A couple of minutes later, I saw the moonlight glinting off his fur as he slipped away to the far side of the camp, where one of the guards and a dog were headed. The other guard was on his way back to my end of the camp, where the prisoners were secured.
Suddenly, at precisely the same time, both dogs stilled and lifted their heads. Their ears flattened, and I heard their ominous growls. I knew a Rottweiler could move fast. I could only hope that Rafe could move even more quickly. They’d tear him up if they got their teeth into him.
All of a sudden both dogs took off running, barking, growling, pulling their handlers along with them. The guards finally released the leashes and just followed as best as they could. I darted out from my hiding place. Kayla saw me first, and her smile was so bright that it seemed as though she was simply welcoming me to a sleep-over.
“Jesus, Lindsey, are you insane?” Connor asked, bringing me back to reality.
Ignoring his ungrateful greeting—and knowing it was fear for me that prompted it—I was at the tree, sawing through the ropes that held Kayla before the guards were even beyond the camp.
“Hurry,” Lucas said, and I heard in his voice how anxious he was to get into the thick of the battle.
“I’m trying.”
As soon as I had Kayla free, I started on Lucas’s bindings.
A light came on in the tent.
“I got Connor,” Lucas said as soon as he was free. He took the knife from me. “Get out of here.”
“Connor, meet me at Rafe’s bike,” I ordered before rushing toward where it was stashed. I knew I would be the slowest of all of us.
Kayla took my hand and we started running, our very lives depending on our speed.
“Hey! They’re escaping!” I heard Mason shout. “Damn it! People! Get up, get after them!”
I didn’t know if the guys would shift and take care of them or just use their fists, I had to trust that whatever they decided, they would succeed. Although I was the most vulnerable, I had a strong urge to turn back around, face them, and fight.
“Can you drive the bike if Connor doesn’t get there?” Kayla asked, her breaths coming in short bursts.
“Yes, but I don’t want to take off unless I know everyone is safe. I don’t think we’ll get another chance at escape.”
“I can’t believe we got this one. You’re awesome.”
I heard the rapid pounding of footsteps. Glancing back, I saw that it was Connor and Lucas—so it seemed we Shifters weren’t always quiet, not when our lives were in danger and we had to get away fast.
“The bike’s over here,” I shouted and headed for some brush.
“I’ll take care of Lindsey,” Connor said, coming up beside me to grab the bike and straddle it.
“Kayla and I are out of here,” Lucas said, turning to go even as he spoke.
“Get on,” Connor ordered as he turned the bike on and revved the throttle.
I straddled the seat and wrapped my arms around him. “What about Mason—”
“Left him and his buddies knocked out.”
Knocked out. Not dead. I hoped that decision wouldn’t come back to haunt us—although killing someone brought its own haunting effect.
With a roar of the engine, we took off, slicing through the forest. Suddenly there was a low growl, and one of the Rottweilers seemed to come out of nowhere. It leaped up and bit into my thigh. I screamed. Connor quickly veered, knocking the dog against a tree.
“You okay?” he asked, never reducing speed.
“Yes.” But then I was aware of a distant explosion like gunfire. I felt a burning pain rip through my shoulder, and I clung more tightly to Connor.
I heard him curse and felt a sticky warmth seeping into my clothes.
“Hang on, Lindsey,” I heard him yell, although the words seemed to come to me through water or some sort of barrier. “Stay awake! Stay alert!”
How did he know that I wanted to go to sleep? Oh yeah, he can read my mind. No, he can’t. Rafe can.
“Stay with me, Lindsey!”
I wanted to. I really did. But my shoulder was on fire and my thigh ached. I wanted the agony to go away. Something seemed wrong about going to sleep, though—and then I realized that if I succumbed to the darkness hovering at the edge of my vision, I might tumble off the bike.
Yes, that’s it. That’s what would happen. I have to stay awake and hold on. If I let go of Connor, I’ll have to add aching head to my list of pains.
“Talk to me, Lindsey. Tell me what you’re feeling.”
“My shoulder hurts.”
“Mine, too. I think you were shot. The bullet went through.”
Oh, that makes sense, I thought in a vague sort of way. I was having difficulty holding onto my thoughts and analyzing the situation. But if I was shot, then that was the reason I could feel warmth turning cold on my back. But if the bullet went through me…
“Did the bullet hit you?” I asked, and was surprised to find that my words sounded somewhat slurred.
“Yes, but I can heal as soon as we stop.”
“When will that be? I really want to sleep.”
“I know, babe. Just hold on.”
He’d never called me babe before. Never used any endearment for me. That was so sweet of him to do it now. I wanted to tell him that I’d been worried about him, but it was so difficult to form words. My mouth didn’t want to work. I laid my head against his back. He was so comfortable.
“Lindsey?”
I heard him calling my name, but the darkness called more loudly, so I answered it.
“You were supposed to take care of her!”
“Well, if you’d kept the guards and their stupid dogs from turning back, she wouldn’t have gotten hurt!”
The yelling and accusations continued. As I slowly broke through the fog of unconsciousness, I recognized the voices: Rafe and Connor. They were both alive, thank God, and clearly feeling way more energetic than I was.
“Guys, stop it!” Kayla demanded. “Don’t make me go all Dog Whisperer on your butts!”
I realized I was lying on the ground and she was sitting beside me. We were in one of our smaller lairs. So we’d gotten away. We were all safe. Weren’t we?
“Lucas?” I rasped.
“You’re awake,” Kayla said, and squeezed my hand.
“Lucas?” I repeated.