“How?” Harper whispered. “I saw you. I saw him stake you.”
Maya chuckled without humor. “Stakes can’t kill me. Apparently, I’m special in more ways than one.”
Maya pressed her face against Harper’s hair, breathing in, and some of the tension faded from her body. She stepped back and nodded towards the door, and then Harper’s eyes filled with fresh tears.
Evie was leaning against the doorframe, one foot slightly raised. She hobbled forward as Harper rushed through the room, catching her colliding hug.
“Are you okay?” Evie asked, voice wavering. Harper let out an uneven sigh.
“I’m fine.” She leaned back, hands still on Evie’s arms. “And you? Did they hurt you?”
It looked like Evie didn’t quite believe her assurance, but she didn’t argue.
“No. Not too much, at least.” She winced. “My ankle… I don’t think it’s broken, but I can’t really put weight on it.”
A dark thought flashed through Harper’s mind. She turned towards Maya, who’d followed her to the door.
“Nell. I-I don’t know where she is, but—”
“Nell is safe. They didn’t take her. She’s still back at the cabin.” Maya rubbed her chest with a groan. “She pulled the stake free. Without her, I wouldn’t be here.”
Her expression turned serious. “We don’t have much time. This storm can still provide some cover, but it won’t do so for long. I have to get you both out of here.”
She took Harper’s hand as her gaze filled with steel.
“We have to run.”
Chapter 41
The wind was biting cold. It gnawed into Harper’s skin, despite the layers of clothes.
Most of it was Kieran’s. Harper didn’t particularly like the idea of wearing it, but she liked the idea of freezing to death even less, and since she and Evie weren’t even wearing shoes, they’d had little choice. Both of them had put on several pairs of socks, just so they could somewhat fill out the boots Maya had found for them.
No one interrupted. Kieran had said he didn’t want to be disturbed, and the howling wind must have muted the gunshots. A sole silver lining in this fucked-up situation.
As they hurried away from the warehouse, Evie was able to walk on her own, but once they were safely between the trees, adrenaline waned enough that every step became a trial. She ended up with an arm around Maya’s shoulders, leaning against her as they hobbled through the forest. They only managed to walk for a few minutes before Maya stopped and listened.
“Someone found the bodies.” She gestured Harper over, directing Evie to lean on her instead. “You two keep going. Go as fast as you can and don’t turn back. No matter what you hear.”
Harper shook her head. “No! You have to come with us.”
Maya cupped her face, catching a tear with her thumb. Harper hadn’t even noticed that she’d started crying.
“Follow the trail. I marked the trees with blood on my way here.” She gestured at a nearby tree, the bark covered in a smear of red.
“But they… Won’t they follow us?”
“Wolves aren’t the only ones who can use them. So justgo. Okay?” Maya gave her a kiss. A brief, weak kiss that didn’t feel at allokay. “I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”
Harper didn’t believe that promise. Going by the set of her jaw, Maya didn’t either.
She stepped back in the direction they’d come from. She pulled her switchblade from her pocket, flicked it open, and then vanished in the dark.
Harper stared at the spot she’d just been in. Everything was shaking, from her breath to her freezing hands. She stared for a few long seconds until the path they’d made in the snow came into focus.
A child could follow those tracks.
“Come on,” Harper said with feigned resolve, starting forward. Evie winced.
