Page 64 of Anders
No time for stealth now.
It’s all or nothing.
She sprinted toward the fence, her supernatural speed carrying her across the open ground in seconds.Behind her, she could hear the pounding of boots, the crackle of radios as security personnel converged on her position.
The fence was right there, so close.
Something whizzed past her ear—a tranquilizer dart, she realized.They weren’t using lethal force.Not yet.They still wanted her alive, still saw her as an asset to be recovered rather than a threat to be eliminated.
That would change the moment she cleared the fence.
Gathering herself, Etta leaped toward the top of the chain link and launched herself over, ignoring the sting as razor wire caught at her clothes and skin.For a heart-stopping moment, she was airborne, suspended between captivity and freedom.
The electrified wire sent a shock through her as she brushed against it, but the pain was nothing compared to what the device at her neck had inflicted.
Then gravity reclaimed her, and she dropped to the ground on the other side, rolling to absorb the impact.
Free.She was free.
But not safe, not yet.The shouts behind her had increased in urgency.More floodlights were activating, sweeping the area just beyond the fence.She needed to reach the tree line before they opened the gates to pursue her.
Scrambling to her feet, Etta raced for the forest, pushing her burning muscles for one final burst of speed.The trees rushed past her, branches whipping at her face and arms as she plunged deeper into the forest.
Then, suddenly, the ground seemed to drop away beneath her, and she was sliding down a small embankment, coming to rest in a natural hollow concealed by dense vegetation.
When she hit the bottom, she lay still for a moment, gasping for breath.
She really was free.
And now she could follow the tug of her mate bond with Anders back to him.
But as she rolled to her feet, she paused.
Could she go back to Anders?
Back to the pack she’d betrayed, no matter how unwillingly?
No, she thought.I can’t.
Not as long as the Chimera Program exists.
No.She had to take down Chimera before she could bring herself to put the Sunburst Pack at risk again.
Giving a decisive nod, Etta straightened her shoulders and turned her face away from Sunburst territory.
Away from Anders.
I’ll come back someday, she promised him silently.
And then she struck out into the woods.
Alone.
CHAPTER 15
ANDERS STOOD AT THEedge of pack territory, the wind carrying fragments of Etta’s scent away from him.
The trail ended abruptly at the highway, suggesting she’d either left in a vehicle or deliberately obscured her path.In either case, she’d vanished without a word, without warning.
