AVERY
I'll never forget that night — seeing Chase's lifeless body lying across the room; clutching Nate's limp hand as he bled out on the floor, barely breathing; my throat hoarse from crying out for help.
I hadn't meant to be away so long. I'd only meant to say goodbye to Daphne, thank her for the cure, and leave to wait for Nate. I didn't expect Daphne to have a lot more to tell me, something that was not good news. I'd left the attic with my nerves on edge, wondering how to break the news that the rebels' superweapon wasn't exactly in super condition. That nervous feeling spiked when I saw the broken guesthouse window. I'd feared the worst, and it had almost come to pass.
Nate rested in one of the manor's guest rooms. He looked so pale and still, one would think he was dead at first glance. It was a better state than the one I'd found him in. Daphne had heard my cries for help and come to the rescue. She'd healed the worst of his wounds, but he was still going to need time to recover.
A low groan escaped Nate's lips, putting me on alert. He grimaced as his eyes fluttered open, squinting and shielding his eyes from the light. "Where am I?"
"Safe," I replied, smiling. The urge to fling my arms around him overwhelmed me, but I didn't want to risk hurting him, in case some residual pain remained.
He slid the blanket down and pulled his shirt up to examine the wound that wasn't there anymore. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Daphne Sinclair's handiwork?"
"Yep." I didn't even want to think what would've happened to him if she hadn't been there. He'd lost so much blood. He might have died by the time he could be taken to the hospital... I placed my hand over his. It was warm. "Nate, what happened in there?"
Nate swallowed. "Chase ambushed me."
"And you killed him," I said quietly. The image of Chase's bleeding, cracked skull flashed through my head and I suppressed a shudder.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Nate said, his face sobering. I caught the hidden meaning in those words. He wasn't sorry Chase was dead. I wasn't either. But I'd rather it didn't happen the way it had.
"Don't be," I said. "I'm just glad you're alive."
Nate smiled thinly. "I had to survive. For you."
Tears stung my eyes. I squeezed his hand, wanting nothing more than to reach over and hug him, but that could wait until he was feeling better. "You have no idea how happy I am that I didn't lose you."
He gestures me over and I slide down to lay beside him, our hands still twined. "It's going to take more than one vindictive madman to keep me from your side."
I giggled in spite of myself. "Let's hope we don't run into any more."
"How are the rebels taking this?" he asked after a pause.
I blew out a long breath and gave him the short of it.
Lydia had run in after she heard me screaming for help. The Duke and Daphne had beat her to the scene. She'd seen Chase, and her wails of anguish were going to haunt my nightmares. We were never going to be friends again, but I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Chase may have had it coming, but she still loved him. I couldn't begrudge her her grief.
After Nate was safe and healed, the Duke announced his plan to help the South's forces in Atlanta. He asked Rowan if he wanted to be a part of it, but he refused, saying he was going to take Lydia back home to her parents, along with Chase's remains. Apparently, the Bells had been released from prison after Nate was deposed. I guess treason no longer counts when it's against a king who's no longer in power. It still didn't sit well with me that they'd gotten away with it.
And Daphne... Well, she was still around. For how long was another question entirely. And the answer could change the tide in the war. But I wouldn't worry Nate with that. He needed a clear head so we could finally get on with our plan to leave this place for good. After all, he was the one who was going to have to make the arrangements.
***
After Nate had rested, we'd gone to the city to buy supplies for our trip. Nate bought us both a pair of prepaid cell phones, then took out some more cash. Apparently, getting out of the country without documentation or the help of an embassy was going to be more than a bit challenging. We couldn't buy plane tickets or even rent a car, so Nate called in a favor to an old contact and got us a ride on a private plane somewhere north of New Orleans. It wasn't going to be cheap, though.
Our destination was Nantucket. It was practically unanimous. Even though the North no longer called Nate his king, he still didn't want to part with the land. I didn't either. Since we'd both fallen in love with Nantucket during out quasi-honeymoon, that was where we were headed. I couldn't wait.
It was dark by the time we were ready to say goodbye to New Orleans. Nate and I sat huddled together in the back of a taxi as it drove us over the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. It was a long drive over the bridge, surrounded by miles of seemingly endless water. It made me a little antsy, as if the lake were a gaping maw that would swallow us up at any second.
The driver seemed nervous as well. "We're in vampire country now," he announced sometime after we left the city limits. "Funny. I'd gotten used to them being gone. Don't really miss them. That witch has kept them out and I hope her spell holds. Especially now with the war..."
We'd reached the end of the bridge and I let out a sigh of relief, a gesture I soon learned was premature. A blockade of military vehicles impeded our path, flanking a waiting group of armed soldiers. I squinted to take a closer look at their uniforms in the streetlight and my breath hitched in my throat when I recognized the white star of Texas emblazoned on their chests.
One of the soldiers strolled casually up to the driver, who cursed under his breath as he rolled the window down. "This road's closed."
"By whose authority?" Nate interjected before the driver could reply.
The soldier looked taken aback by Nate's boldness. He procured a flashlight and shined it into the backseat, blinding me. "King Abel's orders. No one leaves New Orleans."
"He holds no dominion here," Nate growled.
"Not yet," the soldier replied evenly. "You best get back to the city."
The exchange had drawn the attention of the other soldiers. They circled the cab, trying to get a look at the impertinent passengers. One of them came up to the questioning officer, peering through the window for a closer look. His eyes widened when he saw me and he elbowed the man next to him, muttering something in his ear. I dart a nervous glance at Nate.
The officer holding the flashlight leaned through the door for a closer look. I couldn't see his facial expression in the shadows, but I knew whatever this was couldn't be good news.
"I'm going to need all passengers to exit the vehicle," he declared.
Nate snarled in outrage. He grabbed the driver by the shoulder. "Turn back and drive as fast as you can."
"Hell no! They'll shoot!"
"I'll give you more money than you've ever seen in your miserable life if you'll just drive!"
"Not worth the risk!" the driver argued. "Come on man, just get out of the car and do as he says!"
Leaving us no further choice, he pressed a button to disengage all locks. The soldiers wasted no time yanking the doors open. Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the cab before pushing me against the trunk and twisting both of my arms behind my back. The same thing was being done to Nate on the other side of the car.
Our captors lead us away from the cab. The driver hadn't even waited for the doors to be closed before he peeled away, tires squealing, and made a U-turn for the other side of the bridge. In the flicker of an instant, he was gone, along with our belongings.
I barely had the chance to process what had happened before I was shoved in front of the questioning officer, who regarded me with both suspicion and curiosity. He had a red band on his uniform, marking him as a vampire.
"It's definitely them," said the soldier who restrained me.
"This one's human though," the one holding Nate replied.
"Search her for ID to confirm," the leader said.
"I don't' have any ID," I protested. The last thing I wanted was to be frisked. Besides, all of my identification was still at my parents' house a.k.a. the last place I'd been before I was kidnapped. Explaining that to these soldiers was going to be a trip.
My captor ignored me, letting go of my arms so he could pat me down. The only thing he found was the prepaid phone. He held it out to his superior with a shrug.
The leader narrowed his eyes at me, then turned back to Nate, who looked ready to tear into him.
"Do you mind telling us what this is about?" Nate snarled.
The officer didn't answer. "Load them into the truck and take them back to camp."
Nate cursed under his breath, but he knew better not to fight. Both of us did. We followed the soldiers and got in the back of the camouflaged jeep without complaint.
First Nate was attacked, now this. Would it kill fate to throw us a bone every once in a while? I should've just asked Daphne to activate the portal and send us back to the woods behind the Bell cabin. Making our way out of the Catskills on foot was preferable to this. Whatever this was.
Just what did King Abel want with us?