The line went dead as he put us on hold, and tense silence permeated the vehicle as we waited, the single minute he was gone seeming to last ten.
“The airstrip is clear right now, but security will clear the private entry gate before we get there.”
“Got it,” Reed said, grimacing as the car behind us tried to zip past, get between us and the rest of the pack in the first SUV. They left the line open, but tense silence descended over both vehicles as we continued evasive maneuvers.
“These idiots are going to cause a crash,” I muttered under my breath, to which Samuel nodded his agreement.
“I think at this point, it’s highly likely your theory about a tracker is correct. We had a hell of a head start, but they’re on our bumper. There are other airports in the area that would have been more obvious choices for us to leave the jet.”
“Fuck me. Should we try to dig it out now, or…?”
“Absolutely not,” Olivia snapped, surprising me yet again with her vehemence. “Digging something out of your body in the back of an erratically moving car is irresponsible. We could do more damage and set your recovery back significantly.”
Her words were punctuated by the whole SUV shuddering and then jolting as Reed slammed the brakes and maneuvered around the sedan, the driver of which was doing their best to separate us from our pack.
“Point taken. But we’re going to need it out as soon as the plane is airborne.”
She nodded tightly, not pleased, but also with no trace of fear for what I could only assume would be a grisly task. “I will find it and get it out.”
“Thank you.” I held her gaze until she looked away, and I noticed her white-knuckled grip on the handle overhead. Taking a risk, I unbuckled my seat belt and slid into the empty middle seat, leaning in close so only she could hear me. “It’s going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She froze like a fawn as my breath washed over her ear. When she turned to face me, it was slow, as if she was uncertain about what she was going to see when she looked back. The raw vulnerability in her eyes cracked something inside me, and all my protestations about how our wolves were just confused about being mates felt incredibly stupid. I could see the question. The Can I trust you? that she was too proud to voice.
Goddess help me, I wanted her to be able to trust me. I wanted to be that man for her.
Could I be?
It was a dangerous question.
Kane’s voice over the phone speaker silenced my internal war for the time being. “Those are the gates! Every male, be ready to bail out. I want the females to stay in the vehicles until the area is cleared, and then it’s straight to the jet. Our females are the targets and should all be presumed in danger. Is that clear?”
Echoed responses of “Yes, Alpha,” filled both cars.
Fiona hung up the phone after that, pensively tucking it into her own pocket.
“When I slide out, I want you to get into the driver’s seat. If things don’t go our way-” Reed started, and Fiona shook her head, cutting him off.
“If you’re about to ask me to leave you, you can knock that shit off.”
He snorted, shooting her a smirk before refocusing on the quickly disappearing road between us and the gates to the airstrip.
“Yes, ma’am. But remember before you refuse me, it’s not just you we’re protecting.”
Fiona nodded tightly, and I saw the moment her eyes landed on Olivia, and her stance softened. “I’ll do whatever I have to.”
“That’s my Stormy Girl.” Reed looked her way just long enough to run his fingertips over her cheekbone, and I felt dirty for intruding on the tender moment.
But it was over as quickly as it began, because the tall, razor-wire-topped gates were beginning to roll back, and we had an enemy hot on our heels.
Olivia
Iknew what was coming, but when the moment came that all the men-and Elodie, who ignored the Alpha’s order about females staying in the cars-bailed out of the SUV, I wasn’t ready.
One moment, we were skidding through the gates at top speed; the next, they were all flying out, shifting in midair, and there was no one but me and Fiona left in our car, the doors slamming shut behind them.
Fiona quickly hit the lock button on the doors and slid into the driver’s seat as Reed had told her to. “You should climb up here with me, just in case.”
My hands shook as I climbed between the second-row seats in front of me to do as she asked. “In case of what?”
“In case I need to hold somebody’s hand.” The grin she sent me was lackluster, and I knew she was trying not to show her own panic for my sake. As condensation started to cling to the windows around us, it hit me that she was struggling to keep her djinn powers in check.
I took my place in the passenger seat and gripped her hand without another word. Within ninety seconds flat, battle had broken out all around us. The men had shifted, only the two warrior maidens swinging their butterfly swords in human form as they faced off against Omega Defense League enforcers. They looked like two vampires and two fae, with perhaps a different kind of shifter rounding out their group? I couldn’t tell without catching its scent.
Goddess, help them.
The silent prayer felt wholly inadequate in the current situation, but it was all I could do without directly defying an order from the high alpha. When a Jeep pulled up and five more beefy fighters poured out-these in street clothes, not ODL uniforms-I gripped Fiona’s fingers harder.
Fiona started murmuring, as if anything above a whisper would damn our men. “Ten to seven. Those aren’t great odds, but they’re strong fighters. I’ve seen it. Elodie took out three massive trolls by herself when we were in Neftheim. They’ve only got a couple of vampires, and I don’t know what the rest are. I’ve only seen wolves, trolls, and vampires so far.”
“Didn’t Elodie also almost die because of that third troll?”
There was a beat of silence, and water dripped down the windows of the SUV as she struggled for control. “Yes. But she didn’t, and that’s what matters.”
“I hope you’re right. Those two are lesser fae, and they’re pretty powerful.” I caught sight of Lucien’s wolf, engaging alongside Gael with one of the vampires. When he turned, I saw that his wolf had a fresh scar down over his right eye, and I knew it was him.
They were tag teaming the vampire, and when Gael leapt toward his chest, dodging a wicked-looking silver blade by less than an inch, Lucien sank his fangs into the back of the vampire’s thigh, making him howl with rage and stab backward.
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