Page 24 of Faerie Hunted

Noren exploded into action without my having to give the command.

Adrenaline pumped through me, flooding my system and obliterating the exhaustion and pain. I swung my legs over the side of the bed just as Noren slammed into the nearest guard.

They scattered at the sight of his sharp teeth and bulk.

I had to movenow.

A foot of space between their bodies was the only chance I’d get to make it out of the room before they caught me. A sharp throb pulsed at the crook of my elbow and blood dripped from the puncture wound.

I pushed it all to the side.

Noren barreled between the guards and they gave way, providing me just enough space to duck past their grasping hands.

The direwolf was a step behind me as we sprinted down the hallway, with Baldric yelling after me.

No clue whether he wanted me to come back or to go faster.

The pit at the bottom of my stomach doubled in weight and dragged everything inside of me down too. I pumped my legs, heart thundering, every instinct urging me to get to the door.

It led to a stairwell, the curving steps polished oak rather than the cold cement of human hospitals.

One hand on the railing, I spiraled down one flight and then the next with Noren’s nails clicking at my side.

“Go, boy, go!”

He hit the exit door first, and the bright shards of afternoon sunlight seared my retinas. Footsteps pounded behind us, the soldiers already hot on our trail.

The exit led out to a small cobblestone street at the side of the building. Noren and I darted left, toward the forest ringing the crater-like valley that held the king’s city.

As far and as fast as possible.

I reached for my wolf inside of me, but the transfusions had added a layer of numbness to my system. She was about as far away as those mountains in the distance, and the harder I pushed, the more my strength ebbed.

Noren barked and rammed his head against my rear to get me to change direction. I pulled up short just as a couple strode down the street, eyeing us strangely.

My chest constricted as rough hands grasped the back of my shirt, tugging me backwards.

“Think you’re going somewhere, Miss Alderidge?”

Metal clanked and sunlight flashed off a blade poised at my throat.

Noren erupted in a terrifying flash of movement. His jaw clenched down on the pommel of the sword and he tossed it aside easily, moving in to fight the soldier.

As the soldier dropped his hold on me, I lost my balance and stumbled, arms windmilling.

Noren attacked beautifully. He made quick work of the soldier and left the fae a mess of blood and armor.

I started to speak but my senses screamed at me to keep moving and my heart jackhammered into my throat.

Noren straightened, shook his head and sent blood spraying everywhere, and with the fever pitch inside of me rising higher, we took off.

He shifted to my side to help me along but my legs were weak and my muscles sore. No matter how hard I pushed, I couldn’t go as fast as I normally would.

The ragged pulsing of my heart blotted out every other sound and obliterated my other senses. Fear was fuel. I didn’t have the energy to keep going. Or to stop and beg for a break.

Adrenaline leached out of me as fast as my system produced it.

Another corner and two guards stood waiting for me. The soldier on the left broke out in a dazzling smile. They lifted their weapons, and I held out a hand as if it would make an actual difference.

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