Ivy hesitates, then nods. She offers Wraith a small smile. "It's okay," she tells him softly. "I'll be safe with them." Her smile sharpens into a slight grin as she meets my eyes again. "And if I'm not, I'm sure you'll be ready to pick me up."
Whiskey blows a puff of air through his nose. "Yeah. Pick you up and twist us into pretzels."
"Exactly," Ivy says pointedly. "So don't fuck up."
Wraith's shoulders slump slightly, defeat warring with protective instinct in his posture. His hands sign again, slower this time.
P-R-O-M-I-S-E... T-O... P-R-O-T-E-C-T... H-E-R.
"We will," I say, meaning it. Despite my reluctance to spend extended time in Whiskey's presence in a damn hotel room, Ivy's safety is paramount. "With our lives if necessary."
"And between the two of us, we've got this covered," Whiskey adds. "Plague is the brains, I'm the brawn." He flexes unnecessarily to emphasize his point.
I can't suppress the eye roll.
We collectively develop the framework of a strategy over the group chat. Thane will distract Valek with team film study, which is a plausible activity for a captain and new player. Meanwhile, Ivy, Whiskey, and I will escape via the fire escape at dusk, when the shadows will provide additional cover.
Wraith moves to his closet, pulling out several of his shirts and a hoodie. He returns to Ivy, offering them to her. He doesn't have to speak for the meaning to be clear. His clothes carry his scent, and they'll help her stay hidden.
"Thank you," she murmurs, accepting them with a sweet kiss to his masked cheek. The intimacy of the moment makes me look away, feeling like an intruder despite standing several feet away.
Whiskey clears his throat. "We should pack light. Just essentials."
For once, he's made a sensible suggestion. I nod in agreement. "We'll need to move quickly and quietly."
As Ivy gathers her meager belongings, I start overthinking as usual, working out the variables, the contingencies, the potential failure points in our plan. It's what I do. I analyze, I strategize, I maintain control.
But the complications are… significant. I will be in close quarters with both Whiskey and Ivy, our pack's scent match, who will be entering the next wave of heat. Nothing about this is predictable at all.
"Ready whenever you are," Ivy says, interrupting my thoughts. She's holding a small backpack that contains everything she owns in the world. The reality of her situation—that this womanhas been reduced to living with only what she can carry—sends a wave of cold anger through me.
Wade Kelly will pay for this. Not now, not yet. But someday.
"We should go while the light is fading," I say, checking my watch. "Twilight provides optimal cover."
Wraith's hands move, signing something to Ivy that I can't catch. Whatever he says makes her eyes soften.
"I will," she promises him. "And I'll stay in constant contact through the group chat. You'll know where I am every minute."
He nods, the tension in his massive shoulders easing slightly. Then he turns to me, blue eyes burning with intensity. He doesn't need to sign for me to understand the message.
Keep her safe or don't come back.
"You have my word," I tell him, maintaining eye contact as my phone vibrates in my hand again.
THANE
Valek has agreed to film study. You have approximately 90 minutes before he might notice I’m stalling. Good luck.
"Time to move," I say, tucking my phone away.
Wraith goes to the window first, opening it silently. The fading light of dusk paints the world in shades of blue and purple, providing the shadow cover we need. Below the ledge, the fire escape descends in a zigzag pattern to the ground.
Ivy approaches Wraith one last time, reaching up to caress his masked face. His normally frigid eyes warm to a gentler blue as he visibly melts at her touch.
"I'll see you soon," she whispers. "As soon as it's safe."
He nods, covering her hand with his own massive one for a brief moment. Then he steps back, allowing her to move toward the window.
