Death of a King

Chapter 24

Eli had me tight in his hold with Corinth running ahead of us, yanking me along with him though my feet never touched the ground. These men were clearly not here to make small talk but I didn't truly understand the severity of the situation until I saw those guns. Each one no doubt loaded and ready to fire at a moments notice.

They weren't Reapers, they wore different leather. But if they weren't trying to hurt Dustin because of the rivalry, then why were they here?

We reached the bikes in mere seconds, jumping on in haste as explosions sounded one by one from the engines firing. I looked back only once to see those four men nearing. But beyond them, most of the people in the clearing had stopped to stare at us as we raced away. Including a small boy with dark hair and bright blue eyes.

Toby stood at the front of his school group, in clear view of me and I of him. Did he recognize me? Did he know it was his big sister sitting on the back of this machine?

I'd never know. Dustin jammed back the kickstand and we tore out of the clearing with Eli and Lumiere right behind us. The four men halted their advancement and took off towards the parking lot they'd come from but by the time they got there, we'll be long gone.

Wind whipped at my face and scratched along my skin, sending my hair into a frenzy behind me. The sun was setting on the horizon, elongated shadows dancing across the land as the light declined further.

I secured my arms around Dustin's waist, holding no desire for the stunt I pulled earlier. Now wasn't the time for floating or flying. Right now, we were running for our lives. Dustin proved such, his body was tensed and rigid. I couldn't tell whether that unease was from anger.

Lumiere pulled up beside us, holding the handlebars tightly with hands clad in leather gloves. He checked the road for oncoming traffic before he turned his head in our direction, his hair now slicked to the side from the wind.

He shouted something and though I couldn't make out the words, Dustin could. He nodded and yelled back a response before Lumiere fell back to his previous position behind us.

We rode on in silence after that, letting the chilling breeze wash away the heat form our bodies. We were heading back to the compound, that much I knew for sure, but the scenery wasn't familiar. Bushes and dead trees shot past, leaving streaks across my sight. I looked to the left and saw the darkening mountains in the distance. That was a good sign, it meant we were close.

I looked to the right –

Bright lights blinded me as a car sped forward, nearly colliding with us from the side. Dustin jerked the bike sideways, missing the front fender just barely but the shrieking of tires told me our friends weren't so lucky. I couldn't tell whether the car missed the other two motorcycles but when I checked behind us, only the car remained.

I shoved my mouth into Dustin's ear and shouted frantically, "I think they crashed!"

Dustin either didn't hear me, or he was ignoring me. His eyes remained on the road ahead as he quenched the throttle and launched us forward. Everything heightened, the wind now howling around us like wolves in the night and the sensation of it crawling along my skin snakes slithering down the length of my arms then down my back.

Piercing squeals sounded from behind us as the car entered pursuit, rounding the opposite lane before returning to the one we currently were in.

My pounding heart threatened to break through my chest cavity and the wind stole my breath, causing my lungs to burn and wither from lack of oxygen. My hands would be shaking if they weren't holding Dustin's shirt so tightly and my knees around Dustin's hips were strong only in fear.