The girl shouted instructions, cursing up a storm, adding more names to Mayhem’s five but the car whooshed as the wheels deployed, and I released the breath I held. My stomach rose again as the car attempted to equalize the pressure in the cabin. I opened my mouth and popped the pressure in my ears.
Thud!
Inside the car, we bounced. Once, twice, thrice, and finally rolled to a stop.
I placed a hand over my heart. “Thank you, baby Jesus. Thank you. Where are we?”
“Community Forty-four.”
“Community?”
“My hunters settled here. I presume this is why Maurice wanted you to hurry along. Too close for comfort.” He turned to me. “I want you to know Men of Earth may’ve moved to another location or are escaping on foot. If I were him, I wouldn’t have returned.”
“Unless he has orders,” I said. “He gets orders from someone high up in the ranks, and he follows even if it means certain death.” I patted around the seat, looking for my knife. Nothing. Must’ve slipped out somewhere. I crawled down the aisle, looked behind the seats, but found nothing. “Hey, Mayhem, have you seen my knife? I mean, your knife.” I lifted my head from behind the seat and crawled back to sit next to him.
Without looking at me, he passed me his knife. “You’re possessive of weapons. It makes me all warm inside.” He winked, then exited the car and left the door open for me. I stepped out.
And that was when I saw them. A sea of pale eyes in the pitch-black. My heart sped up, and I retreated back inside the car.
Mayhem followed, then leaned a hand on the roof. “Don’t be afraid. Don’t let them smell your fear. You’re my mate. Nobody will touch you.” Mayhem left to greet them, speaking in Tineyan, and a male voice replied. I exhaled a breath, my palms a sweaty mess. These hunters were predators, sort of like wolves that hunted in packs. They had a hierarchy and, from what I’d gathered, respected only the fierce. I couldn’t come off as a coward; they’d smell fear on me.
I left the car and closed the door.
Behind the sea of pale eyes, inside the community sanctuary, a light came on. The light illuminated the yard, and I finally saw some of the males who’d gathered around Mayhem. They all wore kilts with boots, and braided their long hair. They spoke with him, but once in a while slid uncertain glances my way. I presumed he’d told them he’d gone rogue with his mate, who—by the way—attempted to kill him. Or something to that effect, since they began growling.
I gripped the handle of my knife as if it were my life support.
Mayhem grunted, then walked back and took my hand. “Show them no fear. You are mine.”
Right. He took me by my shoulders and thrust me in front of him, his front to my back. “This is Reagan. My mate.”
Feet shuffled in the dirt and then, a male stepped up and said, “Lore isn’t with you.”
“He isn’t attached to my hip,” Mayhem said.
“Vice hailed,” the male said and pointed up.
“And?”
“Said you’ve been compromised.”
“Just a minute, baby.”
Mayhem approached the male and gripped his throat. “Who are you?”
“Zarik, son of Bohr.”
“Who are we?”
“Hunters.”
“Who leads you?”
“Mayhem, son of Victor and Keeper of Earth.”
“Where do you live?”
“Nowhere.”
“Wrong.” Mayhem shoved the male. “Wrong. We will have New City!”
Feet stomped.
Mayhem circled them. “Who are you?”
“Hunters of Mayhem,” they said in unison.
“Do you serve Alpha Beast?”
“No.”
“Who do you serve?”
“Our mates.”
Mayhem walked back, all pale eyes and bulging muscle. He wrapped a hand around my hair and jerked back, then slammed his mouth over mine. He tasted of dominance and support, and I hooked my hands behind his neck and let him invade my mouth.
“Mayhem, is that you, boy?” a woman asked.
Mayhem still sucked on my tongue, hard as a rock between his legs. His hunters chuckled.
“Mayhem, is that you, boy?” she repeated.
He let go of my tongue, so I asked, “Boy?”
“My aunt Hasel, Lore’s mother. She thinks I’m twelve.”
He let me up, and I rose on my toes to see over the hunters, but when that didn’t work, I found a gap between their shoulders. I felt like I had that first day at the auction. The day my life had changed.
Dim light illuminated the entrance to the community sanctuary. A woman stood at the doorway, candle in her hand. She lifted it. “Move away, everyone, so I can see.”