Unhooked

by Lisa Maxwell

“What do you want me to do?” I ask, my voice rising in panic. The second beast is watching me with those bloodred eyes, but Rowan darts in front of me before it can attack. “We both know what you did in the tunnel, Gwendolyn. Try something. Anything,” he demands, his voice tight with more than impatience as he swivels to account for the other beast’s location. “You’re half bloody Fey, aren’t you?” “I—” The second beast lunges for me, but I stab at it with the dagger. Surprised, it backs away, shifting uneasily on its strong legs as it considers me with its burning eyes. “I don’t know how.” I clench my hands into tight fists. I’m still not sure what made the rock disappear in the tunnels. I have no idea what I finally did to get him out of that prison. “Figure it out,” he snaps, fending off another attack. “I have bet everything on you—my life, my friend. My crew.” “I know.” My voice comes out angrier than I intended. “But it’s not like I asked for this. It didn’t come with a set of instructions.” “You don’t need a set of bloody instructions, Gwendolyn. It’s what you are. And if you don’t stop running from it, we’re not going to be making it out of this particular mess alive.”