Plan B

Lake

Sitting in the old infirmary tent, I stuff the old duffel bag with gauze and anything I can find to make a homemade first aid kit. We all know that the chances of all of us coming out of this unscathed is slim to none.

The tent is as disheveled as the others. Things thrown every which way, medical beds turned over or on their sides, and even broken vials of medicines all over the cloth mats at my feet.

My thoughts are racing. By this time tomorrow, Derrick and I will be reunited. I can already smell his scent and feel the warmth of his skin on mine.

I’ll definitely wail like a baby, I’m sure.

“Kjarni?” Sylas puts his hand on my back as he comes up behind me, “Are you okay?”

His hair is in its normal slicked back look with the side shaved short. He has a five o’clock shadow that helps accent the frame of his jawline to a T. The outfit Oliver gave him is coated in small dirt stains and rips along his legs.

His build is muscular but a bit less bulky than that of a male werewolf. He stands over my head about three inches, an inch or two shorter than Derrick.

I won’t lie; having his touch on me is easing some of the anxiety I have. Just his presence is enough to relax me. Something I haven’t allowed myself to feel since Derrick’s capture.

“I’m fine.” I sigh, “Just stressed.”

“Stressed?” Sylas gasps dramatically, “Why on Earth would you be stressed about something like this?”

“Now is not the time for jokes,” I say frustrated, then shift uncomfortably, “Sylas, are you sure we can get him out safe and sound? I mean, you guys and him are my main priority to get out alive…”

Sylas’s face hardens, “Kjarni, don’t say things like that. We’re all coming out of this together.”

“We better.” Lucy and Coal enter the old tent.

Lucy’s hair is slicked back in a low ponytail. She wears a black spaghetti strap with a pair of army pants and combat boots. She’d look like a soldier in the human army if she wore the uniform properly.

Coal wears a simple pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. He’s definitely the less serious out of the two, but I know his mind. He doesn't mess around when it comes to his mate.

“I told you, if my brother or mate die—”

“You’ll kill me.” I finish Lucy’s sentence before she can, “You’ve made that crystal clear, Lucy. I’ve heard you every time you’ve said it, too.”

“Good.” Lucy looks me up and down with anger, “Not that the Vampyre is my priority. You’re sure you know the facility inside and out?”

She turns her attention to Sylas who is gently rubbing the small of my back. I lean into his frame slightly and bring my arms crossed across my chest. His warmth against my back shoots electricity up and down my frame.

“Like the back of my hand.” Sylas smirks, “It’s impervious to the four of us to stay together. Evin will try everything in his power to separate us and pick us off one by one if he gets the chance.”

“Then let’s not give him the chance.” Coal states with slight confidence in his voice.

“Agreed.” I nod, “This will take all of us.”

I give a pointed look to Lucy who just rolls her eyes, “Lake, this is the only time I’m working with you like this. My brother needs us. All of us.”

“You said my name.” I point out, “It’s a step in the right direction.”

“We’ll be outside.” Lucy looks with disgust between me and Sylas, “Once you’re done with whatever this...is, we’ll leave.”

“She’s such a delight.” I mutter to myself and turn back to my task of getting first aid together.

“She’s worried, Kjarni.” Sylas whispers, “We all show our anxiety in different ways.”

“Lucy just shows hers in the form of wanting to kill me…” I reply. Sylas chuckles and kisses the top of my head.

Sylas

“Down!” I whisper loudly. Lake and the other two duck their heads out of view on the dirt mount we’re resting on.

Three patrol groups have already gone by in the past fifteen minutes of us sitting here. Lake looks at me with an anxious expression, making me feel completely helpless.

“What the hell!” Lucy growls “I thought you said no one comes this way!”

~She’s really starting to get on my nerves.

~

“They usually don’t..” I look for anyone coming and make my way around to the dirt road the others follow, “I wonder why they are now…”

We head east towards the facility. Ducking and dodging any new patrollers we come around. How they don’t sniff us out as soon as they come across our hiding spots is beyond me.

“Sylas…” Lake mutters as I hide both of us behind a large tree. Coal and Lucy are on the other side of the road doing the same.

“Kjarni, what’s wrong?”

Her eyes look pointedly to a poster plastered on a nearby tree. The way her eyes glow bright red makes it clear to me that it’s something that needs attention.

I walk over and pull the poster down, “You have got to be ~fucking~ kidding me…”

“What?” Lucy asks as she and Coal follow Lake closely to me.

The poster is a detailed sketch of not only me, but of Lake. Someone very skilled got every gorgeous detail of her and even went as far as to color her eyes with red and black. My face is only black and white but Lake’s is heavily sketched to be precise.

The word “WANTED,” is written in bold letterings above our faces.

“Wanted.” Lucy reads, “Vampyre fugitive with kidnapped granddaughter of our beloved Alpha, Evin Mavris. Live capture of both required. Large monetary reward will be given if achieved.”

“Great.” Lake says under her breath, “Just what we needed.”

She does a tiny huff and it blows the hairs in front of her eyes upwards slightly. I can’t help but admire her face with the worry line between her eyebrows as they knot together.

“I wonder how far these are stretched out.” Coal takes the poster from me and examines it further, “It makes me curious as to why he would do this.”

“He wants us.” Lake scoffs, “We know about his plans and he wants to keep it from getting out.”

Evin is smart, I’ll be the first to admit that, but he’s not this smart. He’s usually the first to put out trackers and even a few ferals for those who threaten his plans. Putting out posters and strengthening his security is way out of his IQ level.

“Evin just put his pieces on the chess board before we could.” Lucy rips the poster from her mate apart and scatters the pieces on the ground, “What we need now is a new plan.”

“New plan?” Lake growls, “The one we had just went up in smoke because of these stupid posters! I doubt we can come up with anything that—”

It’s as if a lightbulb goes off in my head, “Plan B, Kjarni.”