Chapter 56

Soren

Hours tick by and the sun begins to make its descent from the top of the sky, sinking towards the horizon. I watch from afar, arms crossed over my chest, and take notice of how quick the soldiers are working.

Usually, all of the outdoor lights would be on so that we can properly see where we are heading and make for sure we do not run into anything, but since Bianca has decided to unleash a threat on us, we have to work under the slowly setting sun in a race against time before we are enveloped in nothing but darkness.

My eyes travel along the line of cars. There are six in total and all of which have blacked out windows, nobody being able to see inside of the car, and all are left with no marks, not even a license plate to discern it from the others.

Since Bianca and her Lycan allies, as well as werewolves it seems, clearly has men out in the surrounding area, then we must create complete and utter confusion with where Celia and I are headed. All of the cars will head in the same direction before scattering, heading in different directions so they will be forced to follow just a few cars and not all of them.

Only one of the cars has a mark on it, something to differentiate it from the group. It is a small mark, but barely a couple inches wide in size, and rests on the back of the trunk door. It is a cross, a symbol that hopefully Bianca and her allies will fall for and follow instead of the car Celia and I will be hidden away inside.

The sunset changes the bright blue colors of the sky into oranges and pinks. Another hour passes as the servants help load the cars with decoy props and items just in case the car gets intercepted. The sky is now a bright purple, mixing in with the orange and pink hues before it eventually over takes the sky.

A servant passes me by holding Celia’s belongings. I stop them and take the bags from her, wanting to ensure that Celia has what she needs and it isn’t put in the wrong car by accident.

I glance behind me and notice Celia standing by the window, peering out and into the darkness that begins to dominate the sky. My eyes linger on her for a moment and I take in the melancholic expression that sits on her face. I sigh and turn away, glancing at my Beta who stands to the side of me.

“Where are we headed?” I ask, clearing my throat to distract myself from the sad sight of Celia’s face.

“You told me not to tell you, sir,” he calmly responds. “Only I know the destination. Your driver does not even know. I have inputted the directions into the car’s navigation system, though, so you’ll be able to find out once you are inside.”

“Did you just disobey a direct order from me?” I follow up, holding back a hint of a smile on my face.

“I did, yes, it is for the best, sir,” he takes a single step towards me and leans in, whispering, “we cannot risk the possibility of a mole being near us. They can hear everything.”

“I understand,” I nod and place distance between us once again. “Let’s get going now, yeah? I’m impatient.”

“Of course, sir,” he nods his head and moves down the stairs, already directing the servants and soldiers that are tirelessly working to complete the job before we leave.

“We found him!” A man yells from the distance. Everyone’s heads snap in their direction, a man being dragged in our direction with a black hood over his head.

A sense of pride fills me but dread quickly takes over because of the fact that it took so long to find the man. The coast is somewhat clear now, so Celia and I will be able to leave.

I toss Celia’s bags to my Beta and rush up the stairs, opening up the door and beckoning for Celia to come to me.

“What’s going on? Are we leaving?” Celia asks and I take her hand, drawing her back outside.

“We are, yes, and they found the man,” I quickly respond and rush down the stairs with her.

The world around us is in a slight chaos. Bodies move in every direction and it is fast faced. Decoys, people who look just like us, get inside the other cars. The Beta opens up one of the car doors, the fourth car in line, and we head towards it. I pull Celia in front of me and help her inside before getting in myself.

With one glance behind me, I spot my bags alongside Celia’s and let out a sigh of relief. I relax into my seat and watch as the soldiers get inside, the car engine revving to life.

“Soren?” Celia’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. I turn to look at her, sitting up straight and giving her my full attention. “Where are we going?”

“I…I don’t know, Celia, I’m sorry,” I reply. She nods and looks around, peering out of the window despite there being nothing to look at besides the darkness of the night and the window’s tint.

Suddenly, the car lurches forward. We are pushed back into our seats and a gasp leaves Celia’s lips. I look over and watch as she unbuckles her seatbelt, the woman clearly acting on instinct, and slips into the middle seat of the car. She buckles in and wraps her arms around mine, pulling herself close to me.

The car swerves on the gravel, allowing others from behind to move in front before we take a new position in front of the cars that sat in front of us. It is a wild game of mixing and matching, a thorough measure to ensure that Bianca will not find Celia and I.

Celia’s nails dig into my skin. I slowly breathe in, the scent of honeysuckle filling my mind and release my breath, the hint of storm wind coming in as a lingering smell.

“Are you okay?” I whisper to Celia as the cars find their way onto the main road.

She nods but does not look my way. She looks around the car and then out of the window when the lights of the city slowly seep through the tinted material. Her tense muscles begin to relax but she does not let go of me, not that I’m complaining, and she slowly takes deep breaths to calm her down.

“You know,” I fill in the silence between us, “you can rest if you would like to. I’ll be here the entire time. If anything bad happens or if we need to do something, I’ll let you know, okay?”

Celia looks up at me and our eyes meet. I can feel our fated mate bond working between us, flowing back and forth between the air that separates our bodies. She hesitates but eventually nods.

She releases my arm and I move it over her shoulders, allowing her to get comfortable against me, the side of her face smushed against my shoulder.

Something about this — our close proximity — feels right. It is something that I am never going to give up and protect for the rest of my life.