REGARDLESS OF THE enthusiasm I’d had at the idea of getting out of the hospital, it wasn’t quite so easy to actually break away. The wounds that had littered my body recovered relatively fast; in fact, the burns had almost completely healed the day after Ethan dropped off the flight information.

A day later and I was able to support my own weight on my sprained ankle too, even if it still wasn’t quite a hundred percent healed. The overwhelming exhaustion and dehydration that had seen me collapse after the fight with the wendigo was completely gone—in fact, with Clay by my side, I’d slept better than I had in years.

Despite the speed of my recovery, the doctors in the private hospital refused to sign the release papers until they were able to see my fever come down. They were so certain I had a secondary infection that it was useless trying to convince them I was perfectly healthy and my temperature was in the normal range—or at least normal for me. In the end, it came down to a choice between signing a raft of paperwork for a release against doctor’s orders, and providing concrete evidence I’d been in the hospital to anyone who knew what to look for—like the Rain—or breaking out of a second hospital.

The latter option won, but unlike the last time, I had Clay by my side. Before we made our break, he brought me a new bag filled with a number of different outfits together with a baseball cap—a ridiculous thing with a lewd expression printed on it that made me smile. He brought me a change of clothing and then we snuck out the back entrance together. I wanted to make a joke about it being easier than last time, but Clay’s face was so serious as he assessed the surrounding streets for danger that I couldn’t bring myself to raise the subject of our most recent separation, not even as a joke.

Together, we followed Ethan’s instructions to the letter. If Clay had any doubt over the trustworthiness of his brother’s assistance, he didn’t show it.

Unlike me.

When I found out the yacht Ethan had arranged was exactly that, just a yacht moored at the location, fear of betrayal sent my heart racing. At the time Ethan had mentioned chartering a yacht, I’d just assumed it was coming with someone to drive it. When I expressed that concern to Clay, he’d been offended before grinning at my skepticism and demonstrating his boating ability to get us out into the open ocean in almost no time.

He spent the next week and a bit navigating us to Mexico while showing me the basics of operating a boat. Even those few days were enough of a break from the constant running to completely rejuvenate me. It was amazing how the truth and just a few days together could wipe away years of heartache. Every night, Clay would anchor the boat for a few hours, and we’d spend the time reconnecting with one another. The sound of the waves splashing against the hull provided the soundtrack for our love.

After the initial hurdle, I was willing to put faith in Clay’s trust of his brother. Or at least, I had been right up until we were due to leave Mexico on the next leg of our trip. The cab ride to take us from the small motel we’d spent the night to the airport was a torture test. Knowing I was about to enter into a place so heavily guarded, and with so many cameras around, made my heart race and my skin blaze. Despite the distance between us across the backseat of the taxicab, the heat radiating from me was enough to garner Clay’s attention.

“Are you okay?” he murmured.

I began to nod, before ending the movement with a slight headshake. He held his arm out, and I slid across the seat to tuck myself under it. I shifted the rim of the baseball cap that he’d given me out of the way to snuggle against him.

“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “Eth wouldn’t do anything that would hurt you.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” I asked. My faith had started to wane as I’d realized how monumental a task it would be to get through an airport unnoticed.

“There are three reasons. The first is I think he now truly sees in you what I always have. The second is he knows I will fight to the death to protect you. He won’t risk me being hurt like that, not unless he was involved to ensure I wasn’t killed in the crossfire. And the third is I think he’s finally realized that if he were to cause you any harm, I would never forgive him. Family is everything for him. For all of us. It’s a big part of how we were raised. He’s saved my ass often enough for me to trust his word.”

Despite the intention behind his words—to help make me feel more at ease—his words made my stomach twist into sudden knots. I was the cause of multiple rifts in his family. I was the reason he had shut them out of his life years ago and the reason he might not see them in the years to come. I also didn’t understand how Clay could justify the lies that Ethan, and his father, had told him about Louise, but he obviously had.

“I know you’re nervous, and that’s understandable,” he murmured as he stroked my arm. Because of the singlet I was wearing, his fingertips slid along my skin for every perfect second of the gentle touch and caused instant reactions to my body, calming my nerves but igniting my passion. “You need to at least appear calm or we’ll be at risk. Can you do that?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “This isn’t my first ride at the fair. I do know how to appear calm.”

“It is your first flight though, right?”

There was no point denying it. I had no doubt he knew what my father was like after tracking us years ago. My father would have never risked going near an airport, and he’d instilled that same deep mistrust for any place with so many guns, x-rays, and checkpoints in me from a very young age.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Clay said. “Eth’s greased a few palms to give us access through here, and I have a back-up plan if things look like they’re going awry.”

It was the first I’d heard of it, so I turned in his arms to look at him. “And what is that exactly?”

“Get the hell out of there.” He grinned as he pulled me closer to him and kissed my temple.

“Brilliant plan,” I muttered. “However did you think of it?”

He chuckled and cast me an arrogant stare because he’d succeeded with his now obvious intention—getting me to relax enough to cool my body a little. I nudged his ribs when I saw through his trick, causing him to laugh louder. I chuckled in spite of myself.

 

 

“LET ME get a good look at you,” Clay murmured when he came back to my side after gathering our boarding passes.

His eyes trailed over my body, turning eager as he took in the ridiculously low-cut singlet I was wearing—a massive, but according to him vital, change from my usual hoodie. Stepping closer to me, he moved his hand to my neck, tucking his fingers under the chain that rested there to lift it so that the pendant sat outside of my top with the dove facing outward. When his fingertips brushed along my skin, I exhaled shakily, and he licked his lips in desire before moving on to adjust the hat on my head, tucking in a few loose strands of hair. Then he smiled at me. “Perfect.”

“Perfect for what exactly?”

He ignored my question and cast a quick glance over each of his shoulders. “You still have it?” he asked.

Clay had insisted I leave my switchblade in the pocket of my jeans. I’d told him he was crazy; after all, coming into the airport armed didn’t seem like a very smart idea, but he’d been insistent. I argued that having a knife in my pocket was bound to raise multiple alarms at the airport, but he’d assured me that with the plan he’d discussed with Ethan, it would raise more suspicion if I didn’t have some sort of weapon. I didn’t understand his logic, but he refused to elaborate, instead asking me to trust him—something I’d failed to do in the past to both of our detriment.

“You’re lucky I trust you,” I murmured as I nodded.

He grinned and grabbed my hand to lead me through to the security gates. Seconds before we got into line, he swung me around to him again.

“Whatever happens, just try to look like you belong here and that you’re not afraid,” he whispered as his gaze pierced mine. Through his fingertips, I could feel his heart pounding through his body. He was obviously less calm than he was pretending to be. “You need confidence—arrogance even—more than anything else right now.”

His fear made my heart race in time with his. “Why?” I glanced around.

Lifting his hand to caress my cheek, he steadied my nervous stares. “Because you’ll look out of place if you don’t look like you have everything under control.”

“Out of place?” I asked, confused. Then it dawned on me, his worry, his words, the placement of the pendant—there was something bigger that he hadn’t clued me in on.

“Are there Rain here?” I asked incredulously.

He screwed his mouth up and met my eye, the concern echoing from his gaze confirming my suspicions.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I hissed, wishing I was away from the crowds of people so I could scream and rant the way I wanted to.

“Because you would never have agreed to come here if I had.” He had the decency to look apologetic, but it didn’t really help me.

“You’re damned right I wouldn’t have.” It took everything in me not to shout it out loud across the terminal. As it was, the venom in my whispered tone was unmistakable.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” he assured me. “There’s always a handful of Rain operatives working security at every airport. They’re easy to identify, and if they think that you’re Rain too, they’ll let us pass, even with the knife and the gun. Especially with them—it’ll seem out of place if we’re not armed.”

His insistence that I carry a weapon made more sense with his statement, but it didn’t help my sanity. My breathing sped, and my lungs failed to provide adequate oxygen to my mind to think properly. “But won’t they know what I am? Won’t they recognize my phoenix qualities?” I mouthed the word to him.

He chuckled. “I didn’t say that they were very good operatives. The ones who end up in these sorts of posts are usually the, shall I say, less than bright, candidates. They have the desire, but not necessarily the ability.”

“Are you su—”

“Do you trust me?” he asked, cutting me off before I could ask whether he was positive it would all be okay.

I took a deep breath to steady my breathing and nodded. I would continue to trust him. I’d allowed my doubt to destroy too many of his plans. He’d asked for faith, and I would give it to him. Just as he’d given it to me.

“Let’s do it then.”

I followed his lead, and he hustled us forward in the queues until we were in the one he wanted. Then, as we neared the front of the line, he pressed his lips to my collarbone and slid his hand under my singlet to brush over my stomach.

“Clay,” I hissed. “What are you doing?”

“Just play along,” he murmured against my skin.

When we were the next in line, he twisted me around and kissed me passionately, leaving me breathless and wanting. For a moment, the entire airport fell away and only we existed. I didn’t care if there were Rain nearby. I probably wouldn’t have cared if there were a thousand Rain operatives all surrounding us with guns drawn. As long as Clay was kissing me like that, the rest of the world didn’t exist.

The security guard cleared his throat, and Clay released me.

“Sorry, we’re newlyweds,” he said, flashing a wide, toothy grin at the man before shifting his fingers to the chain around my throat to indicate the pendant.

The guard’s eyes traveled to my chest and recognition sparked in his eyes when he looked at the chain.

“Well, congratulations,” he said as he waved me toward him—the thin plastic strip of the x-ray machine looming between us like the gateway to hell. The guard moved closer to the machine just as I stepped through it.

Walking through the x-ray was one of the most terrifying things I’d had to do in a long time—and I’d just taken on a wendigo a few weeks before. I was certain that bells and alarms were going to ring and red lights would flash throughout the entire airport the moment I passed through it. That within seconds, I’d have a hoard of Rain closing in on me with guns drawn. My stress levels had risen so fast that I barely even realized I’d screwed my eyes shut as I walked through the gate. It was only when I exited the other side and the guard hummed that I opened them again.

“Looks like it’s down again,” he called to one of the other guards. Then he grabbed a manual wand and ran it over my legs and arms. “All clear,” he said as he winked at me. “Good luck on your honeymoon, Miss.”

I blinked in confusion before remembering what Clay had said. I lifted my chin, set my jaw, and forced my features into a confident expression I didn’t feel. “Thank you.”

Clay followed close behind me and the guard followed the same practice that he had with me, letting Clay through the “broken” scanner before only waving the x-ray wand over his arms and legs. He whispered something into Clay’s ear that made Clay chuckle.

“Just lucky I guess,” Clay replied before casting me an appreciative glance.

The guard’s eyes fell on the pendant around my neck again. Just as I reached for my backpack, he asked Clay where our journey was taking us.

“Greece,” Clay said without stopping to think about the answer. “The sport is always good there this time of year.”

The guard sighed wistfully. “Have fun,” he said.

“So, what exactly was that about?” I asked when we were a safe distance away from the guard on our way to the boarding gate.

An all-too-innocent look crossed Clay’s face. “What was what about?”

“Why’d they let us through like that?”

“Because we’re Rain.” He tapped the pendant.

My stomach twisted at the mere idea of being associated with that organization. It may have been Clay’s heritage, but I couldn’t accept the thought nearly as easily.

“But what about that kiss?”

His cheeks twitched with amusement. “That was for your benefit.”

“My benefit?”

He stroked his fingers over my cheek, before brushing his knuckle across the corner of my lips. At the gentle touch, my mouth dried out and my eyes drifted closed. “You were getting stressed.” He leaned forward and touched his lips softly to mine. “I had to calm you down.”

With my eyes still closed, I relished the feeling of his sweet breath brushing my skin. My voice was barely a breathless whisper when I asked, “And that was the best way you could think of?”

He chuckled, and my eyes sprung open. “Well, it was certainly the most enjoyable way.”

I slapped his shoulder playfully, which earned another laugh. “What did he say to you, anyway?”

Clay’s laughter grew, but he didn’t answer.

I frowned. “You’re not going to tell me?”

He raised one eyebrow. “You might not like it.”

“Tell me,” I pleaded when faced with his continued silence.

He assessed me carefully, as if weighing up my possible reaction.

“Please?”

I could see the exact moment he decided to tell me. Mirth danced on his lips even as contrition battled in his gaze. “He asked how I’d managed to get lucky enough to score a partner with such a great rack for the assignment.”

I gasped. “He did not!”

Clay laughed harder. “He did. I knew that top would come in handy.” His eyes trailed over my chest again.

I looked down myself. “It’s not like there’s that much to look at,” I said confused.

“Never underestimate the power of boobs,” he said with a laugh. “Size doesn’t matter as much as how they’re displayed.”

“Did you just use my body to get us through security easier?”

He had the decency to look contrite, even as he argued, “Well, it worked didn’t it?”

Brushing his palm across the back of his neck, he watched my reaction carefully.

I rolled my eyes. “Next time, can you at least let me know that you’re going to do it?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body flush with his.

“Are you very upset with me?” he asked.

I leaned into him. “I don’t know if I’d say very.”

“How can I ever make it up to you?” He pressed his mouth against mine before tentatively brushing his tongue along my lower lip.

“I can think of a few ways,” I murmured as I ran my fingers into his hair.

Despite the emotions his closeness elicited in me, something was not right. Pinpricks of fear started at the base of my spine, replacing the desire from moments earlier. My limbs grew heavy and despair filled me. The sensation was one I’d experienced before and had learned to associate with proximity to my hunter. My teeth ground together in response.

Clay’s body stiffened against mine, instantly on edge as my skin heated in his hold. He pulled away from me. “What is it?”

“Someone’s watching us,” I murmured. It was the same sensation I’d had every single time I’d felt threatened. “Do you think Louise knows we’re here?”

He shook his head. “Not a chance. Come, let’s sit and see what we can see.”

We took a seat near our gate and watched the people passing by as the crowds swelled before thinning again. My eyes scanned regularly for any familiar face, constantly expecting someone to leap forward with a gun aimed squarely at me.

Fifteen minutes had passed and the sensation was as strong as ever, only now a queasy sickness in my stomach and a burning in my limbs accompanied it. Something was going to happen, I just didn’t know what or when.

I scanned the area again and saw him—the tall hooded man draped in black, the one I’d seen the night I’d become certain Clay was hunting me.

“There!” I whispered to Clay, nudging him and trying to point out the direction of the man without being obvious. “That man. I’ve seen him before.”

Clay’s head instantly twisted in the direction I indicated. “Where is he?”

I looked back and the figure was gone. “I could have sworn there was a man there.” I craned my neck to see if he’d just disappeared into the crowd, but I knew it was impossible. The man had to have been at least six and a half feet tall—maybe taller—he’d towered over everyone when I’d glimpsed him. He couldn’t just be gone. Waves of shivers swept through my body at the thought of how often I’d caught a single glance of the man before he’d just disappeared. I wished I knew how, and why. “I thought he was working with you the last time I saw him.”

“What did he look like?” Clay asked as he peered at the crowd.

“He was tall, really tall.”

“And what else?”

“He was wearing a black suit, or a black robe maybe. I don’t know, I’ve never been able to get a really good look at him.”

“Hair? Eyes?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “He’s always in my periphery. He seems to disappear as soon as I try to focus on him.”

Clay frowned before moving closer to me. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

“What?” I asked as the hairs on my body stood to attention at the quiet danger his voice hinted at.

“If you see him again, let me know.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“I’m not sure, it might be nothing.” His voice had shifted. His tone was soothing as he stroked my arms gently. But he didn’t relax. In fact, his eyes roamed the departures area regularly.

An hour later, without any further sight of the man or any more terrifying incidents, we were loaded onto the plane. Once I’d entered the small cabin, I wondered how people willingly traveled that way regularly. Because there were so many seats, all squeezed so tightly together, there was no way for neighbors to avoid touching one another.

Clay followed behind me and pointed toward the back of the plane.

“We’re down there. I made sure you have a window seat.”

I headed in the direction he pointed, down toward the back of the plane, before taking another glance at my boarding pass. Climbing over the rest of the seats in our row, I was glad we’d be prepared and had boarded early. If I’d had to climb over another passenger, I was certain they would have noticed the heat emanating from my body and would probably have mentioned it to the stewards.

“Evie, your bag?” Clay chuckled when I had settled into my seat.

“Huh?”

“You need to stow your baggage for the trip.” He held his hand out for my backpack.

I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of putting my limited worldly possessions into a tiny cabinet, hidden away with everyone else’s.

“Can’t I just hold it on my lap?”

He shook his head. “Not if you don’t want to draw attention to yourself.”

Reluctantly, I passed my bag over to him, and he stored it with his own in the overhead locker above us. I took the seat closest to the window, and Clay slid in alongside me, tucking his arm over my shoulder.

“How long are we on this thing for?”

“Ten hours, give or take,” he murmured.

I tried not to panic at his words, but I failed spectacularly.

“Try to get some sleep if you can.”

I sighed, thinking how impossible that would be. I couldn’t even use sedation like some other travelers because it would burn out of my system before it really took effect.

Clay seemed to understand my concern and leaned closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. Any length of time stuck in a tiny metal tube flying ridiculously high in the sky wasn’t my idea of a good time.

Ten hours stuck next to Clay though . . . well, that wasn’t so terrible.

 

 

IN THE instant the plane had landed in Paris, a rush of happiness hit me. Not only was I going to be escaping from the death trap that posed as a means of transportation before long, but it also signaled the beginning of something new. For the first time since my father’s death, I was truly at peace and happy. Having Clay not just on my side, but by my side, only added to my euphoria.

I didn’t feel like I needed to watch over my shoulder as the plane taxied toward the terminal. It wasn’t that I thought we’d escaped persecution; in fact, the opposite was true, but I didn’t feel an immediate threat.

Discussing it on the plane in hushed whispers, both Clay and I had agreed it would only be a matter of time before someone discovered the truth. We both realized that despite the apparent evidence to the contrary, like the devastation caused by the fires in the national park—from both my fall and the subsequent wendigo fight—I was still alive.

I was positive that when that news came out the Rain would learn that Ethan was covering for us and he’d assisted in our escape from the States. Clay was certain his brother wouldn’t give us up lightly though.

Even though I had my initial misgivings, the fact we’d made it to Europe without any major incident did make me trust Ethan’s word, at least a little more than I had the first time he’d visited the hospital. I hoped that even if someone discovered the truth, Clay and I would now have enough of a head start that we would remain safe.

Once the plane had taxied from the runway to the terminal, Clay retrieved our bags but indicated we should wait before disembarking. On his insistence, we were the second to last people to leave the plane, but as we trailed behind the bumping and hustling crowds ahead, I understood why Clay wanted to wait—at the very least it meant I wasn’t likely to bump against anyone in the confined space.

Traveling back through customs was almost as stressful as it had been when we’d left America. Once again, Clay had me ensure the dove around my neck was on display as he shepherded us into the particular queue he wanted to go through. He spoke briefly with the customs official in halting French and then we were free. I wanted to wrap my arms around his neck in celebration, but I didn’t want to risk tipping anyone off to the fact that we’d just managed successfully to run a gauntlet that should have been impossible. My deeply ingrained mistrust of authority made me think they were all watching and waiting for us to screw up, but I knew it wouldn’t matter soon enough.

After we’d escaped the second round of customs with relative ease, I questioned Clay on why the Rain operatives were so willing to wave us through without any solid information. The first time I could almost understand, but for it to happen twice was too much of a coincidence, unless there was something else I was missing.

At first, Clay was reluctant to tell me but soon realized I wasn’t going to relent.

“That symbol is only used under two circumstances these days, ceremonially and by certain families,” he eventually said, touching the pendant.

I waited for him to continue, but he stopped. “Why?”

“It represents the aristocracy for want of a better word. The elite families who have been members of the Rain for time untold.”

“Why do you have it then?” I asked without thinking. “Wouldn’t you get in trouble for—”

The look on Clay’s face silenced me immediately. He had it because he was entitled to it. He wasn’t impersonating the elite—he was the elite. Once again, I grew amazed that he’d been able to fight off so much prejudice that had to be deeply instilled into him.

He snorted at my surprised expression. “I’m really not sure whether I should be insulted that you think so little of me.”

“It’s not that,” I argued. “It’s just . . . It just surprises me, that’s all.”

“That’s why my family isn’t very sympathetic toward nonhumans generally. The years that the Jacob’s line has served the Rain are exceeded only by the number of lives that have been lost in the service.”

The way he said it was almost like he was reading from a textbook, something he’d learned by rote years ago, but the truth of it was horrifying. The notion raced down my spine carrying a cold shiver with it. I closed the small gap between us and hugged him close to me.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He tipped his head to one side. “For what?”

“For seeing past all of that, for loving me, and allowing me to love you.”

He released a soft chuckle that barely carried on his breath. “There was never another choice for me.”

Despite the uncertainty about the future, when the moment came that I stepped out of the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport into a cool autumn night, with thousands of miles between me and the one person who wanted me dead above everything else, I couldn’t have been any happier.