Chapter 12

Zenon’s need to protect his mate beat at him. The women speaking to her a short distance away were no threat. At least, he didn’t get the sense that they were. He would keep his eye on the one who had stabbed him—as well as the other who had been unpleasant with Nickie—to be certain, but his mate wasn’t afraid amongst them. Still, he didn’t like that they made her uncomfortable with their inquiries.

Nickie slipped her hand into his, calming his phoenix with her simple touch.

A tiny slip of a woman came forward, her face all but obscured by her long, black tresses. Hands stuck in her front pockets, she shuffled her feet as though shoring herself for what was to come. Her shoulders heaved with a deep breath before she shoved the hair from her face. “I’m Jackie,” she said, her voice as little as the rest of her.

“She’s the one who gets the information and deciphers it. Without her, we wouldn’t have been able to get the coordinates to find you.”

A blind man could have seen how uncomfortable the woman was. He hunched his shoulders and relaxed his stance as much as he could, but he was imposing. There was no getting around that. “Pleased to meet you, Jackie. I cannot convey the extent of my gratitude.”

Jackie’s gaze flickered to Nickie before landing on him again, not quite meeting his gaze. “It’s fine. We’re all in this together. I have the coordinates for the next possible location. We should hit the road.”

“I agree. Let’s eat, and we can head out,” Nickie said.

A moment later, the women dispersed, going back to their tasks—all but one. The woman who had shoved her blade through him stood there, her spine straight and her chin held high. With red, puffy eyes, she put on a brave front. “I’m sorry I stabbed you. I didn’t mean to,” she said in a rush, her gaze falling briefly to the ground before she snapped it back up to him.

He’d witnessed her reaction the day before—the shock and misery that had followed—but that didn’t excuse her behavior. “No, you meant to stab my mate. Perhaps she’s the one you should apologize to,” he said, unable to keep the sharpness from his tone. She was repentant, that was clear, but it would take time for him to forget what had transpired.

Michelle gasped, and her shoulders dropped a fraction. “But I didn’t really mean to. I don’t know what happened. One second, I was standing there, and the next…” a look of confusion, and perhaps a hint of fear, crossed the woman’s features before she shook it off.

“It’s fine. All our emotions were running high. We’ll be better prepared next time,” Nickie cut in.

“No, he’s right. It’s not okay,” Michelle spoke again, this time with more conviction. “I am sorry, Nickie. Under normal circumstances, I’d never hurt a fly. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Nickie released his hand and pulled the other woman into her arms. “I know. Apology accepted.”

The woman sniffled and clung to her for a moment longer before clearing her throat. “Right. Well, we’re breaking camp,” she said as she stepped back. “If you get your stuff out of the tent, I’ll take it apart for you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

Michelle shrugged. “It’ll keep me busy while everyone else gets their belongings squared away. I was awake before everyone, so I ate and stowed my things already.”

Nickie opened her mouth, her coming objection clear on her face. “Allow her to do this, mate. She wishes to make amends. Do not be surprised if she does so for some time,” Zenon spoke into Nickie’s mind. He had witnessed guilt and the effects it had on a person before.

“Thank you, Michelle. We appreciate it,” he said out loud, dismissing the other woman.

She nodded and turned away, heading toward the lake, mumbling as she did. The wind whisked the whispered words into nothingness, but not before unease settled into him. Even though the words she’d spoken to them had been heartfelt, and he didn’t doubt her sincerity, something wasn’t quite right. Until he figured out what, he would keep a close eye on her.

“Let’s get some food. I’m starving,” Nickie said, tugging on his hand. “I’ve warned the women to be on their best behavior, but I wouldn’t count on that happening.”

***

Nickie held on to the grab bar as the SUV lurched over a rut, sending her bouncing on the seat and nearly knocking her head on the roof. What the hell had she been thinking when agreeing to let Zenon try his hand at driving?

“Woah. Slow down there, big boy,” she shrieked even as she laughed. “You’re going to get us killed before we hit the interstate. We won’t make it to Calgary at all if you don’t ease up.”

Zenon’s deep-throated laughter filled the cab.

Yep, that’s why. Her mate hadn’t had anything to smile about, much less to laugh about, in far too long. So when they’d approached the SUV and he’d suggested he try driving to gain hands-on knowledge, she’d agreed. It had everything to do with learning, and not the excitement in his eyes, or the boyish smile he’d given her. Right. And if learning to drive on a dirt road made his eyes sparkle and his dimples pop out, she’d do it again in a heartbeat.

“I have to take over when we get to the intersection,” she warned.

Zenon glanced in her direction, deflating a little.

“Not because I don’t think you’re doing a good job, but because we have laws about that kind of thing. You need a driver’s licence. We can’t afford to be stopped by the police. It would slow us down.”

“I understand, my Nickie.” His lips twitched, and he gave her a wink before speeding up again. They hit a small hill way too fast, and her stomach bottomed out as they rounded the top.

A pulse-like thudding sounded, faint at first, growing louder by the second.

“What is that? Have I broken our vehicle?” Zenon asked, taking his foot off the accelerator.

Before Nickie could say anything, the tinkling chimes of her cell rang from the cup holder where she’d dropped it when they’d gotten in. The whapping noise grew louder.

“Shit. That’s a helicopter. There could be a million reasons why a helicopter would be in the area, right?” she asked as she grabbed her phone and put it on speaker.

“Get out of sight. The road was blocked at the stop sign. We plowed through and they’re chasing us, we’re a few miles from the interstate,” Jas screamed over the sound of squealing tires.

“Shit. You guys okay?” Nickie’s heart thundered against her ribs. If anything happened to Jas, she’d never forgive herself. The only reason Jas was with them was because she’d been too scared to let Nickie go off on her own.

Zenon scraped the sides of the SUV against branches protesting their passage as he nosed his way into heavy brush on the side of the road. Tall trees loomed over them, obscuring them from sight.

“We’re going to try to lose them once we hit the freeway. It’s the same guys as yesterday. Ditch the car. They had to have put something on there to track it.”

“All of our gear is in here,” Nickie protested. When they’d packed up before leaving, they’d loaded the SUV to the brim so that Jas could ride in one of the other vehicles.

“Just do it! We can get more fucking stuff.” Jas screamed.

Another screech of tires sounded over the line. “Shit. Be careful.”

Jas’s heavy breathing was the only sound for a second. “Not now, damn it. We don’t have time for this,” Jas screamed again. “Son of a fucking bitch. I thought I was done with this.”

The more frightened Jas was, the more she swore.

“Done with what? Talk to me,” Nickie demanded.

“Jackie’s in rough shape. I have to help her. Go. We’ll meet up in Calgary.”

Nickie stared at her phone for a second after the call disconnected. The heavy whapping sounds outside faded as the chopper moved away. Either they’d decided to continue chasing the other two vehicles, or they were looking for a place to land. Either way, they had to get moving.

“What do you want from the back?” Zenon asked, shoving his door open.

Miles from civilization, it would take hours to get anywhere. Carrying gear would only slow them down. “Nothing, let’s go.”

Shoving against the branches, she opened her door wide enough to slip out. As soon as she did, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose, and a sick feeling soured her stomach. Grabbing her backpack, she shoved some clothes into it, and a couple of bottles of water. The pouch she carried her cash in was sewn into the pack itself, and she never went anywhere without it. “We have to get out of here,” she said into Zenon’s mind, not wanting to make any more noise than they already had.

How the hell were they going to outrun those mercenaries if they were already closing in?

Zenon gave her a peculiar look, his head tilted slightly to the side. “We will not outrun them. Do you trust me, mate?”

The memories of the battles he’d fought before his capture flooded her mind. If he didn’t plan to outrun them, did he plan to stay and fight? They had no way of knowing who or what they were facing. Zenon had been captured in a time where weapons consisted of swords and dark magic.

“We can’t fight them. We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

“No, we cannot. But we can fly.”

An image of her clasped in great talons and soaring through the air came into her mind, taking her breath away. She didn’t know if she was more scared or excited by the prospect. She’d yearned for adventure for most of her life and had been denied. Now was her chance.

Nickie peered into the deeper forest. The natural sounds around there were quiet—too quiet. Heart pounding, she gave him a shaky smile. “I trust you. Let’s fly.”