Octavian's Undoing (Sons of Judgment) (39 page)

“And I got a boot—”

“Gideon.” Magnus put a hand on his twin’s arm. “Let’s get the stuff out of the truck. We’ll deal with the rest afterwards.”

Gideon bared his teeth, but didn’t push the matter, which made the delivery guy smirk arrogantly.

“Prick,” Gideon muttered, marching up the metal ramp to finish unloading.

Satisfied that he’d won, the delivery guy ambled his way back towards the stock room, clipboard in hand. Riley scurried back, trying to make way for him to pass, but the area was too narrow, too cramped and she was forced to wedge herself between two stacks. It would have gone without a hitch if the man didn’t have feet the size of shovels or that Riley couldn’t tuck hers far back enough and the toes wound up sticking out a bit too far. She hoped he’d just step over them and keep walking. Instead, he walked straight into her sneakers, staggering as his feet caught and he careened forward, just barely catching himself on a row of boxes.

Riley quickly darted out of the cramped spot, trampling on his bent legs as she tried to free herself. “I’m so sorry! Are you all right?”

For a man of his size, he was instantly on his feet and rounding on her, a bull having spotted a red flag. “You did that deliberately.”

Riley gasped. “I didn’t. I promise. It—” She jerked back three steps when he started for her.

“What the hell is wrong with you people?” he snarled into her face. “My paperwork is in order.” He shoved his clipboard forward, nearly smacking her in the nose, and it would have if the back of her legs hadn’t taken that moment to catch on a box.

She went down with the sound of shattering glass as the box split open, raining bottles. They hit the ground a split second before Riley, shattering and cushioning her fall with a thick, crimson puddle and glass. Her cry of pain as shards of glass cut into her hands stopped the man in his tracks, but it also brought Magnus, Gideon and Reggie to her side in an instant.

“You son of a bitch!” Gideon was over Riley’s prone body in an instant to stand toe to toe with the delivery guy. He gave the man a hard shove in the chest that had him staggering back a step. “That’s my sister you put your filthy hands on.”

“I didn’t touch her!” the man protested, no longer looking pissed but petrified.

She was so stunned by Gideon’s words that she momentarily forgot about the bits of glass embedded into her flesh as she stared at his back.

“Riley?” Magnus crouched down at her side, taking her injured hands in his. “Are you all right?”

“I’m okay,” she said, crimson droplets raining off her hands and clothes. It was as though she’d taken a dunk in a vat of blood.

“What’s going on in here?”

It was as though the air had been vacuumed from the room. Every ounce of it vanished, leaving behind a thick tension so thick, it seemed to still time as all eyes turned from Riley to the hulk of a man filling the doorway. Eyes the color of chipped ice swept from the quivering delivery man to Riley still sprawled in the pool of broken glass and red liquid. The look that filled them could only be described as murderous, pure, unadulterated rage so black it was like falling into the pit of space as he took her in. Muscles quivered as hands balled into fists and nostrils flared. Those eyes swung to the man now pale enough to pass out.

“You
dare
?” Each word hissed out through clenched teeth.

“I didn’t touch her!” the man interrupted her.

With Magnus’ help, Riley climbed awkwardly to her feet. “It wasn’t his fault.” She quickly moved forward and positioned herself between Octavian and his prey. “I tripped.”

Octavian was still breathing hard. His opaque gaze remained firmly fixated on the man. “Leave. Now.” He spoke calmly, but each word vibrated with barely suppressed fury.

The man didn’t need telling twice. He darted past Gideon, Magnus and Reggie to his truck. The ramp thundered as it was rolled back into place under the vehicle. The door closed with a resounding bang that echoed like a gunshot through the meadow. In two minutes flat, he was rumbling out of sight.

“Riley.” Moving as though there wasn’t a maze of boxes hindering him, Octavian was in front of her in the blink of an eye. His hands came up, coming close to touching her face, but moving down to grip her shoulders instead.

“I’m okay,” she promised. “I just got some glass in my hands.” She raised her cupped hands to show him. “The rest is that stuff.” She jerked a chin towards the crate. “It’s not real blood is it?” She raised her hands to smell, but the coppery tang of her own blood masked most of the sweet, floral scent.

“Where is he going?” Kyaerin charged into the room, Liam a step behind her. “Why is he leaving? I wanted to see the… oh my God, Riley!”

“I’m okay!” she said for what felt like the hundredth time. “It’s not all mine.”

Still clutching her chest, eyes wide with horror, Kyaerin exhaled. “Oh, thank goodness!”

“I’m sorry about the bottles, I’ll—”

Liam put up his hand, stopping her. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not like we’re about to run out anytime soon. As long as you’re all right.”

Riley smiled at him appreciatively.

“We need to clean you up,” Octavian murmured, gaze fixed on the small puddle of blood collecting in her palms. He brought his hands down to circle her wrists over the cuffs of her jacket. “Does it hurt?”

It was on the tip of her lips to tell him no, that it was mostly irritating when the world gave a violent shudder and a pain so blinding she nearly screamed slammed steel fists square into her chest like a hammer and she was catapulted backwards into darkness.

She gasped and the air she inhaled burned down her throat like hot, gritty ashes. The world around her sweltered, stewing in its own heat and stench of burnt flesh as it rose off the sand in waves, burning the soles of her feet through her sneakers. Her hair blew around her face as she whipped around, searching the endless miles of emptiness.

“Octavian?” she called. Her voice was snatched up by the oppressive winds and pitched back into her face. She choked as it crammed down her throat, a fist-sized ball of sand and grit. “Where are you?” she croaked as she attempted to shield her eyes from the bitter sting of debris.

“
This way…”

Riley spun towards Octavian’s voice. Her heart leapt in her chest. “Octavian?” She ran towards the sound. “Where are you?”

“
This way…”

The dry path crunched beneath her feet. Sweat pooled along the column of her spine, drenching her shirt and making the fabric cling to her damp skin. She ignored it. She needed to find Octavian.

“Where are you?” she shouted, searching the darkness for signs of him.

“
This way…”

“Where?”

Endless night pursued her through the maze of vast nothingness. The sound of her own labored breathing and the crack of her heart in her chest sound tracked the moment as she raced to find her mate. It felt like hours of her running, seemingly getting nowhere even as her feet pumped. Then, just when she was beginning to feel like she would run forever, she found him.

“Octavian!”

He stood at the mouth of a cliff overlooking a harsh smear of toxic green and sickly yellows. The colors vaulted up into the heavens, fading to black the higher it went. But it was the familiar silhouette that propelled her.

She ran to him. “Where are we?”

Rather than answer her, his arms went around her, pulling her into the hard curve of his chest. He pressed kisses to the top of her head, down her temples to her cheeks. Riley’s breath shortened as she fought to maintain control.

“How are you touching me?”

His bare fingers slipped beneath her chin. He raised her face to his, skimming the line of her jaw with the pad of his thumb. “How can I not?” His eyes shimmered like liquid pools of silver against his rugged face. “You’re so beautiful, Riley. I love you so much.”

Her heart stuttered in her chest as the full weight of his words floated over her, on her like glittering confetti.

“Say you love me, too,” he pleaded, framing her face in his hands. “Tell me I’m not the only one.”

The plea in his eyes had her reaching for him, circling his neck with her arms as she arched up on her toes to meet his height. “I love you,” she whispered urgently. “I love you, Octavian.”

His face transformed into a smile so beautiful, it was like a physical blow in the chest. “Don’t ever leave me.”

She shook her head. “I won’t. I promise.”

He kissed her then, softly, sweetly, gentle little peaks of his lips over hers. Riley clung to him, urging him to deepen it, to fill the harsh emptiness swallowing her up alive.

“I love you,” he said again against her mouth.

Riley started to tell him she loved him back when he was suddenly snatched out of her arms. He hit the ground at her feet and was dragged to the edge of the cliff by an invisible tether around his ankles. She screamed as he clawed at the ground, trying to stop himself from going over.

“Riley!”

Spurred into action, Riley lunged after him, grabbing his wrists just inches before he went over. But the thing holding on to him, plus his weight, had her sliding to the lip along with him.

“Don’t let go!” he pleaded.

“I won’t!” She gritted her teeth, grinding her heels into the ground. “Hang on.”

“Don’t let go,” he said again as his lower half vanished over the cliff’s edge. “You promised.”

She let out a squeak when he was jerked down another foot so all she could see was his head and the arms she held. A sob escaped her. Paralyzing terror suffocated her every breath as she struggled to pull Octavian up while attempting to keep from going with him into the bottomless pit below. The gravel beneath her heels rolled, becoming rollerblades propelling her to their end.

“I won’t let you go!” she cried, blinded by tears and the beads of sweat trickling from her brow into her eyes.

But no sooner had the words left her when his hand, slick with both their sweat, slipped from her grasp. She watched, powerless to stop it as he hit the edge of the cliff and sailed over.

Riley bolted upright, her scream ringing hollow in her ears as she catapulted through the darkness.

“Riley!” Hands sheathed in soft fabric grabbed her arms. “Open your eyes, baby.”

Beams of pale gold penetrated through her lashes as she parted her eyelids. The sour tang of paste filled her mouth. Her lungs burned as every breath wheezed from its congested cavity. She blinked back the tears fusing her lashes together and brought into focus the face peering back at her, fraught with fear and concern.

“Octavian…” Uncaring of everything but seeing him again, she detangled herself from the fabric restraining her and threw herself into his chest. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. I tried to hold on.”

His arms, encased by full sleeves, surrounded her, dragging her into his lap as she wept into his shoulder. “I’ve got you,” he murmured. “It was just a dream. You’re safe.”

Her body shuddered with the sobs that claimed her. “It was so real. I thought I lost you…”