Hide And Seek And Stay Alive

I stumble out of the dining room, dragging Will along with me. He slouches and staggers, leaning against me as he tries to keep up.

We make our way into a study as swiftly and silently as we can. Will looks dizzy and queasy enough to faint, but he manages to stay on his feet. Kade’s footsteps echo behind us.

There’s something alarming and predatory about his unhurried, unbothered pace. He doesn’t have to bother chasing us. A bullet flies faster than either of us can run. A twisted part of me wonders if perhaps he’s enjoying this chase. Then, as if answering my question, Kade’s muffled voice calls out to me from another room.

“This is awfully childish, my dear. You won’t get far, and you can’t hide forever.”

We pause for a moment to catch our breath, and Will collapses against the desk.

“He’s right,” Will says under his breath. “We can’t outrun him. I’m slowing you down.”

I shoot Will a warning glance, but he ignores it. The potion is working its magic, but not fast enough to allow us to escape.

Not yet.

We need a distraction; anything to buy ourselves more time while Will heals so we can get out of here.

“You have to run. Leave me,” Will whispers, his voice breaking with emotion and effort. The pleading urgency in his eyes makes my chest tighten.

“Never gonna happen,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “Spare me the martyr attitude and save your breath.”

He looks like he wants to protest, but he clenches his jaw instead. We can’t afford to argue. Right now, our only advantage is that Kade is being cocky and careless, and the manor is massive enough that it will take him a bit to track us.

But that’s not enough.

Light floods into the study through the tinted windows, and I shield my eyes with the back of my hand. Several cars are pulling up outside the manor. Will curses as I rush to close the curtains before anyone sees us.

The mercenaries have arrived, and Kade is coming, his footsteps growing closer and closer.

Will and I exchange a frantic glance, then I look at the large desk he’s leaning against. I step towards it and grab a letter opener off the counter. It will barely scratch compared to the wolfsbane dagger, but it’s better than nothing.

“Hide,” I say softly.

He nods gratefully as I help him get under the desk. It’s large enough for both of us to crouch under it, and the large wooden panel will keep us out of sight. But if Kade comes closer to investigate, our scent will give us away.

I mutter a hushed curse, crawling beside Will as he rests his head against the back of the desk with a grimace. He shuts his eyes, taking a steadying breath as I grip the little knife tightly.

“We just need to wait until the potion kicks in. Once you can run, we’ll find Ash and get the hell out of here.”

He shakes his head softly, the motion too exhausted and defeated for his usually biting and charming demeanor.

“Kade will find us.”

“No, he won’t,” I insist, and I don’t know which one of us I’m trying to convince.

He opens his eyes, that electric blue peering into my soul. Slowly, he reaches for me, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His touch is soft and loving, a stark contrast to the cold and bloody reality we find ourselves in.

“You should run, little wolf. Please,” he begs.

Instead of answering, I shift around and curl up against his side, careful of his wound. For a moment, I think he’s going to protest, but then he doesn’t push me away as I lean gingerly against him. He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tightly, as though we could hold one other close enough to disappear into each other entirely.

I rest my head against his bare chest, letting the beating of his heart block out the sound of Kade’s ever-approaching footsteps.

I’ll fight to my last breath. I’ll never give in, and he will never give up on me. But if this is where it ends, then so be it. I melt into Will’s warm embrace, taking in that scent of amber and autumn.

Not even Kade’s bullets can separate us.

“We fight and fall together, my angel,” I breathe so quietly that I can scarcely hear my own voice.

But Will understands. He presses a long kiss on the top of my head, and then his arms stiffen around me as the door of the study creaks open. The shadow of Kade’s silhouette in the doorframe spreads onto the wall in front of us.

My pulse quickens as Kade saunters in lazily, and I’m not sure if he’s smelled us yet, or he’s still taking his time, enjoying this deadly game of hide and seek like a cat toying with a mouse. I press closer to Will, and the movement allows me to glimpse a crack between the wooden panels. I squeeze Will’s hand, and he gives me a brisk nod.

Agonizingly slowly, I lean away from him. I’m painfully aware of the sound of my own breath and every little noise I might make as I rest my forehead against the wooden panel and peer through the crack. Kade lingers in the doorway, his face a perfect mask of disappointment and disinterest as he surveys the room. He tilts his head to the side in a catlike motion and sniffs the air.

Sweat trickles down my brow. This is it. He’s tracked us. Any second now, he’ll turn to the desk and shoot.

But then Kade turns around sharply, not toward our hiding spot, but to something just outside the hallway.

Not something. Someone.

A rumbling growl makes my breath catch in my throat. I can’t see well enough from where we’re hidden, but I manage to glimpse tawny fur and flashing fangs. I’ve never seen Ash in her wolf form before, but I know it’s her.

There’s a blur of motion, and a booming noise as the gun goes off, but Ash leaps out of the way. I flip the letter opener in my hand and wield the little knife as a weapon as I slide past Will and stand up from behind the desk.

Kade doesn’t see me; his attention is focused entirely on the growling wolf circling him.

Ash’s eyes meet my own, and the word she mouthed to me echoes in my mind.

Run.

Ash snaps at Kade’s feet, swiftly dodging his second shot before dashing down the corridor. Kade curses and runs after her as Ash leads him away from Will and me.

I choke back a sob as I bend down again, helping Will back to his feet. I move past him, but he grabs my writs, some of the strength returning to him as he holds me back.

“I have to go help her!” I whisper urgently, ignoring the tears streaming down my cheeks.

But it wouldn’t make a difference. Ash is too beaten, Will is too bloodied, and I’m too drained. There’s no way all three of us are making it out of the manor in one piece. Kade’s mercenaries are pouring into the property. They’ll be descending on our trail in a matter of minutes.

“Ash knows what she’s doing. She’s the fastest of your aunt’s guards; she’ll lead Kade away and buy us some time,” Will says, and it seems like he’s going to be sick at his own words.

“But she’s hurt,” I cry, looking out down the corridor as the sound of the chase grows further away.

Will cups my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him.

“We all make our own choices, princess. Honor hers. Trust Ash.”

And after all the lies, the spying, the uncertainty, and manipulation… I do trust her. My friend. My warrior. My pack.

Will’s hands fall from my face, and I can tell this is killing him. But he’s right. I entwine my fingers with his. We need to get out of the manor. Our best chance is to find a way to escape to the safe house and join the other wolves of the Argent Pack in the mountains. We’ll rest there, recover and regroup. Then we’ll come back and rescue Ash and my aunt and destroy Kade once and for all, even if that means I’ll have to burn Silver Manor down to the ground.

“Let’s go.”