Chapter 104

Claire POV

Nathan tried to keep me from coming.

“It’s too dangerous, Claire,” he whispered as we began walking toward the estate, crouched low to avoid detection.

“You’re not a trained warrior. If one of those Bloodclaws attacks you, you’d be helpless.”

It was true, and the thought of a Bloodclaw warrior coming at me made me feel nauseous.

But I held firm.

“I’m not going back,” I said, shaking my head.

I knew I looked like I was terrified, because I absolutely was. But the fear of being attacked was nothing against the stark terror of not being able to find or help Andy.

“If he’s hurt…” I had to swallow. I knew the possibility that Sabrina had already hurt Andy was high, and it made me sick.

“If he’s injured in any way, you’ll need me there to help him. To heal him.”

Nathan’s jaw clenched, and I knew thinking about Andy being hurt tore at him just as much as it tore at me.

Then he nodded. “Alright. But you need to stay with me. Stay behind me, and be ready.

“When things start to happen, it’s all going to move fast.”

I nodded, and reached out to wrap my hand around his shirt.

I believed him when he said things would start to happen quickly, and there was no way I was going to be separated from him.

Our son needed us too much for that.

We moved forward.

And we got further onto the estate than I thought we would without being detected.

Our enforcers took out a few solitary Bloodclaw warriors, doing so in nearly total silence.

I was impressed, and a little frightened, watching my own Royal bodyguards take these people out with such quiet and violent efficiency.

These were men and women I said hello to every day on my way downstairs to breakfast. Who I chatted with while they escorted me to the office or the clinic.

While I’d known they were trained warriors, I realized I hadn’t really understood just what that meant.

I did now.

And then, suddenly, someone saw us. An alarm began to sound.

And the battle began.

I held onto Nathan desperately as he surged forward, meeting the oncoming enforcers with a crash.

All at once we were surrounded with the growls and screams of fighting, bodies slamming into bodies.

And all I could think of was getting through it, and getting into the house.

Now that they knew we were here, we needed to get to Andy as soon as possible.

Before Sabrina did something drastic.

“Go!” Beta Garrett cried, running up to us and taking over the fight with the enforcer Nathan was struggling with.

Beta Evan joined Garrett in the fight. “He’s right,” he shouted. “Go get your son!

“We’ve got this.”

With a grateful nod and thanks, we turned away from the fight.

And made a run for the house.

Sabrina POV

Alarm bells tore through the quiet night air, jerking me out of the light doze I’d slipped into as I sat beside the fireplace in Andy’s room.

Below, I heard the house erupt into chaos. Screams from outside told of a battle going on right on the estate, while inside pounding footsteps indicated that the servants were hurrying to secure the house.

My heart sank.

Nathan.

Soren burst into the room. Mother and I both jerked in surprise.

And I could tell by the look on his face that I was right.

“Nathan has found us, somehow.”

Once again, he was going to ruin absolutely everything.

“How??” Mom demanded. “How did he know to come here?”

Soren shook his head. “I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter. This fight isn’t going to go the way he wants it to, I guarantee it.”

I looked back at Andy, who was sitting on the bed, still tied. There was a bruise forming on his face where I hit him, and his eyes were wide with fear.

Or maybe that was hope.

The hope that his father would save him.

Not if I had anything to say about it.

“Let’s leave,” I said. “We need to run, just in case he - ”

“No,” Soren cut me off. “You two stay right here with Andy. I don’t want anybody to leave this room until I come back for you myself.”

He walked out, demanding that we lock the door behind him, waiting until he heard it slide home before walking away.

But one look at Mom told me she was thinking the exact same thing I was:

There was no way we were staying in this room.

Because both of us knew Nathan would do whatever he had to do to get his son.

I swallowed, suddenly very afraid.

If Nathan found me up here…

He’d kill me.

“Mom, I need to get out of here!” I cried, shaking with fear. “Nathan will kill me if he gets through.”

“I know, darling. Get the child, we’ll get you out of here.”

I walked over to Andy and pulled out my knife, cutting the rope tied around his ankles.

“Get up,” I demanded. “You’re coming with me. And don’t struggle, or I swear I’ll slit your throat.”

Shoving him along in front of me, I followed Mom down a back staircase, one only used by servants. It led us into the kitchen, where she opened a secret door hidden in the corner of the room.

A door I didn’t know existed until it swung open.

“Where does this go??”

“Into the forest. Follow the steps down, then just keep going until the end. Head for the old cabin at the back of the property,” she told me, handing me a flashlight.

“I’ll come get you when the coast is clear.”

I stopped. “Wait, what? You’re not coming with me?? Mom, he might kill you!”

She patted my cheek. “Don’t worry, my darling. Your mother can take care of herself. Now, go.”

Nearly in tears, half convinced I’d never see my mother alive again, I let Mom push me through the opening. She closed the door, and I turned on the flashlight.

There was nothing ahead but darkness.

Shoving Andy ahead of me, I walked us down the endless tunnel, praying the entire time that I wouldn’t hear footsteps pounding up behind us.

Praying that whatever my mother did, it kept Nathan and Claire from coming after us.

Eventually we emerged through another secret door, one carved right into the side of a rocky little hill.

We stepped out into the fresh night air, and I strained my ears.

I was just barely able to hear the sounds of the fight still going on far behind us.

And I sighed with relief.

We were so much further away from the house than I’d dared to hope we would be.

I smiled down at Andy. “Looks like Mommy and Daddy aren’t going to find you in time after all.”

Andy, eyes wide with fear, struggled against the ropes binding his wrists, kicking and fighting me, obviously trying to slow me down as I dragged him down the hill and deeper into the trees.

But I just picked him up and threw him over my shoulder.

And then I ran off into the night.