Chapter 10

Octane

Adrenaline surges, and I drop the meat, grabbing Trinity's hand and yanking her to her feet. Her food lands in the dirt as well.

We have seconds to hide.

Fuck!

I need to keep Trinity safe. If she is caught, she will be slaughtered. It won't matter that she is a female, or that she is pregnant. She is a Red trespassing on Draig soil, and for that, the penalty is death. I can't let that happen. I won't! I pray that she listens to me, that she does everything I tell her, or we will be caught.

I put a finger over my lips, instructing her to keep quiet. Trinity nods, her eyes wide with fear. I can scent it on her, too. I hate the acrid smell. It makes every protective instinct surge inside me.

Fuck!

I should never have started the fire. I'm an idiot. I take her hand and start walking. I have a plan. There is a slim chance it will work, but I have to take it.

Several dragons are approaching, and it could be anyone. I have to seriously fucking pray that it's one of my team members. We're close to home. A couple of hours of hiking at the most. It's possible that they're looking for us.

It could also be another patrol. It's unlikely, but still possible. There's another possibility, one that leaves me with chills all over my body. There is a very slim chance that it could also be the Reds. It could be them, and if it is, I'm going to have to trust Trinity to keep quiet. To keep me safe. If she chooses freedom, she will be signing my death warrant.

I pick my way to the water, and Trinity does the same. We have to keep as quiet as possible while moving fast. I don't want them to hear us. I keep to where the trees reach over the water. We're not far away from our camp when I hear them land with thuds as claws tear into the earth.

We need to hide and right fucking now.

Trinity clasps my hand a little tighter, looking back over her shoulder. I point at the water, and she nods.

We wade in. It isn't very deep, so we won't be able to swim downstream. It was perfect for cleaning off, but not so much for hiding in. I saw a section that might just work if we're lucky. I make for that.

It's full of mud and reeds and better for hiding than I hoped. Perhaps we are in with a chance, after all. We wade into that section.

I hunker down low, and Trinity does the same. The mud is deep and cold. I feel something wriggle near my right foot. I take a handful of the muck and wipe it over Trinity's face and neck. Then I do the same to myself while she puts more of the slimy gloop over herself. I rub more in her hair. We need to be covered in the stuff. The mud smells minerally and of rotting vegetation. It'll do a good job of hiding us and tamping down our scent. I'm counting on it, or they'll find us in a hot minute.

Then we hunker down and wait. It doesn't take long before they arrive. Three sets of footfalls, if I am not mistaken. I feel Trinity stiffen next to me. I dare not lift my head to look at them. I can't risk being seen.

"Fire," the one says. "Someone was just here."

"Freshly cooked meat," another says. "I'd say they left in a hurry and that they're close."

I don't recognize the voices at all, so it isn't anyone from my team. My heart sinks. It could still be Draigers. I don't know all of the guys on patrol, not by a long shot.

"Looks like we ruined a party," the third one says. "They were just here, alright."

One of them smells the air. "I'm pretty sure I scent a female. My dragon thought he recognized her scent. It could be her."

Another one sniffs. "I can't be sure."

Her? Are they talking about Trinity? If so, it is more than likely them. It's Reds.

"Igor would expect us to look after her. One thing is for sure: that female is on this island. We have to find her."

"She's been missing for days. Where the hell is she?"

"Three of our males disappear, and Trinity, too. It isn't a coincidence," the one growls, confirming my suspicions. I hold my breath, expecting Trinity to jump up out of the mud and announce her presence. I tighten my hand around hers, silently begging her not to do it. I might be able to take on three Reds, but the odds are against me.

I'm shocked when she doesn't move an inch.

"Shouldn't we be looking for them?" one of them growls. "Before they get too far?"

"Yes," the one with the deep voice says. "I see a big set of prints and a smaller one, so it looks like one male and a female. Rocky, you go that way; follow those footprints. Ranger, you go south."

"Sure thing."

Thankfully, we have been back and forth between our camp and the jungle several times, as well as down the river numerous times. We left our footprints everywhere. It will be difficult for them to track us. At least, I hope it will. I was complacent, and it nearly cost us. I won't let it happen again.

"Okay, Titan. I'll holler if I see or hear anything."

"Me, too."

The two Reds start walking away in opposite directions.

Titan stays right where he is. Damn! He seems to be the ringleader. I suspect that he is the brains of this little group. If any of them has the most chance of finding us, it's him.

We wait, and we wait, and we wait some more. It's so silent you could hear a pin drop. The animals of the jungle sound like they have retreated. Not even a leaf stirs.

There is complete silence, but I am not fooled. Only two of the males left, which means that Titan is still hanging out at our campsite. I know that he is watching and listening intently. I know because I would do the same.

"You can come out now," he finally says. "I won't hurt you. I just want our female back," he adds.

Then he starts walking. He's headed toward the river. Dammit!

"Trinity. You can come out. You're safe. Nothing will happen to you…I swear it. You won't get into trouble for this."

Trouble? Why would she be in trouble?

She doesn't move. In fact, I would go so far as to say that she is barely breathing. She doesn't want them to find her. Why? What's going on?

"Igor would want me to take care of you. He would want for you to be safe. You are in no danger, I swear it."

He keeps walking, getting closer and closer to where we are hiding. If he looks really carefully, he might spot us. If he tries hard enough, he might smell us.

Fuck!

If he finds us, I will have to fight him, which would bring the others right back and in no time. I'd have to kill Titan quickly and then do my best to dispatch the other two as well. It would work, but I'd like to avoid a confrontation if possible. Again, I am fearful that Trinity might get hurt in the crossfire.

From the way that she is clutching my hand, I would say that she is afraid. I don't like it one bit. Who are these males? Why is she scared of them?

Titan steps closer and closer and closer. "Where are you?" He starts calling her name in a singsong voice. Then he says, "I know you're here. Come out, sweetheart; I swear you're safe. I would never harm you. You're carrying my brother's child. He told me that if anything happened to him, I should take responsibility for you both. I want to do that…please." He takes a couple more steps. I hear the mud squelch beneath his feet.

He"s so damned close that we are all but holding our breath.

"I'm sure you're being held prisoner. We won't stop until we find you. I swear it." He takes another step. "I will keep searching for you. I will find you…you can be sure of that." It sounds too much like a threat for my liking. Titan keeps moving. It sounds like he is turning in a circle. I'm sure he is searching for any sign of life. He is searching for us, and from the way Trinity is trembling, I would say that if he found us, he wouldn't be as kind as he is suggesting.

"Titan!" one of the others calls from the other side of our camp. "I found a trail. The footprints are deep in places, suggesting that they are running. I'm sure if we follow the path, it will lead us to them."

"South is a dead-end." It sounds like Ranger has returned as well. "The footprints eventually double back, which means they didn't run off that way."

"What should we do?" Rocky says. "I think we should follow them."

Titan doesn't say anything for a while. Then he walks around camp. It sounds like he is following the various tracks. One leading away and one leading back. Fuck! He is reluctant to leave. He knows we're still here. At least, he suspects as much.

"They're getting away," Rocky says. "Didn't you hear me? They're running. They might be far enough away to shift without us knowing. We need to go after them before they get too far."

Someone must be smiling down on us because there is a noise that comes from that exact location. It sounds like someone or something crashing through the jungle. It lasts all of a few seconds. I suspect it's one of the predators we heard earlier. Or it could just be a branch falling.

"What did I tell you?" Rocky says. "That's them!" he shouts.

"Let's go." To my ears, it sounds like all three run in the direction of the noise.

For several long seconds, I'm paralyzed. What if I'm wrong? What if they come back? Even worse, what if they never left? What if we move from our hiding place and they find us? Trinity is afraid for a reason. I would hate it if anything happened to her. I meant what I said earlier. She is in my care. I am responsible for her right now. For both her and her unborn child. I don't know what to do. Even worse, I am hesitant to make a decision. It has never happened to me before.

We need to move now, or we will be caught.

The thought finally pulls me out of my head, and I stand, lifting her. "Let's go," I say almost too softly to hear.

We wade into the water, which only comes up to mid-thigh at the deepest section. Then I dunk under, quickly washing off most of the muck. Trinity does the same. I don't want to leave a trail of mud for them to follow. We dunk under a second time, and then I tug Trinity to the other side of the river. We wade down the bank a little further, trying to be as quiet as possible. Then we exit the water, and we start running.

I still don't want to shift. If we did, we would more than likely be caught. We need to run, and we need to hide. If we can make it to sunrise, we'll be okay. We'll be able to make it back to camp. The Reds will run back to Mistveil, and we'll be safe. Only the night feels fucking endless right now.