Chapter 81


    Dorothy


    “I could feel himing from a mile away. I knew immediately that something


    either Angie or Far after an hour of impatient waiting


    very wrong when I couldn’t contact


    My fears were confirmed when his presence became apparent. Johan was close, and by the force of


    his energy radiating towards me like I was his target, he was getting closer.


    Thad been in the kitchen making my eighth cup of decal coffee when I felt him nearby. Even with our


    severed connection. I was still somehow able to sense his presence.


    1 had no idea whether it was because of how abysmal our rejection of each other had gone, or


    because of Johan’s own burning fury towards me, but either way, we were still connected somehow.


    This was something I intended to use to my advantage achest as I could.


    I knew I had to art fast Johan would be nearing the cottage any minute and thest thing I wanted was


    toe face to face cith the monstrous shifter alone. I hightailed it out of the house as fast as my legs


    could carry me, groaning at the pains it seat through my stomach.


    My children twisted and kicked and I pressed a hand to my belly as I ran false trails all over the


    property. “Don’t worry little ones your mom?s got this. Nothing had is going to happen to you.”


    When I was satisfied with my criss-cross mess of scent trails, I made my way to the edge of the forest


    where I knew there gerwa Physalis nt. I hurriedly rubbed as many leaves as I could grab over my


    bare skin and began a frenzied sprint through the woods.


    My training with Rita and Angie had paid off and I was able to bound effortlessly through the forest


    even with the addition of two children nestled in my womb


    With all the concentration I could manage while still keeping an eye on the uneven terrain I ran through,


    I tried once again to reach Ignatius. Thest thing I want to do was rm him, but he needed to know


    that the Tally was on our turf. If he didn’t already. If he was alive…


    I knocked those thoughts from my head and kept running, all the while reaching with my mind to find


    my mate. All of my concentration was unnecessary though, as Ignatius’ own voice was carried to me.


    “Dorothy


    He sounded odd like he was floating in a daze. I didn’t have time to talk for long. I rejoiced that my


    mate was alive and then immediately conveyed the message, “Ignatius, they’re here


    Something was wrong. I wanted to ask, but there was a shifter hot on my heels and Ignatius needed to


    know about the army


    “The Tally army” I was breathing heavily, begging my b*dy to deal with just a little more work, just hold


    out a little longer “Johan They’re here:


    He was silent for a moment before his voice grew louder in my head. “How many of them? Flow?”


    I heard a bowl in the distance and presumed Johan must have arrived to fund the house empty. The


    rage in his guttural nicking was apparent and I swallowed the ache in my throat and picked up the


    pace


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Too many


    Trould sense John’s army south of the border. Angie had and there were only a few on the far side of


    Bielke territory, but she was wrong. There were more. They were an eval pre that made my skin pric kle


    and every natural instinct screamed


    ar away from that side of Barlbe surd as possibile


    |||


    11:01 Fri, Jan 26


    I assumed this had been his n all along. He waited until our leader was gone and then he chose to


    strike. He must have Jured Angle away from the house too. Revtion after revtion urred to me


    as I darted along and I berated myself for not seeing his n sooner. We had yed right into their


    hands I swallowed and licked my tongue over dried lips.


    “I love you.”


    I meant it. I understood that there was a chance, a very good chance, that I may not make it out of this


    war alive. A chance that I would never see my mate again. I poured every possible emotion into those


    three words and hoped he could feel how much I truly meant them.


    “Don’t say it like you’re saying goodbye,” his voice was gentle in my head and I wanted to cry. I would


    have given anything to rum straight into his arms at that very moment. “This isn’t over yet.” His


    determination wasforting, his words kept my legs moving, carrying me ever closer to safety. “This


    isn’t over yet.”


    And then the curtain between us fell closed again as Ignatius fought toe back and I fought to


    escape the shifter that pursued me through the trees.


    As I ran, I whipped out my phone and once again dialed Angie. It rang and rang until it switched to


    voicemail.


    “F uck!”


    I tried again and this time dialed Fae who answered on the third ring “Dorothy! Are you alright?”


    1 breathed a sigh of relief and skirted over a fallen tree that blocked my path. I’m okay, but I need your


    help. Johan turned up at the cottage, it won’t be long until he catches up with me.”


    He’s there already?!” Fae’s voice was a squeak m uffled by the sound of tires burning and an engine


    revving. Where are now? Angie warned us about Johan. Me and Gid’s are on our way to your ce


    right now.”


    you


    “Running for my life through the go d dam n trees, I m unt ered and a shiver pric kled over my skin


    when another howl from Johan traveled through the trees and frightened birds from the branches.


    I recalled the story of little red riding hood, about the girl in red who was chased through the woods by


    a wolf. It bothered me that I couldn’t recall exactly how that story ended. Did she get a happily ever


    after? Or did the wolf gobble her up along with the rest of her family?


    “Meet me on Delm Street, the road that cuts through the forest


    “We’ll be there in a second, hang tight. And don’t let him catch you.” Fae’s voice was strained, anxious


    at the severity of the


    situation


    “Noted.” I was about to hang up but brought the phone back to my ear, panting as my b*dy began to


    take strain. “Is Angie alright?


    Fae took a little too long to answer me and dread crept into my heart. “She’ll be okay. She has to be.”


    “You’re lying


    Fae was silent on the other side of the phone.


    “See you in a minute,” I whispered and hung up. I was red in the face and a sheen of sweat broke out


    on my forehead as I struggled to breath.


    Just a little further. My calves were burning and so were my lungs as I pushed my b*dy onwards. My


    main source of motivation was the distant howls that rang out through the forest as somewhere behind


    me, Johan grew more and more frustrated when he was unable to find me.


    Finally, I saw the striking rays of sunlight through the trees ahead of me. The sun was going down


    rapidly, sinking below the h orizon. The woods behind me were already darkening and the approaching


    shadows goaded me onwards.


    I broke through the tree line and stumbled out onto the quiet forest road. It was a road Ignatius and I


    had taken many times. A shortcut that wasn’t so short, in order to get it on away from home just for the


    thrill of it. Moments like those seemed so


    Fri, Jan 26


    far away now and I forced back the tears that threatened to pour forth at the thought of my mate.


    Momentster, Gideon’s van came screaming around the dip in the road and screeched to a halt in


    front of me.


    Fae threw open the doors, an expression of relief on her face, and pulled me inside as Gideon grinned


    at me. “Get in loser.”


    “Thanks for the save,” I said shakily. “We need to get out of here, Johan’s close.”


    Gideon revved the engine and made a sharp turn so precarious I thought the van might just topple


    over. But it rightened itself almost immediately and we sped away back down the road just as Johan


    burst from the trees behind us.


    I turned in my seat and peered at him through the grimy back window. I hadn’t seen Johan since the


    night at the vi. It seemed so long ago that it could have been a previous life I was recalling


    1 had been a different person back then. We both were. But where I had been a timid, lonely individual


    who had grown to know her worth, Johan had been a charming, if a little passive,pelling person.


    Time and trauma had twisted him into a terrifying being hell bent on revenge.


    I took in his angry, wild eyes and nasty, pointed ws. He stared at me like he wanted to rip me apart.


    He was not the man! had once been fated to love. He was not a man at all. I hadn’t truly believed it


    before, unable to picture it in my mind, but upon looking at him. I finally understood it to be true. Johan


    was a monster. A pale imitation of the man he used to be.


    I narrowed my eyes at him as he watched us drive away, a protective hand over my stomach. He would


    not get the revenge he sought. I wouldn’t allow it. I hade to ept that the man I had once cared


    for no longer existed, too far gone on his quest for vengeance.


    would do what I had to protect iny new family, my home, as well as my people. He would not harm the


    ones that I loved. I


    wouldn’t allow it


    Like Ignatius had said, it wasn’t over yet. The Bielke were nowhere near surrender. We had hearts of


    steel and shields of iron on our side. And we intended to use it.


    I stared my old mate down as he became a distant blurry figure, hoping that thest shred of our


    connection would carry my words to him. A waming a promise.


    I would not let him win.


    SEND GIFT


    COMMENT