Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

We walked into the bedroom after dinner. I knew it was time to talk to Kicks, but it was the absolutely last thing I wanted to do.

The second he shut the door, he said, “What?”

So much for stalling. His eyes narrowed with the kind of intent that told me he already sensed something was wrong. He always seemed to know when I had something unpleasant to tell him. It was almost easier that he was pushing the subject, as I’d been formulating ways to stall.

“Varic wants me to go with him to visit a nearby pack,” I said, trying to speak with an air of nonchalance even though it felt like a noose was tightening around me.

Kicks’ jaw clenched. “Why?”

“Nothing good, I’m sure,” I said. I wasn’t sure Varic had been born with a good-hearted instinct in his body. “But I agreed. I need to start earning his trust, or at least lessening his distrust so we can get out of this place.”

Kicks shook his head, his body going tense. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I,” I said, taking a step closer to him. “But the more comfortable he gets with me, the more freedom we’ll have. We need that to get out of here.”

“Why does he think you might be willing to help him?”

I glanced down for a second before forcing myself to meet his eyes. It wasn’t like I hadn’t planned on telling him this part, but saying the words was turning out to be more difficult than I’d imagined. I wasn’t betraying him, yet I couldn’t get the words out.

A low rumble came from his chest. He already knew.

He walked to the foot of the bed, resting both hands on the footboard as he tried to get his temper under control.

I watched, giving him time to calm down before I said anything, not even sure what I could say to fix this.

He looked at me. “You think you’re just going to be able to flirt with him? Bat your eyelashes? Screw with him and when you push him too far, just say no and he’s going to walk away?” His voice was like he’d been chugging gravel.

“I’m doing what I have to in order for us to survive. I’m just trying to plant the seed that I’m open so we can get a little breathing room. We need him to let his guard down.” He made it sound so bad, and yet this was the only way I saw out of here. He might not like it, but I was right.

“You do that and you undermine my claim on you. That claim is the only thing keeping him in line. You don’t understand pack dynamics.”

“I lived with Groza’s pack and then Arkansas, or was that just pretend?”

“You came into the Arkansas pack as mine. You don’t know what it’s like to be available in a place like this. Some shifters are older than you can imagine, and their morals haven’t kept up with the times. If you aren’t claimed, you’re fair game.”

“This is the only way we’re going to get out together,” I said, my heart pounding. How could he not see this as clearly as I did?

“This is your big plan? To get out at the same time?”

“Yes,” I said, meeting his stare with as much unwavering strength as I could muster.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and steady. “Piper, we’re not going to get an opening to get out of here together. If you get a chance to get out, you have to take it.”

How could he expect me to leave him behind? My chest tightened and my hands shook at the thought of it. It was one thing to leave when I’d thought he’d be safe. There was no way I could leave him now, knowing what Varic would do. “We have to leave together. I don’t want to leave without you.”

He straightened and paced a few feet around the room, running both hands through his hair. “This isn’t about what either of us wants. It’s about what has to happen. Promise me you’ll leave if you get the chance.”

“I’ll try.” My words were stiff. If he knew I was lying, he didn’t say anything.

We stood in tense silence for a moment before he asked, “Did he say what pack?”

“No.”

“Then we set a meeting place,” he said, his voice softening, though the tension in his frame never eased. “But no matter what, you don’t come back here. Deal?”

“Yeah,” I said, trying to be as noncommittal as I could. Didn’t matter, since Varic wasn’t going to let me out of his sight anyway.

Kicks ran a hand through his hair, the tension he was throwing off nearly filling the room. “Where do you want to meet up?”

Even if I wasn’t willing to leave him, there was a chance we could get split up. This was something we needed laid out ahead of time. We should’ve put a plan like this in place right after we got here.

“It can’t be too close, but not too far,” I said, trying to think of what would be ideal. Too close and I’d be a sitting duck for his pack. Shifters were excellent trackers, and I couldn’t get that far on my own without lucking out and finding a car or ATV.“The dock Rod dropped us off at?”

He was already shaking his head. “It’ll take you days to get there on foot.”

“The shops we went to before we came here?” I offered, the image of the little row of stores flashing in my mind.

“That’s still a hike, but not as bad,” he said, and I could see him considering it. He was calculating the distance, weighing the risks, just like I was. “You think you can make it there?”

“I’ll find a regular bike,” I said. “I should be able to do that distance pretty easily.”

He walked over and pulled me into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, breathing him in and listening to his heartbeat, afraid of what might come next.