Page 28

Leah

I tried to be patient, I really did.

I crouched behind the row of rusty barrels, my heart pounding so violently I was sure Gregor could hear it from a mile away.

Maxine had slipped off to check the hangar, and I had seen the strict warning in her eyes before she left—hang back, stay out of sight, and for the love of god, don’t do anything stupid.

Initially, I obeyed—until the minutes dragged on, and I heard nothing but the wind howling across the tarmac.

Worry gnawed at my insides. She was taking too long. What if something happened? The endless horrible possibilities churned my stomach with dread.

And so, I held out until I couldn’t anymore. Eventually, frayed nerves jumping like livewires, I muttered a curse, edged out from behind the barrels and inched across the barren runway, scanning the dark silhouette of the hangar.

At first, I saw nothing. Heard nothing. Then a clattering crash echoed from inside, and my pulse ticked up a notch.

I pressed myself tight to the battered metal side of a crumbling crate, peering into the yawning mouth of the hangar.

Dim light illuminated the interior, just enough for me to see two figures clashing—Maxine and Gregor.

My breath caught at the sight. They flew at each other in a frenzy, trading blows with savagery that made my blood run cold.

I bit my lip, every single one of my senses screaming for me to rush in and help.

But the more I watched, the more I realized…

Maxine was holding her own. Every move she made was decisive, every strike nearly toppling Gregor to his knees.

If I joined them, untrained, mortal, and already shaky with nerves, I’d only hamper her. I’d become a liability.

But there was something else I could do.

If Maxine was battling Gregor here, then Addison was presumably somewhere else—probably on the private jet itself. If I could get Addison out of there, Gregor would lose all leverage. He couldn’t threaten Maxine or hold Addison’s life against her if Addison was out of his reach.

Steeling nerves that flickered and sparked under my skin, I crept across the hangar entrance, keeping one eye on the two vamps duking it out inside. The runway spread out before me, slick with rain, the overcast sky crowded with angry grey clouds.

Up ahead lay the sleek private jet, stairs lowered—beckoning me on board.

When I was sure the other two hadn’t spotted me, far too busy pummeling each other into the ground, I made a break for it. My nerves jittered as I ran, each footstep sending water splashing up my calves. The roar of the wind swallowed my ragged breath.

Reaching the jet, I hesitated at the bottom of the short stairway. The interior lights were on, and a faint shadow flickered inside—someone was definitely in there. Maybe Addison. Or it might be a trap. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, conjuring Maxine’s face.

She was risking her life for a shot at a better future.

She was back there right now, brutally beating back a literal demon of her past, so that we could be together in peace.

I had kissed her, told her I loved her, and she had kissed me right back.

Our new life had begun right then and there, and now we had to defend it.

My resolve hardened, and suddenly I was stone. I planted my foot on the staircase.

I crept up the stairs, water streaming down my neck, and inched toward the cabin door.

The door stood ajar and I slipped inside, wrinkling my nose at the flashy interior.

Plush leather seats, glossy wood panels, and sultry overhead lighting.

The epitome of wealth and power. I swallowed hard, padding quietly into the cabin.

The door hissed shut behind me, corralling me in an unsettling hush, and my pulse throbbed in my ears. I scanned the corridor leading to the cockpit, then the small galley. No sign of Addison. Setting my jaw, I moved deeper into the cabin, checking each opulent cluster of seats.

A muffled sound somewhere up ahead made me freeze. A brief rustling, like someone shifting or struggling in place. Heart pounding I advanced, mentally going over what little I remembered about handling a hostage situation.

Call out first or keep silent? In the end, I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Addison unnoticed and alone.

“Addison?” I hissed, balling my fists at my sides. “Are you here?”

No immediate reply. My nerves spiked. I tried again, stepping past another set of seats, eyes flicking around for any sign of movement. “Addison?”

Then, a faint noise—a muffled thump . It came from behind a sliding partition in the back of the cabin.

Cautiously, I pressed myself to the wall and peered around the edge.

Through the gloom, I glimpsed a small lounge area, complete with a bolted-down table and a plush sofa—and the hunched figure, bound and gagged, wriggling on the floor.

“Addison, oh my God!” Addison glanced up at my whisper-scream, wide-eyed and frantic as I dropped to my knees beside her.

I fumbled with the ropes biting into her wrists. They were secured with infuriating thoroughness, the gag cutting into the corners of her mouth. She winced when I tugged at her bonds but tried to help by twisting her shoulders.

“Just, hang on a minute…” I muttered, fingers shaking as I fumbled with the cords. “Come on .”

The bonds at her wrists and ankles refused to budge but I managed to loosen the gag at her mouth. Addison sucked in a breath, hissing through clenched teeth. “You’ve got to find something to cut it with.”

“Okay, right. Something sharp then.” I clambered to my feet, dancing on my toes, glancing around the dim cabin for anything to cut through the ropes.

The jet’s interior lighting flickered faintly, revealing a cramped kitchenette nestled behind a half wall. Nothing more than a slim pantry, but hopefully enough to find something sharper than my teeth.

The overhead compartments rattled as I rifled through them, muttering curses under my breath. Nothing but napkins, wine glasses, and a half-empty tin of questionable coffee grounds. And a single butter knife.

“Seriously?” I hissed, strangling the air and snatching up the knife. But it was better than nothing.

I returned to Addison. She eyed the blunt utensil with an exasperated raise of her brow. “That’s all we have?”

“Apparently,” I muttered, sinking back to my knees. “At least it’s, uh… a knife. Sort of.”

Addison snorted. “Sure. Just do your best, MacGyver.”

I slipped the rounded tip of the knife under the rope, sawing at the fibers with clumsy fingers. Addison let out a hiss of pain when the cord pressed too tightly against her skin.

“Sorry,” I whispered, trying to be gentler. I met her eyes, shaken by her startling calm considering the dire situation. “Are you—are you all right?”

“Peachy,” Addison muttered, watching me work. “Believe it or not, I have some experience being abducted by supernatural beings. This is… maybe the third time now? So, yeah. I’m not freaking out as much as I probably should be.”

I paused, staring at her. “ Third time? ”

She nodded with a wry twist of her mouth. “Yeah, I keep meaning to get a punch card or something. One more kidnapping and I get a free latte, you know?”

A short, tense laugh escaped me and I resumed my sawing. “I guess it comes with the territory, dating a vampire and all.”

“Pretty much. You’ll get used to it.” Addison shrugged as well as she could, holding her forearms firm while I worked. “Don’t beat yourself up about this one. We all knew Gregor was bad news, and I’m the one who insisted on coming along for the stand-off.”

I grimaced, picking up speed as the thick ropes around her wrists began to fray.

“Is…” her gaze flicked up to me and her voice cracked slightly. “Is Hunter okay?”

With a sudden jolt, the ropes snapped in two, the knife nearly jerking out of my hand. Addison rubbed at her wrists while I bit my lip and got to work on the ties at her ankles.

I swallowed, my voice coming out steadier than I felt. “Last I saw, we ditched her with Jordan at that power plant. She was… on her feet, but furious. At all of us. I thought she was going to rip Maxine’s head off.”

Addison let out a choked chuckle. “Yeah, that sounds about right.”

At last, the final fibers snapped with a soft twang , and Addison stretched out her legs with a groan. Angry red welts had formed where the rope bit into her skin. I slipped a hand under her elbow and helped her stand.

She wobbled on her feet, then released a shaky breath and shook out her wrists, the rope burns shining raw and red. “Thanks.” She offered me a lopsided smile. “And hey, not bad for your first hair-brained rescue mission.”

“I think I’m getting the hang of it,” I murmured, attempting a smile to hide my own nerves. My heart pounded a frantic tattoo and I glanced toward the exit. “We need to get off this jet.”

“Yeah, let’s get out of here.” Addison let out a breathy laugh. She raised her hand, palm up. “Go team human girlfriends! Well, fiancée in my case, but you get it.”

I hesitated only a second before high-fiving her. One small, absurd moment of camaraderie in the insane situation.

I caught the glint of that ring on her finger and scratched at the nape of my neck. “Oh, congratulations by the way—for the engagement. Hunter looks like a handful but I’m glad you guys are happy.”

“Aww,” Addison touched her chest in a mock-dramatic gesture. “Thank you!”

I cracked a genuine smile at the absurdity of the conversation, but reality crashed down in the next heartbeat when I caught a blur of motion outside the small windows.

Rain sheeted across the tarmac, and… my stomach dropped.

Wax model minions were pouring out of the hangar, dozens of them, disjointed limbs flapping wildly, scuttling through the storm. A lone figure sprinted away from them, heading in the direction of the rusted barrels near the fence line. Maxine.

“Fuck. Addison, we have to go— now .”

But Addison didn’t answer. She was suddenly dead silent at my side and tugging at the sleeve of my shirt, her eyes wide with fresh terror. Slowly, with creeping dread prickling at my skin, I followed her line of sight.

Standing near the cockpit door was a grey figure—eerily still, decked out in a dark suit and a velvet bowler hat. The overhead lights glimmered on waxy skin, vacant eyes empty and cold.

My pulse hammered in my throat and I reached for Addison’s hand. The creature stood between us and the exit, silent and still and unfathomably menacing under the blinking cabin lights.

Addison inhaled quietly. “Got another butter knife, by chance?”

My mouth went dry, terror rattling down my spine as the wax minion’s head cocked to the side in unnatural, puppet-like motion. “Unfortunately, I think I’m fresh out of kitchenware.”

Addison swallowed, unblinking as the creature took a stilted step toward us. “That’s a shame.”

I backed up a step, and then another, and Addison followed suit.

“We should…” I sucked in a breath, swallowing my panic as the creature crept toward us. “We should–”

Then it moved, lurching into motion, tearing toward us with a piercing mechanical shriek that rattled through the cabin like a death knell.

“Run. Fucking– run! ” I whirled Addison around and the two of us took off, scrambling through the narrow cabin to… Where? That thing was between us and the only exit.

There was nowhere to go.