Page 42 of Vicious King

13

Tatum

I went backinto my closet and changed into thick black yoga pants, several dark layered tops, a sweater, a thick charcoal gray coat, woolen socks, and sneakers. That should be enough to keep me from freezing to death outside. I grabbed a dark chunky-knit scarf as well, just in case, and then I headed back out to the bedroom and fished around in Elias’s pockets.

I found his Crown and Dagger keycard a moment later. Leaning down, I gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. “I’m sorry, Elias,” I whispered. “But I have to do this for myself.”

I slipped out of my room and crept down the hall as quickly and quietly as I could. There were security cameras everywhere, so someone was bound to see me sneaking around sooner or later. I just had to make it to a door and get outside before that happened.

I reached the stairs and hurried down them, and when I arrived at the nearest door that led outside, I slid the keycard into the electronic lock. It beeped and flashed with a green light. Breathing a sigh of relief, I let myself out, making sure to close the door behind me as quietly as possible. Then I stole through the main courtyard and gardens, heading for the expansive patch of snowy grass which led to the forest.

When I reached the grass, I began to run as fast as I could. One of the guards monitoring the camera feeds would’ve noticed me by now, and it was only a matter of time before a team was sent out to retrieve me. I had to get to the forest and use it for cover.

As I reached the tree line, I heard shouts in the distance, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t waste even a fraction of a second.

The forest was dense and ancient, tree trunks thick and old with twisted roots. The soil had a rich, loamy smell, and the canopy was so dense that I could only see the occasional streak of moonlight through the leaves and branches. Fortunately, there was enough to guide me, and I only tripped over the roots or small bushes a couple of times.

Leaves rustled in the wind and dead trees creaked ominously as I headed deeper into the woods. My teeth chattered like mad. The air was colder than ice, already seeping through my jacket and climbing up my spine. I was struck with an urge to give up and curl into a ball to keep warm, but I kept going, kept pushing.

Voices were drawing closer to me now, and I caught occasional glimpses of flashlight beams cutting through the trees. Shit. The guards were catching up faster than I expected.

Fear and adrenaline flooded me, and I doubled my already-fast pace, practically flying through the forest. Unfortunately, my burst of speed was short-lived, because I tripped over a small log only a few minutes later. I let out a yelp before falling flat on my front. Hard.

I gasped for breath, winded. The voices were getting even closer now. I was screwed.

No wonder no one ever escaped the Lodge. Every girl who made the attempt probably thought she was different than the others who tried before her. Faster. Stronger. Wilier. But in every case, reality caught up with them fast, and they found themselves in an early grave.

Soon, I would be no different.

A wild sob tore through me as I forced myself up to my hands and knees, still trying to get my breath back. That was when I saw the cave.

It wasn’t a proper one, carved out of weathered rock over millennia. It was an enormous tree hollow in a giant old oak, but it looked like just as good of a hiding place as a regular cave, because it was at least three feet tall with a wide mouth of impenetrable blackness.

Once again, the darkness would become my sanctuary.

I crawled over to the hollow and gingerly headed inside, watching the moonlight dissolve into the surrounding darkness. The dry space inside was so big that I could tuck myself around a corner, away from the hollow mouth. If any of the guards spotted it, they could shine a flashlight in and still not see me. The only way they’d find me is if they crawled right inside on their hands and knees like I did. I just had to pray that it didn’t occur to them to do so.

For a moment, the only sound was the sighing wind, but then the voices returned, louder this time.

“She can’t be far. Fan out!”

I put my hand over my mouth, keeping my breaths shallow. Even the smallest of sounds might be enough to alert them to my location.

The deep voices grew louder, and soon I could hear heavy footsteps clomping around the area.

“I think I saw her!” a guard called out. “There’s something in that tree hollow.”

“Go check it out.”

A silent tear slipped down my face as horror and resignation flooded me all over again. Footsteps drew closer to the hollow, and then a bright yellow beam of light cut through the darkness. Whoever was standing outside couldn’t see me yet, but there was no doubt in my mind that they were going to search the entire hollow any second now.

There was a sudden squeak, and I felt a brush of fur and little feet skittering over me. I clamped my hand down even harder on my lips, swallowing a shocked scream.

“Fuck… it’s just a squirrel!” the guard shouted. The light vanished.

I’d never believed in guardian angels before, but I did now. Apparently, mine was a furry little animal.

The voices and footsteps turned fainter, drifting away on the wind as the men headed in a different direction. Soon the only sound was the rustling of the leaves outside.

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