Page 35 of Rescuing Red

Their eyes tightened, and a glance passed between them.

“There’s a river a little further west. It’s full and runs fast,” one of them said.

Blaide nodded at the words, a touch of relief passing through his chest. The noise of the water would hopefully cover the sounds of the group.

“Go.”

The men turned, once again forced to pull the group off course, but it was the only way they’d have a chance.

Blaide waited as everyone passed, worried eyes turning to him at the change in direction. He studied each person as they passed, gauging whether they’d be able to do what was going to be asked of them. Nana’s gaze met his, holding him captive until her face tightened and she gave him a slow nod. A bit more reliefloosened his chest knowing she’d be sure Liz was safe as long as she was standing.

Once his mate had caught up to him and the others were moving ahead, he pulled her into his arms.

“I need to check behind us. If you hear anything,anything, you run. Don’t wait for me.”

He could feel the fear pulsing through their bond, and he tried to push calm assurance back to her. She lingered in his arms before letting out a sigh and pulling away.

“Be safe.”

Her whisper brought a smile to his lips, memories of all the stupid things he’d done flashing through his head. He’d taken more unnecessary risks than he’d had any right to live through, but now he had a reason to be careful.

“I will. I’ll catch up soon.”

Her tails wrapped tight around her as she turned to follow the others. She reached for her favorite as she glanced back at him. He kept his smile in place and his worry tightly under wraps until she’d taken her place beside one of the other villagers. Then he melted into the jungle.

It was easy to fall back into old habits. He moved through the dense underbrush without a sound or a trail, relying on his heightened hearing to direct him to the right place. He spotted the scout before it noticed him. It made so much noise it was louder than the villagers.

Needing to know how far ahead of the rest it was, he slipped past it until he spotted more soldiers.

Breath catching in his chest, he realized it wasn’t only one unit coming up behind them. There were enough men to flatten the ground, the rattle of weapons and armor rising the closer they came.

Blaide turned and ran, almost forgetting the scout between him and the people he was trying to save. He slipped past thesoldier again, moving as fast as he dared until he was sure he was out of sight before charging on. The trail his group had left was too obvious to his eyes; chest tight with worry, he tried to figure out how to keep the soldiers from bearing down on them.

He found them sitting along the edge of the river, refilling their bottles.

“Move out. Now.”

His rough bark had those nearest him jumping, wide eyes turning to stare back at him before the words penetrated. They scrambled to their feet, parents muffling the startled cries of the little ones as they rushed to obey his order. Blaide could feel Liz’s eyes on him, but he continued on to the men in the lead.

“We have to go. No stops, pick the fastest path. Noise doesn’t matter anymore.”

They could hear the seriousness of the situation and didn’t hesitate. Urging the others to follow, they set off through the area of least growth, one rushing ahead to be sure the path was clear.

Blaide jogged back to Liz, trying to help the stragglers get their packs back on. Their reluctance disappeared when they noticed him. They rushed to catch up with the tail of the pack as he claimed Liz’s hand in his and pulled her along.

“What’s wrong?”

He didn’t want to tell her how bad it truly was, but he would not lie to her.

“There are soldiers behind us. Too many. We have to reach the city before they catch us.”

He didn’t voice the worry that the enemy would be too close for the guards to open the gates. He hoped they didn’t become like so many of the casualties trapped between warring forces. Screams of the innocents still haunted his nightmares.

The group moved in silence for a time, pushing faster than they had before, but he could see some villagers slowing. When a parent carrying a child stumbled, he called a halt.

“I’m going to go back and check. Maybe they’ve stopped.”

He didn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth, but he said them to ease the worry on the faces looking at him. Making sure he’d secured his blades, he dropped his pack so he could move faster before giving Liz a brief kiss.

---