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He found her. Taunted her. Vowed to have his long-awaited vengeance as he burned her house down and forced her into the open. Without shelter, she was truly vulnerable and had no choice but to run. The Order could no longer protect her, and it was now her duty to protect those who saved her years ago. That meant luring Cerberus as far away from her friends as possible.
Her time was up.
Labored breath wheezed from her lungs as she raced through the woods. Heart pounding with the muffled chirp of nightcrawlers, she ran as fast as she could. With serpentine leaps, she raced from the trees to the forest floor, trying hard to disguise her scent.
Owls screeched, aware of a predator nearby. While she was far more fearsome than a night bird, she was nothing compared to her mate, Cerberus Maddox XI.
Shutting her eyes, she paused and focused on the ground below. He'd easily track her if she searched too closely for him, so she kept her touch feather-light as she scanned the dark forest. The tingle of his nearness sent chills knifing down her spine. Slamming her mind shut, she sucked in a sharp breath.
Her lungs burned from smoke inhalation. Sheneeded to feed, needed to heal. Her blistered body suffered terrible burns from the fire, but without more blood, her damaged cells would not repair. On the contrary, her energy was draining.
She could not afford to stop or hunt. She needed to keep moving.
Her attention snapped to the east as a twig cracked. Something was out there.
Small, possibly immortal, but not Cerberus. Not yet. Needing to keep her mind closed, she could only use her other senses.
Sniffing the air, Adriel growled and curled her lip, exposing a razor-sharp fang. The intruder was an unwelcome distraction, perhaps sent by Cerberus to slow her down.
Adriel crouched low, panting for breath as she scanned the shadows. Her claws extended, and her eyes dilated they retracted to pinpoints as she prepared to attack.
She tracked the sound of approaching footsteps, fanning her senses over the forest floor until she latched onto the encroaching threat. It was small but…otherworldly.
Immortal? Perhaps, but not quite. Something else. What, Adriel did not know.
Bare feet whispered over the soft vegetation, cushioned by fallen leaves and pine needles, as the intruder drew closer.
“Fuck!” A soft voice using such profanity was not of their Amish order.
Adriel drew back, hiding deeper in the shadows, her eyes watching with nocturnal precision.
Soft footsteps padded over the damp underbrush as the ripe scent of a female tinged the air. Her approach was far too light-footed to be male but also lacked the agility of an immortal.
What was it?
Adriel could feed. If the intruder was, in fact, immortal, she could use its blood to heal. But feeding would slow her down, and she needed to keep moving.
Her hand shook as she wiped the dirt, blood, and sweat from her singed face, eyes stinging from vigilance and acrid smoke. The fire had damaged her vision, and the nearby trees appeared blurry. She could not waste another second investigating the forest intruder. She needed to run.
Leaping into the trees to perch high in the safety of the branches, Adriel searched the ground below. Probing the black woods, unsure where she was heading, she pieced together a plan. There would be no going back.
Sharp heartache followed that petrifying thought. The worry of never seeing her son again crippled her with grief she could not afford. She was truly alone now. The Order could not protect her, and she needed to protect them from Cerberus.
Where would she go? Who would she become? Would she even get that far?
Swallowing a gasp, she choked on theoverwhelming uncertainty. She had no choice but to leave. The farm was no longer a haven for her to call home.
The Order’s stringent views had protected her for centuries. Safeguarded by privacy and shielded from modern society, their Amish lifestyle allowed masses of immortals to hide in plain sight.
She could not jeopardize the peaceful sanctuary the elders built. Cerberus would stop at nothing to burn The Order to the ground and expose whatever was left in the ash of his rage. She needed to protect them now the way they had once protected her.
The daunting thought of entering a world she did not know threatened to snap the thin thread of hope she held. As a female, she’d been indoctrinated through the Amish faith and taught to fear the outside world. Exposure terrified her, but Cerberus was far more frightening.
Her mate was ancient, and once he latched onto her mind, there would be no escaping him. He possessed powers far beyond Adriel’s skills. She was a peaceful country mouse that angered a vicious dragon capable of horrific crimes.
The bishop was right. She had to run and keep moving until Cerberus was gone. But he would never be gone. He would never forgive what they did to him centuries ago, nor would he rest until he sought the vengeance he believed she deserved.
Pressing her brow against the trunk of theevergreen, overcome with worry and dread. Apprehension swelled inside of her. It was hopeless. Perhaps she should surrender and end this lifelong fight to escape her destiny. But Cerberus would not let it end after what they did to him. He was going to make her pay.
