Blake

No one came to remove Chandra's body from Blake's cell and so she sat with the body of her werewolf friend for hours.  Chandra's blood was still on Blake's clothes and in her hair and on her skin but she didn't care. 

She had no way to remove it, anyway. 

            Blake alternated between staring at Chandra's lifeless face, her own bloodied hands that had driven the blade into Chandra's throat, and the image of Phillip on the screen.  He sat in the corner of his cell, blond head bent into his hands.  Blake had heard his scream when Chandra's heart had stopped beating in her chest.  As if he'd known that she was dead.  Like he'd felt Chandra's soul whisper by as it had exited this place of horrors.  Blake didn't know what existed after death but she hoped Chandra found some peace there. 

Wherever it was. 

She almost wished that Malachi had left that blade in here so she could turn it on herself.  There was no point to anything now.  Not when Malachi was heading back to Colorado, back to where Red and everyone else she cared about was waiting. 

If he had truly figured out a way to bring down that wall...If the force he'd assembled was significant enough, the wolves wouldn't stand a chance.  Malachi could place hunters everywhere, completely encircle the pack and move in slowly.  Pushing them closer and closer together until there was no means of escape.

There would be no specific targets this time.  No need to cause panic within the pack when the intent was obliteration. 

And Blake had helped Malachi along.  Had told the hunters where and when to strike and who to target.  She'd informed them about Lucy's pregnancy and the coordinates of the packhouse.  They knew the patrol schedule of the wolves and even if it had changed since Blake had been gone, perhaps Malachi's internal contact had provided him with even more information than she had delivered.

In one day, her people would be dead.  Henry would fall, brought down by Malachi's gun, and Red...He'd fight his way out.  He'd try and find a way to save them all.  Red would be on the frontlines, fighting against the hunters that were coming back to rip his family apart once again. 

Fate was cruel, Blake thought, to have shackled him to her.  Crueller still to let her fall in love with him, only for their time together to be cut so drastically short.

The day slipped by though Blake had no way of knowing what time it was.  She knew only that her body was growing hungry and tired.  At some point – it must have been sometime in the evening – the door to her cell reopened. 

It was not Malachi who entered nor was it anyone bringing her food as her stomach hoped but rather a familiar head of chestnut brown hair and dark eyes filled with worry.

"Hix?"

He shut the door and paused for a moment as he took in Chandra and the pool of blood on the ground.  The blood on Blake. 

"Hey," he said not unkindly.  "How are you holding up?"

"I feel like I'm at Disneyland.  Zip a dee doo da and all that jazz."

"Glad to see you're retaining your usual good humour."  Hix shook his head and walked towards her.  He crouched and smiled crookedly.  "You look like shit, Blake.  Malachi did a number on you.  Does it hurt?"

Hix gestured to the wound on her cheek.  Crusted and dried with blood from where Malachi's kukri blade had ripped across her face as they'd fought the other day.

Blake blinked at him.  "Of course it hurts, Hix."

"Right." 

"What's it like out there?"

"Tense."

"And my brother?"

            A shadow crossed over Hix's face.  "He's fine but I don't know that he's someone you want to be asking after.  He's the one that whacked you on the head and prevented you from killing Malachi.  Your brother...He's not in a good spot, Blake.  Losing Javier messed him up.  And then you doing this.  I'm worried about him."

            Me too.  But there's not much I can do about that from in here.

            "Does Malachi know that you're here?" she asked instead.

            "No.  He left about an hour ago.  The goons he left in his stead haven't been looking your way much since this morning.  Besides, he made the mistake of putting Mick and Alisha on guard duty at the same time.  They let me in.  We don't have long though."

            Blake's eyes widened.  "Malachi will beat the shit out you if he knows that you've been here, Hix."

            "He won't know.  I had Finn hack into the security cameras.  Even if Malachi plays back this footage, all he'll see is you sitting in this room and your werewolf friend in the other.  The most he'll see is me come in, grab her body, and go.  Besides, Malachi's on his way to Boise.  We've got time."

            "What does he need from Boise?"

            Hix's mouth tightened and he pushed a hand through his hair.  "He found a fae female who claims that she can bring down the wards around that wolf pack of yours.  Something about her ancestors being the ones who first set it up so it's keyed to the descendants?  I don't know.  That magic shit goes over my head.

            "Anyway," Hix continued, "Malachi tried having her daughter do it but all she could do was punch a hole.  That's when he learned that Lavinia's kids were adopted.  So she's the only one who can do that Malachi wants done.  He killed the daughter two days ago.  It's just her and her son now and he's been keeping the boy in a storage facility run by a former hunting buddy of his.  That's why he went to Boise.  Since he's planning on blowing the world apart tomorrow, he needed to make sure he has his leverage so that Lavinia cooperates.  We've got about an hour and a half until he's home."

            "Shit," Blake cursed and thumped her head back against the wall.  She was in such deep unending shit.

            Hix cocked his head to the side and his brows furrowed together, morphing into one solid line.  "I need to know, Blake.  What the hell happened to you in there that's put you in a position that you risked your life for them?"   He glanced at Chandra's body and then back at her.  There was no malice or hatred, just the desire for understanding.  "I won't judge but...I need to know where you stand."

            "Does it matter?"

            "Yes."  He lowered his voice as if there were others who could hear.  "Listen...You weren't the only one who thought Malachi lost it the other day.  There's a group of us that are thinking of getting out but Malachi's turned things into a goddamned dictatorship since you went AWOL.  No one is allowed to leave Beare Lake.  He's got the place on lockdown and has demanded that any hunter old enough and that can fight has to go with him when he leaves for Colorado tomorrow.  It's going to be a massacre – on both sides.  I need to know if yours is a cause worth dying for."

            Blake grimaced.  "Are you sure you want to know?"

            Hix nodded.  "I don't agree with what Malachi did.  Killing monsters...Creatures that have proven that they can't coexist with humans, that's one thing.  But a kid who clearly wasn't a threat.  It was a display of power and...damn it, Blake, I don't stand for that."

            Maybe she wasn't alone.  A hunter turned rogue.  Blake still didn't know if she could trust him.  There was a possibility that he was here trying to get information from her for Malachi but there was something in his eyes that told her he was telling the truth.  That he wasn't buying what Malachi was selling.

            So Blake told him of the attack and being held captive.  She told him of being let go and coming back to the community just for Malachi to send her back in under the guise of being a Mate to a werewolf.  Blake let him know what she had observed – that the wolves had families and jobs and lives.  That most of them were good.  Even the ones who had once tried to kill her had mostly come to accept her, though Blake was sure Victor still hated her guts.

But throughout it, she spoke of Red.  The wolf with the kind green eyes who wanted to keep everyone he loved safe.  The man who could be a leader, who could challenge and maybe even win if he wanted to, but didn't because he was happy being a protector instead. 

"That wolf...You're his soulmate?"

"He claims that there's some bond between us but I can't feel it.  Being human means that it doesn't translate the same.  I've had to trust him on blind faith this whole time that he won't kill me because I'm his destined or whatever."

Hix nodded, deep in thought.  "Do you trust him?  And the rest of the pack?  What would happen if a group of us went there with you?  If we fought against the hunters when they go?"

Blake stilled.  "You would do that?  You'd fight against your own people?  Against Malachi?"

"I'll fight for whatever side you fight on, Blake."

"I won't be fighting anyone because there's no way Malachi will let me out of here unless he's certain that I'm on his team which will never happen.  And you can't sneak me out of this cell.  Someone would see."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that.  If you want to fight, Blake...If there's a chance that we can stop this before it becomes an all-out bloodbath then I can get you out."

He was serious.  Hix's face was set in stone.

"You're a crazy bastard, Hix."  But there was hope blooming in her chest.

Now, he grinned.  "I'll take that as a yes.  Get up and be ready the next time the door opens.  Mick's already prepared.  Do what you need to do.  When you're done, head to the back exit.  I'll be waiting."

Before Blake had the chance to ask more questions, Hix went and with more gentleness than she anticipated, lifted Chandra into his arms.  The werewolf could have been sleeping for the way that Hix cradled her against his chest but there was no rise and fall to her chest – no pulse jumping at her throat.

Hix kicked at the door with his foot and then it opened.  He winked at her once and then he was gone, leaving Blake alone once more.

She got to her feet slowly, hissing between her teeth as pain lanced up her ribs.  They didn't hurt nearly as bad as when she'd fought with Victor but the bruising still stung.

It was maybe ten minutes later when a key slipped into the locking mechanism on the other side of the door.  Blake didn't hesitate.  The moment the door opened, exposing Mick in the hallway beyond, Blake lunged and her fist smacked into the side of his jaw.

He lurched back but before the door could shut, Blake was across the threshold.  Mick put his hands up defensively but Blake kicked at the juncture of his right knee and he went down. 

"Cell four. Keys are in my right pocket. Alisha is making sure no one comes down here for the next five minutes," Mick whispered as Blake loomed over him.  "Go."  Mick's green eyes were clear and filled with understanding and insistence. 

"Thank you," she murmured back. 

And then she clocked him in the temple.  Hard enough that he groaned and fell back against the wall utterly unconscious.

Blake dug around in Mick's pockets and came up with two keys.  She raced down the hallway.  They'd put in her cell one which meant number four was just up ahead on the left.  She jammed the key into the lock and turned, throwing the door open in one easy moment.

Her eyes darted around until they landed on him, slumped against the corner of the room that faced the door.  A good spot that ensured no one could get behind him.  His wrists were bound in silver chains, a collar of it around his throat.   He looked worse up close than had in the video feed.  Though it had only been a week since she'd last seen him in Sanguis Ridge, it looked as if those seven days had aged him years.  The set to his jaw was harder, the lines of his face more severe.  His eyes had lost their childlike joy, replaced by something harder and colder.

Phillip.

Battered and bloody and bruised – but still alive. 

"Blake?"

"Get up.  It's time we got out of here," she said. 

Phillip didn't move.  Just stared at her like he didn't believe her in the slightest.

Blake cursed under her breath.  "I know you hate me and that's fine – but you and I have a very limited window so get off your ass unless you'd like to die in here.  Because when Malachi returns and finds me not in my cell, he'll kill you out of spite.  If you want to live, let's go."

That seemed to break him out of his stupor.  Phillip got to his feet using the wall as support, wincing as he stood.  With the silver binding him and the beatings he'd been taking, mixed with the wolfsbane injections, it was a miracle that he was still alive. 

But he was standing.  And they had to get out of here.

"Follow me."

Phillip did which was a mercy.  Blake led him into the hallway where he glanced in both directions and saw Mick's still-unconscious body.  "Shit, Blake."

Blake didn't turn to look.  Only led them down the hallway towards the back fire exit.  "This way.  Can you run?"

"Yes."

"Good."

She took off at a pace just below a sprint.  Phillip stayed on her tail and though she could feel the tension rolling off of him, he didn't speak.  He simply trusted her which was likely more than she deserved all things considered. 

Blake turned down one short hallway and then led Phillip through another door beyond which stairs awaited.  They climbed two flights and were met with another heavy metal door – this one locked.

Phillip leaned against the railing as Blake fumbled for the second key she'd pulled from Mick's pocket and shoved it into the lock.  A second later, there was a click and the door sprang open, exposing pure, undiluted afternoon sunlight.

She blinked into the light as her eyes adjusted and heard Phillip swear behind her.  When the spots had cleared enough, she rushed forward to find Hix leaning against a black sedan.

"Took you long enough."  He pushed away from the side of the car. Behind him, the vehicle was already running.  "It's got a full tank of gas and lots of goodies in the trunk.  If I were you, I'd make a pitstop in Salt Lake City and swap it out somewhere.  Malachi will get an APB out on the car the second he realizes you're gone."

She nodded and turned to Phillip.  "Get in the car."  To Hix, Blake added, "Thank you.  For everything."

Hix's expression tightened.   "Listen, I've got about thirty-to-forty people who don't want to go through with Malachi's plan.  With the two of you escaping and some of the dissent, we might be able to delay him a few days but it won't stop him from coming.  He'll be pissed.  Even more so than he already is.  I'm going to do what I can to keep our people safe from Malachi.  You do the same and maybe we can avoid this thing from becoming a total slaughterhouse, yeah?"

"Yeah," Blake said.  "Let's try."

"Good.  Now as much as I love you, Blake, the two of you gotta get the hell out of here."

Blake pulled him into a hug and squeezed tightly.  "If Malachi realizes you, Mick, Finn, or Alisha had a hand in this, he'll kill you."

Hix released her.  "Don't worry.  We can handle Malachi.  If it seems like things are going south, we'll get out of dodge."

"If you need me, head to Denver.  That diner we went to.  Remember it?  I'll meet you there if I can.  You can leave a drop note and lay low.  I'll find it."

"There's a disposable phone in the car. It's easier than a drop note.  Keep it close and I'll be in touch when I have more information for you."  Hix smiled, exposing his dimples.  "Guess now I'm the one playing double-agent."

"It's a good look on you, Hix," Blake told him honestly and then she was climbing into the driver's seat next to Phillip who'd taken up the shotgun.  He was staring into the backseat where Hix had laid Chandra's body, wrapped in a clean linen sheet.

She didn't bother glancing back at Hix as she shifted the car into drive and put her foot on the gas.  "Hold on," Blake told Phillip.  "We're going home."

*~*

            It took them over twelve hours to make the drive back to Sanguis Ridge.  They paused only to make brief stops to switch the sedan with a white pick-up truck they swiped at a Walmart near Salt Lake City and to refill the tank with gas.  Blake made sure to transfer both Chandra's body and the suitcases Hix had packed for her in the sedan to the truck.  No clothes inside of it – only a variety of weapons for her to use at her disposal.

            The one thing they didn't have was a key to unlock the silver cuffs and collar from Phillip's throat and she didn't have anything she could use to pick the locks. So he spent the majority of the drive in pain and though she'd apologized for it, he'd only grunted in response.

They hardly spoke at all.  The only conversation they had circulated around the stealing of the truck and of Blake informing Phillip about Annalise and Juliet's escapes. She hoped that they'd also managed to find their way home.

But she hadn't saved Chandra and her body reclining on the bench in the cab of the truck was a stark reminder of that fact.  It made sense that Phillip didn't want to speak or look at her.  She understood it, even if it saddened her a little.

Blake considered Phillip a friend, which was probably why the anger radiating off of him was so intense.  They had been friends until Blake had ruined everything. 

At least she'd saved him.  At least there was that.

            "Turn here," he murmured eventually.  They'd made it to the edge of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests, inside of which the Sanguis Ridge pack was situated.  "It's an old backroad.  We use it for big transports and things.  It'll take us close to the packhouse."

            Blake turned.  Sunlight was creeping over the horizon as they drove down the backroad.  The same road she'd walked down all those months ago when Red had let her go.  It felt fitting, somehow, that it was the road she took back.

            Phillip instructed her to turn once more and it turned from the bumpy dirt road to a nondescript path in the forest.  As the forest turned familiar, trees and stones ones that she and Red had passed by on walks through the territory during her tenure here, Blake blinked.

            "Are we...Did we pass through the wall already?"

            "Yes."  Phillip peered at her.  "Why?"

            "It's just...Every time I've gone through it, I've felt this pressure all around me.  Like an unseen wind hitting me from all sides.  I didn't feel it this time."

If Phillip had a response for this, he didn't let on but she could have sworn something sparked in his eyes at that.  He fell silent again but there wasn't much else to say as the packhouse came into view through a gap in the tree.  Grand and welcoming as it appeared almost like a castle in a fairy tale.  Gone one moment and there the next.

            Blake brought the truck to a stop and the silence that followed the quieting of the engine seemed impossibly loud. 

            Phillip stared at her steadily and there was pain and relief in the depths of his blue eyes.  As if he'd truly believed he'd never see this place again.  He likely hadn't.  Blake remembered her early days in captivity here in the pack, hoping to one day see Beare Lake again but feeling as if she never would.

            Funny that now she never wanted to see that place again.  Not it or its leader.

            "I'm still mad at you," Phillip said.  His throat bobbed.

            "I know."

            "I'm going to be mad at you for a long time.  A really long time."

            "I know that too."

            Phillip exhaled and she watched as his lips quivered.  There was a speck of dried blood on his chin, likely having come from the split lip or broken nose.  "Thank you for saving my life, Blake."

            Blake nodded and smiled as tears sparked in her eyes.  "Always."

            He turned his head, looking at the house again which was now backlit in the colours of dawn.  Even as she saw figures beginning to creep from the house onto the porch, staring at the truck with suspicion.  In the surrounding trees, Blake noticed the outlines of wolves running past and the occasional pair of near-glowing eyes.

            "Time to face the music," she said to him and then she opened the door and climbed out.

            "Easy," Phillip called as he hopped out of the truck.  It was a little awkward with all of his injuries and the bindings but he moved better than she anticipated he would.  "It's me.  It's Phillip."

            Excited barks and yips filled the air.  A few of the wolves rushed out of the woods, racing to Phillip's side.  Blake recognized Li, his rich black fur a dead giveaway, who whimpered audibly when he saw his best friend.

            Li stilled when he saw her, his big dark eyes widening.  Without warning, he tipped his head back and howled.

            That certainly couldn't be a good thing. 

            Blake waited for the surrounding werewolves to attack but none of them moved.  They just watched her until she heard the sound of the front door being thrown open and slammed against the house.  Listened as feet thundered across the wooden deck and then a tall broad-chested man with dark brown hair and forest green eyes leapt over the railing and landed on the ground ten feet in front of her.

            Red.

            Nostrils flaring, muscles straining, gaze roaming over her like he was a blind man seeing the sun for the first time.

             Her heart clenched in her chest so hard it ached.  It felt as if she were about to burst as she stared at him.  Completely incomprehensible the tidal wave of longing that coursed through her veins but as she took in that strong jaw and aquiline nose, something in Blake shattered.  A wall she'd built in Beare Lake came crumbling down, exposing the inner workings of her soul.

            All of it laid bare for him.  For her Mate. For Red.

            Blake opened her mouth to speak, to say something to him, but was distracted by the sound of quieter steps but no less urgent.  More delicate.  Younger.  And then a voice was shouting her name.

            "Blake!  Blake!"

            The words she'd intended for Red died in her throat as she saw the brown-skinned werewolf child run down the porch stairs towards her.  Her curls a wild halo around her face.  The hazel eyes were a perfect combination of her parents' steady gazes and they were eyes that filled with tears as she yelled Blake's name over and over and over again.

            Blake stumbled forward, moving closer and closer with each yell.  The child didn't stop yelling her name until she had bypassed Red and thrown herself into Blake's waiting arms.

            "You made it," Blake sobbed as she swept the girl up into a bone-crushing hug.  "You made it back."

            Annalise only cried as Blake clutched her tightly.

            And no one moved to separate them.  Not a single soul stepped forward to halt the reunion of the hunter and the werewolf who loved her.