Chapter 61

chapter 61

ELLE

"Left! And left again!" Donna shouted behind me—and behind her, I heard the echoing shouts of Hargrave telling his men not to shoot—not because they didn't want to kill us, but because they might accidentally shoot the baby.

I found the last strength in my body to make around the next bend, running through the engine room where we'd just pried this battery off the wall, to the airlock at the back of it, with the pressurized lifeboat attached to the far side. I set the battery down and started spinning open the thick circular door.

"Hurry!" Donna said, putting Snout down to help.

We hauled the door open—the space inside the lifeboat was only as big as an extra-long couch. Together we heaved the battery inside, she got in, and I gave her Snout much more carefully. I crawled in beside them, and was redoubling to spin the door closed behind us, when a steel-toed boot blocked me, and the circular door was yanked back open, revealing Hargrave, and his men.

"I can't let you leave with that," he said, before calmly shooting Donna in the face.

Snout squealed, I screamed—and I realized I didn't hear Ceph .

I knew he was all right, I felt him on our 'qa—but whatever it was he was doing right now, he'd blocked off from me entirely.

"No!" I shouted, as hands reached into the lifeboat to pull me out of it. "Don't!"

I heard my cries echo out—and then heard an answering cry from somewhere behind me, only it was much more masculine.