Part 13 (2/2)

He glanced at the pair and growled, but s.h.i.+fted his path in mid-stride, scooping up the woman and baby without missing a step.

The Lycan holding my hand was doing his best to wrench his arm from my grasp. Wasn't going to happen. I was a h.e.l.l of a lot stronger. My fingers tightened around his wrist a little more as I glanced across the street again to make sure we hadn't forgotten anyone.

I turned to the struggling Lycan male and snarled, ”If I let you go, the Djinn can grab both of us! Quit fighting. I won't leave anyone behind.”

Mikjall reached my side and paused.

”Take a breath,” I ordered. ”You'll need it.”

I put an arm around Mikjall's waist and another around the Lycan. Then blurred them down the street toward the rest of our group. The buildings flew past us, and I pushed through the pain of carrying so many at once.

I would need to feed soon. But first, we needed to hightail it out of Savannah.

”Thanks for the lift, vampire.” Mikjall rolled his neck and took another deep breath as I let him go.

”Eira,” I answered. ”And thank you for sticking with us.”

”Like you said,” Mikjall sighed, ”I'll get another chance. But they might not.” He flicked his gaze to the woman and baby cradled in his arms. They were both quiet, the mother wide-eyed and trembling.

”I'm sorry I was panicking, Eira,” the Lycan said, his wrist still firmly held in my grasp.

I nodded and tugged him into a quick jog. Then turned again to Mikjall and the human parcel in his large arms. She was so tiny in comparison and looked to be of Asian descent, perhaps j.a.panese. It was hard to tell. Her face was gaunt, like she'd barely eaten in a month. The baby was young enough to still be nursing, but even its cheeks were thinner than they should've been. Her scraggly black hair had streaks of bright orange, but her eyes truly held my attention.

She wasn't Lycan.

The irises swirled with multiple colors like mother-of-pearl inside an abalone sh.e.l.l.

She met my gaze, and I heard her heart speed up inside her chest.

What had she been doing with the Mason wolves? Had Manda not realized there were other prisoners when she freed them? Or had that woman and her baby somehow been mixed up in the group on the way out?

I jogged faster, pulling along the Lycan next to me. Killian was up just a little farther, also holding hands with one of the Lycans from the street.

”Eira,” Killian spoke. ”I was worried.”

I released the male I was holding onto and Killian did the same with the female, allowing them to partner up so that he and I could do the same.

His touch sent a calming sensation through my body. Peaceful thoughts replaced the anxious ones that had been building inside me. We had survived an encounter with Xerxes and his Djinn. It was no small feat.

”We're not out of the storm, yet, my beloved.”

I turned, meeting his soft blue gaze. ”I know. But at least I am at your side once more.”

He nodded.

Mikjall's light footsteps sounded behind us just before he spoke. ”The SUVs have been found. We can't use them.”

”Everyone stop,” I yelled, whirling to face the Drakonae. ”What do you see?”

He stared into the distance. ”A regimented group advancing in formation toward the area where we parked the vehicles.”

A growl rumbled in my throat. f.u.c.k. There were no safe houses this close to Savannah. I couldn't think of anyone the pack trusted to take all of us in without drawing dangerous attention to themselves.

I continued to rack my brain. We couldn't just stand here off the side of the highway. We had to keep moving.

”We can steal cars,” Mikjall offered.

”No,” Jared said, stepping up next to us. ”They are all GPS tracked.”

The Drakonae male shrugged.

Charlie stepped forward, leaning most of her weight on Garrett's shoulder. ”There's one place we can hide near here. There's an abandoned gold mine a few miles off. We used to stay there in emergencies, but they welded it shut a few years ago. Since we have Mikjall, we should be able to get inside.”

”Which way?” I asked.

”Up the highway. There's a turnoff for a farm to market road. 1632. We take that west,” she answered. ”We should be able to hole up there and let everyone get some rest before moving out tomorrow night.”

With Mikjall and his heat vision leading the way, the rest of the group followed silently behind him. Jared and Alek brought up the rear, erasing as many traces of our trail as possible.

”How are you feeling?” Killian's hand tightened around mine.

I squeeze back and flashed him a quick smile. ”I'll be fine. We need to get to the mine.”

”You need to feed.”

”I know,” I whispered. The thirst ached throughout my body, burning like a wildfire on dry brush. Blurring with them had eaten up the last bits of energy I had stored. I could only pray that nothing happened between here and the mine, because I truly would be absolutely useless.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

EIRA.

A half hour later, we were following Charlie off the farm road and along a gravel drive. There had been no sign that any of the soldiers from Savannah had picked up our trail yet.

Everyone needed a rest, myself notwithstanding. More importantly, I needed to feed. I was just worried about how much.

Mikjall melted through the steel grate barring our entrance to the dark mine, then pulled it out, and bent it backward so that we could slip between it and the rock wall.

Inside, Jared lit up both his hands, illuminating the tunnel enough for all of us to find a spot to sit without tripping over the tracks in the center of the shaft.

”How long can you keep those night lights on?” Garrett called out, leaning his shoulder against the wall and sliding down to the ground with a thud.

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