Behind His Weary Eyes (Novella) ✔️

23 ✙ Whatever It Takes

Adrenaline poured into her veins as she ducked into the nearest nook. The Reformer's voices grew closer. They stopped a meter away from her hiding place. Asa pressed against the cold, marble wall, heart hammering against her rib cage. After they continued on, she turned to run to the next alcove.

Renvir's voice stopped her. She looked back, and her heart stopped. With a swift motion, one of the Core Reformers stabbed her lover's chest with a three-pronged staff. Each branch lined up perfectly with his three hearts, piercing them instantly. Viscous, purple blood seeped down his scarred chest.

Rearing back his head, his mouth opened as though to protest. However, he made no noise. The Reformer jammed the staff in further, eliciting a gurgle. Renvir's eyes glazed over. Removing her eyes from the scene, Asa bolted to the next nook. The pulsing of her veins forced her onward.

She couldn't let them find her. If they did, Renvir's death would be for nothing.

It didn't take long before she reached the hatchery, locking the door behind her. She hurried over to the floor cabinet and fished out the bag of medicine and the sling-over egg carrier. When she went to open pod three-o-three, the incubator unit had already been turned off. Her stomach churned. How long had they been without heat?

She didn't need to type in the code as the glass slid open with a tap. Pushing aside her worries, she adjusted the wrap and picked up the egg. Its shell, though smooth, felt chilled to the touch.

Asa said a silent prayer to the Two that she wasn't too late. Folding the unhatched child into the wrap, she padding the unhatched them with the blanket. They settled over the lower part of her chest and lower abdomen.

After her back adjusted to the weight, she started for the exit. If the child had sat straight and not at an angle, the medic would've had to waddle. Still, the Celest egg wasn't an easy thing to carry.

"Two," she said, ducking into a nook, "Two more to go."

Her breathing deepened with the extra exertion. The Reformers' voices echoed. It sounded like they'd headed for the East exit. She waited for a moment. As their voices strayed further, she stuck her head out. Her heart skipped a beat.

"You think I'd forget about you?" Ludis' said. His eyebrows flicked upwards.

She turned to run, but the silhouette of a Celest at the end of the hall stopped her. Thankfully, they hadn't seen her. Asa faced her classmate. His golden eyes dropped to her exposed skin below her shoulder blade. Before she could move, he grabbed her wrist. His fangs lowered once more.

"You have one more chance," he said, pressing her against the cold, marble wall. The nook's sides enveloped both of their bodies in shadows. "Drop the egg, come with me, and I'll forget this mishap. Or keep it, and I'll let them know about this little game you're playing."

He placed one hand on the egg sling, fiddling with the knot, and the other reached for her pants' tie. Asa's body didn't warm to his touch like the other times. His scent made her gag. Dancing his fingers across her waistline, he flashed her a coy grin.

"Which will it be?"

The medic let out warning clicks when he began to untie the sling's knot. Her hand shot up, and nails dug into his fingers. Ludis hissed. She looked him straight in his gilded, desperate eyes.

"You will never have me."

Venom ran down his fangs, and he bit her neck. He didn't let go, using his newfound grip on her to his advantage, undoing the tie on her pants. Asa struggled underneath him. While she tried to stop him, she soon realized that holding the egg required two hands.