Marked

Chapter Thirty-Five

"I—uh, I have to find Hector."

"No, Rachel, I'll have him brought to a safe room where we all wait this war out together."

Already, Nicolas was ushering her into the white house and down a hallway toward an elevator against her will. She jerked away from his hold, finally able to gather her bearings.

"How long before the outsiders reach the city?"

"A few minutes. Ten at the most."

"That gives me plenty of time. I'll be right back, and I'll even take one of them with me." She gestured toward one of the grey-clad poachers. "Please, you know what it's like to be afraid for someone you love. You feel that way about me now and that's how I feel about him so I promise as soon as--" 

"No, Rachel. That's not an option. You go where I go."

"Nicolas--"

"I'll have him brought to us. He'll be kept safe, you have my word."

"Please, Nicolas...dad. Please. I beg you."

"Rachel," He sighed. 

"We're wasting time arguing if you'll just let me--"

"Okay, Rachel, just go. But be quick. When you're done take the elevator down to the last floor and that's where I'll be. If you're not there in five minutes I'm sending someone after you regardless of whether you've found Hector or not."

Rachel nodded, and led the way to a second elevator, jabbing her finger onto the button as soon as the poacher had stepped silently into it beside her. 

Drumming her fingers against her leg, she held her breath until they'd reached her floor.

The war had started. 

And she hadn't transferred Corina from Nicolas into herself yet.

She'd thought she'd had more time. In her mind, her plan would unfold with her taking control of Corina and issuing a sign of surrender to the outsiders. She hadn't been sure how she would do it exactly, get them to forget their thirst for revenge, but she knew that she had to make it happen somehow.

Now a war was inevitable. The loss of human life that could include her now mind-controlled friends and family was unbearably inevitable.

When the elevator opened, Rachel ran to their bedroom door which she found already slightly ajar. 

"Hector--" She paused mid-step, her eyes searching the empty room. Going into the next room, she found no sign of him either. Her gaze cut to the open drawer where all the socks Nicolas had had stocked in there for her had been taken out. 

"No," She whispered. Her hands rummaged through the sock drawer, her fingers searching desperately for the rainbow-colored disk. Something clanked against one wooden side of the drawer and for one moment she thought she'd found the disk. Except, it wasn't the disk, only the dart, now lying limply in the drawer beside a note.

I'm sorry. I couldn't let you be the one to do this

-Hector

She was faintly aware of the poacher behind her standing guard by the door. Her world spun as she clutched the dart and the note fell from her hand.

"Hector, no, what have you done?"

Nicolas wouldn't spare him, not a second time. How did he even plan on taking out an entire army of poachers all by himself? 

But maybe he didn't have to. The war was the perfect time to make a move. When all the poachers would be focused on one thing and one thing only—surviving.