Chapter 4 Silas #2
But I shove the thoughts down deep along with all the dark things inside me I don’t like to look at.
“Silas, we need a plan.”
“What the fuck do you think I’m doing?”
She makes a whimpering sound, and this time, the stabbing guilt rakes the knife deeper. I almost apologize, but what comes out is worse. “Look, I’m going to get you out of this, okay? We’ll get you to Grayson, and he can take care of you. Alright?”
She reads between the lines, hears my rejection. It makes her omega whine. The sound she makes is cutting, and my alpha, worrying for his mate, forces me to look. She stopped following me a few paces ago.
She looks down at the ground, shoulders hunching in.
“I don’t think there’s time. It’s… coming.
Soon.” Then, as if she’s stepping out onto a limb, she leans toward me, reaching.
Eyes full of wanting, pretty pink lips pressed together nervously.
“You might have to help me, Silas. I’m really sorry, I can tell you don’t want to.
But… I don’t know how I’m going to hold her back.
” Her omega, she means. Then she adds, “I trust you.”
Stab. Guilt. Shame. “I tried to kill you. Don’t you remember, pet?
” I stalk closer. My alpha is panting. My wolf rumbles in my skin, ready to claim what is ours.
“I sank my teeth into your flesh. I left you bleeding out, all alone. I licked your blood from your neck. I enjoyed it,” I hiss, leaning in close so I can breathe her in deep.
She sucks in a sharp breath. “You di-didn’t,” she stutters.
“Yes. I did. And I’d do it again. You really want me there for your heat? You want me to fuck you, little omega? The man who almost killed you?”
“I forgive you. For what you did. I know you were just trying to help me, to save me.”
I laugh. “Forgive me?”
“I knew before I saw you that I forgave you.”
Ignoring the sting of her words, I continue my search. “I’ll get you out of here. And we’ll get you to Grayson, he’ll get you through your heat.” Then I pause and really look at her. “You’re not bonded. Why are you not bonded? Is he not your mate?”
She replies, “He is. Orion too. We were going to bond when they got back. Whatever that means.” She waves her hand, then she gasps, slapping her palm against the wall. “Were you there at the compound? Are they okay? Did they make out all right? Are they hurt?” she asks frantically.
“They’re fine. Better than us.”
Her shoulders sag in relief. And now that I’ve given her some good news, I see it in her eyes again—absolution. She fucking smiles at me. I hate it. But she then cries out, hands coming to her stomach, and she bends at the waist.
“Are you okay?” I rush and pull her close, forgetting all about the distance I tried to put between us. She cries out again with a serrated wail. The room feels like a sauna already, but I’m still shocked when I touch her for the first time and her skin nearly burns me.
She’s right. We’re running out of time.
A loud crash reverberates through the ceiling, and I clutch her closer. Then all the sound swallows into a vacuum—it’s unnaturally quiet until we hear muffled shouts. Footsteps, then the door swings open. Heavy feet descend the stairs, and then the witch is there. Ben.
I shove Mona behind me, ready to fight. Before he even reaches the last step, he turns to us, like he knew exactly where we’d be.
“We don’t have much time. My shield won’t hold her for long, she’s too strong.”
My wolf and I growl, the threat rumbling from my chest. My claws transform, and my knees bend slightly in a fighting stance.
He ignores it. “Judging by her temperature, we don’t have a lot of time. Tracy’s coven will be here within the hour. My ward will keep them in,” he points upstairs. “But we need to leave. Now. My cover is blown, so there’s no going back.”
Without waiting for me to agree, he stalks past us and flings open the cellar door, climbing up the small steps out into the backyard. There’s no way this witch is actually helping us, but we need to get out of this house.
I walk in front of Mona, one hand still gripping her arm so she stays close to me, half expecting an ambush. But the witch is alone, and facing the forest, where I assessed our best chance of escape as well.
“What the hell is this? What do you want?” I growl.
He doesn’t answer, turning to hold his palms toward the house. A miasmic black wall comes down around the perimeter.
I grab Mona, swinging her into my arms just in time as we slip beneath the barrier. It drops, fully encasing the house in a shimmering black cloak.
Mona burns against me, her body an ember pulled straight from the fire. I tighten my grip, and she presses her face to my chest, a low sound escaping her throat. I take a step back, pivoting slightly.
The witch sighs, annoyed. “We have until the coven arrives. An hour, tops. We need to go. Now.”
“Who the fuck are you?” I snarl. I may be out from Deidre’s thumb, but I’d sooner chain myself in silver than trust a witch.
When I don’t immediately move, the witch’s eyes roll skyward, like he’s asking for patience. Then he lowers the shield he’s been using to hide his true self.
His scent slams into me.
A shifter. Not a wolf. And something else. It washes over me, a type of brotherly affection I’ve felt twice before in my life. Mona gasps in my arms, fingertips digging into my shoulders as she takes him in. Her omega keens, the sound making my alpha hold her closer.
“Who are you?” I ask again, losing my patience.
“They call me The Ghost,” he says candidly. Bright golden amber eyes peer into mine. Waiting, assessing. His cover is blown, he said.
The fucking Ghost. Kendrick’s assassin.
He smells like the ocean. More nuanced than that, like the briny, salty crest of the waves, and ancient stone rock. A little witchy, a little gamey. Sharp, almost abrasive, and electric.
Turning from my scrutiny, he says, “I’m just here to help. On Kendrick’s orders, that’s it. But we need to leave. Now.”
This time, I follow. We run into the woods behind the quiet neighborhood.
It’s less than an acre before we’re in someone else’s backyard, then through another copse of trees.
A school bus beeps in the distance, the sound of children echoing along the streets, cars turning over for their morning commutes.
The world is waking. We don’t slow, and Ghost keeps pace, periodically pausing to listen for trouble.
It’s almost an hour before we near the denser forest. Deidre won’t be able to catch up to us, she’ll have no way to track us.
She doesn’t have my blood, not anymore, and what’s dried on her hand is now useless.
But I don’t relax, I keep running. I have some idea of where we are, but we’re still several hours from the border, and then two more to Silent Peak, and that’s by car.
The whimpering omega in my arms is what finally makes me slow down. The magic is burning off now, faster. Her heat is coming on, stronger.
“We need a plan,” I grit, coming to a stop.
Her scent is growing sweeter, skin hotter, yes, but she’s also writhing in pain. My alpha wants to protect her from it, and each cry claws at me.
“We just need to get her somewhere safe. I think—” he pauses and squints at the small form in my arms.
Finally, likely for the first time, he looks at Mona. For a fleeting moment, his eyes soften. Then he abruptly turns, his expression stony. “Stay here. Keep her safe. I’ll find somewhere we can take her until…”
“We need to get her to Grayson. He can take care of her—”
“There’s no time.”
I look around. We aren’t that far into the forest. Fuck, I should have thought about what bringing her here, away from the witches, would mean for her heat. “We should head back. Steal a car.”
“You really think driving with a writhing omega in heat is a good idea? We’d never make it.”
Mona whimpers again, her fingers digging into my shoulders like talons.
We’re running out of time. “Well, what the fuck are we going to do with a writhing omega in heat in the middle of the goddamn forest?” I snap.
Another wave hits her, and she bellows and kicks out.
“Jesus. Just, fucking knock her out or something, can’t you? ”
Mona groans in my arms. “Quit being a dick, Silas!”
The accusation takes me by surprise, and I laugh. But then she bucks her pelvis, rubbing her legs together. “It hurts. I feel so empty, and it hurts. There’s not enough time to go back. I’m scared. You have to help me,” she pleads. “I need you to help me. Please.”
There’s a creek nearby, animals scurrying. Mona whips her feverish body so violently she nearly falls out of my arms, so I kneel and set her on the mossy earth. She reaches out for me in panic as I let go, and her attachment yanks on my heart.
At the creek, I gather a cupful of water in my hands and bring it back, dripping it over her forehead. She moans in pleasure, and the softest smile graces her lips.
I tear my eyes away. To Ghost, I say, “Can you knock her out?”
Her omega wails, louder this time, like I’ve injured her. The witch replies with an alarming level of calm. “I’m going to find someplace to bring her. Is she safe with you?” he challenges.
I growl in response. Before he takes off, he adds, “You should dip her in the creek. It’ll help.”
He’s right. So, I lift her again and carry her to the creek, setting her in the cool water. Her clothes soak through, but she doesn’t seem to care. For the first time in an hour, she takes a steady breath as the cool water washes over her.
I brush Mona’s hair from her face, awkwardly petting her. Of all the times, of all the ways I dreamed of seeing her again, it wasn’t like this. Her, about to lose her autonomy.
I can’t get the horror-filled images of Lily going through this out of my head.
I could help. I should help. But I just…