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40. Forget manners
The door bursts open.
About eight men shuffle inside, rifles in their hands, black masks on their faces. The open door lets light in the dark room.
I feel the revolver in my hand, testing my grip. I wait until all of them are inside, moving from between the maze of heavy shelves we made starting just after the door.
I hold up the revolver and pull the trigger to give the signal.
A loud rumble shakes the floor as all the shelves collapse on the black clad figures. Luke, Ethan and Tyler come out from over the heap of shelves, our ambushers groaning and struggling beneath the wood.
"Come on," Luke grabs my arm, racing down the hallways, we take a sharp turn towards the tower we were staying in
Luke bursts into his room, Ethan and Tyler turn towards their own. He yanks a bag out from under his bed and then without waiting for me, turn to my room.
"We need to get the hell out of here before they come back." Luke says, opening my closet and stuffing clothes in the bag
"Wait, you knew?" I ask wide eyed as he slings it over his shoulder
"I suspected," he says "And I trust my instinct."
"The exists must be locked," Ethan says, as he and Tyler come inside "I saw guards moving there when we went to the party."
"That won't be a problem." Luke says, he bolts the door of my room and the strides towards the window
"We're on the second floor," he says, looking down "We should be able to make it."
Tyler goes first, then Ethan. I bite my bottom lip hard, staring down at the ground hesitantly. Luke turns to me;
"Hazel, we have to go." He puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes
"I know," I mumble, my fingernails dig in my palms
"Jump, I'll be right after you."
"What if I fall?"
Luke takes a breath, as if its costing him to say; "Parks will catch you."
I swallow thickly "What if he can't?"
A beat of silence passes between us.
"If I go first," Luke says, quietly "Will you trust me to catch you?"
I turn to look at him, his dark stormy gaze meets mine. Since when have I associated this face with trust? Since when have I started to believe the words spoken by this voice?
I take a shaky breath "You will catch me?"
Luke keeps staring at me for a moment, his face impassive granite.
He takes my hand in his and presses a kiss to my knuckles "I would never let you fall, Hazel."
Someone pounds on the door, I jump away from Luke. He meets my eyes for a second, then leaps down from the window, landing neatly on his feet. Luke opens his arms for me, my heart jumps to my throat.
The pounding on the door intensifies. I look back at it, I look back at Luke.
Trust him, I close my eyes and sit on the windowsill, Just trust him, Elise.
The door slams open.
I jump.
The wind lifts up my hand, gravity sucks me down and I brace myself for the fall, for the agony that will follow, for the broken bones and bruises.
Then the wind stops, my hair falls back down, my arms reach out instinctively to hold onto something for support but I refuse to open my eyes.
"Elise," A shiver goes down my spine "I told you I wont let you fall, Hazel."
I open my eyes to find Luke staring down at me, the intensity of his gaze makes my heart squirm in place.
"Lets get the hell out of here," I say
The barest smile flickers across his face and he puts me to my feet, interlocking his fingers with mine.
"What now?" I ask "We don't have the map."
"I think I know where to go," Ethan says "Follow me."
We keep a fast pace, even though I'm wearing heels, I can walk just fine. Its beyond me how they are so comfortable. Probably magic.
My head starts pulsing with the hangover headache, my eyes dropping, my limbs telling me I have to sleep lest I pass out.
"How further do we have to go?" I ask and repress a yawn
"Just a few miles," Ethan glances at me "Are you alright?"
My back straightens, my face coming taut with focus and will "I'm fine."
I can feel Luke' eyes on me but I refuse to let him know I'm tired and my head is about to explode into bits. I won't let these higher ups think I'm a weak little girl.
We walk on and on, I can feel every single muscle in my body pulsing with strain. My jaw tightens as I push forward, I'm sure if I stop for a moment, my legs will shake.
Come on, Elise! There's only like what? A few miles to go? You can do this! Remember you will, your determination, your-
"Hazel," a voice whispers in my ear
I yelp in surprise, jumping away from the source, my heel clad feet stumble in the uneven earth and I fall directly in my behind.
I turn to him with a death glare "What the hell, Luke?"
He gives me a composed look and crosses his arms "I was going to tell you to walk carefully from here onwards."
I narrow my eyes "Thank you so much."
Before I could get up on my own, he takes my arms and stands me up, I sway a little on my feet. Crap! They're all going to know I'm about to collapse.
"Did you hurt your ankle again?" Luke says, before I could answer, he lets out an irritated sigh "How many times do I need to tell you to be careful? We can't stop right now."
He stares at me for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he looks up and murmurs; "I cant believe I'm doing this,"
He lets go and turns around, crouching down. I stare at him, applauded. Is he really... offering to carry me?
"Well?" a very familiar, hard and impatient voice says "Will do you the honors?"
"Winters, if you really don't want to," Ethan says "I would gladly help her."
"No need," I say with a dismissive wave of my hand "Luke made me fall so he will have to face the consequences."
I thank my stars that this dress is not tight and I'm wearing black leggings, otherwise I'd have rather crawled that take a back ride. Our little crew starts walking again, I sigh in comfort, sleep starts taking a harder toll on my senses.
"I noticed what you did, Winters." I whisper, mindlessly lowering my head so my cheek rests against Luke's hair
He doesn't answer for a few moments, I content myself with the fact that he wouldn't. my eyes flutter shut, sleep almost has me in its embrace when I hear him say;
"Good."
...
"Hazel," someone's shaking my shoulder gently
I grunt and snuggle deeper in the soft surface, shooing the hand away.
"Hazel, get up." That annoying hand is now caressing my cheek, but I don't mind it "Or you're not hungry?"
My eyes fly open, I see Luke standing over me a he pulls back his hand.
"Now that you've mentioned food, maybe I can get up afterall." I push myself up the mattress
Wait, mattress?
I look around, only to realize we're in a room. Not a very good room, mind you. the walls are cracked wood, the roof full of cobwebs, window panes so covered in dirt, they're almost grey.
"Where are we?" I ask, sitting up on the plain, single bed
"Parks had information about a witch's house in the forest," Luke sits down besides me "It's abandoned for the Hunt. They were heading here when they were ambushed, but stumbled upon that castle instead."
I nod. No wonder this place looks like crap, it hasn't been cleaned in weeks.
I turn my eyes to Luke again "What now? What about our maps?"
"Parks and I are trying to recreate something at least fifty percent as accurate," He says "It's shouldn't take long, we can leave on our own ways from tomorrow."
Tomorrow. So, I have a day to get my shit together. I fiddle with the sheets, embarrassed out of my mind.
"So, umm," I mumble "Thanks for not letting me get all of us killed."
Luke cocks his head to a side, his brows pulled together "What?"
My face heats up. Crap, he didn't even remember, why did I have to say that?
"You know," I shrug "In the closet."
We're enveloped by thick silence. Goddess, why did I have to get drunk? I'd have handled it if I was sober.
I peek at Luke from under my lashes, he's staring straight at me. finally, he says;
"You don't have to thank me."
I cant quantize the relief that crashes over me. I grin at him, feeling my sleepiness and embarrassment lift completely.
"You don't want me to apologize to you, you don't want me to thank you," I say merrily "So you want me to completely forget my manners around you?"
Luke stares at me for a moment longer than necessary, his eyes a shade darker "Yes."
Then he seems to realize what he just said and clears his throat. Luke abruptly stands up, both of us ignore the tension in the room.
"Get yourself something to eat from the bag, change if you want you," he says, walking toward the door
He stops in the doorway, then looks over his shoulder, so one of his eyes meets mine.
"In the closet," he says carefully "Do you remember what happened?"
I try to focus my thoughts. I remember my memories, I remember the panic, I remember Luke holding me and then... then the door was open and the lights were back on.
"Not exactly," I say, eyebrows furrowed "I didn't pass out, did I?"
Luke lets out a deep, deep breath, his shoulders fall momentarily "No. Nothing happened."
Without another word, he goes out, closing the door behind.
I change out of the dress into a comfy shirt and shorts, suddenly glad that Clary had given me some of her clothes. My heart sinks at the thought of her. Was Alpha Supreme's pack on target too? Or was it just the participants?
Shaking those thoughts out of my head, I wash my face in a bowl of water in the bathroom. I'd have loved a shower but well, this isn't a hotel, nor am I on a trip.
I munch on crackers, just finished eating a packet of nuts, as I go out of the room. The halls are equally dust covered.
Soon enough I reach what appears to be the living room. White sheets are bundled in a corner, probably lifted from the furniture. Ethan, Tyler and Luke are huddled over a big sheet of paper- moon knows where they got that from- murmuring and making details.
"Good morning," Ethan smiles at me "How are you feeling?"
"Hungover," I smile back at him "But I'll live."
I sit down by Luke's side, peering at what they'd made. I didn't get a lot of glimpses of the map, but this looks quite similar to it.
"Any idea who it was trying to kill us all?' I ask as I finish my breakfast
Luke pulls out a paper from the pocket of his jacket "I received this early morning."
I take it from him and unfold it to see elegant, curling writing;
The Alpha Supreme apologizes for the discomfort faced at the second checkpoint. One of the competing teams had managed to contact their pack and had them try to ambush the other teams. The culprits have been disqualified and will receive their punishments.
Wishing you the best,
Beta Superior,
Fredrick Lockhart
"How did you even receive this?" I ask raising an eyebrow
"It poofed up in the air," Ethan says "At least that's how I got mine."
"Magic," Tyler says
I roll my eyes. Just how many witches are they paying to arrange this Hunt?
The rest of the day goes by with me making and taking tea excessively since I found a tin of that in the kitchen and I've found my new passion of making tea. The other three spend their day being ambitious nerds.
I cradle my eighth cup of tea in my hands and stand by a wide window, watching as the sun goes down.
Only a quarter of this Hunt left, and if we win- when we win, I'll be free of that moonforsaken pack, far from everyone who's ever hurt me and mom.
And away from Carlos, Angelina and Morgan.
Away from Luke...
That thought makes my heart twist, my hold on the cup tightens. I never thought I'd live to see the day when the thought of leaving Luke Winters would upset me. But this is his fault.
For being nice to me, caring about me, protecting me, listening to my rants and for giving me tingles by the barest touch, he's entirely at fault.
"Hey,"
I turn sideways, blinking out of my thoughts. Ethan smiles at me, hands in his pockets.
"Hi," I say, almost sigh
Why did I want it to be Luke who would come to me right now?
"We're going our different ways tomorrow," he says, I nod "I just wanted you to know, if you ever need help adjusting, you can call on me without hesitation."
I stare at him wide eyed "Really?"
Ethan nods seriously.
A smile curls up my lips "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he says warmly, then hesitates "Are you alright though? You seemed pretty stressed yesterday."
I take a sip of my tea, don't find it necessary to answer it for a moment. Then I looked up at him, my face dead serious.
"How many times," I ask slowly "Do I need to tell you that I'm not alright, Ethan?"
His face goes slack for a moment, then his features contort in worry. I cant help myself.
I burst out laughing "I'm amazing, remember?"
Realization dawns to him, and he gives me an irritated look. I force myself to stop laughing, but the grin on my face doesn't fall.
"Seriously, I'm okay." I say with a chuckle
"Do you," he hesitates again, looks at me with skeptical eyes "Do you remember what happened there? In the closet?"
I furrow my brows. Why does everyone keep asking that?
"Not really," I say "Why do you ask? Is there something I should remember?"
Ethan keeps staring at me for a few moments, I feel an anxious turn in my stomach.
"Winters kissed you."
I almost drop my cup "What?"
"To distract you maybe," Ethan lets out a breath "Or so I hope."
But I'm not listening to him, I'm starting wide eyed somewhere in space, blurry memories trying to clear up in my head.
I can almost feel my heart rate shoot up.
That's fine, I tell myself, I was about to get all of us killed. He had to distract me somehow. Its just a kiss, nothing to fuss about.
But guilt coils like an iron fist around my heart. My first kiss. I'd been saving it for my mate, keeping it safe from the tons of lusty assholes that just seem to be waiting for me to let my guard down.
But somewhere behind that guilt there's an even worst thought.
Better Luke than anyone else.
Maybe I'm guilty, but I'm not remorseful. My stomach turns horribly. Why am I not remorseful? I know he did what he had to, but I should be embarrassed, outraged, something other than this stupid guilt.
"I," I fail to form words "I have to go."
I turn around, only to have someone hold my wrist.
"Come with me."
My head whips back, I stare wide eyed at Ethan.
"What?" I ask, my voice high pitched with shock
He looks back at me, a steely glint of determination in his eyes.
"Luke is getting overly fond of you," he says "it's bound to cause problems- for both of you."
I snatch my wrist away from him, a spark of anger shoves aside the other emotions swirling in my head.
And anger is better. Anger is better than sadness. Better than guilt. Better than regret. Because when anger comes, something is about to happen.
"This is between me and Luke, Ethan." I say, my voice dead of emotion "Stay out of it."
"Elise, you don't get it," Ethan says "Luke isn't safe to be around. He's not stable."
That spark of anger intensifies "Oh really? Do enlighten me, why so?"
Ethan opens his mouth to say something, closes it again and works his jaw hard.
"It's because he's cursed?" I raised an eyebrow at him "Because he might turn into a beast and rip me into sheds?"
His eyes widen, I'm tempted to laugh. He really did think I didn't know that.
"Come on, Ethan," I'm aware of the cruel note in my voice, he doesn't deserve it, but he has no say in my life "One full moon has already passed. You thought I wouldn't know what I'm up against?"
"So you do know?" he says slowly, as if processing the words "And still you..."
I sigh. He really thinks I'm some little girl in need of protection.
Protection from the man hellbent on keeping me safe.
I turn around, ready to go and fight down the turmoil of emotions in my head when I feel myself being sharply turned around. The cup slips from my hand and crashes on the floor, shattering in a thousand pieces.
"Why don't you understand?" Ethan hisses, an unfamiliar anger in his voice "You're walking yourself into a death trap!"
"Ethan," I say slowly, calmly "Let go of me."
His hold on my arm tightens, I feel a dull sting on my skin "What is it about him that's so special to you? Why cant you see what he is?"
I grit my teeth together "Let go."
He opens his mouth to spew out some crap again when someone rips him away from me. Luke's holding Ethan by the shirt front, eyes narrowed in a glare.
"Didn't I tell you to stay in your limits, Park?" He growls lowly
"Maybe you need a reminder of your own, Winters." Ethan bites out
My mind comes in sharp focus, the tension in the air is almost palpable. Ethan's immature behavior and my irritation aside, I really can't have them fighting. Not right now. Not because of me.
"Luke," I hold his arm, trying to pull it back "Its fine, let's just go."
Luke glares at Ethan, then loosens his grip enough for Ethan to shove himself free of it. Luke takes my hand in his and looks down at our interlocked hands.
He freezes, his eyes glued down.
I see the tension that seeps in his frame, his hold on my hands tightens just a bit.
Furrowing my brows, I look down. To my absolute horror, a bruise glares at me where Ethan had grabbed my arm, the consequence of angry Lycans.
A low growl reaches my ears, the promise of outraged destruction makes my hairs stand.
This is not good. Not at all
...
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