“Kieran will probably kill me for this, and I don’t even get a kiss?” He lowered his mouth to mine, and I spun away at the last moment. “Had to try, right?”
“You’re incorrigible.” I pulled back to push him away playfully. “You have the light ready?” I asked, knowing that Kieran would know where to find me when I stepped into the shadows.
One of Axton’s men came forward, producing a high wattage light that he turned on, forcing all of us to shield our eyes from it. I’d spent time with Talia tonight, learning what her people had discovered about Kieran and the King of Shadows. He had limitations, but not many. Artificial light and daylight kept his shadows from being able to travel, making it harder for him to find anything he was hunting. That meant that I would spend a lot of time sunbathing.
Talia had supplied herbal bags and remedies that would keep us from being detected. She had also given me the names of witches I could trust when my supplies dwindled. Axton opened the door, and his guard stepped out into the alleyway. An army of SUVs sat in the front and back of us. He seldom, if ever, traveled without his guards.
The only time I’d seen him alone, outside his club, was in front of the guild when he spoke to me. I scanned the cars, walking with the light until Axton slid into the Humvee and turned on the interior lights. Of course, he had a vehicle decked out with lights, a sound system, and plush leather. I settled into the passenger seat, exhaling the stress before Onyx, Kaderyn, and I popped the corks off the potions that would alter our appearances. It was the same one Xavier had used to attend his funeral, but only those in the car and the one guard would be able to see our real face.
Herbs protected my scent and ensured that no one caught a whiff on our way past the accident scene. I scanned the floor, finding the hex bags to keep shadows out, which wouldn’t seem off to Kieran since Axton normally included them within his territory when he wanted privacy.
“Once we are a few miles from town, the Humvee is all yours,” Axton stated. “You can’t go on foot because they’re moving quickly. Noah was forced to call in reinforcements from the funeral at the behest of Micah, to find you before you did something in your grief-stricken state. I’ll take you to the state line, and you can move through Idaho easily. They won’t think you made it that far. Do you have places there to hide?” he asked, watching me as engines started up all around us.
“I’ll be fine. It’s best you don’t know the plan from there. Kieran might come to you for answers once the herb-enhanced scents end. Not to mention, you’re giving up this beast, and he will notice that. I think it’s better that you give us one of the SUVs instead. I may not like you all the time, but I also don’t want you dead.”
“Aw, you like me,” he grinned, shaking his head. “This is the only car that has lights installed, I’m afraid. As you’re aware, it isn’t unheard of for me to go missing for days. Once I emerge from this drunken orgy, I will learn that three inebriated beauties have stolen my baby. A reward will be offered, but you will have found the cash in the back and abandoned it to purchase a new vehicle by then. Or so I assume. Being a playboy known for having disastrous shit befall him often has its perks. There’s also the potion I will drink, removing all memories of tonight from my mind, thanks to a saucy witch.”
“Thank her for me.”
“I won’t remember to, but she said to tell you that you’re welcome,” he muttered, putting on his seatbelt. “They tend to have a keen knowledge of the future.”
“She’s intuitive,” I stated, knowing exactly who had made certain no one would be hurt by my exit strategy being activated when I’d walked out of Kieran’s house as my world had fallen apart.
“It’s fucking creepy no matter how you sugarcoat it,” he muttered, starting forward as the line of SUVs filed in around us. “If the hunters stop us, one of you better be on my lap, groping me. Not Xar. If Kieran claimed her, he would feel her when she’s touched.”
“Trade me places, Kaderyn.”
I climbed into the back, frowning as we drove through the backstreets of town. It was silent, but I knew there were hunters within it, watching the major arterial streets. Of course, Noah would have had to order it, and if he hadn’t, my father would have known he was allowing holes to be opened for me to slip through. I hated leaving Noah behind, but he needed to stay where he would be safe and protected if he were truly being hunted. Out in the world, nothing could prevent the fae from taking him, not even me.
We hit the highway that led out of town, and it took only a few moments for us to reach the first roadblock. The sheriff shined his flashlight in the car, scanning each of our faces, oblivious to the fact we were the ones they were trying to find. A pang of regret tightened my chest, but Onyx patted my leg, smiling tightly at me as one hunter watched her.
“Where you heading, Axton?” Jeffery inquired, still shining the bright light on Axton’s face.
“Home to get fucked. Where the hell do you think I’m going?” he asked, sliding his golden gaze to the passenger seat, where Kaderyn was giggling, rubbing up against him. “Can we go? Or do you wish to check all the cars? You can, but it will be a waste of time.”
Jeffery didn’t comment to Axton, but the hunter beside the sheriff did. “Search them all and any space large enough to fit a body. Be quick about it.”
Axton shrugged, pulling a squealing Kaderyn onto his lap. He cupped her behind the neck, bringing her mouth flush against his. The hunter’s lips peeled back, and his eyes rolled at what he was being forced to watch. It took a while for them to search every crevice, but eventually, we were allowed through the blockade and on our way again.
Kaderyn didn’t climb off of Axton’s lap, however. I had been about to comment on it when I caught the hunters off the road watching the cars passing their locations. Snorting, I had to admit that Axton was insightful about how to escape, but it also raised the question of how much shit he’d gotten away with over the years.
He looked at me over Kaderyn’s head, as if he was sensing what I was thinking. His eyes crinkled with a smile, and he returned to nuzzling her throat while she mimicked doing the same to his. Flashing blue and red lights became visible through the darkness of night, and I forced my mind to clear and my emotions not to give us away.
Xavier stood beside the road near Noah, while Kieran stared at his destroyed sports car. I fought the urge to groan at seeing the Bugatti rendered to nothing more than charred, bent metal. Hunters stopped the convoy and asked questions while I peered at the trio.
Noah was staring at the body being cut from the car. My dad had tears swimming in his eyes, no doubt feeling the pain I’d felt at finding his corpse. It didn’t bring me any joy, though. I’d thought it might, but watching his grief mar his expression only made me need to fight harder to hide my emotions.
Someone said something, and Xavier dropped to his knees, and a sob ripped from his throat. Kieran stared at the burned remains with a strange look on his face before sliding it to where we sat, observing the scene. Pain wasn’t a good look churning in his violet, diamond-speckled depths.
Abandoning the Bugatti, he slowly walked toward the line of vehicles that had been stopped, lifting his nose into the air. He placed his hands on the window, indicating for Axton to lower it. Kieran pushed his head inside the car the moment it was down, slowly searching each of us before he turned to Axton.