Reap (Scarred Souls, #2)(73)

“But you will live,” he whispered. My heart tore as I heard the break in his deep rasp. He didn’t want this. He wanted to be free, he deserved to be free.

“Zaal—”

“I will happily give up my life for yours.” His eyebrows pulled down in devastation. “I cannot imagine a world without you in it, you brought me the sun. I can live in darkness again knowing that you are shining here on the outside.”

Racking sobs tumbled from my mouth, their severity bruising my empty lungs. Zaal closed in, and with the gentlest of touches, he pressed his lips against mine. The pain from my split lip hit my face, but I didn’t care. I never ever wanted to break from this kiss.

Zaal pulled back, pressing his forehead to mine, as if he was committing this touch to memory, a memory he would lose as soon as he was injected with that f*cking serum again. I couldn’t stand the thought.

“You deserve to live,” I whispered.

Zaal’s lips spread into a sad smile. “I have lived, Talia. In the short time I have known you, I have lived more than I could ever have dreamed.” His eyes stared at mine. “I have lived only because of you. I have … I have gained a full heart, a full heart for you.”

I closed my eyes at the pain of this moment, of his acceptance of this fate. Suddenly he was ripped away. Snapping my eyes back open, I watched in horror as the guards dragged him away toward the stairs.

I thrashed in my chains, trying to get free. Zaal shook his head, telling me to stop. Stilling, and unable to breathe, I stopped. I watched as they approached the stairs.

Mustering the last of my raspy voice, I shouted, “Zaal!”

He turned his face as he reached the bottom step and, with his hand on his heart and tears in his eyes, he said, “You are … for me.”

With those words the final dagger pierced my heart. I knew I’d be ruined for life. As Zaal began his ascent, I met his eyes, and declared in a hoarse voice, “I am … for you.”

Zaal swallowed, closed his eyes, and as the guards forced him up the stairs he disappeared from view.

All energy drained, a crippling grief sweeping through my body, I sagged in the tight chains, sagged and cried, cried until darkness claimed me, and I could cry no more.





Chapter Eighteen

Talia

“Down here!”

I stirred from sleep on hearing a male voice shout upstairs. I heard the rush of feet. Footsteps stormed down the steps to the basement.

I was aching, in pain, and my head throbbed.

“Shit! Talia!” I heard. Cracking my bruised eyes open, Luka ran my way. Luka and Mikhail, and byki, lots of byki.

“Luka.” My mouth formed the word, but my throat felt like it was filled with razors.

“Get her down!” Luka ordered. I smiled in my head, my lips too weak to make the gesture. He sounded like a leader, finally like the man he was born to be.

A sudden pain shot through my body as I was freed from my chains. Every muscle in my body screamed as the blood began to fill them, forcing them back to life.

Strong arms held me and lifted me off the floor. Something was put to my lips. Cool water immediately filled my mouth. I struggled to swallow through a raw throat, but I forced myself. I had to tell Luka about Jakhua, about Zaal. I had to save him. Luka had to save him.

“Get her robe!” Luka called. I heard footsteps on the stairs as someone obeyed his order.

Luka poured the water over my face. A towel followed as he cleaned my face, the soft material feeling like stabbing needles.

Luka’s hand pushed my bloodied hair back from my face, and he asked, “Talia? Are you okay?”

My eyes widened and filled with water. My body jerked. I tried to move. I needed to move. We needed to save Zaal.

“No,” Luka said as my body arched with pain. “You need to wait. Your body needs time to adjust.”

Looking into Luka’s brown eyes, I cried, and rasped, “He took him. He came and took him from me.”

Luka’s face darkened. He pulled me to his chest. “I’ll get him, Talia. This I promise you.”

“But he is going to drug him again. Zaal agreed to be the prototype again, to save my life.” Luka lowered me until I could see his face, his face torn with pain. “He saved me, Luka. Traded my life for his.”

Just then, a byki came with my robe. Luka ordered them all out of the basement. My eyes widened, and I asked, “Savin and Ilya?”

Luka’s eyes narrowed. “Shot.”

My stomach fell. “Are they … dead?”

Luka shook his head. “No. They’re not in good shape, but they’re on their way to the hospital. They should be okay.”

Luka helped me to stand, my legs aching as I tried to balance on my own. But Luka never let me fall. Instead he helped me dress, then lifted me in his arms.

As we made for the stairs, I asked, “You’re going to save him, right? I don’t, I don’t think I could live without him.”

Luka stopped. Looking me straight in the eyes, he said, “I already have men, trustworthy men, finding out where Jakhua’s taking Zaal. We have men on the inside, rats in his crew. It shouldn’t be long. He left himself too open risking this visit to retrieve Zaal. His tracks are already being traced. And as soon as we know where the f*cker’s crawled off to, I’m gonna f*cking storm the place and kill every last piz’da there.”