“After the night of the full moon. You were out of it. You slept the entire day. He told me he had an escape plan if things went bad, then brought me out here and showed the car to me. I snuck outa couple nights ago after both of you were asleep to make sure it was still here. I had a terrible feeling that Kenneth was involved in all this crap. Turns out I was right to make sure. It was the only thing I could think of when the bullets started flying. Thank fuck the guys with guns came from the back of the house. If they hadn’t circled, there’s no way we could have gotten here.”
“Kenneth? So he basically just saved our lives? Even though he was selling us out to the royals?” I still had a hard time believing he’d done that. He was dead now, so I could never get all the answers I wanted.
Nico nodded. “I think he originally had good intentions. He got all twisted up in his own jealousy and greed. Some shame as well. It doesn’t forgive what he did, but it explains it a little. At least he did this for us,” he said, gesturing at the car.
I released a weary sigh and did my best not to think of the way Kenneth’s body been splayed out on the cabin floor. “Let’s get out of here.”
Nico helped me into the car and we took off, spraying gravel off the access road as we went. I sat in the passenger seat, my lips clamped tightly shut. The images of the last few hours kept flashing through my head like a nightmare that wouldn’t quit. Remembering the blood and look of surprise on Kenneth’s face made me want to vomit.
Nico took my hand, his other hand gripping the steering while tightly. “It’s gonna be okay.”
I felt really fucking far from okay, but I nodded and smiled at him. Once we were back in cell range, Nico’s phone started ringing. He handed it to me. “It’s Luis. Answer it. I need to keep both hands on the wheel in case something happens.”
I answered, immediately putting the phone on speaker. “Luis? It’s Maddy.”
“Where’s Nico?” He sounded more panicked than I’d ever heard him before. “Is he all right?”
“I’m here, man,” Nico said.
“Oh, shit. Thank God. I’ve been calling you for like two hours. What the hell happened?”
“The royals showed up. At least, we assume it was them, I never got a look at them. You were right, Kenneth was the mole,” Nico said. “They took him out. He’s dead. We’ve got to abort the plan. God only knows what’s going to happen now. We need to drop back and reset.” Nico pounded a fist on the steering wheel. “They were already at the cabin, Luis. Kenneth said he’d given them bad info, but they were already there. Fucker lied right up to the last second.”
“No,” I said. “He wasn’t lying. I know it. I’m not sure if it was because we were family or because my senses are overloaded, but when he told us that, I could…” What I was about to say sounded crazy, but it needed to be said. “I could hear his heartbeat. It never sped up or did anything weird. He was telling the truth. The royals double-crossed him.”
“Either way,” Nico said, calming down a little. “We need to get out of here. Luis, get your ass out of Norway. However you can, get back home. We’re on the way to the airport. I already messaged Dad to have his pilot buddy send the plane to us. He was in Britain, so he should be there when we get to the airport.”
“Got it,” Luis said. “I’ve got a plan. Found a shifter commune in Finland. A distant cousin moved there years ago, and I contacted him. They’ve got their own little airfield. I think I canget out there, or at least get someplace a little friendlier, then I’ll make my way home from there.”
“Okay. I’ll let you know when we get to the airport.”
“Talk to you later.”
The call disconnected, and the silence that fell over us allowed me to slip back into my sadness and mourning. It was crazy to mourn someone who’d betrayed me, but I guess I was the type to see the best in everyone, even when they didn’t see it themselves.
I pitied Kenneth. He’d never been able to make contact with the wolf buried so deep in his DNA. I couldn’t imagine life without mine now. He’d spent his whole life desperate to feel whole. He did betray me, but it didn’t stop me from crying for him as we continued driving. I turned my face away so Nico wouldn’t see my tears.
A few hours later, we arrived at the airport, and sure enough, the jet was waiting for us. Nico didn’t rush toward it, though. We spent nearly an hour watching and checking the surrounding areas for any sign of the royals. Once Nico was as sure as he could be, we finally drove up and onto the tarmac, then boarded the plane as quickly as we could.
The flight was scheduled to be almost ten hours. I was absolutely exhausted and fell asleep in one of the fold-down beds. I slept the entire flight. When I woke up, it wasn’t because I’d had enough sleep. I woke up because my wolf was frantic and pawing at my chest, desperate for me to wake up.
I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes. “Is something wrong?” I asked. It was then that I realized the plane wasn’t moving. We’d landed.
Nico was staring out the window. “I’m not sure. Come on. Stay behind me.”
I walked over to him. A glance out the window showed me what he was so worried about. A woman stood on the runway,staring at our plane. She stood there with her arms crossed, hair pulled back into a severe ponytail. She wore a designer suit and dark black sunglasses even though it was dark outside.
The pilot looked at us in confusion. “Uh…do either of you know this woman?”
Nico grunted and shook his head. “Thanks for the flights. Can you open the door?”
I tugged Nico’s arm and pulled his ear close. “Is that smart? Should we go out there?”
Nico sighed, and I’d never seen him look so exhausted. “Babe, we’re out of options. The jet’s out of fuel, and we can’t just keep hopping around the globe. We’ve got to hope this isn’t the end. That’s all we can do. If it goes bad again, I’ll make sure to give you as much of a head start as I can.”
I swallowed and slipped my hand into his as the pilot opened the door and lowered the steps. The moment I stepped outside, I caught a whiff of the woman, and my wolf started growling and snarling inside my head. As we stepped off the stairs, the woman took a few steps toward us, then pulled her sunglasses off.
She smirked at us. “Good evening. My name is Viola Monroe.”
