Chapter 146 - I have more blood on my hands

HADRIAN

I watch them from my place in the shadows. The trees provide enough darkness for us to blend in with our surroundings. They don’t see us while they work and we analyze every threat.

The wind blows over the concrete ground and towards us in the forest. The scent of nitrate and the sulfur smell of gunpowder is carried by the wind. It prickles in our nostrils and raises the hairs on our back.

Dex holds one of the paper-wrapped packages as he adjusts the bow over his shoulder. The taut string presses against his chest. The tips of the wooden arch peek over his shoulder and from behind his lower back. The bow is perched against a leather case with tens of identical arrows. The silver points are not visible but I know they’re there.

Revealing myself from my place in the shadows will result in an arrow in my chest. I want to believe that I’m faster than an arrow, but he already surprised me once. The new scars are a permanent reminder.

The vibrating sound of clanking metal travels through the air. The sound is long and lingering. It would be soothing to my ears if it didn’t indicate the call of the alarm.

*“Emma.”* The thought could come from either Nero or me, but probably from both. The sound of the alarm fuels the anxiety in our body.

The vibrating clang reaches the men outside. They immediately stop what they are doing. Dex sighs and mutters a curse. “He’s probably awake again.”

“I gave him enough to kill a horse,” Carter says in confusion. His hands start to tremble when Dex gives him a disappointed look.

“I’ll check it out,” Dex says and places the package in one of the final crates. “Don’t stop, get the cars to the rendezvous point.” His voice is stern and full of authority.

*“What if she’s in danger?”* I say to Nero. The idea that Emma is in trouble gives new spikes of anxiety to my blood and brings it to uncharted levels.

Carter lifts the last crate and loads it into the car. The smell of sulfur coming from the cars is overwhelming. It’s a constant reminder of the threat to my people and my home.

*“They are leaving.”* Nero says.

There’s a crossroads before me. Going after my mate or stopping the cars. One is more important than the other. I promised Emma that I would stop those cars. She will never forgive me if I let them leave, but I won’t forgive myself if something happens to her. I could live with her scorn for the rest of my life if that meant she would be alive. Would I choose my mate over the lives of my people? The dilemma is dark and exposing because yes, I would.

Without Dex around most of the threat has disappeared. There are no traps around like the one in the town. Carter and Ben don’t possess the skill to kill me.

I retreat further into the forest and run a wide arc to the back of the factory. I keep us in the shadows and away from any eyes. The halls are wide and the ceiling reaches high. There is plenty of space for a werewolf of my size.

A familiar scent hits me before I see him. Lucas is supporting Graciella as they walk out of the factory. They are followed by three other werewolves who look only marginally better than Graciella.

Their wolves are weak and I recognize the signs of paralysis. The fabric of their clothes is dirty and tattered, but still, I recognize the uniforms of the second division.

*“Where is she?”* I growl at Lucas. He is still wearing the button-up shirt for the wedding, but it’s now stained with dirt.

Lucas freezes and watches me with wide eyes before they get confused. “Hadrian?”

I growl when Lucas doesn’t immediately answer me. How I wish that I could mind link him and Emma now.

The shock is visibly short-circuiting and he shakes his head. “Still inside, at least that is what I think you’re asking.” Lucas scratches the side of his head with his free hand.

I bare my teeth with another growl. *“You left her alone?”*

“I take that as confirmation.” His shock slowly diminishes on his face and he nods.

I can’t help another growl. I look around me and find the three soldiers on their knees with a tremble of fear. Their limbs shake and their breaths are ragged. I calm down my anger and the aura that I dispense. I tell them to rise but none of them respond to my mental words. Their wolves are still too weak.

Graciella is even more subdued by Wolfsbane. She can hardly stand on her feet and I can’t get in contact with her wolf either. She needs to get out of here before they find her.

I assess the situation and turn my attention back to Lucas. *“Get them away from here. Take his car.”*

“I’m not sure what—“

*“Go!”* I say and charge past them and follow the tug to my mate.

—————————

EMMA

The silver arrow pointing towards me is sharp. The edges are razor-thin and deadly.

Dex is a skilled archer. Would I survive an arrow like that to my heart? The silver has no particular effect on my body, but would the arrow win from my ability?

Everything happens in slow motion as I stare death in the eyes. Dex pulls the taut string of his bow and the arrowhead glints in the faint light. The bow curves further with the strong pull of the string connecting the two points.

Running away will only result in an arrow in my back. And if there’s one thing I trust Dex to do is hit his target. I’ve never seen him miss.

With one exhale of my breath everything changes. My eyes are on the arrow when it shoots off. But the direction is off and the arrow lands in the wall three feet away from me.

My heart pounces in my ears and my breath is ragged as I watch the scene before me. Every slow blink of my eyes shows more to the picture.

The bow clatters to the concrete. Dex roars in pain when a dagger lodges in his shoulder and the point of the blade exits from below his collarbone.

Alex releases the hilt and steps away. Her focus is on Dex and her green eyes have a hardness to them that rivals steel.

Dex suppresses the pain and turns his attention away from me. He finds his new target in Alex. His arm hangs limp along his body. The dagger sticks out from his back and if he wants to remove it, then he’ll have to twist his body and endure the accompanying pain.

“How dare you?” He says. Blood seeps from his shoulder and spreads on the fabric of his flannel shirt.

“She’s right, Dex,” Alex says with balled fists and she fails to suppress the agony. “Blowing up their capital is not going to help anyone. It’s not going to end this war.”

Her eyes flit my way and the deep, dark pain in them holds my heart in a chokehold. The wish that it would be is undeniable.

Alex stands straight and weaponless. “We delude ourselves that what we’re doing is for the greater good. But what good are we doing?”

“They’re monsters.” Dex spits out.

“We are too,” Alex says. “I have more blood on my hands than most of them.” She says while literal blood stains her fingers.

“You should have thought about that before you decided to betray me.” The wild edge in his eyes is dark and unpredictable. He has completely lost his composure and laid-back nature. This man is dangerous and radical.

I move backward now that their attention is away from me. I keep my eyes on them as I silently scuffle over the ground.

Dex reaches for the blade in his shoulder and twists his body in a way that can only cause indescribable pain. His teeth grit and grind and I can practically hear the crunch of his molars.

“Dex, no!” I scream when I see him swinging the daggers away from him. Everything he does has a reason and the trow is not without destination.

The dagger plunges deep into her stomach and slices through the skin and every organ in its way. It buries into her all the way to the hilt. Alex seems to move in slow motion as she looks down at the dagger three inches beneath her ribcage before she falls to the floor.