Page 52

Chapter

Forty-Eight

A ZALEA

Dustin firmly grasps my arm as we cautiously descend the steps, his grip hindering my steps. Annoyed, I repeatedly attempt to shake him off, I am feeling much better now that the painkillers have taken effect. The throbbing in my head has subsided.

“Dustin, I assure you, I am perfectly fine,” I assert, my voice echoing my frustration.

The storm outside has finally abated, allowing a few of the servants to gather near the doors, their curious gazes fixed upon the aftermath of the destruction it unleashed.

Just as we reach the bottom of the stairs, near the entrance to the bustling kitchen, a guard approaches us.

“A tree has crushed the main gates. A few of us will go out with chainsaws to remove it. Damian wants us to check the town to see if anyone needs help,” he tells Dustin, who nods, waving him off.

We start walking down the corridor toward the ballroom when we spot Rachel, one of the servants that works in the kitchen, peering out the enormous windows that run along it.

“Bloody storm was wild,” she remarks, her attention momentarily diverted from her duties as she turns her attention back to the windows.

“It obliterated the east wing. It will need re...” Before Rachel can complete her sentence, a deafening explosion roars through the air, staining my face with splatters of crimson as shards of glass erupt from the window where she stands, along with an entire section of the wall.

Chaos ensues as debris and stone hurdle in every direction.

Damian’s voice cuts through my consciousness via our mindlink, piercing my thoughts and sending my blood cold.

‘We are under attack.’ Damian booms, warning everyone through the mindlink.

Reacting instinctively, Dustin shoves me aside, narrowly averting the impact of a second explosion. I duck for cover, barely avoiding falling debris.

“Head to the tunnels!” Dustin’s urgent command reverberates through the air, reaching anyone within earshot.

Meanwhile, gunfire erupts outside, its thunderous echoes mingling with the sound of shattering glass as bullets mercilessly pierce through the remaining windows, transforming them into a cascade of shards.

‘Azalea!’ Kyson screams through the link, and I can feel him racing to get to me.

I feel his presence getting closer when men in armor start coming in through windows, doors, and blown-out walls.

Dust clings to my body, obscuring my vision, and it is then that I realize my hands are inexplicably wet.

Blinking away the haze, I glance down to discover that I have unwittingly tripped over a severed piece of Rachel’s torso.

Limbs litter the corridor, a gruesome sight that elicits a horrified scream from deep within me.

I scramble to my feet and run toward the doors at the end of the hall.

“Get inside and lock the doors!” Dustin snarls before turning and racing to join the fray as hunters come from every direction.

“Abbie!” I scream desperately, praying that upon opening those doors, I won’t be confronted with the sight of lifeless children and staff members.

As I approach the massive doors, they swing open forcefully, allowing a flood of daylight to spill in from a demolished wall.

Clarice emerges from the chaos, her eyes wide with alarm, as the children race towards me.

I wave my arms frantically to get their attention, knowing they are running straight into the action. Clarice swiftly seizes their hands and redirects them towards the corridor on her right.

“Get to the tunnels!” I yell at her, and her head whips up and turns in my direction just as Abbie and Tandi rush out the doors. We meet and take off along with the servants that survived the blast toward the back doors.

‘There are tunnels in the woods! There’s a bunker not far from here!

’ Clarice yells through the mindlink, and I scoop up Oliver as he slows while Clarice clutches Logan’s hand.

Our feet pound on the stone floor to the double doors that lead toward the gardens when an explosion goes off directly behind us.

The roof crashes down around us, and I am tossed into a wall.

Darkness momentarily steals my vision, and my ears ring loudly.

Harsh fingers grip my arm and my eyes fly open to see Tandi, her grip strong and urgent as she yanks me to my feet.

The stone floor beneath me is rough and uneven, causing me to stumble as I run.

I can see her lips moving, but I hear no sound.

I see Peter grab Oliver as he chases after Clarice.

The air is thick with the stench of smoke and burning debris.

The metallic scent of blood and the acrid smell of gunpowder fills my nostrils.

When my hearing returns, I clutch my ears, explosions and screams fill the air, punctuated by the sound of our pounding feet on the stone floor.

The roar of the collapsing roof and the shattering of glass grows louder as the castle is continuously blasted.

‘Where are you?’ Trey yells through the mindlink just as someone outside opens the doors. Everyone screeches to a halt, and Clarice shifts, snarling savagely as she puts her body between us and the door. Yet when the doors open, it is Trey.

He rushes in, his eyes scanning everyone’s faces with relief when they land on me. “We have to go!” he shouts over the chaos. “They’re coming back!”

He waves us forward, and everyone rushes out as he points toward the forest. Servants rush out, ducking their heads, and I see Abbie behind me, clutching Tyson.

She is bleeding, looking dazed, struggling to hold his thrashing body.

Trey takes him from her before we all start racing toward the tree line and the cover of the trees.

Without hesitation, we follow into the gardens.

The once beautiful landscape is now a battlefield, littered with debris and bodies.

I see hunters running and shouting in every direction, some trying to escape, while others continue to fire at us as guards fight to keep them back so we can get to the bunkers.

Trey leads us towards a wooded area on the edge of the property, but the path to the bunkers means running across an open field by the cemetery.

We sprint across the open area, dodging bullets and ducking behind tombstones when necessary.

The sound of gunfire echoes all around us as we try to run toward safety.

Kyson, I can feel he is injured, yet with everything going on, I don’t have time to worry. Shouting and screaming ring out loudly, and the place has turned into a war zone. It is challenging to tell our guards from the hunters, except for the insignia emblazoned on their chest armor.

We race up the small incline behind Trey, and I push Abbie forward as we try to escape the chaos behind us.

I see Clarice stop up ahead, her hand held by Oliver, until Peter takes him and runs off.

Tandi stands beside Clarice, her eyes wide with panic.

Just as we reach them, Tandi’s expression changes to one of pure terror, and she lets out a blood-curdling scream.

I turn around to see what has caused Tandi’s reaction, and my heart stops.

Time seems to stand still as my eyes scan the scene in front of me.

Logan wanders around the carnage like a little boy lost, dazed, covered in dust and blood.

I don’t think, I just react and take off for him, dodging Lycans and men fighting all around us.

Reaching for him, my heart pounding in my chest, I wrap my arm tightly around his waist and pivot on my heel, our bodies melding together as I tuck him close.

The soft wet grass beneath our feet betrays us, causing my foot to slip just as the deadly whiz of bullets fills the air, their menacing trajectory narrowly missing us by a hair’s breadth.

Out of my peripheral vision, I can see Gannon on the flat terrain before the hill down to the stables, fighting alongside his men.

Kyson, I can’t see, but I know he is alive.

Trey’s screams pierce my ears as he shoves Tyson into Clarice’s arms. My feet slap the grass as I race for the meager protection of the building’s side.

Abbie waves urgently, her eyes wide with fear.

My shoes slip on the dew-slicked lawn and Logan tumbles from my grasp.

I blink, momentarily dazed, and reach for his flailing limbs just as Abbie’s shriek splits the air.

I look up to see her sprinting toward me when a bullet’s hot kiss burns my shoulder. Hissing, I grab Logan with my good arm. Growls and snarls tear through the air as Abbie’s horrified eyes fix on something behind me just as she reaches me.

Her body crashes into mine, arms enveloping me in a tight embrace, spinning me around. My gaze locks onto the hunter behind us. In his hand, he grips a gun that was once aimed at me but is now aimed at Abbie.

The deafening sound of the gunshot splits the air. Abbie jolts against me, her sharp intake of breath slicing through the chaos, becomes the loudest thing I’ve ever heard.

A wave of warmth spreads from where she clings to me, my heart halting as the metallic tang of blood taints the air. Her hushed, garbled words graze my ear, “More than my life.”

Horror rises within me like a torrent, a guttural scream tearing through the silence as her blood sputters out her lips and sprays across my face.

“Abbie! No!” I scream as her weight slackens in my embrace. Logan remains trapped between us. Gannon’s mournful howl splits the sky, the sound slicing through me.

“Abbie! Abbie!” My cries ring out desperately, willing her back to life, as Tyson’s anguished wail echoes in the background.

My eyes lock onto the hunter as he raises his weapon once more.

Yet, it is Trey who intervenes, crashing into him with force.

Despite everything, I am frozen, caught in an endless moment of agony as I clutch her lifeless form.

Abbie’s blood stains my arms as her gaze drifts skyward, crimson tears trickling from her eyes, as blood spills from her parted lips as she gasps, blood bubbling out her lips which lose focus, then lose their light.