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He let his hands fall away, and he caught my arm as he did so, curling his fingers around mine. “I’m sorry, Sloane.”
I pressed my lips together in a tight line and shifted my gaze to the window. The sun was just starting to come up. No one was in sight. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Come on. We aren’t caught yet. We have to keep moving.”
I let go of his hand and opened my car door, stepping out into the cool, crisp air. The sun was on the horizon, peeking just below the tree line. The pinkish color was beautiful. Sunset and sunrise were two of my favorite things.
I used to run with Darrin every morning, and we’d watch the sun come up together. I missed him. I couldn’t help but take a moment to look at the beauty in it, even with everything going on. It was a ray of hope, literally.
A car door slammed behind me, jolting me from my thoughts.
Lincoln hobbled around the car to me and took my hand. “My wolf is getting stronger, but I’m not sure I can shift yet. We need to move on foot for now.”
I gazed out at the road ahead and then to the trees, chewing on my bottom lip. “Which do you think is the best way?”
He raked his free hand through his hair as he sighed. It was an impossible choice, and we both knew it. The wrong decision right now could be what cost us our freedom.
“We walk along the road, and there’s a chance someone from your party might be coming this way and can pick us up. But it’s also the first place Mikey will look when they inevitably find this car. He’s going to start looking harder. My brother will scour every inch until at least the state line. The trees will give us cover, and there’s a lake not too far from here. We can go through the water downstream. It’ll help mask our scent.”
I shivered at the thought of getting into the water. This late in the fall, we’d be lucky if it hit fifty today. Neither of us were dressed for the evening. It would drop into the low thirties or cooler. We risked the chance of hypothermia or something worse, but I didn’t see that we had much of a choice.
“Okay.”
Lincoln tugged me forward, and we started toward the trees at a brisk walk. My ankle twisted and my foot slid as we headed down an embankment. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying out. My sock was wet and soggy, and I had no doubt that I was bleeding. I could even smell the coppery scent of my own blood in the air.
Lincoln must’ve noticed as well because he stopped. “Sloane, we should look at that.”
I shook my head and kept walking, yanking him along behind me. “We don’t have time. And it’s not that bad, I’m sure.”
A shift would fix it. I didn’t want to do one without Lincoln, though. We needed to stay together, no matter what. I wasn’t letting him go again.
Lincoln gave me a worried look as he caught up to me. “Are you sure?”
I could see the concern on his face that made his brows pinch together, and it made my heart soften.
I gave him a tight-lipped smile and focused on making sure that I was limping as little as possible. “Yes, I’m sure.”
Now that we were walking, it was more of a dull throb. It was manageable. I’d rather have my ankle hurt than to get caught.
Lincoln sucked in a breath and let it out. “Let me know if it gets too bad. I don’t want you hurting, Sloane.”
I put my hand over my chest. “Me? I wasn’t the one who was tortured and beaten the last few days. If you can move, so can I.”
Lincoln looked down at his free hand, and I took the opportunity to really check him out. I’d noticed the cuts and bruises on him earlier. What I hadn’t noticed was that he was shirtless and barefoot. Dear God, he wasn’t ready for any of this. At least I had a sweater and shoes.
I bit my lip as I looked at his dirty feet. They had a thick layer of mud on them now. The ground was still wet with morning dew. He had to be freezing. And there were still sticks and rocks and all sorts of pokey things that could jab him on the ground.
I chewed on my thumbnail. “How long do you think it’ll be until you can shift?”
Shifting would heal his wounds, and we were also faster as wolves, and our coats would keep us warm.
His brows knitted together and he shook his head. “I’m not sure. I don’t think too much longer. The adrenaline has really helped.”
He kept saying that, but was it true? Or maybe he was trying to keep me from worrying.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy shifting for the first time again,” I told him. “Most of these wounds don’t look that bad. You should be completely healed.”
Mikey, it seemed, had been more intent on inflicting as much pain as he could while being careful not to do so much damage that Lincoln couldn’t talk. He was one sick wolf.
Lincoln let go of my hand and put his arm in front of me as he stepped around me. He slid down a steep rock first and then turned, putting his hands on my hips to help me down. I landed on my ankle funny again, and my leg almost gave out.
