Sanctuary (A Hunted Novel Book 1) (20 page)

Nate paused and met her eyes. Doubt swirled in his gaze, but after a long agonizing moment, he diverted their course to the security room.

Together, they sprinted down the long corridor. Nate shoved the door open, sending the steel door careening into the wall. He dashed to the monitors and quickly pulled up the screen by the front door.

Tess gasped as a sea of men came into view. They definitely were not friendly. Her heart sunk and she forced back angry tears. Was it too much to hope? Why couldn’t it have been someone from the pride?
Now isn’t the time for pity. You need to get out while you still can.

“Can we get out the garage?” her voice shook with fear. What if they didn’t have a way to escape? What if her need to see her family again had cost them their opportunity to flee?

N
ate growled low in his throat. Trucks swarmed the woods, trudging up the grassy terrain and toward the garage entrance. How did they find that entrance too?
They’re going to block us in.
“We have to run. Now!” he snapped. He curled his hand around Tess’ wrist and sprinted out the door, pulling her along behind him.

Someone in her pride must have given up the location. It was the only thing that made sense. Their enemy knew exactly what they were looking for and where. If he and Tess didn’t hurry, they were going to be captured.
No. I’m not going to be taken prisoner by these jerks. And to hell if I let them hurt my mate.

Nate pressed himself to run faster and was glad when Tess kept pace beside him. They flew down the last corridor. Their feet squeaked across the tiled floor as they skidded to a stop in front of the double doors that led to the garage. Together they mauled through the opening and darted to their vehicle.

“Get in,” he yelled, releasing her wrist so he could pull out the keys.

He hopped in the driver side and jammed the key into the ignition of the truck. It roared to life. Tess popped in beside him, giving him a weary look. Fear rimmed her gorgeous, wide eyes.
I have to protect her. We have to get out of here.

Nate revved the engine, readying it for what he was sure was going to be a grueling run through the forest. Black smog puffed out of the tail pipe. He was glad it had four-wheel-drive, and some of their auto technicians had made some alterations to the original make. They were going to need it. An escape to the main road was out of the question. They would have to work their way through the woods. He’d consider running, but the thick metal of the truck cabin would give them shelter from bullets.

He closed his eyes as he pressed the button to open the garage. The white door rolled up painstakingly slow. Impatient with the gradual ascension, he inched the car towards the exit. If their enemy were on the other side, he didn’t want to get trapped inside. They needed to at least get far enough away to have a chance at fleeing.

Nate crouched down to check the clearance. Once the door was high enough for the truck to fit safely under, he mashed his foot down on the gas. The back of the truck flung to the right as it fought for traction.

Burnt rubber filled the cabin as the vehicle peeled out onto the uneven terrain. Tess grunted, grasping the handle above her head as the truck rocked back and forth as they climbed a hill. Slow and steady, he reminded himself. Even if the truck had four-wheel-drive, the uneven earth could still tip them over if he pushed it to hard. He released his foot off the gas a little. The faster they got out the better, but they had to be safe too.

A gunshot rang out and Tess screamed, ducking her head down. The passenger glass splintered and crackled, but didn’t completely break.
That was too close. I could’ve lost her.
Nate covered Tess as best he could while keeping his own head down, and eyes on the road.

Bullets pinged off the frame of the truck, causing them both to cringe. A loud pop sounded and the vehicle listed to the side. Nate twisted the wheel in a vain attempt to regain control, but it was too late.

They careened down a low grade, the truck picking up speed as it bumped down the hill. A large tree loomed in front of them. Nate jerked the wheel one last time, but the wheels wouldn’t budge.
Crap. Turn. Turn. Turn.
He stiffened, bracing for impact. The front end smashed into the tree with a loud thud. The tree cracked, swaying violently before it broke in two and landed on the car.

The roof smashed in with a sickening crunch. Nate covered Tess with his body, praying they weren’t crushed. He grunted as something sharp grazed against his shoulder. Blood dribbled down his elbow, dripping onto the cloth seats and Tess’ side. Oddly, the pain was minimal. There wasn’t time to ponder why it didn’t hurt, he was thankful for the reprieve. A puff of white dust shot out as the airbags deployed. Dust filtered into the cabin, causing him to cough.

We have to get out of here. The hunters are right behind us.
Nate shoved the white balloon out of his way and undid his seat belt. He turned to Tess, she seemed frazzled, a drizzle of blood ran down from her forehead to her neck.
Is she okay?
His heart sped up, what if she hit her head too hard?

“We have to run,” she panted as she struggled to release the clasp of her seatbelt. Her fingers trembled, pressing adamantly at the button. Nate jammed his digits onto the buckle, cursing wildly when it refused to unclasp. A crackle ripped through the cabin and he blinked realizing Tess had shifted her hand. She flexed one nail and sawed away at the belt. Nate smiled. She was sharp.

A blur of green flitted past her door. No. Hunters had caught up to them.

“Tess,” he hollered as her door was jerked open.

Hands reached inside and drug her out. Tess screamed, kicking her feet and thrashing her arms in an attempt to ward off her attacker.
No. I have to get to her.

A form appeared in his side mirror and he waited for them to get close enough. He swung his door open, connecting with the approaching man. His enemy sputtered and fell to one knee. Nate tugged the door toward him and then rammed the hunter with it again.

He hopped out and punched his pursuer in the jaw. The man’s head snapped back, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Pain sliced through Nate’s injured arm. Great. It would choose now to start hurting. He glanced down at the deep laceration. Blood glided down his arm and ran between his fingers before dripping on the ground.
I’ve had worse. I have to check on Tess. I can’t let them separate us.
Nate raced to the other side of the car. Tess was on her knees, staring down at a lifeless body. Admiration rolled over him. Tess didn’t need him to be her knight in shining armor. He knew in his heart the werecat could take care of herself. But after years of being around submissive, non-fighting women, he was going to have to get used to this.
Marvel over her later. More men are coming.

“We got to go,” Nate urged, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Numbness washed over him as the pain in his extremity receded. Well that’s weird. No time to think about it now though.

Tess whirled around at his touch, her eyes wide with fright before they fixated on him. She nodded and stumbled to her feet.

Nate entwined his fingers with hers, doing a quick once over. She had a few cuts and bruises, but she would be okay. But they had to get away from the hunters; more would be here any moment.

“Come on,” he insisted, yanking her into a grueling run.

A gunshot crackled through the air and they both ducked down out of instinct.

“We need to shift,” Tess gasped. “We’re faster that way.”

Nate nodded in agreement. Using his free hand, he snatched his cell phone and wallet out of his pocket and put it in his mouth. They were going to need a phone and some money later.

Tess pulled away from him in one fluid movement she leapt forward and went from a beautiful woman to a gorgeous, sleek black cat.

Careful not to break his phone, Nate sprung forward, triggering his own shift. His clothes fluttered to the ground around him as he charged through the woods after Tess.

***

T
ess slowed to a steady trot. Her lungs burned from exertion. They had been running for what felt like hours.
It probably has been.
She gazed up at the opening in the trees. The sun peaked through, shining down on them.
We could be halfway back to Sanctuary by now.

Nate sat down on his haunches next to her. His ears flicked back and forth as he listened for movement in the woods. Tess hadn’t heard anything besides the quiet scuttling of animal life for a while. One could never be too careful with hunters on the prowl, but for the moment, she thought they were safe.

She looked at Nate and held out a paw as she meowed, in an attempt to ask him if he wanted to shift. Nate gently set his cellphone and wallet on the ground, how he’d managed to carry that in his mouth this whole time was beyond her. He cocked his head to the side and let out a bark.
I don’t speak wolf. That makes no sense to me.
Talking was so much easier in their human forms. Werecats had limited communications in their animal forms, but they did have the ability to convey simple meanings. Apparently that capability didn’t extend to other shifters.

Tess inhaled sharply as she stretched. Shifting would be best right now, but there was one tiny problem. Neither of them had any clothes. Shifters undressed all the time before and after transitioning—it saved on their clothes. It wasn’t being naked in front of Nate that was the problem; their nudity would be more of a distraction—it would be nice to see him naked again. It was the fact that it was cold and they would have to
find
something to wear. Awkward.

Shaking her head, she forced the thoughts away.
One thing at a time.
Tess gritted her teeth and arched her back, triggering her transition. Her muscles burned pleasurably from the change. She opened her eyes and stared down at the muddy ground. Pushing up she rose to her knees in time to see Nate’s body contorting as he too changed. The process was mesmerizing.

Within a second, his human form crouched before her. Dried blood covered his arm, but the deep cut that had been there before they’d shifted was replaced with a long silvery scar.
Got to love shifting and its healing capabilities.
Nate looked up, his cobalt eyes searching hers for a moment before lowering to take in her body. She shivered, allowing her eyes to do the same. 

Nate’s muscles rippled with strength and she shivered, remembering how they felt beneath her fingers. Her digits burned aching to reach out and touch him. She averted her eyes before they could linger on his lower half. Her body trembled with awareness. If she allowed herself to gaze at his member, they wouldn’t be leaving this spot for some time.

No. Now is not the time for that
. Hunters are still out there somewhere.
We have to keep moving.

“We need to get some clothes,” Nate stated the obvious as he diverted his gaze as well.

The wind blew, sending a cold chill zipping down her spine. Tess wrapped her arms around herself.

“Any ideas?” she asked curiously. She’d never been in a situation like this before. Transitioning was always done on her prides land, where it was safe from prying eyes, and stashes of clothes were kept in boxes in the woods.

Nate ran a hand through his hair and looked around. “I’m pretty sure there is a town that way,” he pointed. “It’s getting to be daybreak. We could find a house on the outskirts and wait for the occupants to leave.”

“Then we...” Tess trailed off. What exactly was he suggesting?

“We let ourselves in and borrow a few garments,” he explained.

Tess bit her lip. Breaking into someone’s house didn’t sit well with her. Her home had been burned to the ground by mercenaries. It would be wrong to violate someone else in a similar fashion.
It’s not like there is another choice. You can’t stroll into a store in your birthday suit.

“We’ll be careful. There isn’t much else we can do,” Nate pointed out, voicing her earlier thoughts.

“Okay,” she agreed. They’d have to be careful and be as inconspicuous as possible. She didn’t want anyone to worry over their tiny break-in.

“I’m pretty sure it’s this way,” Nate said motioning with his hand. “I can smell the oil from a furnace.”

Tess inhaled and bobbed her head up and down. She could smell the fuel oil too.

“I’m guessing this isn’t the first time this has happened to you,” Tess murmured as they started to make their way through the woods. He definitely seemed to know what he was doing.

Nate peered at her over his shoulder. “Companies much better this time around.”

Tess laughed as heat burned through her body. She had a perfect view of his fabulous backside.
I just want to touch it.
But she couldn’t. They were running for their lives. A distraction right now could mean the difference between life and death. She needed to keep her libido in check.

“One of the things about my job is you learn to handle any situation,” he sobered. “There,” he pointed.

Tess let out a relieved breath. There was a house just over the ledge. Concentrating would be much easier with them both clothed.

“Come on. I know you’re cold,” he said, leading the way.

Tess rolled her eyes. “I’m always cold.” Actually, right now, she was anything but cold. Her body was an inferno, aching for his touch. But she wasn’t about to admit that to him.

“This fall seems to be unseasonably chilly. Tennessee usually isn’t too bad since we are more south, but its been frigid the past few weeks. Makes me wonder how winter is going to be,” Nate commented.

He doesn’t seem bothered by our nudity at all. Of course he doesn’t have the view you do. He’s looking at the woods. You’re the idiot walking behind him ogling every step he takes. Talk to him, that’s a good distraction.
“Washington has a pretty diverse climate. Where I’m from it stays decent all year. Never too hot or too cold,” Tess replied.