In the deep quiet that followed, Rogue’s ears picked out a single sound.
Click.
And again.
Click.
Click. Click.
The blood in her veins iced over, and she whispered, “Oh, shit. Raptors.”
“Run!” Seth screamed.
Rogue broke into a sprint, herding Moran toward the boat. The rest followed, running as fast as they could. The distance between them and the boat shrunk, but not quickly enough. Not with a pack of raptors on their heels.
A row of bushes burst open as two raptors broke cover. With an earsplitting screech, they pounced. Rogue veered to the side, dragging Moran with her. One of the raptors missed them by inches, charging past them toward the riverbank. It tried to turn, but its claws scrabbled at the dirt, and the embankment collapsed. With a splash, it fell into the water and got caught in the swift current.
Bear roared as he swung his hammer mid-flight. It whistled through the air and smashed into the second raptor’s chest. Bones and cartilage crunched beneath the blow’s force, and the creature went down in a tangle of limbs. It tripped up a third trying to launch an attack, while a fourth stopped to survey the carnage. It snapped at its wounded mate, tearing into the open wound. The third raptor joined in, and a killing frenzy ensued.
Rogue saw all of this in passing, her terrified heart pushing her onward at speeds she didn’t know she was capable of. Together, she and Moran reached the boat’s gangplank. She shoved Moran upward with a yell. “Open the door!”
Then she turned to look for the rest, her machete held ready to fight. Steven and Bruce were right behind her, and they lined up below the boat. Bear and Seth lagged in the distance, fighting a running battle with two more raptors.
One ran alongside Seth and lunged at him with its razor-sharp teeth. Seth ducked, and the beast’s jaws snapped shut right above his head. Seth retaliated with a wide swing of his knife. It cut into the raptor’s leg, and it slammed into the ground with an agonized scream.
Steven took aim with his crossbow, and the bolt sunk into the final raptor’s chest with a meaty thunk. It continued running for a few more feet until it collapsed, its heart pierced by the metal head.
“Come on,” Moran cried, waving at them all. “Get inside.”
Seth and Bear reached the boat, and they charged up the gangplank toward the open door. The moment the last person stumbled over the threshold, Moran slammed it shut and slid the bars into place.
A thick silence fell over the interior of the boat as everyone waited. Waited and wondered if another attack would come. Nothing happened, and it seemed the raptors had enough for the day.
Seth managed a shaky grin. “Welcome to my home, everyone.”
Epilogue
Late that night, Rogue and Seth lay side by side in their makeshift bed. Rogue snuggled closer to Seth, one hand caressing his bare chest. “Finally, it’s just you and me.”
“Yeah, I thought Moran would never stop asking me questions,” Seth said, wrapping his arms around her. “She gave me a proper third-degree.”
“I’m surprised she agreed to let us sleep in here…alone,” Rogue said, her eyes traveling around the crowded storeroom. It had taken a bit of rearranging, but they’d managed to clear a space to sleep while Moran and the others took the main room.
“I don’t see why not?” Seth said. “You’re not a kid anymore.”
“No, but she’s always been overprotective of me,” Rogue said.
“I can understand why. You seem to get into a lot of trouble quite regularly,” Seth joked.
Rogue pulled a face. “Not by choice. Bones is crazy. Insane, really.”
“He’d better pray I never get my hands on him,” Seth growled, his face reddening.
Rogue nodded. “I just hope I don’t ever have to see him again.” She traced a pattern across Seth’s skin with one fingertip. “I’ve told you everything that happened to me, but what about you? What happened after Bones took me?”
“I knew something was wrong the minute I heard you were gone. Olivia told me you never went home after your argument, and that didn’t sound like you. Then they found the dead guard. I left not long after that, following your tracks as well as I could.”
“What about my mom? Ric? The others?” Rogue asked.
“Your mom believed the same as me. That you’d been taken by someone from Prime. She begged me to find you,” Seth said.
“And Ric?”
“He didn’t believe us at first. He thought you ran away with someone from Prime. He said you were a spy all along.”
Rogue gasped. “He truly thought that?”
“He did until David and Brittany came clean about the hunt. That’s when he realized he’d been wrong about you all along,” Seth said. “As for the rest, they’re divided. Some still think you’re a spy, while the others side with your mom.”
“I see,” Rogue said, her emotions a swirling hotbed of confusion. “They didn’t want to join you, though? To look for me?”
“No, they decided to stay and petition the council to attack Prime. They thought if you were taken back there, overthrowing Prime City would be their best chance to get you back.”
“Huh, that’s something, at least,” Rogue said, somewhat impressed.
“I know you’re mad at Olivia for lying to you about the council, but she loves you very much. So much so that she’s willing to tear down a whole town to save you.”
“I love her too,” Rogue said, tears pricking her eyelids. “It’s all just a big mess.”
“You’ll get the chance to sort it out when we go back. They’ll have to believe you now,” Seth said. “Especially with Brittany and David telling the truth.”
“What about the raptors?” Rogue asked.
“They’ll be gone by morning. This isn’t their territory. They probably followed your scent, especially with your friends being wounded,” Seth said. “So there’s nothing stopping us from leaving tomorrow.”
“I don’t know if I want to go back,” Rogue admitted. “Why can’t we stay here forever and ever?”
“I wish it were that easy. Maybe if
