Chapter 42

“Put those handcuffs on now, or it’s this flea bag’s life.” Theron pressed the knife deeper against Mark’s neck, causing a little red stream down his neck.

I felt my power waning as the fear set in. I had to be careful and play the line. I couldn’t risk Mark’s life while not completely complying to Theron’s wishes.

I lifted the handcuffs in the air to show Theron I was listening. “Okay, you win.” I placed one of the metal cuffs around my wrist, but I hesitated for the other one. I closed my eyes and listened for any indication the others were close. I could hear a small creature scurry through the bushes and scramble up a tree. A bird fluttered through the forest and landed on a branch. Another bird called out to its distant lover.

I couldn’t hear my friends. Where were they? I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out, and I was afraid they wouldn’t make it in time for the plan to work.

“What are you waiting around for? Put the other one on.”

I opened my eyes and stared directly into Theron’s soul. It was full of darkness and hatred. What kind of life could he have possibly lived to make him like this? I clicked the other handcuff onto my wrist.

“Adira, please run,” Mark begged.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said before Theron had a chance to respond to him. I wasn’t talking to Mark, though. I kept my eyes locked with Theron’s, letting him know that statement was for him.

An amused smile pulled at Theron’s lips. “Who do you think you are? You’re here alone, now handcuffed, with your mate’s life in my hands, and you still have the nerve to challenge me.”

“I did as you said.”

“You did.”

There was an unspoken tension between us. I was resisting Theron mentally, even though my actions said otherwise. In his eyes, I did as he asked. I came to this secluded place to trade my life for my mate’s. I put on the handcuffs as he asked. I hadn’t gone against him, but both of us could feel that this was just an act. We were just waiting to see who would make the first move.

“Haley, restrain her.” Theron didn’t break eye contact with me.

Haley looked over at Theron, her eyebrows raised. She was clearly annoyed with the instructions, but she didn’t dare say anything. She started walking over to me, taking her sweet time as if to defy Theron in the small way she could.

“Are you going to release Mark? You said once I put these on, you would release him.” I knew Theron was lying to me. He was playing a game as much as I was.

“Once Haley restrains you, I’ll think about it.”

“The deal was you get me and then you release him,” I reminded him.

Theron’s eyes darkened. “Funny thing about that. I don’t have what I want. You’re still alive and you’re still breathing. As long as you’re alive, I won’t have what I want. Maybe I should just kill you now. Then maybe I’ll release this dog. Or maybe I’ll kill him too. There’s nothing that’s going to stop me once you’re dead.”

My jaw tightened. “You lied to me!”

Theron laughed. “So what? I don’t care about keeping promises. That’s not how you get ahead in life. You just have to take what you want. Oh, and don’t even think about trying to use those pathetic powers of yours. Those handcuffs stop you from using your powers. That includes using your wolf. They were specially made by human hunters. Neat, huh?”

My eyes widened, realizing what that meant exactly. I was planning on trying to shift out of the handcuffs to get away if I needed to. I was stuck and helpless, and I’m the one who willingly put them on.

“Release him,” I tried to demand, but my voice wavered. I had lost the confidence I came here with.

I needed the others here now, or it’d be too late.

Haley grabbed my hands and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “You think you’re so clever, but Bae is smarter than you.

“He’s going to drop you like a fly when he no longer needs you,” I whispered back.

At this point, I wasn’t sure if I felt bad for Haley or not. It was clear Theron would never care about her the way she wanted him to. He was using her, and I doubted he would share any power with her, like she clearly hoped. No one deserved to be treated like that. But Haley was helping him try to kill me. She was greedy and not innocent by any means.

Haley scrunched her nose and shoved me forward. “Shut up. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Haley continued pushing me towards Theron, and my heart started to race. I had to act fast, but I didn’t know what to do. I needed to give the others more time. I hoped they were close by. Haley pushed me again, but this time I resisted, planting my feet firmly into the ground.

“At least let me talk to him,” I pleaded, looking down at Mark.

He looked up at me, and I could see the regret in his eyes. He wanted me to just leave him here, and I knew he thought it was too late for both of us. He didn’t know help was on the way though. Theron didn’t know either.

“I don’t care about this little romance of yours. Why should I give you a moment?” Theron’s eyes were hard. He was right. He had no logical reason to let me have a moment with my mate, so I would have to give him something in return.

“Because I won’t fight you anymore. I won’t try to run away. I will even help you figure out how to take my powers from me. Just please let me have a moment with Mark before we go.” My voice cracked as I pleaded with him. I knew that would help sell my desperation. I was desperate, though. I didn’t need to fake that.

“Adira, don’t promise that,” Mark begged. His blue eyes seemed duller as he looked up at me.

“I won’t make this difficult on you,” I continued. I hated ignoring Mark like that, but he would understand when he learned why I was doing that. “If you don’t, I will fight you every step. I won’t stop fighting. You’ll have to kill me before you can get my powers.”

Theron tilted his head. “Clever girl, and interesting promise. Alright. You can have two minutes.”

A sense of relief washed over me, and I dropped to my knees in front of Mark. I lifted my still handcuffed hands to his face and stroked his cheek.

“I’m so sorry I got you into this situation.” I could feel the tears threatening my eyes, but I pushed them back. I didn’t want to appear weak.

Mark pushed his face into my hands and closed his eyes. “Why would you promise him that you will go with him? Why would you sacrifice yourself for me?”

“Because I-” I cut myself off. It didn’t feel like the right time. “I can’t stand the idea of you losing your life because of me. I would never have been able to forgive myself if I didn’t try.”

“You could have been happy with Jori. You could have just left me.” Mark looked defeated as those words came out of his mouth.

I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him into my body. His closeness sent a surge of energy through my skin, and I never wanted to let him go. “Mark…” I tightened my grip. He nuzzled his face into my shoulder, unable to return the hug with his hands tied behind his back.

I leaned back, keeping my arms hooked around his neck. “Do you remember what I made you promise me the night before my birthday?”

Mark searched my face for something. “Of course.”

I tightened my lips. “I promise you the same thing, okay?”

Mark looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened. He nodded his head, acknowledging what I was saying.

I pulled Mark again, this time my lips finding his. The ache from being separated from him for so long took over. His lips were cold and chapped, but I didn’t care. I just wanted one more moment with him, in case things didn’t turn out the way I so desperately wanted them to. I didn’t know how I would be able to pull away from him, my core burning with every motion of the k**s.

Mark seemed almost as desperate as me, pushing himself as close as he could in the position we were in. Time blurred, and I held onto the hazy moment for as long as I could.

“That’s enough. I didn’t want a show,” Theron snapped.

He grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me off Mark, leaving me feeling cold and empty. I resisted the urge to pull back towards Mark, knowing that would only cause more issues. I locked eyes with Mark and tried to tell him everything would be okay, but I had no way of knowing if he got the message.

“Let’s go,” Theron said. “I fulfilled my end of the bargain. It’s time for you to comply, just like you promised.”

My ears perked up as I heard rustling in the woods. It was a larger animal. No, there were three larger animals. I could hear their paws hit the ground and push off into another leap. They were close.

I looked at Theron and smiled. “Funny thing about promises. You promised me that Mark would be safe if I came here and traded my life for his, but you so easily broke that promise. You even threatened his life. What made you think I would keep a promise in return to you?”

Theron reached out and grabbed me by the throat. “You little b***h. You think you actually have a chance to get out of this? You are more stupid than I thought.”

He lifted me up by my neck, and my feet kicked underneath me, trying to find something solid to support them with. I tried grabbing Theron’s hand to loosen the grip on my neck, but with the handcuffs still restricting my movement, I couldn’t get a good grip on him.

“You’re dead,” Theron muttered, squeezing tighter.

“No, you are,” I choked out.

A loud snarl echoed through the field. There was a flash of black, and then the next thing I knew I was on my back on the ground.