1. Lucy

Those deep redeyes with flecks of ruby in them glittered, daring me to run.

Liam Valor, the most dangerous legacy alpha in the city – if not the whole country, was hoping I would run so he could hunt me down.

No matter how much I wanted to, I didn't trust those eyes despite just how breathtaking they were.

"Lucy…" Liam said my name with a teasing lilt that warned me I should really, really move my ass instead of staring at him like an idiot.

Why the fuck did I think I could investigate their creepy basement while they were in the fucking house? I just knew my curiosity was finally going to get me killed but it was hard to be mad about it because I was right.

There was something very wrong with them.

Maybe it was the madness speaking, but I just didn't care what happened to me as long as I got the answers I needed.

What was I supposed to do now?

If I ran from them, I might never get those answers – if I died, I would never know what secrets they were harboring. They might even be the ones who killed Gideon.

How was I going to figure any of that out if I died?

Then I had to make sure they didn't kill me before answering my questions. I also had to make sure I wasn't the only one who knew those answers.

I needed to warn Frankie.

The muscles in my shoulders were tight and the back of my neck prickled with Cassius staring a hole into the back of my head, silently waiting for me to move before he pounced.

Honestly, I was shocked they were giving me a second to decide for myself before tying me up and torturing me like they had with Arturo. Why they weren't taking advantage of this moment, I didn't know, and I was pretty fucking sure I didn't want to know.

"Go on," Liam teased. "Try to run."

The sudden sound of his voice made me jump, but I didn't move from my spot between them as I mentally went over the layout of their house as quickly as possible.

It wasn't really my fault we were in this situation.

Their creepy basement was so well hidden I hadn't noticed the secret door the first time I'd inspected everything and I doubt I would have even considered that a possibility if they hadn't gone down there while I was in the house.

"You shouldn't have left me alone if you didn't want me to find out." I took a single step back and then froze when Liam smirked at me.

"Maybe, but then again, we weren't the only ones who fucked up, were we? You shouldn't have gotten caught, Lucy. I'm quite disappointed in you. I thought you were supposed to be the best." Liam crossed his arms over his bare chest, squeezing his pecs together like he knew just how hard it was for me to keep my eyes on his face instead of his ridiculously sensual body.

I should be grateful he decided to put on a pair of sweats before coming downstairs.

A soft sound behind me was the only warning I got and my body moved before I could think twice.

Thanks to all the training my father forced on me over the years, it was pure instinct to dodge to the left and twist, just barely avoiding Cassius's outstretched arm. Liam didn't move at all as he watched me, so confident I couldn't outrun them.

It was infuriating.

There were very few options that would allow me to escape. Even fewer that would give me the answers I needed, but my body was moving on its own, running on pure instinct just like it had for the last thirteen days.

Cassius tried to grab me again and I ducked as I slammed into one of the bookcases, knowing I still had to find a way past Liam. I had to try, even if the chances I'd be able to evade him were slim to none.

If nothing else, I needed to put some distance between us and get ahold of a phone.

Then Frankie would handle the rest.

Heat on my back warned me Cassius was closer than I'd prefer and I dove to the side, rolling on the floor just like Frankie and my father had made me practice over and over, popping up on my feet just to dodge again.

For how big he was, Cassius had the speed and agility of a professional martial artist. He moved just as quickly and sharply as I did, smoothly changing his trajectory until I was panting from the fear and adrenaline while he looked as cool as a cucumber.

I should be fucking terrified, but Liam was just standing there, watching us like an asshole with this look on his face that made it seem like we were playing some sort of game and not the life-or-death situation it was.

How the fuck was I going to get past him? I couldn't avoid Cassius forever.

"Would you just stop? It's not what it looks like," the blue-eyed alpha growled as he lunged for me and I just barely managed to evade him.

Sure, like I'd believe him after what I'd seen.

His deep growl made my stomach clench and I gritted my teeth against the sensation. I didn't remember every detail of my heat after the first twenty-four hours, but I did remember that sound and so did my pussy.

I grabbed the laptop off his desk as I ran and threw it at him, annoyed and impressed when he caught it instead of letting it slam into his face like I'd intended. There weren't any weapons in this room, but I could make do with what I had.

Glancing at the secret door, I considered running down there to see if they had something that could do some actual damage, but then decided against it. I highly doubted there was a door to the street down there and I really didn't want to be more trapped than I already was.

Cassius took advantage of my momentary hesitation and reached across the desk, grabbing the front of my hoodie and hauling me over the damn thing like I weighed no more than a sack of rice.

I didn't scream no matter how badly I wanted to and grabbed his wrist instead, using it as leverage to twist my legs under me so I could dropkick him right in the chest. The giant alpha stumbled back, losing his hold on me and I dropped to the floor in a heap, right on my hip.

Ow, that fucking hurt.

I didn't let it stop me though. I kicked my legs up as hard as I could and flipped onto my feet. I had to put some more distance between us or I'd really be fucked.

The second I was up, I took a step forward and punched Cassius as hard as I could with an uppercut to the chin. It probably hurt me more than him, but he looked dazed and stumbled back another step. I didn't bother to wait around and see how long it would take him to recover.

Running straight for Liam, I tried to ignore the adrenaline and excitement and focused on the fear. If I let myself enjoy this, it would all be over and I couldn't afford to get caught. Not if I wanted to warn Frankie.

All those years of training paid off when Liam's eyes widened the moment I jumped and kicked with my left leg, making it look like I was going to hit him in the side with a roundhouse kick.

It was impressive really how quickly Liam responded to that, moving to block and taking a step back toward the right to give himself more space, but that's what I wanted him to do and his look of shock when his block missed and my leg as it flew past his torso made me grin.

Using the momentum, I planted my hand on the ground and swung my other leg up and over, hooking my right leg around his neck and contracting my core to make him lose his balance, slamming him into the ground face first.

It was one of the moves my father had taught me that made sure I would land on my feet while the larger opponent was still on the ground, allowing me to escape. That had always been his goal – making sure I could run away before they could get their hands on me.

If I ever let that happen, I was totally fucked unless I had some kind of weapon. Even larger betas could take me down if they had any kind of training, but I always tried to account for that – to assume there would be multiple, skilled opponents.

That's why Cassius missed, doubling over when I continued my spin and then kicked out with my left foot again the second my right foot planted, catching him right in the gut. I grinned even wider when it shifted my trajectory once again so I could push off of him and aim my body toward the double doors Liam had so kindly left open for me.

Their cursing faded as I sprinted through the main part of the house, past the kitchen and toward the door that would lead me down the stairs to the garage.

The front door was too obvious and I couldn't risk running upstairs for my phone – not when these two had made it so obvious they had some kind of training.

I didn't know what it was, but I highly doubted I'd be able to surprise them again now that they knew I was capable of more than just shooting them.

The door to the garage was locked and my hands shook as I flipped the deadbolt, losing precious seconds. Pushing it open harder than necessary almost had me stumbling down the stairwell, but my legs were surprisingly steady. I took the stairs two or three at a time, staying on the balls of my feet to keep as quiet as possible.

I was sweating now and my scent had to be overriding Cassius's. It wouldn't be hard for them to find me even if they couldn't hear me. I needed to get the fuck out of here before they caught up, but I didn't know where the goddamn keys were or where the button for the garage door was.

My bare feet hit cold linoleum and I didn't have the luxury of waiting until my eyes adjusted to the dark garage. I smashed into a car and winced, my heart pounding and my chest heaving as I tried to force my breathing back to something more even and regular.

This was taking too fucking long.

I spun around, searching for anything that would help me figure out how to get the fuck out of here.

A slight green glow caught my eye as the silence stretched, making me a thousand times more nervous than the sound of them chasing after me would.

I dove for the keypad, looking for the button to open the garage door, but I didn't see anything. Just numbers. Goddammit. This stupid fucking door wouldn't open without a passcode and I didn't have the time to guess.

Fine. I'd just get in one of the cars and drive through the damn thing. I'd deal with the aftermath later. Liam could afford to replace it anyway.

Green light bounced off something shiny and I grabbed the wrench. The weight of it was soothing as I studied the black metal box bolted into the wall next to the keypad.

Swinging as hard as I could, I gritted my teeth.

The metal lockbox on the wall screeched in protest, but the lock snapped and the door swung open. I'd managed to hit it so hard that the whole fucking thing came off the wall and clattered to the linoleum.

Too much noise, but I didn't have a choice.

Keys and fobs scattered at the same time I heard something from upstairs, making me freeze. I held my breath and then waited, but there wasn't a single sound other than the blood rushing through my veins.

Where the fuck were they?

I ran and then dropped, sliding along the floor to hide behind one of the cars. I grabbed as many fobs as I could instead of the keys since they wouldn't make as much noise as metal would and then tucked them in the pocket of my hoodie.

Pressing against the wheel of one of the black sports cars, I covered my mouth to reduce the sound of my breathing and listened, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get a read on where they were.

Focusing on the scents, I ignored the smell of oil, gasoline, and rubber. Nothing but metal and the tang of linoleum at first. Then I caught the slightest whiff of sharp, green apples.

Cassius was coming down first, or he was so fucking angry he couldn't hide his pheromones anymore despite Liam coming down the stairs first. I couldn't figure out which it was, but it didn't really matter which when the result would be the same.

These two were hunting me.