Soul Lines (Completed)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven
Elle's POV

Shaun trailed behind us, his shoes scuffing against the ground, his shoulders hung with embarrassment. An hour ago, I never would have pictured him so small, but when I looked at him, it felt as though I was staring at a child. Tim refused to release the power he held over Shaun, stalking beside me, making sure Shaun remained ten paces behind us.

This time I was free, walking with no bindings or blindfold, but I wouldn't let myself forget how I was treated, and I held the memory in the tension of my shoulders, the ghost of Shaun's grip pressing tightly onto my skin.

There was no way of knowing where they were taking me. We'd missed the turn for the corridor of cells, and neither Tim nor Shaun had paused to consider the passageway, confidently marching us through the maze-like halls.

This corridor was well-lit, and the further we travelled from the cells, the more polished they became until, eventually, the walls were plastered and insulated, holding in the warmth, and the floors turned to unvarnished wooden planks. A generator whirled nearby, sourcing the heat that pumped through the air.

Old signs, like Keep Out and Werewolves Will Be Shot On Sight, were still hung on the walls, and the warm air was stale, heated into a pungent odour, which sat heavy in my lungs.

I thought Tim and Shaun had reacted badly to the air, their breaths short and rasping, but then I noticed their ashen expressions, the sweat that glistened on their upper lips. A doorway left the rock under the plaster exposed, and I saw the silver which glistened in the light. Their bodies were crumbling under the pressure of the silver, their biggest curse.

Their pace slowed, and Tim's shoulders slumped, matching Shaun's. Few words passed between them, but even the silence wasn't enough to alert them to the click of a door just twenty feet down the hallway.

I faltered, staring down the corridor.

Shaun's lethargy slowed his movement, and the force he pushed me forward failed to match that with which he had shoved me around earlier. I considered running, but before I had the chance, the door flew open, something leaping from the darkened room.

I shrieked, my heart humming in my chest, and both Tim and Shaun rushed towards the threat, snapping and snarling, finding a burst of energy in the adrenaline that pumped through their veins.

Clear-headed and not affected by the silver, I was the first one to recognise her. Kinky brown curls that stood out wildly and expresso skin which was ashen under the fluorescent lights, her eyes sunken, a look of desperation flashing through them.

'Jesus, Tim, let her go. She's not part of this!'

His eyes flashed, and he pinched her elbow between his claw-like hand, pulling her back into the room from which she'd leapt. 'What are you doing!' he hissed.

I tried to follow after them, but Shaun blocked my way, snickering as I bounced off his body like the ricochet of a bullet. Their voices carried through the walls, and Shaun couldn't stop me from listening to their argument.

'When do I get to see him?'

Tim sighed, and Shaun's smirk grew as I tried to get past him. 'He does not wish to see you right now, and I doubt he will.'

Her voice was filled with so much pain that I forgot my questions for her, 'But you promised! I just want to see him.'

'I know what I said,' Tim huffed, sounding bored with the inconvenience, 'and you did a good job, but I can't force him to do something he doesn't want to do, and right now, he doesn't want to see you.

'He's my mate! You said if I got her here... if I made her sleep... then you would let me be with him!'

My body went cold, and my arms fell limp. I didn't see Shaun anymore, just colours and sounds. Her voice bought about a red haze that settled in the corner of my eye, and I clenched my hands into fists to stop screaming in the hallway.

I charged at Shaun, making out that I was going left, and when he stepped to block me, I ducked under his arms, hurling myself into the unlit, grey room. I shoved past Tim, pinning her against the wall, snarling as fear etched across her face. 'What did you do?'

She shook, clutching at my forearm, the air whistling from her lungs as she gasped for more. 'They wouldn't let me see him.'

Grinding my teeth, I leaned into my arm, putting more pressure on her chest so she couldn't wriggle free. 'Who?'

'My mate.' She gasped.

Tim pulled me away, rolling his eyes. He held me back, letting Carmon crumble to the ground, her hand pressed to her chest. 'She means Lachlan.'

A crazed laugh broke from my throat, and I struggled against Tim's arms. 'Lachlan! LACHLAN! Of all the people. How can you even be sure? You wouldn't be the first person he lied to.'

'He told me.'

'Did he say it with words, Carmon!'

'I-' tears wept from her eyes, 'I don't know! I can't remember.'

'You can't remember!' My eyes widened, and I couldn't think of the words to say, but before I could sensor them, they ripped free, barbs meant to sting. 'How could you be so stupid! That's what he does, Carmon. He lies. He lied to me for months. He has lied to others. You're not the first woman to think it's fate when he bashes his eyes at you. And you betrayed me! Why would you betray me!'

She whimpered, her arms wrapped around her knees. 'I love him.'

I broke free of Tim's hold, slipping through his hands, but he caught me, and my fingers scrapped down Carmon's arms. 'You don't know him!'

She didn't flinch, sobbing silently as Tim tackled me from the room. Shaun took me, lifting me effortlessly as I kicked, clawing at his shirtsleeves. 'I hate you!' I cried, flailing my body to get free from his grip. 'You don't deserve a mate, Carmon!'

I was thrown into a room, still kicking and screaming, the door locking behind me with a resounding thunk. I turned, blindly banging upon the doors until my hands were raw, blistered and bruised, crying, 'Let me out!'

When my voice was barely a whisper, and it hurt too much to bang against the door, I clutched the handle, laying my forehead against the cold metal.

'You shouldn't have wasted your time. They would have left as soon as the door was locked.'

My heart thumped wildly as I spun, trying to remember the fighter's stance that Jacobi had taught me years ago. I held my hands awkwardly, and my legs were spread too far apart, but what I saw on the bed was never a threat.

He was sickly, and the bed sheets were still pulled taut as though he hadn't had the strength to climb under them. Sweat matted his hair, plastering it to his forehead, which had a glossy sheen of sweat, noticeable under the bright lights.

Lachlan looked as though he was waiting for death. His flesh had been vacuum-sealed to his body, the bones protruding through his skin at odd angles. His skin was so pale that the veins tracked across his body like the roads of a map.

He shivered, but his cheeks were flushed as though he couldn't decide whether he was hot or cold, and he clenched the sheets, pain tightening around his face. His voice was hoarse as though he spoke through a mouth of gravel, 'They don't stay to hear our cries.'

'Where have they put me?'

He coughed pitifully, wheezing for air. 'We're in the old guard's quarters. They can't stay long. There's silver all through the walls.' He lifted a hand, shaking as he extended a long boney finger, 'Kendra is in the other room. She refused to stay here.'