Maybe I should have assumed this was what was going to happen. But, of course, I know that not every wolf pack kills every Moon Caster they meet, Both sides have been known to take prisoners, to keep them for years. And, I don’t know, call me crazy, but I assumed that’s what Emlyn’s pack would want to do with her. Take her back as a prisoner. Punish her, for sure. But the flyer specifically says theydon’twant her dead.
I must have blinded myself to this possibility because I was so eager for the reward. I didn’t want to deal with it.
I don’t have time to consider it because the man on the beach is getting to his feet, hurrying away in the direction of my rock.
I’m depending on the cover of darkness here, and my own ability to move swiftly. I’m counting on the man not to look back for at least thirty seconds—that’s how long I’m giving myself to get down the beach to where Emlyn is sitting and then away.
And I’m counting on her, once she realizes it’s me, to stay quiet. Because if she cries out in surprise, this whole plan will go to hell.
In preparation, I shuck off my jeans, bring the legs of them around my waist like a belt, and knot them firmly. I don’t want to lose my pants here.
I hurry down to her. She’s facing the water, away from me, and I don’t have time to explain matters to her. I clamp my hand over her mouth, lift her up, and sprint back to the reeds.
I wait until I’m sure she’s seen me to uncover her mouth. “Stay quiet,” I breathe.
“I knew it was you,” she said. “I could tell by your scent. You came back.”
Her voice is full of emotion, but I can’t tell what specific emotion it is. Is she glad to see me? Is she afraid?
“We need to move,” I say, reaching around to loosen the chain tying her wrists together.They can’t know I’m involved. They have to think she escaped of her own accord. If they find out I had something to do with it, I won’t be able to claim the bounty.
“Thank you for coming back for me,” she says.
There’s no mistaking the gratitude in her voice. But I don’t want to think about that.
I slide the chains off her wrists, set them on the ground, and pull her to her feet. “Let’s go,” I say, and we’re off and running.
Chapter 26
EMLYN
Weshifttorunbecause there’s no sense in staying human now. Because the only thing that’s going to save us is speed. That, and the fact that we have a head start.
Nate’s actually running faster than me this time. He hasn’t done that in the past, and I don’t know how I feel about it. I push myself, trying to keep up, but I can’t. Was he always capable of outpacing me like this? Was he just holding himself back, letting me believe I was able to keep up with him?
Or is something compelling him to move more quickly now than I’ve seen him move before?
It doesn’t make sense for him to run ahead because I’m the one Bruce and the others are going to be tracking. If anything, we should be using his scent to disguise mine. That’s the smarter strategy here.
But maybe he’s not as smart about tactics as I am.
Or maybe it is because he’s clearly prepped for this. He took off his pants and knotted the legs around his waist before we started running—they’re flapping like a flag as he sprints ahead of me. I didn’t think to do that. When we stop, he’s going to have clothes, and I won’t.
And there’s no time for any kind of debate. If they haven’t already noticed that I’ve run away, they will at any minute, and they’ll be after us. We have to get to some kind of hiding place before that happens.
Nate, apparently, has a plan.
He whips around a corner. It’s all I can do to keep up with him. I never imagined that he could be capable of such speed. A moment later, right before my eyes, he disappears—
No, not disappears. He’s darted down a flight of stairs leading back to the underground tunnels.
A shudder wracks me.Not this again.
Still, Nate’s the one who saved me, and I’m not going to question his plan right now. I have to think he knows what he’s doing.
I follow him down.
He’s human when I reach the foot of the stairs, and he grabs me and pulls me into the shadows. I shift without thinking about it, matching his human touch with my human body, so that by the time we’re skin to skin, we’re both human again.