Chapter 135: Fly Away

ARIEL

Esmeralda turns and walks away as her guards surround us. They point their blades menacingly, stepping forward.

My heart is pounding, and I enter a battle stance as I look at Alex, who gives me a subtle nod.

In a flash, he elbows the nearest guard in the balls and cuts himself free on his sword.

The guards let loose battle cries and charge, and I dodge an incoming machete that whizzes right over my head. Jo pulls out her sword and cuts two down in one swipe.

But everywhere we look, there’re more guards piling in.

It would be impossible to fight them all. There’re just too many to take out.

“Everyone!” I yell out. “Shift and retreat to the plane!”

“But what about me?” Isabella says, pointing at her leg. “I can’t run in wolf form like this!”

I scan my surroundings hurriedly, my mind racing to formulate a plan.

If we’re gonna make it out of here, we need something fast.

~Now.~

And then I see it.

Past the trees, I see a driveway filled with exotic cars glinting in the moonlight.

My eyes land on a parked motorcycle—the one I saw when I first arrived.

~That’s it!~

“You’ll come with me,” I say, taking Isabella’s hand and pulling her away from the fighting.

“I am not leaving her side!” Mateo says fiercely, as he dodges another sword and stabs his own through a guard’s chest, sending a spurt of crimson blood into the air.

“Trust me,” I tell him. “I’ll make sure she’s safe!”

He nods grudgingly, and then shifts and bolts into the forest behind Alex and Jo.

My mind races as I pull Isabella along. She’s groaning in pain with each step, and I can hear the soldiers’ footsteps as they chase after us.

They’re not far behind, but luckily we get to the bike before them.

I swing my leg over the seat and notice that the keys are already in the ignition.

~Perfect.~

Isabella gets on behind me.

“Have you ever been on one of these before?” I ask, gunning the engine.

“No.”

“Well, then hold on tight!”

The roar of the engine fills my eardrums as I speed down the driveway and the wind whips through my hair as we accelerate.

This thing is much faster than mine, and Isabella grips me tightly as we weave down the road.

But as we get to the end of the driveway, I notice that up ahead, the gate is closed. And in front of it, a dozen guards are pointing machine guns at us.

“WATCH OUT!” Isabella screams.

Bullets whizz by as I swerve to the side, drifting off the road and into the gardens alongside the castle wall.

Dirt kicks up all around us as I drive over the bumpy grass and bushes. I can barely breathe because Isabella is gripping me so tightly.

~Shit.~

~I need to get past that wall.~

~But how?~

It’s over twenty feet tall and is lined with even more guards, all aiming their guns and firing down at us.

I swerve around a tall hedge, bullets splashing into the pond behind us, and I turn to drive through a bed of colorful, pristine flowers, sending them flying into the air behind the bike.

Up ahead, the gardens end and become a construction zone.

Scaffolding lines the castle wall, and it looks like they’ve been digging up lots of dirt around it with huge machines.

At first, it seems like a dead end. Nothing but metal and dirt.

But then I spot something that might work.

A giant truck, with a huge bed meant for carrying lots of dirt—a bed that’s raised, tilted up toward the sky.

A perfect ramp.

~Goddess…~

~Please, let this work.~

I rev the engine—pushing the bike as fast as it can go, sending the speedometer screaming into the red—and zoom right up the ramp.

For a moment, the engine stops as we soar through the air…

All I can hear is Isabella screaming at the top of her lungs.

We fly over the wall… The guards stare up in amazement.

We fall down…

And land—with a screech—on the road on the other side.

~Holy shit.~

~We made it.~

I steady the bike, my heart beating out of my chest, and give it more gas as we pick up speed and zoom down the silent, empty paved road.

I allow myself to breathe a sigh of relief.

That was way too close. But now, hopefully they’re gone.

Suddenly, some bright lights illuminate us from behind. An angry chorus of truck engines pierce the air.

~Shit.~

~I spoke too soon.~

We’re not in the clear yet.

I take another sharp turn, toward the forest, in the direction of the airfield.

This is going to be a close one.

But we’ll make it.

~I hope.~

ALEX

We’ve made it back to the plane, but there’s still no sign of Ariel.

I stick my head out of the door, scanning the dark trees that line the airstrip. The plane’s engines are already warmed up and roaring.

~C’mon, Ariel.~

~Where are you?~

“We should have never left them!” Mateo yells, pacing back and forth angrily in the plane cabin behind me. “We should go back.”

“They’ll make it,” I say, trying to reassure myself just as much as him. “Trust Ariel. She can handle herself.”

He growls angrily and swipes an empty champagne glass off the table.

“We’re ready to take off, Your Majesty!” the pilot yells out.

“Hold on!” I tell him. “We still need to wait.”

I peer out the door one more time, my heart thundering as I search the forest for any sign of my mate.

And then I see ~something~.

A single spotlight, zooming down the airstrip toward us.

The headlight of a motorcycle. A smile creeps across my face.

~Yes! That’s got to be her.~

~I knew she’d make it.~

“Look, there she is!” I tell Mateo, who rushes to the window anxiously.

I lean back out the door as she approaches. But this time, my smile quickly disappears.

Right on her tail are five trucks, with men sticking out the windows and firing their guns at her.

Stray bullets hit the outside of the plane and send sparks flying. I duck for cover.

“They’re shooting at us! We gotta take off now, sir!” the pilot says, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

He’s right. There’s not enough time to get Ariel and Isabella on board without Esmeralda’s men catching us.

So there’s only one other option.

“Start the take off,” I tell him. “And lower the cargo ramp.”

Mateo furiously grabs me by the collar. “Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing?”

“Getting a head start,” I tell him tensely.

ARIEL

~Goddess…~

~Is the plane…~

~Moving?~

I see the cargo ramp behind the plane start to lower, with Alex leaning out of the opening. Jo and Mateo fearfully stare out the windows at us.

Alex has a terrified look on his face, too. But when we make eye contact he tries to flash me a reassuring smile.

He reaches out his hand toward us. Suddenly, his plan dawns on me.

“Why are they taking off?” Isabella yells out.

“We’re going to have to drive in!” I say.

The motorcycle’s engine whines as I try to catch up to the plane. It’s picking up more and more speed now. I can even see the front tires starting to lift up.

My adrenaline is pumping through my veins as I maneuver even closer, trying to keep the bike as steady as possible.

I try to ignore the bullets whizzing by our heads, making holes in the side of the plane.

~Closer.~

~Steady now…~

I’m almost to the ramp…

Only a few feet away from making it into the plane.

To our escape.

But then I hear a loud pop as a bullet hits the bike’s back tire.

We skid away from the plane, sparks flying everywhere, and I try to maintain balance, but we’re going way too fast.

The bike wobbles and then topples over, causing us to skid onto the pavement. I hear the horrible screeching sound of metal beside me.

Terrible pain shoots through my entire body.

For a second, everything goes dark.

When I weakly manage to open my eyes, I stare up at the sky, and I can see the plane already climbing into the air.

They’ve taken off…

“Alex…,” I groan out in pain.

My vision starts to get blurry, and I can hear a cruel laugh fill the air.

The last thing I remember before my vision goes black is Esmeralda standing over me, an evil smirk on her lips.