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I had no idea what the hell to do, and that was the scariest feeling of all.
As I watched my sister’s taillights fade from view, I placed my hand on the scruff on Nova’s neck, slightly scratching her.
“C’mon,” I said to her quietly, tugging the hood over my head a little more. “We need to get moving.”
We turned, heading northwest. I figured if the wolves had exited the east side of the building, I needed to keep my scent as far away from that as possible.
There were plenty of abandoned buildings in Portland. I wished I could sneak into one, find a lookout, and sleep with my back against a wall, but it would be useless. They’d track me and find me by midday. I had the cover of dark for the time being and roughly twenty minutes had passed since I’d been given that gracious hour. I had forty minutes before they started tracking me, if I was lucky. I had doubts. I had to get to Blood and Beryl and pray to the gods that they’d allow me passage to Earth and Emerald. It was a tall order.
The raindrops were a little fatter, but the skies hadn’t opened up in a full downpour yet. I picked up my pace, trying to keep to the shadows as much as possible, but it didn’t matter. I stuck out like a sore thumb. How hard would it be to track Dannika in the city streets? Just look for the woman with the giant wolf by her side. Easy enough.
Nova felt my frustration and uneasiness, and she whined, nudging my hip. “It’s not your fault,” I said. “It’s not yours, or mine. It’s theirs for being a bunch of shitbags.” I glanced down at her and smiled, meeting her eyes. I knew she felt my sincerity, and I never wanted her to feel as though I regretted my circumstances when it came to the two of us.
I passed a few alleys, turning my head slightly to gauge what was down each one. Sometimes it was a makeshift shelter, sometimes it felt more sinister, but the images were unclear. Silhouettes and outlines were all I could see. I looked at the roofline of the urban structures, feeling as though I were being watched.
Footfalls sounded behind me, at a distance. Nova’s ears perked up and her hackles rose. They’d come for me faster than I’d anticipated.
“Easy,” I whispered to her, looking over my shoulder and assessing the proximity of the person I assumed to be an attacker.
It wasn’t.
It was worse.
I stopped dead in my tracks, whirling around to come face-to-face with Markus. Pulling out a knife, I held it up. “What do you want?”
He halted, throwing his hands up in a sign of surrender. “I’m not here to hurt you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’d be a first, wouldn’t it?”
Markus flinched at the scathing tone in my voice. “I deserve that.”
“You deserve a punch in the throat,” I said, sheathing the blade. “Piss off and stop following me.”
“Wait,” he said quickly, taking a step toward me. Startled, I threw a quick jab, landing the blow on his nose with a crack. He grasped his face, cursing as blood ran from the injury. “Fuck, you hit hard.” He squeezed his eyes, shaking off the jolt of pain. “Any chance this makes us even?”
“Not even close. Now tell me what you want or go away,” I said harshly, clenching and unclenching my fist.
He scrunched his face, the ligaments popping lightly as the bloody nose healed. He took a breath, again holding his hands up, palms out. “Why didn’t you kill me?”
I stared at him for a suspended moment, my lips separating slightly. “Seriously?”
“You were willing to die, Dannika, but you refused to kill me, and you refused to be my mate. I just want to know why you weren’t willing to do it.”
“I don’t know why you want an answer from me. It doesn’t matter. We’re both screwed now,” I said, turning to walk away.
Markus followed to keep up, and Nova growled. I stopped again. “What are you doing?”
“I, um, I was going wherever you’re going,” he said, his gaze downcast and sheepish.
“You . . . I’m sorry, what?” I pointed in the opposite direction. “Go that way. Find somewhere else to go, but wherever it is, it’s not with me.” I started walking again, moving quickly to the edge of No Man’s Land.
“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” he said quietly. “I know you won’t accept me, but you’re my mate. I need to?—”
I whirled on him. “You need to what? Protect me?” I scoffed. “Kiss my ass, Markus. I may not have killed you, but that doesn’t mean we’re friends. We’re in this mess because of you. You refused to reject me. And you’re wasting what little time I have to get the hell out of here before your dad’s minions track me and kill me.”
His eyebrows drew together, and he shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t do that. It’s the?—”
“Commemoration? Yeah, I know. Were you paying attention to how many times he was willing to break the rules tonight? I’m the one who rejected you publicly and now you’re a stain on his precious name. My death solves the problem, and your dad has no qualms about making that happen. He even tried to already, and it was only the Blood and Beryl king that stopped him. You know it, and don’t pretend otherwise. I’m Houseless now, so I can say it out loud. He’s the worst Alpha Supreme Fire and Fluorite has ever had, and he’s an even shittier person. You’re incredibly naïve if you don’t see it.” I looked him up and down. “But the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so I don’t expect you to give a shit about anyone but yourself.”
