weren’t so lucky. A girl might’ve ventured out every so
often, but they would never get this far. They would usually stop
or decide to turn back pretty much after entering the jungle. I
don’t blame them. It’s such a death trap out here; you really need
to know your way around it if you’re going to survive. But this
girl… she’s made it all the way out here on her own. And she
doesn’t even look fazed. Just curious. Like she’s trying to piece
it all together already. Like it’s just another hurdle.

“Reid…” Pratt whispers, biting her lip as
she looks at me. “What do we do?”

Sampson is hiding behind the wall a foot
across from us. I look at him, keeping my words to a whisper. “We
can’t let her keep going.”

He nods, contemplating something and after a
long moment, he decides. “We’ll have to take her back. But I don’t
want her seeing our faces,” he glances to us. “It’s best she passes
out and wakes up in the Castle.”

I look back but she’s gone. I’m about to
jump out and search for her until I find the edge of her body
peeking past one of the walls. She’s crouched—hiding most
likely—and I feel like a shit for doing this. With a nod to
Sampson, we both jet out. She’s probably going to make a break for
it, but I block her main escape while he comes around the back.
He’ll pinch her neck and put her out before she even realizes
what’s happening. It’s for the best. If we let her go, she’ll only
end up dead.

Sampson is right behind her. If she runs
before he can put her out, I’ll block her. She’s trapped and she
doesn’t even know it. A pang of guilt stirs inside me but it’s for
the best. All Sampson needs to do is—

She’s here, in my face, her eyes on
mine.

Holy God.

A million thoughts race through her
expression, stopping my chest. I can’t breathe. I can’t think. I’m
lost in those eyes which suddenly dull, her lids closing. She falls
in Sampson’s arms before she reaches the ground. I’m not sure what
to do… what to think. All I can do is look at her. And resist the
urge to touch her.

“Oh Reid…” Pratt races over to us, crouching
next to me. She gazes down at the girl, “she’s pretty…”

“She’s out,” Sampson says, looking between
us, “and only for a short time. We need to get her back to the
Castle before she awakes.”

“I can take her,” I offer, the words out of
my mouth before I realize I’ve said them. Both Sampson and Pratt
look at me. I know what she’s going to say. She’s going to make
something out of this. But really, I’m just helping out Sampson.
He’s probably tired. Plus, I’ve been slacking tonight. He’s been
getting most of the food…I…I should do this. Help him out. That’s
all.

“Here,” I take her from Sampson’s arms.

She’s warm. And she does smell good. Shit. I
need to take her back and stay the hell away from her. Except she’s
right up Jace’s alley. Double shit. I’ll tell him this one—only
this one—is off limits. He doesn’t need to tap every new ass that
comes through. It’s getting ridiculous, really. Taking his role as
Recruitment RC to bang every chick. Some of the other Rogues are
getting pissed. I need to talk to him about it. Soon.

I look down at the girl in my arms. Her face
hangs back, her mouth slightly parted. Inviting. My focus shifts
over her body. I gulp. She’s tall, thin… soft. I haven’t really
touched a girl since Ansley, since she… no. Fuck her. She wants
Walker. She can have him. I don’t need distraction anyway. I have
enough to do, even with Tucker as Rogue Leader now. He’s doing
well, but damnit if he doesn’t come to me five times a day looking
for help. I have no problem with it, but sometimes I just wish so
many people didn’t rely on me. What if it all falls through? I
can’t save them. Shit, we’re still trapped here. The most I can do
is make it somewhat easier. Save them from the Vermix and the Kings
by working for me—or I guess Tucker now.

My focus drops to the girl again. Will she
get involved in the Market? What am I thinking? I’m Rox. I have
more of a say than anyone—on the Rogues side at least. I can
command none of the Scouts to approach her… but then she might get
recruited by the Kings. How can I avoid her and not let her get
involved with them? She’ll need to eat. Maybe I can have Able—

“She’s
really
pretty, Reid.”

She is. Which means Jace won’t hesitate
long. After I drop her off in the Castle, I’ll head to his room and
let him know she’s off limits. Just this one. Of course he’ll make
a big deal of it, but I don’t care. I can’t swallow the idea of him
going after her too. She’s different than the other girls. She made
it all the way out here, to Ellae. No one’s ever done that alone
before. Ever. Not even me.

“Who is she?” my voice is gravelly,
rough.

“Her name is Fallon,” Sampson says.
“Clarence brought her only a short while ago. She…” he glances at
the girl in my arms, “…she is special.”

“Obviously,” Pratt laughs. “She made it all
the way out here by herself. I like her already.”

“We have to stay away from her,” I say.

“Why?” Pratt is frowning. I hate that frown.
Makes me want to give in. And hell if I don’t want to. But it’s not
smart. Not this time.

“If she finds out who we are, she’ll try to
come back here. Probably get herself killed next time…” I say
quickly. But that’s not all. I like the way she feels in my arms
too much. I like the way she smells and her mouth and her body…

Images flash of her naked beneath me.

Fuck.

“But Reid…” Pratt tries again.

“I’m sorry,” I shake my head, trying to keep
my body cool, forcing myself not to think of the only thing filling
my brain. She’d probably feel good under me. Warm. My heart speeds
up. Images flash of her arching, of calling my name as I move
inside her. Of her gripping my sheets and her legs wrapped around
my hips…

Fuck
.

“You okay?” Pratt asks.

I nod. I’m going to have to stay away from
her. I need to focus and with these images already floating around
my head, she’s a huge distraction. And I can’t allow anything to
keep me from helping Tucker with the Rogues. Ansley already ruined
my focus. Those first few weeks, I wouldn’t even talk to Tucker. I
can’t do that again. It’s not fair. Going forward, I’m focused on
the Rogues only. No more girls. Even this one. I’ll tell Jace to
leave her alone and then I’ll do the same.

Taking a deep breath, I focus on the trees
ahead. “Let’s just get back.”

I’m exhausted.

With all the longer shifts getting food at
night, I’m more tired than usual. I’m out probably past midnight
and we’re up before everyone else is. All I want is quiet. And
sleep. And maybe to stay in bed and jerk one off again. Shit, I
just took care of it earlier and here I am, needing another
release. Christ, have I gotten to this point already? I’m lame.

I probably could’ve stayed in if I wanted
to… or gone out to the jungle with Sampson, but I’ve been doing
that too often. I need to be here with the Rogues, keeping my
presence a constant reminder who runs things. It’s not like anyone
can forget—they move when they see me, always giving me access
first, quickly. Sometimes I like it; sometimes it’s really
annoying. They’re
always
watching me which means everything
I do is on display. So even if I wanted to leave and rub one out, I
can’t. They’ll notice I’m leaving before I’ve gone anywhere. So
it’s either in my room or out around Ellae. And after the other
night, it seems jerking it’s all I’ve been doing. Keeping these
urges under control so I can stay away from her.

Goddamnit.

“She’s
hot
,” Jace is laughing with
Harrison next to him. Able is on my left and we’re working the
Gollop. It’s probably mid morning and I’m fucking exhausted. We’ve
been out here a few hours and I’m already done. I could escape if I
really wanted to, but I won’t. I need to be out here. And to
not
to be constantly reminded of her. Guess they didn’t hear
me before when I said to just drop it. “She’s got Boss all stocked
up,” Jace laughs again. “Haven’t seen him like this in a while. I
keep telling him he should take care of it but he doesn’t want
to.”

“Come on, Rox,” Harrison tries. “If you’re
really that interested, why don’t you just…you know. Go for it? No
one’s going near her. On
your
request.”

“I kind of want to meet her,” Able turns to
me. He’s excited, like this is a new adventure for everyone. Maybe
it is. “If she’s caught your interest like this.”

“Boss?” Jace laughs again. “You know I’m
messing. You just look really strung out. I’m sure she can help
with that...” his voice carries off. A beat goes by and I think
about asking them all to just drop it. Again. I’ve made my decision
concerning Fallon.

“Looks like she’s hot for you too, Boss,
because uh…”Jace laughs, “she’s looking over here.”

My head snaps up, finally seeing something
other than the silvery Gollop for a change. It takes a second to
find her and when I do, I stop. She’s walking toward the Water
Pole. A thousand excuses rush for me to drop the Gollop and run
over but I bat them down one by one.

“Excuse me…” it’s Erglioff’s voice calling
overhead again. Shit. This can’t be good. “I’m sure there’s a more
civilized way to do this but as the news is already circulating, I
believe you’re owed the truth. For over a week, we worked
diligently, doing all we could to save her but… sadly, it was not
enough. I’m sorry to inform you that one of your own—Hinson—has
passed on.”

“Another one…” Able mumbles next to me.
“Christ.”

“An unfortunate discovery in what had
started as mere curiosity and a serious case of poor judgment, we
thought we could help, if not save her, but in the end, the toxic
berry juice stopped her heart and there was nothing to be done. Do
not
venture away. It is dangerous outside this gate, and in
the jungle, it is
deadly
. Stay at the Castle—you’re safe
here with us. And remember what’s most important for the human
race.”

“Isn’t that Griffin’s girlfriend?” Harrison
looks between me and Jace.

I nod, dropping my head as I remind myself
to talk to him later. He’s probably taking this hard. Worse than
hard. Griffin lived for Hinson. He’s probably devastated.

The hum of the Gollop carries on as
Erglioff’s voice continues, “You may carry on with the
Rebuilding.”

“And servitude,” Able mumbles.

“I think its slavery, dude,” Harrison
corrects.

A long silent moment passes.

“Uh… Boss?” Jace starts, a nervous quiver in
his voice. “Your girlfriend’s about to commit suicide.”

My head snaps up again.

Shit.

Fallon is walking back to the Castle. She’s
got to know that’s not allowed. I know Pratt’s educated her on how
things work.
Fuck
…what is she doing?

“Put the Gollop down,” I order and the
Rogues immediately obey. I can’t watch this and work at the same
time. Fallon hasn’t stopped—she’s walking slowly, like she might
change her mind, but she doesn’t. And everyone has noticed which
means Tetlak has. She’s balls brave—I’ll give her that. But it
won’t help her if she’s dead. Shit, what do I do? I can’t let her
keep going. But if I pull her back, everyone will see and it’ll
paint a target on her. They’ll think she’s with me. Maybe I want
them to think that... No, because it’ll put her in even more
danger.