Page 14 of Hitched to the Vampire King
Gabriel shot me another glance, his fear practically palpable. He knew the stakes. And he knew we couldn’t keep running forever. Soon, my limited reserves would completely dry up.
“I’m okay,” I reassured him, my voice hoarse. “And I found our way out.” I pointed at the window, then took the lead, a second wind—or maybe it was the fifth now—revitalizing me. When we escaped—and yes,when, notif—I needed to eat and sleep. Preferably in that order. And if my body could just keep me going for a little while longer, I promised itallthe pizza and cheeseburgers I could stuff in my mouth.
We adjusted our path and darted toward the forklift, which sat next to two cages stacked atop each other. Thankfully, the machine was at full-mast, the two fork thingies raised just high enough that we could jump for the window. The second we were close enough, Gabriel gripped my waist and heaved me into the air. I scrambled up the cages, then spun around in time to watch him toss the other werewolf up beside me. Gabriel came next, climbing with perfect efficiency. It made me want to hit him, just a little bit. Of the three of us, he was the only one firing on all cylinders right now, the lucky bugger.
Together, we turned toward the forklift. This would be tricky, but we were paranormal creatures. Surely, we could handle climbing a forklift and jumping to reach a window, right?
I didn’t have time to ponder that thought before Gabriel started assisting the werewolf up the forklift. Watching them, claws scrabbling for purchase and massive body slipping and sliding, I was suddenly thankful I hadn’t stayed in wolf form. Hands were definitely helpful right now.
Unfortunately, Adrian’s people didn’t give us enough time to sort out our problems. The werewolf had just reached the forks when one of the vamps scrambled up next to me. He’d barely caught his balance when I focused all my dwindling energy into a shove—one that yeeted the damn vampire right off the cage. His eyes widened and his arms pinwheeled, then he dropped to the ground, his head cracking off the concrete floor. Sadly, that wouldn’t keep him down for long. Vampire resiliency and all that.
“Maddie—”
“Go!” I shouted to Gabriel. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Like hell!” he barked back.
Before I could argue, my knight in filthy, days-old clothing gripped my waist and, once more, threw me into the air.
I choked on a breath as I gripped the metal forks and hauled myself up. Below me, Gabriel was a blur of movement, fighting off three vampires who had jumped up onto the cage next to him. Their fighting space was limited, which was actually working to his advantage. There was only room for the four of them.
I positioned myself from above, ready to pounce on one of the vampires.
“No!” Gabriel shouted, somehow able to watch me while fighting for his life.
Well, too bad. No way would I sit up here andwatchhim die. I gathered my strength, about to attack from above, when Gabriel executed a perfect leg sweep. One that took two of the vamps down. The third, he sucker-punched in the groin. All three collapsed in a pile. Without hesitation, Gabriel whirled around to the forklift. I scurried over to the other metal fork and watched as he gracefully jumped up next to me.
“Go,” he told me, pointing to the newly-opened window. Guess our werewolf friend had decided not to wait for us. I couldn’t blame them. I’d want the hell out of here too. We’d given them a chance, and they’d taken it.
“Together,” I said. “One, two?—”
“Three,” Gabriel finished.
We jumped, our hands clawing for the window ledge. My fingers wrapped around the cold metal frame, my feet scrabbling for purchase against the concrete wall—and failing. Beside me, Gabriel’s grip was solid, unwavering.
“Go!” Gabriel released one hand and boosted my bottom.
Okay, even for a werewolf, this was tough, and every muscle in my body screamed with the effort. Usually, I could do pull-ups until the cows came home, but it wasn’t so easy tonight, thanks to my injured rib and the fact that I’d donated half my blood to the vamp dangling next to me.
My grip started to slip, and I growled at myself. But before I could fall, a pair of hands darted into the window and grabbed my arms. I cried out, the fear that Adrian had guards on the outside stealing my senses. I was preparing to fight when a haggard head popped into sight—a woman with long, mussed, dark hair, knotted and tangled. Warm honey-colored eyes locked onto mine and her lips pulled back to show flat canines.
Not a vampire, then.
“Hurry up!” came her raspy voice.
A lightbulb went off in my head. The werewolf. She’d shifted once outside the window. Oh, thank god.
I let her pull me up. Once through the window and on the other side, my arms buckled under the weight of exhaustion, relief, and the sheer physical toll the last three nights had taken. I wanted to collapse onto the grass and cry, sleep, laugh—my emotions couldn’t choose just one—but I couldn’t. Not with Gabriel still inside the warehouse.
I leaned back through the window and reached for my mate. “Come on!”
Together, we strained, and I pulled with everything I had left, which wasn’t much. Really, it felt like he was doing all the work, because he was. He came through easier than me, then immediately wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged us both to our feet.
“We have to keep moving,” he said.
He was right. Adrian’s goons wouldn’t be far behind, and we were hardly safe. The other werewolf limped ahead, then pointed at a thick expanse of trees behind the warehouse.
“We can lose them in there,” was all she said before she limped onward.
