Sanctuary (A Hunted Novel Book 1) (18 page)

The lights flicked on above him, bathing the room in light. He whipped his head around, sighing as Tess moved away from the light switch. She shuffled over to a smear of blood on the edge of the coffee table. She dabbed her finger in the spatter and held it to her nose before turning to him.

“Do you smell that?” Tess hissed.

“Hunters,” he ground out.

“I don’t think anyone at Sanctuary had anything to do with this,” Tess sighed, walking to the sink to wash her hands.

No. This was far worse. Hunters had attacked Eden and Xander. The pair was either already dead, or being tortured for information.

His eyes searched the room for clues—anything that would help him determine if they were searching for bodies or the living.
Please let them be alive.
Judging by the dried blood and lack of police activity, he assumed the attack took place during the day when most people were at work. Hunters would’ve wanted to keep quiet and avoid drawing attention to their kidnapping. He prayed it was an abduction, and not a murder. Whatever it was, they’d done a horrible job cleaning up. It was almost like they wanted someone to find the apartment in disarray. But why? What good would that do them?

“You should call this in. Sanctuary could be in danger,” Tess suggested.

She was right. Xander and Eden would never intentionally give up the location. But there was only so much torture one person could take. He dug his phone out of his back pocket and hit the speed dial for his father’s phone. The call went to voicemail. He quickly dialed his mother’s number instead. Pressing the phone to his ear, he continued to rummage through the wreckage that was Eden’s apartment. There had to be a clue somewhere. Something he could use to start tracking her whereabouts. He was going to find her.

Eden’s scent washed over him, and he growled ferociously as he saw the deep crimson pool of blood on the floor. He crouched down; she’d lost a good deal of blood. Had she been shot? If so would the poison affect her the same as it did other shifters? Red blurred his vision. God he hoped not. Would they give her an antidote? If they didn’t, and the poison affected her, she could be dead in a few short days. They had to find Eden, and he prayed she was alive when they did. He’d kill whoever did this to his little sister.

“I’m getting ready to go into a meeting. Can it wait?” his mother greeted.

“No. Hunters attacked Eden’s place. They have both Xander and Eden,” he snarled into his phone.

His mother was quiet for a long moment. “I’ll send a team over immediately and alert your father and the Earley’s,” she paused. “Were they took alive?”

“I think so. You’d better put extra guards around the perimeter,” he sighed as he scrubbed a hand down his face.

“Let me get everything together. I’ll be in contact soon,” his mother said before hanging up.

Tess cleared her throat. “There’s some of Xander’s blood over here too. Drops of it lead out into the hall and down the stairs. I’m surprised we didn’t notice it coming up.”

They didn’t notice it because they’d been preoccupied. Too busy flirting. It was a mistake that could’ve gotten them killed. “We need to try to find a trail. See if we can get a lead to where they are going.”

“Nate,” Tess started to protest.

“Xander is my best friend and Eden is my baby sister. Out of everyone, I would’ve thought you would understand the need to find your family,” he snapped, storming to the front door.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t look,” she argued, dashing in front of him and blocking the door. “But I am saying we need to be smart.”

His nostrils flared as he clenched his fists at his sides. Why was she arguing? Every second they spent here fighting, the further away Eden got.

“When have hunters ever left a trail?” Tess whispered quietly.

He paused as the red haze began to lift from his vision. “Never.”

“Exactly.” Tess placed both hands on his shoulders, her eyes meeting his. “I know you want to find her, and we will, but you need to acknowledge that we could be walking into a trap. Hunters have been after Sanctuary for a long time. You said so yourself.”

She was right. Damn it. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Another thought struck him, and he opened his eyes as panic rose in him. What if it was more than just a trap for the recovery team?

“I need to call my mom back,” he murmured. He punched his mother’s number in again and held the phone to his ear.

It rang several times before she finally answered. “Nate? Is everything okay?” she asked her voice higher than normal. Was that fear he heard?

“I’m okay for now,” he assured. “I don’t think you should send the team.”

“What? Why?” his mother questioned.

“They left a trail. That’s not like them. They’re probably hoping to tail us back to Sanctuary. We’d be giving them a welcome wagon,” he stated.

His mother sighed heavily. “Possibly. I’ll have to tell all the teams that are out to find a safe house until further notice. We should go under lockdown,” she planned as she spoke. “Nate? Are you alone?”

Nate looked at Tess. “No, Mom. I’m not alone. I need you to tell Tess’ family she’s safe.”

Patrice huffed loudly. “Fine. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

He didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep, so he kept his mouth shut, instead turning his gaze to Tess.

“Someone’s coming,” Tess whisper-yelled as she peeked her head out the door.

“I have to go, Mom. I’ll let you know when we are somewhere safe.” He hung up the phone and pushed the door shut as he pulled Tess into him.

Reaching out, he locked the door and flicked the deadbolt over. Weird. The deadbolt’s not broken. It wasn’t like Xander to be sloppy. He would’ve had this place locked up tighter than Fort Knox. Why would he open the door for a hunter?

Tess’ warm hand pressed against his chest as she strained to listen.
Worry about the lock later. Pay attention to what’s going on now.

Footsteps crept up the last set of stairs and shuffled across the floor before coming to a stop right outside the door. Tess swallowed hard and gazed up at him. He placed a finger to his mouth, and she nodded.

Motioning with his hands, he pointed to Eden’s room. He didn’t know who, or what was on the other side of the door, but he could tell by the jiggling of the knob that whoever it was, they were attempting to pick the lock.

Tess dashed across the room on her tiptoes, not making a peep. She paused at Eden’s door and turned to him. He inhaled a sharp breath and trotted after, cursing under his breath every time a floorboard creaked beneath his weight.
Great way to be light on your feet.
He was going to have to ask her how she did that. First, they needed to get out of here.

He pushed past Tess and went into Eden’s room, closing and locking the door behind them. Together they jogged to the window. He peered out into the night. Two men stood by their truck. Fantastic. So much for a quick and easy escape. They would have to get creative.

Tess pointed. “Look.”

He followed her finger and nodded. A group of four humans walked down the street. They were about half a block away. As long as they stayed the course, they could sneak out when they passed by the complex. Hunters were like shifters in one respect. They didn’t want the general population to know about their existence. He just hoped their pursuers at the front door stayed out long enough for their plan to succeed.

Nate continued to observe the group as they drew nearer. He unlocked the latch on the window and slowly lifted it up. The cool night air blew in, setting his nerves on high alert. The stench of hunters wreaked the air. He’d already assumed the men outside the door, and by the truck were their enemy, now it was confirmed.

“You go first,” he instructed. He wanted to make sure she got out before him, just in case the door gave way. Eden was missing; he wasn’t going to let anything happen to Tess.

Tess nodded and bent down, tucking her head down she slipped her upper half out the window, then sat on the sill and shifted so her feet rested on the ledge. Nate kept an eye on her as she moved slowly against the side of the building.

Okay for the moment, he crouched down and ducked out of the window himself. He grumbled under his breath. The werecat had made it look easy, it was anything but. She’d moved effortlessly through the window and he was clamoring out like an oversized fool. Finally, he found his footing, and clasped onto the side of the building as he made his way toward Tess.

She’d already reached the awning that overhung the front of the building.
Fast and quiet. Must be those cat reflexes.
He turned his head, peering over his shoulder. The group of people were getting close—close enough they would be able to see them if they didn’t hurry.

As if sensing this, Tess walked to the edge of the over hang and then jumped, landing beautifully on her feet.
That woman really is amazing.
She jogged down the sidewalk towards the humans as the two hunters left their post trailing after her.

What is she doing?

He scrambled to catch up to her, watching as their enemy stalked after her, readying to catch their prey. Nate pushed himself as fast as he could without falling off the ledge. He had to get to her before the hunters did.

“Hey,” she called, waving to the group of people.

Her pursuers halted, and ducked down an alley, stopping their pursuit.

“I’m sorry to bother you,” Tess spoke loudly. “I’m supposed to be meeting my boyfriend, but I got a little turned around.”

She’s good. He would’ve never thought of engaging the humans to help with their escape. Tess thought quickly on her feet. A good skill to have. He’d only intended to slip by the hunters as the group passed by. Speaking of the humans, he needed to get a move on, or both their covers would be blown.

Nate mumbled under his breath as he crouched down and gripped the edge of the awning in his hands. Carefully, he lowered himself down, so he was hanging with his feet dangling. He closed his eyes and let go, thankfully landing on his feet. Stumbling forward, he rushed to his truck and hopped in quickly starting the ignition.

The vehicle roared to life as he punched the gas and sped toward Tess. He flicked his lights at the group as he rolled down his window.

“There you are. I didn’t think I’d find you. Your directions sucked,” he teased.

Tess smiled as she rolled her eyes. “My directions? You’re the one who got me all turned around to begin with,” she sassed back as she jogged to the truck. She trotted to the passenger side and hauled the door open before climbing in. “Thanks,” she yelled through his open window as he jammed his foot down on the gas pedal. He let out a long breath as they sped down the road. That was close.

***

T
ess shifted in her seat, looking over her shoulder. “They’re still following us,” she sighed. “It looks like there are three or four cars now.”

Nate growled through gritted teeth. “We’re never going to get to look for Eden and Xander at this rate.”

Tess reached out and touched his hand, wrapping her fingers around his warm wrist. His touch comforted her; maybe hers did the same for him. She didn’t need to imagine the anguish he felt. She knew it firsthand. Hopefully they could find Eden quickly and safely. “We’ll figure this out, Nate. If they think they can use Xander and Eden to find Sanctuary, they’ll keep them alive.”

She suppressed a shudder. Sure they’d be kept alive, but there was no telling what would be done to them to obtain information. Hunters were well known for their torturing techniques. Even the strongest willed didn’t stand a chance against them.

“Can we talk about something else please,” Nate grumbled.

She understood why he didn’t want to think about Eden right now. There was no doubt his mind had come to the same conclusions she had only seconds ago. But what should they talk about? What was a safe topic?

Nate thrust the wheel sharply to the right. Tess’ body jerked to the side from the sudden movement, causing her shoulder to slam into the door. She gripped the door handle as Nate made another hard turn and gassed the engine. They’d only been on the road for ten minutes, but apparently Nate expected their tail to be gone already.

Nate’s phone rang loudly, and he quickly dug it out and put it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Where are you?” Patrice’s voice asked.

“On the highway. We’re being tailed,” he snapped.

“Good,” she whispered. “Keep them following you, lead them away from Sanctuary.”

“What about Eden and Xander?” he persisted.

“We’ll look for them as soon as the threat is gone. I give you my word. I’ll send Callum with a team. He’s a good tracker. We’ll find them and bring them both to Sanctuary,” she promised.

“Both of them?” Nate asked as a tick worked its way into his jaw.

Tess’ ears perked up as she awaited Patrice’s answer. She hoped for Eden’s safety she would be granted refuge at Sanctuary. Obviously the human needed their protection. Too bad she hadn’t been granted it sooner.

“Both of them,” Patrice agreed. “Do you have somewhere safe you can go?”

There was a place they could go, but it would make it difficult for her pride members to get there safely. Hunters had already been in the area.
You don’t even know if they are coming.
No she didn’t know, but she could keep an eye out for her family better if they were already there. The more time that passed, the less likely she would find them. It was worth the risk. “We could go back to Ohio,” Tess suggested aloud.

“Do it,” Patrice instructed before Nate could say anything. “I briefly brought up the idea of humans and hunters working together to the council members. It’s a very real possibility. Watch yourselves. I’ll be in touch.”

The phone went dead.

Nate slowed down as his eyes drifted to the rearview mirror. “Looks like we can’t lose them quite yet. But we do need to make them think that we don’t know they’re there. The further we can get them from Sanctuary the better,” he snapped loudly, though Tess was sure his anger wasn’t directed at her.