Chapter 45

Jaden

“Where did she fucking go?” someone cries, but all I can focus on is the lip of the cavern, waiting for Stacey to emerge. My pumpkin. My stomach twists as I feel her fear ratchet up another notch through the bond. I’d promised her I would always protect her from spiders. I’d promised her a lot of things, and in my anger and spite, I had used everything I knew about her against her.

Would she ever forgive me?

My hands grip the worn leather seat in the observatory. The scent of sweat fills the air the tension palpable in the room. My eyes strain for a hand, a face, something to tell me she will make it out. The dim light casts eerie shadows on the red walls, and the cool, musty air feels thick as it fills my lungs. I can feel both Hunter and Paxton’s stares as I try to remain calm, my body rigid and face expressionless.

“What’s down there?”

“Are there any cameras?”

“Can we see what’s going on?”

Voices blur as I wait, my heartbeat loud in my ears, each thud sending shivers down my s