Until it all suddenly stops.
And the only thing I can hear is my own heartbeat, banging rhythmically against my ribs.
“Aurora.”
The sound of his voice almost makes me drop the pole.
Lex.
The lock on the door slowly turns.
A tear forms in my eye, but I push it back and brace for impact.
CLICK!
The door unlocks. Someone lowers the handle.
My heart beats a million miles an hour.
The door slowly opens.
And the bruised-up face that appears behind gives me pure chills.
“Shouldn’t have come to this clinic, Aurora,” he says with a low voice. “This is the one place that serves only criminals.”
“No wonder they wouldn’t help …” I mutter. My eyes flutter from guard to guard, wondering which one will attack me first.
But Lex raises his hand, and all his guards stop pointing their guns at me. “I’ll handle this,” he tells them, then he turns to face me. “So nice to see you again.” A wicked smile grows on his face.
“Stay back!” I growl, shoving the pole forward like it’s a lance.
He laughs. “You’ve gotten feisty. Come now, put it down.”
“Leave me alone!” I retort, still whipping the pole around.
“You know why I can’t,” he says. “You’re the only connection to your father.”
“He’s not here,” I say through gritted teeth.
“I know that,” he replies, his voice lowering in tone. “So you’re the next best thing I can take.”
“You’ve destroyedeverythingI’ve ever cared about!” I yell in pain. “When will it ever be enough?”
He chuckles. “Everything? Hardly. Your father is still alive. So are you.”
“Youkilledhim. You killed Beast,” I blurt out, unable to keep my feelings in check.
He frowns, but then a vicious smile slowly spreads on his face. “You seem to care an awful lot about that monster of mine …”
He takes a step forward.
“You know, when I heard they found you, I immediately came here. Lucky for you, I was only a few blocks away. Just returning in my car from a visit to this very clinic.”
Oh God. Oh God.
He was right. I shouldn’t have ever come here.
“Stay away!” I yell, lunging forward with my makeshift weapon.