His Red Queen

Chapter Eighteen

"Shade?" My brother stands over me, an arm outstretched to help me up. My dead brother. I rub my eyes, unable to believe what I am seeing.

"Mare." He looks as surprised as me, if not more.

" What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead!" I cry.

Shade panics and puts a hand over my mouth. "Shhh. I'll explain later." He glances over his shoulder at where the guards should be.

I whip my head around, looking for Elara or Samson. This has got to be some sort of cruel joke. They have had front-row views of my memories. My deepest, darkest secrets. Things I have buried so deep down that I can convince myself they do not hurt.

Shade is dead. He is not here right now. They would have found him.

"It's me, Mare." My brother's voice is calm, as if talking to a small child. "Mare, it's me. I'm alive."

I look at his familiar face. He has a few little scars but other than that looks unscathed. He is bigger now, too. Not the skinny boy from the Stilts who was dragged away from his family the second he reached adulthood.

He crushes me in a hug and my eyes sting with fresh tears.

"But you're dead," I sob. "And how didn't the guards see you?" There's no way he snuck in without them spotting him first. And they should be there, beside the doors, making sure I don't try to leave.

"Got rid of them while you were killing those targets." Shade grins proudly. "We've got a lot to catch up on."

Yeah, we do. I cradle my injured wrist in my other hand, cringing at the throbbing pain.

Shade looks down at it and his eyes go wide at the already swollen limb, the bruising beginning to show. "Oh shit!" You'd think he never fought in a war by the way he freaks out at my messed up wrist. "You broke it!"

I cut him off with a wave of my good hand. "It's fine. I'll get a healer."

"No." He glances at the doors, eyes narrowing. "We're leaving."

Is he insane? Leaving is hardly a viable option. Maven will send out a search party. Evangeline will try to take my place, swearing that I'm a lost cause and as good as dead. If they find out that Shade is here and not dead or in the Choke, they'll kill him for real this time.

A piece of me does not want to leave Maven.

But he said no to seeing my family. And Shade is right here. There is no way I am letting my brother go again. Maven can wait. I'm sure I will be back eventually. Someone is bound to find me sooner or later if this does not work. And who knows what will happen then?

"If I leave of my own volition, I'm screwed." I pace around the room and hit the button that turns off the targets and hurdles. They spring back into the walls and floor.

Shade adjusts his probably stolen guard's uniform. "Then, we'll make it look like I kidnapped you. They won't recognize me anyways. Let's go."

We go into the empty halls, Shade staying a few steps behind me at all times.

My wrist hurts so bad, tightening as it swells. Maybe I should find a Skonos healer before I fake my abduction. But that means talking to Maven.

I keep my head up as I stride down the hall, itching to walk faster. To sprint out of this place and never return. Glancing over my shoulder, I hiss, "How exactly is this going to work?"

"You'll see." Shade pulls some dark-tinted glasses out of a pocket and puts them on. I don't stifle my laugh. He looks ridiculous. "What?" He chuckles. "If they see my whole face, I'll be easier to track down than I already am."