Chapter 25 #2
We slipped farther out. Warwick’s head whipped around, checking out the situation as we both flattened against the wall, keeping us low and in the shadows. Shouts and gunfire blasted in front of us from the main entrance to the prison.
The statue of the lady and the feather was now a pile of rubble, along with the ground around it. The explosion put a large hole in the Citadel and entrance to Halalház, allowing prisoners to gush out of the wounds, fleeing for the wild park only yards away.
“Halt!” a man boomed out into the night, jolting my head up to the catwalk near me.
Throngs of silhouettes bolted for freedom, hoping to slip into the night and disappear.
Bang! Bang!
Several running figures hit the ground, blood splattering out like black ink over the cobblestone.
One of them was a woman with a braid. My breath caught between my teeth, panicked at the thought it might be Kek.
Was she out? Was Tad? Getting this far and dying at the door was heartbreaking.
Though, at the very least, if they died now, they fell with one last breath of fresh air in their lungs.
The Liberty Bridge’s lights glinted from the Danube far below.
Back before we split from the King and Queen, my father said tourists and locals could freely enjoy the grand views of the Pest side, having a picnic at the maintained and beautiful Gellért Hill Jubilee Park.
Now nature claimed the area like a once domesticated pet, forsaking the rules to survive and flourish in this feral country.
“Come on,” Warwick whispered, hunkering down his massive frame, scouring across the road to the heavily wooded area.
“állj meg!” a voice yelled, sounding right above us. “Stop!”
My head cranked back as I scurried after Warwick. An officer pointed a pistol at me from his perch above.
Panic drove my muscles to move faster, a blast hitting the cobble by my feet.
“I said, stop!”
Click. Bang!
Pain sliced up the back of my calf as a muffled scream tore up my throat, my leg dipping under me, agony clinching my lungs, locking down my jaw.
No! Don’t stop. A voice inside pushed me forward, tapping into the horrendous fear of being caught.
“I found them.” A whistle shrilled in the air, calling attention to his location. “Hurry! I found them.”
“Fuck!” Warwick hissed, suddenly by my side, helping me, both of us slipping into the brush. More bullets zipped by us, all low to the ground like the guard didn’t want to kill us, but immobilize us.
Shutting off my mind, numbing the pain in my leg, Warwick and I trudged through.
Branches and thorns sliced at my exposed arms and torso, my heart thumping madly to keep up with my blood loss and pain, hoping adrenaline would keep me going.
Warwick tried to clear the path, taking the brunt, his hand constantly reaching back for me, pulling me along.
Sweat trickled down my back, huffing as I tried to bite back my whimpers. Gunshots, cries, and shouts discharged through the night sounding like a messed-up symphony. The chorus of death, the notes they cried out, grew more distant the farther we ventured into the park.
Warwick’s hand went back, stopping us, his head jerking around.
“What?”
He held up his finger, and then I heard a crack of branches.
“It’s not just the guards out here who want to kill us,” he muttered. “Fae have filled this area with large game for their leader to hunt. But what is hunted also hunts. The game will gladly eat any of the escaped prisoners.”
“Great.” I peered behind me and stiffened at the sound of another snap of foliage rustling in the distance.
Animal? Guard?
“Farkas, I know you’re out here. I can hear your heart beating. And I can see in the dark,” a woman’s stern voice called out. “You will be found. Don’t do this.”
“Don’t make this harder for yourself,” a man shouted right after her. “You had it good. Don’t destroy that.”
Warwick silently moved in front of me, his frame pressing into mine, pushing us back into a hedge. He gripped my arms, taking the pressure off my hurt leg. As his frame engulfed mine, he blocked out all light.
My lungs contracted as his scent curled around me once again, his bare chest rubbing against mine, blotting out all my thoughts.
“Don’t think for a moment you are safe with him, Kovacs,” another male guard yelled out. “You’d be better off coming with us now. He’s not who you think he is.”
As a trained soldier, I understood their tactics.
They were playing with my head, trying to create doubt, but I already believed I was not safe with him.
Especially given the way my body reacted to his.
His erection cut through his thin pants, burning into my stomach.
My thighs twitched with need. The desire to open for him and feel him sink deep into me rocked headily through my core.
His gaze shot to me, the pristine ocean color turning stormy as if he could feel my need. His nose flared, his hands sliding slowly down to my elbows, his touch oddly fierce and soft. Everything about him felt like yin and yang. Conflicting. Challenging.
Life.
Death.
His stare scorched so strongly into me, I dropped mine, which was even dumber. My vision seized on the tattoos inking his ripped stomach, his chest knocking against mine, the outline of his cock pressing into me, the tip of it almost pushing out of the top of his pants.
Fuck.
No, seriously . . . fuck.
Really, Brex? Right now?
But as if the world outside no longer mattered, the feel of his skin on mine cut a craving through me. The back of my neck tingled as the guard’s footsteps got closer, spinning my head with adrenaline. Everything was peaked. Danger. Fear. Life. Death. They all came together in a tempest.
“They’re close.” The woman spoke to her comrades.
“Normally, Yulia, you can pinpoint from yards away,” a man retorted.
“I know. Something’s messing with my senses tonight. There are a lot of animals and fae moving around out here tonight, maybe that’s why,” the woman, Yulia, replied.
“Comes in handy not having an aura sometimes. Harder to get a reading on.” Warwick rumbled into my ear, my eyes popping up to him.
“I’m going to shift.” The girl spoke again. “Cover me.”
Warwick’s form went rigid, his fingers pressing painfully into my arms, yanking me out of my stupor. He leaned down, his mouth sweeping across my ear, “We need to run. Yulia’s an owl-shifter. She will find us in seconds.” His deep voice sent shivers down my spine. “Can you run?”
I nodded. I had no choice. Owls had the best night vision and hearing of all the animals and could locate prey at a half-mile. Perfect for hunting.
“One.”
A squawk screeched through the air.
“Two.” His lips skimmed my earlobe.
Wings flapped as the owl soared into the sky.
“Three.” In a blink, he peeled away from me. My body registered the loss like a drug withdrawal, but I had no time to mull it over. I moved in step with him, blocking out the pain.
A screech filled the air.
“Over there,” a guard yelled as Yulia cried out again, heading for us instantly.
I forced my weak leg to move, limping more than running, trying to keep up with Warwick as we weaved and darted through the foliage, knowing the owl-shifter would be able to see us like it was daytime.
Over the profuse panting of my breath, I could vaguely make out more shouting. Breaking through a hedge, Warwick headed directly for a large, old tree standing high above others.
An old motorcycle leaned against it.
That’s what he and Zander had been talking about. Our escape had been planned.
Warwick jumped on, his foot slamming down on the kickstart. With a roar, the motorcycle came to life, giving away our location. The bike lurched forward, taking off. For a split second, I feared he was going to leave me, but he paused the bike as I came up to him.
He handed me the gun Zander gave us. “Don’t hesitate.”
I nodded, took it from him, and swung my bad leg over with a cry, my pants saturated with blood.
“The owl will follow us,” he said over the roar of the bike. “Shoot to kill.”
The motorcycle lurched forward, my arms wrapping around his waist so I wouldn’t fall off. A handful of guards breached the foliage, their guns pointed at us.
The bike tore off, Warwick weaving away from them.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Bullets hit the ground, splintered trees, and zoomed by my ear, zinging off the metal of the motorcycle.
Warwick flinched as blood spurted out of his bicep, pushing the bike harder, tearing across the land.
Ammunition volleyed after us, but we quickly escaped their reach as he took us down the hill.
Nature had consumed the old paths with tall grass, brush, and debris, forcing us to make our own.
The roar of the engine cut off the gunshots and commotion from the prison break, the motorbike taking us farther away.
Bouncing and sliding, I gritted my teeth at the violent jolts.
I dug my legs into his hips, my shaky arms holding him so tightly I could feel his heartbeat through his chest. I practically became his backpack.
My hands skimmed his bare torso, curving over his muscles.
Finally, the bike hit a paved road at the bottom, skidding. Warwick curved for the bridge. For a moment, my shoulders sagged in relief. The Pest side was so close I could taste it.
Home.
Freedom.
Screech! The owl dove down for us. I wasn’t afraid it could overpower us, but I knew it would follow us, find out where we were going, leading the entire Halalház team to us.
“Holy shit.” My eyes widened, noticing the harness the owl was wearing. A live cam. Yulia was reporting our whereabouts straight back to the prison. They probably already had guards coming for us.
There was no choice now. She had to die.
Locking my knees tighter against him, I felt one of his hands reach back, clamping down on my thigh to keep me steady as I held the gun with both hands and aimed it at the bird.
My arms shook, and shadows started to line the edges of my vision.
Do. Not. Give. Up. I pointed the gun at the owl.
She swooped and weaved, making it almost impossible for me to target her.
Bang! The gun recoiled, and the bird screeched but dipped clear of the shot.
Warwick gripped me harder, his thumb digging high into my inner thigh, close to the seam of my pants, shooting another wave of energy into my bloodstream. His touch jumped my body, giving me focus. Peering down the barrel of the gun, I waited.
She hooted, circling us.
The end of the bridge stood only yards away to the road leading straight into the neutral zone, where both sides could hide.
“Kovacs,” he muttered my name, his fingers squeezing my leg.
Ignoring him, I held. Wait . . . wait . . . Now!
Boom.
A painful shriek shrilled the night air, sounding almost the same as a woman’s cry, and the bird’s form plunged into the icy river below with a splash.
With both relief and sadness, I lowered my arms, my grip sweaty and slippery on the gun.
It had to be done, but different from what I used to believe in training, I didn’t enjoy taking a fae’s life.
I had seen too much to think them all evil and worthy of death.
She was doing her job. But our survival was more vital . . . to us
Warwick didn’t say anything. Letting go of my thigh, he gripped the handlebars and revved the bike faster. Just like that, we crossed to the other side.
Into the Savage Lands.