Go…away! he mouthed next.
I shook my head vehemently and mouthed back to him, Be…ready.
He shook his head. I sent him an air kiss, trying to offer him some reassurance that everything was going to be okay.
A hand came to rest lightly on my shoulder. I almost screeched, before I realized it was Rafe. He nodded his head to the side. Hunched over, I followed him away from the camp until we reached a place where we intended to bed down for the night.
“I hate leaving them there,” I told him.
“I know, but if you ever expose yourself like that again, I’m going to leave you behind. Do you know the risk you were taking?”
“I had no choice. I wanted to let them know that we were here, and that they need to be ready.”
I could tell that he wasn’t happy, but I also knew he couldn’t argue my point.
In silence we ate some dry cereal that tasted like cardboard, although quite honestly I was so tense and worried that I didn’t think I’d be able to appreciate even the tenderest steak.
“When this is over, I want to go to a fancy restaurant and eat the best meal of all time,” I said.
“It’s a date.”
My heart did a little stutter, and my cheeks warmed. “Rafe—”
“I know we’re not making any future plans, but you opened the door on that one. Besides, what would dinner hurt?”
It seemed ages ago that Connor and I had argued about Rafe, that Connor had suggested I go out with him. I nodded, pushing back my guilt. “I won’t say no, but I won’t promise yes.”
“You know, I always thought it was supposed to be guys who had commitment problems,” he teased.
As much as I appreciated the lighthearted banter, I kept silent. It just felt wrong when our friends were prisoners.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?” he suggested.
“What about you?”
“We’re so close to them that I want to keep watch.” He leaned against a tree, and I stretched out on a sleeping bag beside him.
“Did you see the way Mason talks to them, the way he looks at them?”
“Like they’re animals that have no rights?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Do you think all Statics view us as less than human?”
“I hope not. If this continues on, I just don’t see how we can avoid the inevitable. We’re going to be outed.” He skimmed his fingers over my knuckles as though he needed some sort of contact. I knew I did, and I welcomed it.
“Do you have a plan for getting them away from Mason?” I asked.
“I’m working on it.”
I released a small laugh. “In other words, no.”
“We’ll figure something out, Lindsey. Don’t worry.”
Only I was worried. It was really hard to try to figure out my feelings for Rafe and Connor with all this other, more important stuff bearing down on me. Their safety had to come first, and I couldn’t be distracted by my emotions.
But they were there. They always seemed to be right there.
FIFTEEN
The following night, while I watched over Mason’s encampment from a hidden place further up a mountain, Rafe shifted and went exploring. I brought my knees up to my chest, wrapped my arms around my legs, and wondered if it wouldn’t be better to just try and rescue them now. Then we could all go searching for this stupid lab together.
The moon was way past its zenith when Rafe dropped down beside me. It always fascinated me how we could be as quiet in human form as in wolf form, as though stealth was inbred in us. I suppose it was, since part of us was predatory.
“I found it,” he declared, smiling brightly.
Twisting around, I stared at him. “The lab?”
“Yeah. As slowly as they travel, it’ll be another day or two before they reach it. I think it’s time for a jail break.”
I was almost giddy with the hope that this would all be over soon.
“You have a plan?” I asked.
“I think so. The problem is the dogs. I can shift, create a diversion, draw them—and hopefully some of the handlers—away. You can slip down, cut the ropes on Lucas, Kayla, and Connor. You and Connor can ride the bike out of here. I’ll move it into place before I shift, so you can get to it easily enough. Kayla and Lucas can shift and run like the wind as soon as they’re out of sight.”
It sounded simple enough. Maybe too simple. We could have done this a couple of nights ago—though of course now we knew exactly where the lab was.
Two guards were patrolling the camp. Each had a dog with him.
“Okay, you’re going to have to move quickly,” Rafe said. “The dogs, along with their guards, should take off after me, but the dogs will probably make enough noise to wake everyone up. Hopefully it’ll take them a while to get oriented.”
I gave him a thumbs-up.
He made a move away from me, toward some bushes where he would remove his clothes and shift. I grabbed his arm, stilling him. After everything that we’d been through, this moment seemed as though it should be bigger; after all, it was going to change everything, not only for us but for all Shifters. I held his brown gaze, a gaze that was at once warm and tender, but also determined and unafraid. It touched me deeply; it gave me courage.
“Be careful,” I whispered.
“Always. And remember, you save yourself first.”
I nodded, even though I wasn’t certain it was a promise I was prepared to keep. How could he expect me to put myself before my friends? I mean, what kind of friend would that make me? Besides, I wasn’t the one planning to serve myself up as bait for two Rottweilers with powerful jaws that could crush cement.
Rafe started to move away again, but his gaze dropped to my lips. “Ah, hell, I can only be so good.”
He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. His lips were very much like his gaze: warm and tender, yet determined and oh-so-passionate. I couldn’t help but wonder if, like me, he was fearful that we might never have another opportunity for this, so he wanted to make the most of it. He cradled my face between his hands, tilting my head slightly upward and deepening the kiss, until my toes, my fingers, my entire body simply wanted to curl into itself and savor every aspect of this moment.
All too quickly it was over, and he was dashing into the brush before I could plead with him to come up with another plan. I touched my fingers to my tingling lips.