Exposed [Book 4 in the Expiring Series]

65 Stay With Us

Iris~~

We're met by Colton, Percy, Vienna, and Ean at the steps in front of the large mer-creature statue.

"I don't know what will be waiting for us," I say as I start down the steps. "But he's being kept under the statue in the room on the right side of the Senate Chamber."

Colton cracks his knuckles. They're all weaponless. "We'll get him."

When we reach the bottom of the stairs, Erik looks at all of us. "Ready?"

I give a terse nod. "Do it."

He kicks the door to the Senate Chamber open. At least two dozen Veil wait for us between the empty thrones. No one hesitates. They swarm on us, and I duck and twist, moving in a dance I know so well unlike the one I pushed my way through up above. I slash out with the shard of my crown. It used to be that the idea of using a weapon against someone only armed with their fists would give me pause. But I don't care any longer. I can't care. They're keeping me from Jonas—they know that. Even if they're just following orders, they are orders they chose to follow.

My crown slices through the sleeve of a Veil who threw up his arm to shield his face. I push forward, forcing him back and drive my foot into his stomach. He crumbles in on himself, and I slice his arm again, jabbing my elbow into his neck.

I push past him and duck as the next Veil swings her fist through the air. I jab the shard in her leg. As her knee buckles and she cries out, I drive my elbow into her back, and she hits the floor.

Where are the Orders? I breathe deeply, ducking as a knife swings over my head. Have the Orders holed up in the next room? Are they having their fun with Jonas?

Colton barrels past me, driving his shoulder into the chest of a Veil. On my other side, Basile faces off against two Veil, his fighting much more uniform—more military-like than my family's. He fights more like the Veil.

Vienna and I were trained to fight like rebels. To take down Veil.

I sidestep one, and my fist catches the next in the jaw. I slice the shard upward over their chest. They hiss, but I slice again and again until they fall back. I pant, eyeing the shadows where I know the door waits.

There's no satisfaction in fighting these Veil. Not when it's really Leorus who I want under my fists.

"Iris," Erik yells.

As I turn, a fist catches me in the jaw, and my head flies back, my neck straining. I stumble, and before I can right myself, another fist drives into my stomach, dragging the air right out of me. The piece of my crown falls from my hand.

In a daze, I look up at the Veil. It's the one from earlier, whose nose I hoped I broke. He smiles cruelly and backhands me across the face.

I stumble to the left before catching myself as the Veil crouches to the floor and retrieves the shard of my crown. "You should have let us lock you up. At least then you'd—" He cries out in pain.

Erik appears behind him, and the Veil turns to get away from him. That's when I see it. The other half of my crown protrudes from his lower back, blood turning the gray of his uniform black.

Erik kicks him from behind, and the Veil falls forward, releasing the shard of my crown from his grasp.

Nostrils flaring, Erik looks me over. He opens his mouth, but nothing ever comes out. Instead, he turns, punching a Veil in his face. Only then does he look back at me. "You okay?"

My hand is on my stomach as I try to catch my breath, but I nod.

"Then let's go get your husband."

I swallow the lump that quickly formed in my throat and lead us forward into the shadows as the rest of our team holds the Veil back.