Chapter 49: 49: The Chase

BELLE

Grayson couldn’t keep his hands off of me the next morning.

I sort of loved it.

He had woken me up extremely early with gentle kisses on my mark.

He had been receiving constant updates from the pilot of his private plane all night, and the moment he knew it was near, he wanted us up and moving.

We took a quick shower and then got dressed. Of course, Grayson got all growly when I put on Laila’s black leggings and a T-shirt instead of his humongous clothes.

Laila even let me use a pair of sneakers, too, which I was extremely grateful for.

“~Fucking vampire scent~,” Grayson kept fuming under his breath once I was dressed. I rolled my eyes. He should just be grateful that it was Laila’s clothes and not Liam’s.

We were just about to leave the room when rushed footsteps started approaching.

“Belle! ~Belle!~” someone shouted.

I ran to the door and pried it open before Grayson could stop me, coming face to face with a very panicked-looking Laila.

“My dad is a traitor,” she said, her words rushing out before I could even react to the large tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Liam is holding him off, but my father told Azazel where you are. You need to get out of here. Now.”

Grayson had me in his arms before she had even finished speaking. I didn’t even have time to process what was going on or what Laila had just told us.

My mate hugged me close to his body, pressed my face into his neck to shield my eyes, and then he sprinted.

Intense wind made my hair fly everywhere as he ran at a speed that made everything blur past us. I tried looking up, but Grayson’s firm grip kept my head forced down.

I expected to be there like that for a while. But only seconds later, we came to an abrupt stop, Grayson’s entire body jerking forward. I squeaked in surprise.

“Grayson?” I asked when he didn’t move for several seconds. I could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest.

The sound of a car’s wheels screeched in front of us. A door opened.

“Get in.” Relief filled me at the sound of Liam’s voice.

He was okay. Or at least, he sounded like he was.

Grayson finally released his hold on my neck, allowing me to look up as he carried me into the passenger side door of an absolutely incredible blue Lamborghini.

“Liam!” I exclaimed when I saw him in the driver’s seat, a scowl painted over his handsome features.

I didn’t have time to ask him any questions or try to understand what the hell was going on because, the next thing I knew, Liam threw the car into reverse, not even waiting for Grayson to close our car door all the way.

Grayson pulled me into his lap in the passenger seat and wrapped his arms around me, acting as my seat belt.

I screamed as Liam tore through the gates of his father’s driveway—nearly hitting an oncoming car—and swerved the car around so he was speeding down the street in front of his father’s house.

“Azazel knows where you are,” Liam explained in a rush once the car was stable. “He knows about the plane and your plan to bring Belle back to Croatia with you. He’s coming after you.

“He’s going to try and stop you both.”

It was then I was able to get a good look at my friend. My mouth went dry. “Liam,” I said uneasily, “you’re covered in blood.”

He had red splattered all over his arms and down his chest.

The fact that he was wearing a white T-shirt only made the color of the bright blood more pronounced, and with his matching eyes, he looked like something straight out of a horror movie.

Liam wiped his hand over his mouth—which I now noticed had blood in the corners—and swiped his tongue over his sharp fangs. “Not mine,” he grunted in response.

I could see his muscles tensing beneath his skin and his dark eyebrows pulling tight together.

“Then whose is it?” I asked carefully, fearing I already knew the answer.

He hesitated for only a moment before answering. “My father’s. He’s dead. I killed him.”

“Liam…” What do you say to the person who just killed his own father?

“The fucker deserved it,” Liam continued, his voice coming out like a hiss. “He’s been in contact with Azazel since the day Adalee showed up. He was going to lead him to the house. Ambush you both.”

I put my hand on Liam’s knee. Grayson stiffened beneath me but didn’t stop me. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Whether or not he deserved it, what you did couldn’t have been easy.”

Liam suddenly swerved the car, quickly changing lanes. I hadn’t even noticed we had pulled onto a highway. He was speeding past all of the other cars. Blaring horns followed behind us.

I swallowed. “Liam, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Liam responded. “My only priority is getting you out of here.”

Grayson grabbed my wrist—I didn’t even realize I was still holding Liam’s leg—and put his hand in mine. He held me closer.

“Where is Azazel now?” Grayson asked.

Liam’s eyes snapped up to the rearview mirror, looking behind us. “He’s coming after you now. Wouldn’t be surprised if he were in one of the cars behind us right now.

“We need to get you on that plane and in the air.”

“How long until the plane gets here?” I asked Grayson.

“The plane isn’t here yet?” Liam snapped. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“It should be landing now,” Grayson grunted through his teeth.

“So does that mean you can slow down? Please?” I asked. Grayson’s thumb started to brush over my arm, trying to calm me. His chest vibrated with quiet purrs.

Liam shook his head. “We can’t let them catch up to us.”

At the speed we were going, there was no chance of that happening.

Liam reached down and grabbed something from beneath his thigh. My eyes widened when I saw what it was: a gun.

Grayson snarled, ready to destroy the threat, but Liam quickly set it down in my lap before he could do anything.

“That’s for you,” Liam explained grimly, never taking his eyes from the road. “I got it for you a week or so ago to keep in your apartment but never got around to giving it to you.”

He met my eyes for half a second. “In case you need to defend yourself.”

I stared down at the handgun in my lap. I had never used a gun before. I wasn’t even sure I’d seen one in real life.

They honestly terrified me—one of the only tools solely made for killing and injuring, so easily misused.

Grayson picked it up. “Do you know how to use it?”

I shook my head.

He explained it to me in a gentle tone, probably sensing my nerves, showing me the safety and how to hold it properly.

After he double-checked that the safety was on, he put it in the waistband of my leggings, setting my T-shirt over it, so it was out of sight.