Come for Me 2 (The Hunt #2)

Chapter Five

Alaina

“ S am,” I say.

“You want to go to the cliff.” Sam guesses.

I swallow, letting my eyes speak the vulnerability I can’t bring myself to express.

Thanks to not being able to mindlink anyone, Sam and I have gotten pretty good at reading each other’s faces.

It’s moments like these where we aren’t fighting like siblings that I appreciate having him by my side. He’s protective, shares one mind, lethal together, annoy the shit out of each other but won’t dare let anyone else mess with the other. But mostly, thankful to have each other to get through this mutual loss.

Sam walks behind me, never letting me out of his sight but mindful of making sure I have the space to process.

My heart pounds as the path becomes painfully familiar. The bodies were cleared, but I could still envision the never-ending trail of dead rogues and vampires lying in our wake.

The war didn’t just kill the prospect of any future happiness but any happiness this place has brought me in the past. The area looks dead. What was once a green and grassy area through trees is now bloodied, the grass ruined and trampled on, and the trees seem to sway less. Everything seems still.

Silent. Dead.

Fond childhood memories of running through these woods to the tree with the best view of the kingdom are polluted. Vivid flashbacks of Caleb carrying me farther and farther from my mate flood in.

Mate.

Something takes over me, and without thinking, I pick up the pace until I’m sprinting uphill to get to the tree at the cliff.

“Alaina, slow down!” Sam yells from behind me.

I don’t stop. Instead, I book it.

“Sam, speed up!” I mock him, and I imagine he’s probably cussing me for making him chase me again.

I haven’t been to the clearing since that dreadful day, and something cruel inside me revived wishing thinking I thought I’d come to accept the rejection of.

What if he’s there? What if he’s alive?

My feet pound through the woods. Leaves and twigs snap under me, and I don’t even bother to duck under branches and instead crash right through.

But what if mate really is there? What if we aren’t delusional? Our mark hasn’t disappeared , my wolf suggests.

“Moon fucking goddess, Alaina!”

I can barely hear Sam now, and he’s lost sight of me, but I can’t stop. I’m almost there.

The top of the tree comes into view, and I push myself farther.

Please be there.

Once I’m close enough, I skid to a stop in front of the brush. I hesitate, worried about what I’ll find, but I push the fear away along with the bushes in the way of my view, taking a deep breath.

“Dax!” I yell.

Although everything is the same as before, the space I once felt comfort provoked an eeriness akin to that of a graveyard.

Strong winds cause my hair to flap and tangle behind me, making the trees hiss with the surviving leaves that have yet to fall victim to the seasonal change.

The breeze ripples the surviving grass similar to waves in the ocean and creates a sea of green.

The tree Dax and I once sat upon was unchanged in structure but was more welcoming of fall, shedding its coat. But without Dax, the bare trunk welcomes me to mourn. Instead of peering out toward possibilities of discovery, I’m being tempted to discover a shrine of terror if I were to stare out at its view.

I eye the ledge, and my eyes start to water.

I have to know. I have to see it for myself.

Slowly, I creep to the ledge, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. I close my eyes and exhale before looking down. The bed of rocks are more easily revealed since I was here last, and the trees are beginning to lose their leaves. In the center of the heap, the slabs are darkened by guts and fur.

Blood is stained dry in splatter patterns, similar to drip paintings I’ve seen in galleries. This one being among the most horrifying. The remnants lighten in shade as one moves out from the median.

I stagger backward, losing my footing, until strong arms catch me.

“I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Sam embraces me from behind, and we collapse.

I wail to the sky, to the Moon Goddess, to Dax in the heavens.

Moments pass as Sam holds me while I cry like I’m losing him all over again.

“I thought he would be here,” I say through choked sobs. “It’s like I can feel him.”

But all I see are the once fluffy trees ruined by the mob of rogues and vampires that tumbled over the cliff with my poor mate. Battlefields have looked better than what I see, and I know in my heart not even my king could’ve survived such a bloodbath.

“I’m so stupid.” I sniffle.

So does Sam.

“No, you’re not.” Sam hugs me tighter. “Why do you think I kept coming back out here? I feel him, too.”

I don’t know how much time passes where we’re holding each other on this cliff, silently crying.

“We should probably head back before they send a search party,” I say reluctantly.

I don’t want to leave. A closeness to him is tugging at me here, just like it does with my mother. It’s the last redeeming moment with him I have to where I wasn’t such an ass to him.

I didn’t know it then, but I sent him love, care, and concern for his well-being before he ordered Caleb to carry me to safety.

At least I did that.

I’ll remember that every time I’m filled with regret.

“They’ve already asked. I told them to hold off,” Sam says.

It is nice to know everyone cared about my safety, but I don’t deserve it.

“You can go ahead. There is somewhere I want to stop first.”

Sam nods.

Turning my back to Sam, I start heading toward the direction of my secret childhood spot in the forest and stop when I hear footsteps move behind me. I whirl around and see Sam is following, keeping his distance. I would never admit it to him, but I’m glad he chose not to leave.

“You can come, but when we get to the cave, stay outside.”