Escaping Death

Chapter 17

Tate

Solana pales in front of me, the color draining from her face like sidewalk chalk washed away in the rain. She's lost in some memory and it has a firm grasp on her mind, she doesn't respond to me when I call out to her or try to shake her back into reality.

"Sol!" I whisper-shout. There are wolves crawling all over this building with far better hearing than I have, I can't risk drawing their attention our way.

"Keep your fucking hands off of me," she finally speaks, but is clearly disoriented. I reach for her but she swats at me, doing everything she can to stay out of my grasp. I manage to snag her and bring her to me, cradling her head in my hand and pulling her against my chest.

I remember Eli was a fucking wreck when we first found him. Ace would sit next to him and his chest would rumble lowly, like a purr, and Eli would settle down a little. It wasn't until later that Ace explained to me how wolves will comfort their mates by purring for them, calling them to settle. But an Alpha could do that for anyone in his pack. It wasn't as intimate as with a mate, but it was a special bond between Alpha and pack member that allowed the member to feel safe and protected by their Alpha.

I'm not a wolf, but part of Solana is. I'll probably look stupid as fuck for even trying this but fuck it, I can't take her distress.

I hum lowly, my chest rumbling from the vibrations. Gods this is probably the dumbest idea I've ever had by far.

"Woah, Solana. It's Tate, you're safe." I keep up my attempts to soothe her. Since the moment I saw her at Caligo she always came across as hardened and tough. Her Houdini acts and constant tug-of-war with us further confirmed my initial impressions. Not to mention her blood lust. It troubles me deeply to see a stone-cold dragoness like her crack over this.

Solana forces her way out of my arms, shadowing herself and racing to the door. What she doesn't know is that I can still see her. I'm an umbral. I can see into the shadows. I've watched her every time she snuck off, and watched her as she crawled back in. I didn't expect her to come back after she took off the first night. Tensions were high. Ace was furious. Hunter looked...haunted.

The door flies open and I fear that she's been found by the guards. I grab my bag and fly towards the door where she stands still as a statue at the threshold. Voices of nearby guards can be heard from down the hall. I can almost hear her mind thinking over her choices — run or hide.

She'd be stupid to run. The guards would scent her immediately. Her delicious vetiver smell. She smells like home.

I risk her wrath and pull her back into the room, one arm around her middle and the other hand covering her mouth so no one can hear what I'm sure is profanity leaving her mouth.

In the back corner of the room there's a small nook created by a column next to a wall. I direct her there, finding that it's a tighter fit than I first thought. We're packed together so tightly that any movement of hers causes her round ass to grind against the front of my pants.

I cover her body as much as I can in a hasty attempt to conceal her scent from the guards who are rushing through the rooms on this floor.

Seconds pass by like hours, tension gripping us and gluing us together. The guards pass us by and move on to the next room. I wait a few more minutes for good measure, ensuring they've moved on to a different floor before attempting to extricate myself from the position Sol and I are in. What's more is she doesn't make any moves either.

I drop my chin to her shoulder, my lips skimming across the warm skin of her neck. "Are you okay?" I ask her gently.

"I'm fine. Just...old bullshit."