I took the extra bag from the bed and trailed behind Isabelle. Her hair, which looked almost brown when wet, had caused a dark stain on her fitted tank top. She wore stretchy leggings and sneakers. Human work-out clothes. Yet, she’d just come from a shower, so I doubted she was dressed specifically to work out. I watched the way she moved as our steps echoed in the stairwell. Agile. Fluid. She wore the clothes because they gave her freedom of movement. Her ponytail swayed slightly with each tread. Goosebumps rose on the skin of her neck by the time we reached the bottom. Was she cold?
Luke held the door as we filed out. Bethi ran to the car Isabelle had left in that morning. Isabelle moved quickly to open the front passenger door for Grey. The human slid into the seat and tried to speak. Nothing more than a broken rasp came out.
“Keys?” Isabelle said.
The man stuck a shaky hand into his pocket and fished them out. Before she could grab them, I took the keys.
“I’ll drive,” I said. It gave me a reason to be in the car with her and to ensure she didn’t try to run.
She turned to glare at me.
“No thanks.” She held out her hand. I glanced at the raw, red cut on the palm and felt anger stir behind the wall.
“We don’t have time for this,” Gabby said. “They’re grouping to the east. We need to go.”
“Fine.” Isabelle moved toward the back door, and I stepped forward to open it for her. Once she was in, I closed it and moved around the car.
Follow close, Grey sent me as the rest got into our car.
I will.
“Hang in there, E,” I heard Isabelle say from inside before I opened the driver’s door. The car was smaller than what we’d been using, and it was a tight fit behind the wheel. Backing out required the use of all the mirrors because there wasn’t room for me to twist around.
She sat in the middle of the seat and watched me intently via the mirror. I couldn’t stop staring back at her as I pulled out of the parking lot and trailed Grey.
“What’s your name, again?” she asked.
“Carlos.”
“Eyes on the road, Carlos.”
“You should buckle up,” I said.
She reached forward and set a hand on her friend’s shoulder.
“You okay, Ethan?”
The human turned his head, and Isabelle rubbed his shoulder. My grip tightened on the steering wheel. He reached up to pat her hand before facing forward once more.
Trouble heading our way. Keep up, Grey sent me, pulling my attention back to the immediate threat.
Can we avoid them?
We’re going to try.
Before I could warn Isabelle, Grey took a sudden sharp turn onto a pitted side road.
I did the same. In the back, Isabelle fell over in the seat.
“What was that?” she said, followed by the click of a seatbelt.
“Gabby is trying to avoid—”
Brake lights came on and tires screeched a moment before a mutt flew over the front of Grey’s vehicle and hit our windshield. Isabelle cried out as the glass splintered but held. The body rolled to the side and fell to the road, leaving behind a smear of blood.
Urbat poured from the trees on the left.
Don’t stop, I sent Grey.
But the car before us didn’t move as bodies covered our vehicle. The roof dented in. I stepped on the gas and turned the wheel, hoping I’d miss the car in front of us. Then, our rear window shattered. I looked back to see Isabelle pulled from her seat and out the broken window.
I roared and put my shoulder to the door. Metal screamed in protest. Bodies converged on me, blocking my way to Isabelle.
She was out there. Somewhere in this mess, my human Mate was facing claws and fangs. The image of teeth piercing her skin proved too much. A fracture spread in my carefully constructed wall. Rage and fear, strong enough to make my hands shake and my teeth elongate. Channeling the emotions, I grabbed a tuft of fur and heaved. Again and again, bodies flew away. Snarls and growls filled the air as more came at me. I worked my way around our car. She wasn’t there.
A mutt broke out the side window to get to Isabelle’s human. I grabbed the mongrel by the throat and broke his neck with a simple twist while pulling back what had escaped from the wall. The rage and fear were still there, driving me, but I could no longer feel them. Neither could the link that had swelled with fear. The mutts would pay.
After that, I didn’t just toss. I ended them. Every single one who came at me.
Within minutes, bodies littered the ground around both vehicles. Clay stood facing northwest, completely focused on something. The others watched him. Grey’s shirt was ripped. Luke’s hair was standing out in every direction, and blood spattered Bethi’s face and clothes, but she bore no cuts. I looked around for the splash of Isabelle’s bright red hair.
“Go. I’ll get the boy, and we’ll follow,” Grey said.
Clay and I took off running through the trees, passing through an unoccupied picnic area before coming to a side road.
I could smell the females’ scents mixed with exhaust.
They were put into a vehicle in the park. I easily kept pace with Clay as he crossed the road and plunged into the trees.
I didn’t question him. Gabby and Clay were a Claimed pair. He didn’t need to follow scent trails to find her.
Talk to me, Grey sent.
We’re cutting through the park.
“Are we close?” I asked Clay.
“No.”
I wanted to swear. To hit something. To at least run full out, but I could smell Clay’s fear and saw the sweat on his forehead and knew he was already putting everything he had into running. I focused on pulling everything I wanted to feel back behind the wall.
We’re not close yet, I sent Grey when I finished.
We came to another road, which we crossed. However, this time, we sprinted through yards and over fences.
Humans may see us doing some questionable feats, I sent Grey.
We understand.
The pocket of houses fell behind, and we raced through several acres of trees again.
Go around the houses. There aren’t that many. We’re still heading northwest.
“I think they stopped,” Clay panted. “We’re getting closer faster.”
His words didn’t reassure me. Why had they stopped? How many would we find? Would our women be all right?
Clay says we’re close now, I sent Grey.
We’re still in the trees before the houses, he sent back.
The trees opened to a narrow field alongside a country road. There, parked on the shoulder, was a white van. Two males lay sprawled out on the ground. The splash of red I’d been searching for was near the van. She lay half in the back of the van.
I rushed toward her as she began to slide out and grabbed her arms to stop her fall. Her head lolled back, and her bright green gaze met mine.
“I threw up,” she whispered.
I swallowed hard against the relief that flooded me.
“You’re alive,” I breathed as I struggled to quickly pull back what I felt. The link in my mind came alive with worry before I managed to close myself off.
Isabelle gagged and closed her eyes.
“Stop. Please.”
I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to stop. I wasn’t doing anything but holding her up.
“Gabby,” Clay yelled, reaching us. I looked up and saw the other girl laying on the bench seat. She didn’t stir at the sound of her name. I moved Isabelle so Clay could go in after Gabby.
Isabelle opened her eyes. Her gaze rolled around almost drunkenly. Clay scooped Gabby into his arms, cradling her gingerly to keep her head from moving as he stepped from the van.
“What happened to her?” he asked, looking at Isabelle.
“Is she breathing?” she asked. I didn’t like the thready quality of her voice.
He nodded.
“I happened to her. We couldn’t go with them.”
She looked at the men on the ground. The one with blood on his face opened his eyes and looked at her. Rage boiled behind the wall. They’d taken Gabby and Isabelle. What happened to Gabby wasn’t Isabelle’s fault. It was theirs. I set Isabelle against the van and turned to watch the male climb to his feet. He swiped at me pathetically. His moves were loose. Almost drunken. They reminded me of how Clay and Luke had acted after Isabelle had drained them.
I reached out, grabbed his head, and gave a quick twist. He fell limply to the ground. I moved to the one who was still rasping on the gravel shoulder and finished him the same way. We couldn’t afford to be followed by either of them. If they were like us and could communicate, they could coordinate another attack.
When I turned to look at Isabelle, her eyes were closed and her face a mask of pain. I gently touched her cheek, wishing I could take the pain from her. She opened her eyes and looked up at me.
“Can we leave, yet?”
We have them, I sent Grey.
We’re at the edge of the park. Winifred is coming here.
We’ll come to you, then.
As soon as I answered Isabelle with a nod, she tried straightening away from the van. She gagged and slumped back against the support.
“May I help you?” I held out my arms. It wasn’t a purely selfless invitation. I needed to hold her.
She looked around me at Gabby and Clay, then met my gaze.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’d puke.”
I wanted to hold her. But not if it would hurt her.