Chapter 184

I frowned and replied. Coming where?

A few moments passed then another message came. Never mind. I was confused.

Confused about what? I frowned and looked toward the door. I stood up and went out the door, listening for some sound or movement. There was nothing.

I opened the door across the hall. The room was empty, but I knew that there had been someone inside it earlier. I marched down the hall, checking every room I could and they were all mostly empty. I headed back to my room, but stopped as I saw the group of people that were heading away from the barracks and toward a portal. I saw Ian and someone talking. Then, I saw Estella and I was furious. Candido wasn’t with her, but it was obvious that she was leaving or something.

I hurried out of the barracks, not even bothering to change and raced out.

“Whoa!” Shiloh cried, darting out of the way.

I turned on him, glaring up at him as I realized that I couldn’t get to the area through the path that was behind the barracks.

“Hm,” Shiloh eyed me. “Yeah. That dress looked better on Raven—”

I hissed at him. “Where is Candido?”

“What’s it matter?” Messiah asked.

“Where is he?”

Shiloh snorted. “He was planning to leave Lunae in about an hour for recon.”

“Where?” I asked. “No one said anything to me about this!”

“I wonder why.” Shiloh chuckled. “I mean… you did nearly get his cousin killed… then you attacked the woman who made sure he had a fighting chance—”

“She attacked me!”

“Sure,” Messiah said. “And I’m a blushing virgin.”

They scoffed and turned away.

“Wait!” I yelled at them. “You have to tell me how to get there!”

“Aren’t you the mystical, all-seeing, so-smart Pandora?” Shiloh asked. “I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“Yeah,” Messiah said. “Why’d you want directions from a vampire anyway?”

“Maybe we’ll just send you into a lake.”

They laughed and walked away. Before I could chase after them, they seemed to vanish and I had no way of following them.

I turned back, eyeing the wall between me and the other area. Then, I ran at it, determined to climb it.

The sandals slipped the first time I tried to run up the wall. I tried to use my strength, but I didn’t have it. I didn’t know if it was because of what I’d done with Cillian, the cuffs, or if the leeches and whatever happened at the temple was affecting me, but I tried again and climbed the wall, clinging to the bricks and pulling myself up the sprawling vines that snapped and seemed to fall away. I panted, feeling dizzy as I climbed up the wall until I reached the top. I could see into the area on the other side, but there wasn’t a safe way to get down. As I stood on top of the wall, I searched for a way to get down. There was a tree that I thought I could leap into and probably climb down from, so I crouched and lunged toward it.

I could see myself falling short and plummeting to the ground, then I stopped mere inches from the ground, hovering there before whatever had caught me dropped me on my face. Pain throbbed in my face.

“That was almost the most entertaining thing I’ve seen all day,” Ian said with that same haughty and mocking tone. “Right after you being banished from the temple into the lake.”

I grit my teeth and pushed myself onto my feet. I glared at him, but Candido wasn’t looking at me. He was walking towards the portal, rallying everyone together. I got up and charged over at him. Nearby, I saw Vanessa and Wren whose eyes were still glowing red. He looked more amused than usual.

Then, I heard Estella’s voice. “Load up. We roll out in ten!”

“Where are you going?” I asked rushing to catch up to Candido. He didn’t slow down and he didn’t turn back to look at me. “I asked you where you’re going! I’m second-in-command—”

“No, you’re not,” Candido said calmly. “You’re the lead operations manager, which we currently have no need for, Pandora.”

I glared at him. “Let me guess, Estella is now your second-in-command? The operations manager you need?”

“Starlight has volunteered to be our lead healer,” he said calmly.

“You can’t leave without me!” I screeched.

He looked at me. “And you expect to go in… a mini-dress covered in dirt, a hickey on your neck, and smelling like sex?”

My eyes widened as Ian coughed into his hand. Candido looked down at me. His eyes were so cold.

“No, Pandora,” he said. “You’ll stay here.”

“You’re just acting this way because I was out with Cillian! Well—”

“Either you submit to my orders, Pandora, or you don’t,” Candido said. “Whatever personal feelings you have on the matter are irrelevant. You and your personal feelings have done enough damage.”

I drew back and my eyes pricked with tears. “You aren’t supposed to talk to me like that.”

“As the lead field commander of Moon Shadow, I usually wouldn’t be talking to you directly at all,” Candido said. “Return to the barracks and clean yourself up.”

“No!” I yelled, reaching for him.

He whirled around, his eyes glinting with moonlight as he barred his teeth at me. I drew up short at his anger. Then, he turned away and headed further into the group.

“Let’s get going.”

My jaw trembled, no one even looked back at me, not even Claire as they got ready to go. Ian stood off to one side and told a few people in the group something I couldn’t understand.

They responded, then they headed through the gate. Candido walked over to where Estella and a few others were loading carts and I couldn’t stand it. He helped her wheel things through the gate and I stormed after them, ignoring Ian’s chuckling.

The gate enveloped me and on the other side, everyone’s cuffs vanished as did mine. They climbed into the jeeps and Candido climbed into the jeep with Estella. It took off before I could get in, but I caught on to another one heading in the same direction.

One of the Moon Shadow people groaned and lifted his radio.

“Angel to Armageddon, we have a stowaway in a mini-dress.”

I snatched the radio from him. “We’re supposed to be partners, Candido! You should have just said that you were using your mistakes as an excuse to replace me! But I’m not going to let it happen.”

“…Armageddon to Angel,” Candido said calmly. “When we reach the stop point, your truck is tasked with unloading your parcels and waiting behind with the stowaway. Decide among you one person who will stay back.”

I pressed the button. “That’s all you have to say? You won’t even admit you’re wrong? A real leader would tell the truth! A real leader wouldn’t be like this! I--”

“Shut up,” Angel said, snatching the radio from him. “Angel to Armageddon, requesting permission to kick the stowaway off the back of the truck and let her walk.”

“Permission denied.”

He huffed. “You’re too nice.”

He clipped the radio to his belt. “Sit down, shut up, and stop being a fucking idiot.”

I raised my hand to hit him, sure that I was going to punch him in the face and in a moment, he’d knocked me back with a punch to the gut. The truck lurched forward. I tumbled over the back, but I caught the edge of the tailgate before I went flying. Angel walked over.

“Angel, just calm down.”

He stood and put one of his boots on my hand, grinding it. My eyes watered.

“Armageddon may be merciful, but I’m not,” he said, his eyes glinting with moonlight. My hand slipped and before I let go, he grabbed me by my hair. I felt strands ripping out as he threw me back into the bed of the track.

“Sit down. Shut up, and stop being a fucking idiot.”

I sniffled, looking up at him, reaching up for where my scalp was still throbbing. He marched past me, shoving me aside with his boot before returning to his seat. I couldn’t believe a member of Moon Shadow would treat me like that. Just wait until I told Candido about this. He’d regret it. Candido would tear him to pieces for it.

“Angel to Armageddon, an incident to report.”

“Armageddon to Angel, is she still in the jeep?”

“Yes.”

“No further report required.”

My jaw dropped and Angel clipped the radio to his belt. He crossed his arms and sat back. His eyes closed. I looked at the other members of Moon Shadow who also said nothing. There was one woman among them.

“You’re not going to say anything?”

Her eyes narrowed and she pulled out a radio.