We bolted. I didn’t have time to think, didn’t have time to feel the pain in my leg. Survival burned everything else away.
Branches clawed at my arms and face as we tore through the underbrush.
My breath came in ragged gasps, the metallic tang of fear on my tongue.
Behind us, footsteps pounded the earth, shouts of hunters weaving through the trees.
“There! Don’t let them escape!”
Another shot rang out, closer this time. Gael snarled, the sound raw and primal.
He pivoted, his hand seizing my arm and yanking me behind a thick oak just as a bullet bit into the tree trunk, sending splinters flying.
“Keep going!” he barked, his eyes wild. “I’ll cover you.”
“Like hell you will!” I shot back.
His gaze softened for just a fraction of a second, but the urgency didn’t leave his face. “Asher, be reasonable.”
A fresh burst of rage surged through me. “I’m not leaving you behind.”
A shout to our right cut off any further argument.
Gael cursed, his eyes flashing with frustration and something else I couldn’t name.
He grabbed my hand, and we ran. The forest blurred around us, a smear of green and brown.
My leg screamed with every step, but I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep going. Falling behind wasn’t an option.
The ground sloped downward sharply, the leaf-covered earth treacherous. I stumbled, my ankle twisting, but Gael’s grip tightened, keeping me upright.
We crashed through a tangle of brambles, thorns raking across my arms. I barely felt it. Suddenly, Gael yanked me to a halt. I blinked, trying to focus.
Ahead of us, the forest thinned out into a small clearing. And standing there, blocking our path, were three hunters.
At the front was Declan.
He looked the same as he had as the last time I met him. He looked cold, composed, with those calculating eyes that saw too much.
“You should’ve heeded my warning and Donovan’s, Asher,” Declan said with a sigh.
My hands clenched into fists. My heart slammed against my ribs.
Beside me, Gael went still, his body vibrating with barely restrained violence.
He looked from Declan to me, and my stomach twisted.Shit.
I hadn’t told him about my encounter with Declan or my call to Donovan.
It wasn’t like I was keeping it from Gael. I planned on telling him eventually, but there hadn’t been time.
Declan hadn’t killed me outright last time because of Donovan, I remembered. Maybe I could reason with him again.
“Let us go, Declan,” I said, my voice tight. “Just pretend you didn’t see us.”
Declan’s mouth curled into a cold, humorless smile.
“The two of you are in our way. My team and I can’t focus on both you and our primary target.” Declan tilted his head, eyes narrowing. Then he continued,“Besides, the fact remains. You’re running with a vampire, Asher. You know how this story ends.”
