Chapter dedicated to Ladybugte1. You are awesome and wonderful for reading and rubbing up against the Vote button! Ps...cutie user name too.

Chapter 125 – Contingency Plan – Raine's POV

The forest was pitch-black, no light reached the ground through the dense covering of trees. But moonlight wasn't required for us to see as we ran. Our extra-sensory vampire eyes provided all the night-vision we needed.

"Can you mask our scents?" Cage hissed urgently next to me.

What?  I snapped my head in his direction. I had only masked my own scent when I switched places with Seraphine. I wasn't sure I could mask an entire group of people. But I understood why he wanted me to. Our lives might very well depend on it. I gave him a hard nod and focused my concentration. Only Talon, Cage and I carried bloodline vampire scents, which was stronger and more powerful to contain, so I started with us, pushing power out from my body. When I had us secured, I huffed, focusing harder and gradually reached to everyone else. It was the best I could do, and hoped it would be good enough. It should slow down any vampire trying to track us.

We continued at an insane speed. The creatures of the forest were silent, hiding. They knew more fearsome predators than themselves lurked in the woods tonight. The only noise came from rustling leaves underfoot and little chunks of bark, which flaked off of thick tree trunks as we careened by.

The sound of Marku's voice still rang in my ears. First, the hitch of his breath that exposed his hurt, I had betrayed him. And second, when his fury replaced his pain, becoming only the voice of a stone-cold killer. He would follow through on his threat. He would break me piece by piece if he ever caught me. Of that, I had no doubt. A shiver ran down my spine.

Echo hissed, "We need shelter. We can't go back to the hotel."

Cage grunted, "I know. Raine, give me your phone."

I handed it to him. Marku must have confiscated his. He typed a message, still maintaining a flat-out sprint, and then returned it to me, advising Echo, "I sent word to Kieran. He will take care of the remaining pets at the hotel. We'll have to find a place to stay once we get clear."

We ran for close to an hour. All silent. Each lost in thought. A little bud of hope sprouted inside of me that maybe we had successfully evaded capture. I wondered how far the forest stretched on and murmured, "Where are we headed?" Running through the woods, in the opposite direction of the hotel, was never part of our plan. I wasn't sure if Cage actually had a plan at the moment.

Cage ground his teeth together, his voice tight, "Marku's forces will be watching all of the hotels, so they are out—" Abruptly Cage's intended sentence cut off and he snarled, "Fuck! Killian and two other Fae are in air, headed our way, fast."

A hard hit of adrenaline shot through my veins, my body's instinctual reaction, preparing for the impending fight. Still, I hoped. Maybe we could get away. Talon echoed my thoughts, gritting out, "Can we outrun them?"

My hope was dashed by Cage's blunt reply, "No."

Shit.

Okay, a fight it was, then.

I heard it then. The sound of their wings. A heartbeat sweeping through the air, displacing the sky. Another second went by and they were overhead. But the tree cover was in the way, impeding a direct attack. They flew passed, leaving us behind. I hissed, "What are they doing?"

"Trying to turn us around." Echo growled.

"No," Cage interjected. "They aren't trying to push us back. They are waiting for us."

"Let's go in a different direction, then!"

"It won't matter, they will be able to track us. We need to fight." Cage ground out, his tone hard. I glanced to him. His fists were clenched, his neck pulled tight. He wasn't looking forward to this fight. He slowed down almost imperceptivity. We all followed suit, matching his pace, waiting for him to make the next move. "There's a clearing ahead."

I focused all of my attention on the speck of light coming through the trees. It got larger with every step we took. I held my breath. Cage readied us, "They will be waiting."  There were furious growls of anticipation from Echo's men.

The clearing drew closer and closer.

A hundred feet.

Seventy.

Thirty.

Another second.

We blew  out into the open.

All hell broke loose.

A hypnotic beat of wings played above us, reaching a crescendo and then silence, signaling their attack. They were beautiful, devastation in motion, wings tucked in, diving from the sky.

Cage shoved me to the side, hard, and launched himself thirty feet into the air, slamming his body into Killian. The impact was fierce, the sound like thunder. I stumbled off balance and rolled back to my feet, my eyes locked on Cage, as gravity snared his body, forcing him to plummet down. I choked back a scream. He flipped his body and landed hard in a crouch, one hand planted on the earth. His stood, reaching his full height. His eyes glowed crimson, the lethal predator inside of him in full control.

At the same time, Killian spiraled off course, out of control, only to catch himself at the last moment, his wings flaring out to slow his speed as he touched down. He glared, his surprise evident at Cage's unexpected maneuver.

Cage's muscles bunched and contracted, releasing in stunning force, as he propelled forward, his target once again Killian. The distance between them disappeared, but Cage was left to wrap his powerful arms around air, when Killian spun so fast, he seemed to disappear and reappear ten feet away. Shit, Cage had been right, they were faster than vampires.

I found myself in the middle of Echo's men, Talon and York, their bodies forming a protective barrier. Too bad they couldn't shield me from an air assault. Another Fae dropped from the sky, right above me. I only caught a glimpse of his movement, but it was enough. I fell to the ground.

Talon spun and punched above my head as I crouched beneath him. "I don't think so, motherfucker!" he spat, landing a direct hit, dead center in the Fae's chest, sending him hurtling back. Another thunder crack. The Fae shrieked in pain and anger.

"Are you ready to die today, fucker?" Cage's voice rose over the percussion of growls reverberating all around me. I spun around, desperately searching for him. His body was low, shoulders hunched. His muscles bulged, making his shirt look too small for his intimidating frame. He spit blood from his mouth, his lips curling into a menacing smile.

Killian chuckled, his voice deep, cruel and deadly. The sound chilled me to the bone. He stepped lightly to the side, searching for a weakness in Cage, and drawled "You're good, Vampire, but you're not that good."

Unfortunately, he was right. Cage was stronger, he could crush Killian if he got his arms around him, but Killian was fast, evading Cage's assaults by mere millimeters.

The three Fae worked in formation now, as a unit, one body. A dance...weaving in and out, attacking, pushing our defenses. One of Echo's men fell dead.

Talon released another volley of knives, their razor sharp points hurtling through the air. The closest Fae hissed, the weapon having found purchase in his shoulder. He yanked it out and hurled it back at us. Talon lunged and plucked it from the air, right before it impacted Tobias' spine. Shit. Unable to stop his momentum, Talon rolled, absorbing the hard impact of his body on the ground, and released the knife again on his way back up, all in one smooth movement. I wasn't sure how he even knew where to aim because he barely glanced before he let go. This time, the weapon only met air, barely missing Killian.

The Fae swerved, danced, avoided. Attacked again, their speed even faster, wings blurring in motion, pulling apart our defenses. Without warning, a large hand reached from the sky and grabbed a handful of my hair.  I was jerked into the air. I screamed and grabbed at his hands, clutching the wrist that held me. My feet kicked, but the ground was swiftly moving farther away as the Fae flew higher.

Cage roared and leaped toward me, only to have another Fae fly into him, throwing him back to the ground. We continued our upward trek, too high now for Cage to reach me from the ground, but I wasn't done fighting. I would rather die, plummeting to the ground, than face Marku's wrath.

I curled my body, bringing my legs up, trying to kick free. The Fae rolled in the air. I wanted to scream from the pain in my scalp. I was certain he was going to pluck all of it from the roots. But I bit back my agony, kept a death grip on his wrist and kicked again, this time I pulled him down enough to connect with his head. He dropped me.

Shit, shit, shit!

The bastard actually dropped me!

I free-fell, the air pushing past me at an incredible speed, the sound of the wind rushing in my ears. I twisted to orient myself. I wasn't sure if I would survive the impact, but I would rather land on my feet than my head. I looked down as the earth rushed to meet me.

Abruptly, my momentum radically altered from downward to sideways. The impact on my body was fierce. I grunted in pain. Strong arms and legs wrapped around my frame. The beat of wings loud above me. Killian's voice purred in my ear, "Got you."

I writhed and bucked in his arms, shoving my elbow into his chest and snapping my fangs toward any part of him I could reach. My jaw connected with his arm. I clamped down and shook my head, tearing soft flesh from his bicep. He hissed angrily. His large hand wrapped around my shoulder and neck. I felt a pop and sharp piercing pain. I cried out and then went limp in his arms, conscious but immobile.

I panted, "What did you do?! Where are you taking me?!"

He snarled, "Did you really think Marku wouldn't have a contingency plan?"

Horror rushed through me, waves of heat, harsh and fierce. The last thing I heard was Cage's agonized roar beneath me, echoing through the night.

No, no, no!

I was going to have face Marku alone!