Chapter 6 #2
Jess nods. “Okay, so maybe we just enter through the woods and try to act like we came from the train. If we see a car, horses, bikes, whatever, and none are offered for transport, we’ll steal them.
If they’re offering transport, we do whatever we have to so we can get on the road within a half hour.
Otherwise, we leave on our own.” Jess taps the map, her tone decisive.
My heart races. My first thought is that this is a great idea, only to realize how shitty of an idea it is.
This is terrible, honestly. Stealing transport of any kind will get people after us, even if we give it right back as soon as we get to our destination.
And if we can’t convince someone to leave right away, then Judge might catch us.
He could have a militia with him! Not to mention what the conductor might say or do.
My throat constricts again. “Do not risk anything to help me if it comes to it,” I say, my voice firm despite the fear clawing at my throat.
“Please. Get your asses out of here if there is any sign of Judge actually being near. If he does get to me, the only one here surviving is me because of the damn tether he gave us.”
“Diana, don’t start,” Selene mutters.
“I’m not giving up,” I snap back. “I just need to know you won’t do anything stupid. Promise me.” I look around at them, imagining them getting hurt or killed because they get in the way. “Please! Promise me.”
Jess raises a hand, her expression apologetic. “No offense, but I’m here to start over with Rebecca. I’m not signing up for a suicide pact. So you don’t have to worry about me.”
Rebecca gives me a small, sad smile that says more than words ever could.
Good. Two I don’t have to worry about.
I look at Selene. She gives a small, but stiff nod, like she knows better than to press this. I stand up and look at her. “If that happens, you go live a good life, you hear me? Maybe one day I’ll escape again, and I’ll need somewhere to go. Seriously.”
Her brows perk for a second, as if acknowledging that that’s true. “Let’s just focus on getting off here safely.”
I agree for now, and we all gather our things, ensuring our bags are tightly strapped to us and zipped, then wrap ourselves in fur. The station is clear ahead of us, and the only real advantage might be that we’re close to the back of the train, which means easier to break free.
“Thank god it’s heavily wooded,” Rebecca says.
We all stand at the door, and my heart is racing so hard I can feel it in my throat, in my fingertips, everywhere.
This is crazy. Reckless. But I’m not going back to Judge without fighting tooth and nail.
My heart breaks and yearns for him in equal measure—for the alpha that marked me, for the man whose scent still clings to the shirt in my bag.
For the mate that makes me feel an inkling of something.
But I know better. He’s using me. And if there’s one thing I’m certain about, it’s that I won’t be used to placate an alpha. I’m worth way more than that. I will always fight that.
As the engine groans and brakes hiss, the train begins its crawl toward the depot. Ten miles an hour. Eight. Five. The world outside rolls slowly enough to blur instead of streak, the landscape becoming visible in a way it wasn’t before.
“Now,” Jess whispers, her voice tight with urgency.
We jump, survival at our heels.
The ground rushes up, bushes snapping and crackling beneath us as we hit.
I land hard, the impact stealing my breath, stars bursting behind my eyes.
Pain shoots through my shoulder, and I lie there for a moment in case something major is injured.
I start by wiggling my toes, then my feet, then moving my knees, and then my hips.
I work up to rolling my head around—nothing dire.
Rebecca, on the other hand, curses about her wrist bending wrong, but she’s already moving, scrambling to her feet as she cradles it with her other hand.
We all seem capable of movement, so any injuries we might have can be dealt with later. We all bolt into the treeline, keeping low, our breaths coming in harsh, panicked gasps. Behind us, the train screeches into the depot, metal shrieking against metal.
Jess holds out a compass and uses it to guide us toward town.
We jog like men who broke out of prison, the train on one side, and the woods on the other.
As we near a break in the treeline, Jess comes to a halt.
“Wait. If we burst into the stables before the train fully stops, they’re going to know something’s off.
We need to look like normal travelers. And maybe ditch the furs.
It’s not that cold here. It’ll just get warmer the further south we go. ”
“Fine,” I mutter, forcing myself to slow down even though every instinct is screaming at me to run. “We’ll say we left the train early because we were in a hurry. Travelers do that all the time.”
We honestly don’t wait that long and head straight in with our heads held high.
It’s helpful that we all crashed into the ground; it gives an authentic look like we’ve been on the road for a while.
The town is warmer than the train, the sun beating down and giving me a second wind of life.
It doesn’t take long for us to find the stable with hand-painted signs all over.
It’s a proper town, even with a general goods store.
I can smell the horses before seeing the sign for the stables, and it’s like playing russian roulette and realizing the trigger pull had an empty chamber.
If I can smell them, then that means we have a real chance to get out of here.
When we enter the stable, a weathered face and suspicious eyes watch us as we walk in, natural light streaming inside.
“What’re you all after?” he asks, his tone flat. “You’re fresh faces. Just come from the train?”
“Horses,” Rebecca says, her voice steady despite the pain she must be in. “Southbound. It’s urgent.”
He groans and spits something into a metal tin. “What’re you running from?”
“Not running,” I say quickly, the lie smooth on my tongue, looking at Rebecca. “My cousin is an echo. She needs torchwater. We have money. We’re all family, just trying to get her some help… are there dirt bikes for rent, possibly?”
The man lifts a brow, clearly skeptical but not willing to turn down a paying customer. “Nope, that’s at the next station. Horses is all you get here. Double the rate and we can leave in ten minutes.”
“Double?” Selene haggles.
He gives a deep nod, pointing out his index finger and moving it between us. “You lot are suspicious and need this done quickly. I’m making sure I’m getting double.”
Jess takes a small step forward. “Deal.”
The man taps the table in response, taking half our money now before tossing us bandanas and worn hats and gesturing toward the horses.
“Sun’s strong today. You give them all back when I drop you off.
You’re in luck that I’m fighting with the wife at home and could really fucking use a good excuse to get out of here.
Especially if we leave soon. She doesn’t come in for another thirty minutes. ”
Not one of us protests, even if we all give him a double glance over.
Selene tries to get him to move fast, while I help Rebecca make a splint for her wrist that’s probably fractured.
I’m honestly shocked that it doesn’t seem like more than twenty minutes pass before we’re mounting up, nerves buzzing like live wire beneath our skin.
We ride out of the town at a gallop, the horses’ hooves pounding against packed earth, as if the devil himself is a breath behind us. Mine is named Clementine, apparently.
I don’t know what other vetting process I’d expect from him, or maybe charging double is what gets us an immediate leave. Well, unless he really does just want to get the hell out of here. It seems almost too easy? Too lucky?
Since when am I this fortunate?
As we clear the edge of town, I glance back and see the conductor near the depot, looking around frantically, alerting people. Men are starting to move, organized and purposeful.
Oh, fuck.
We need to move faster.