Chapter 48
MORNING CAME TOO soon, and along with it, the harsh reality of the inevitable consequences of the amplification in her power levels. She was grateful for Riley’s early morning call seeking to talk over a security issue with Hawke. It gave her an excuse to keep the discussion on martial matters on the drive back, a topic she could handle even with her concentration fractured.
Her luck ran out when they reached the den.
“You okay?” Fingers gripping her chin, wolf-blue eyes piercing her through and through. “Did something I do last night—”
A slow smile. “Here’s something else for you to process.” His kiss burned her with a far more welcome fire than the cold that licked through the psychic pathways of her mind. But she couldn’t remain in his arms forever.
“Okay,” she said, pacing from wall to wall inside her quarters. “Time to think.” She couldn’t do anything about the buildup of power, not here, not now, but she could get the hell away from those who had no idea how close they were to an armed and deadly weapon. Once at a sufficient distance, she’d have more room to consider her options, work out solutions.
In spite of the practical, positive nature of her thoughts, her heart was a lump of stone, terror crawling a thousand spidery fingers in her mind. Though she’d earthed it only hours ago, her power was already at over sixtyfive percent. There was no escaping the cold, hard truth that there would come a time when she would turn into a living torch, her body spilling over with too much X-fire to allow even the faintest illusion of control.
Pain roared through her chest, but for the first time, the idea of never having that bond with Hawke didn’t tear her heart in two, but saved it. If he had been her mate, the shock of her violent death might’ve been lethal. “Thank you,” she whispered to whatever unknown deity had given her that priceless gift.
The LaurenNet, her family, they would be safe. Judd and Walker were strong enough to hold Toby and Marlee in the network after Sienna was gone.
But she was a sister, a niece, a cousin, a friend, a packmate . . . a lover. Suicide would forever haunt those she left behind—Sienna knew that better than anyone. And, even though the odds appeared impossible, she’d never been the giving-up type. She’d fight to the bloody, bitter end to live.
Less than twenty minutes later, she’d packed a small bag and was ready to depart, her power levels having punched up to hit seventy-nine percent. Seeing Hawke was out of the question, no matter how much it hurt her not to go to him—he’d know, and she couldn’t afford for him to stop her.
Her sweet, gentle baby brother, a boy who’d already lost his mother, would also know, but she’d have chanced that to hug him tight if she hadn’t been so afraid her power would go unstable while she was still in the den.
Walker would protect him, she thought, fighting back tears because they had no place here, in the most crucial battle of her life. Walker would lay down his life for Toby. So would Hawke, Judd, Riley, Indigo, Drew, Brenna—so many people loved him. Sunny-natured Marlee would reach him even if everyone else failed. And she could ’path him later when she was at a safe distance, make sure he wasn’t afraid, that he knew she loved him.
Her eyes glanced off the phone she was leaving behind because it contained a tracking chip. She wouldn’t be able to contact him if she failed in her last desperate attempt to contain her power, wouldn’t be able to tell him the secrets of her heart. But he’d know—how could he possibly not know how much he meant to her?
The physical act of leaving was easy. No one had any reason to stop her. She didn’t make any detours until she was well past the lake. Then she began to run, raising a wave of X-fire at her back. The intensity of it would erase the scents on the ground, in the air. Hawke might still be able to track her, but she had a head start and the most painful incentive to get as far as possible from those she loved. She would not murder them, would not become the monster Ming had trained her to be.
An hour later, her power hit one hundred percent.
HAWKE was speaking to Riley about Alexei’s team of snipers when Toby ran up to them. The boy was so well behaved that the instant he grabbed Hawke’s hand and tugged, he had both men’s immediate and total attention.
“Sienna.” Toby sucked in a breath, his face red, his chest heaving. “She’s in trouble.”
Hawke’s wolf went predator-quiet. “Where is she, Toby?”
“I don’t know.” Stark terror in the skin stretched tight over his skull. “Her star is like ice in our net. But there’s fire inside.” Trembling voice, a sheen of wet on those eyes. “You have to help her.”
Hawke took Toby’s face in between his palms, captured the boy’s distraught gaze with his own. “You did the right thing coming to me. I’ll find her.” Always. She was his.
Toby gave a jerky nod. “You gotta go. I think she’s running away.”
“Riley.”
“I’ve got him.” Riley put his hand on top of Toby’s head.
“Go,” both man and boy said.
He left, fury beating in every pulse of his blood. Did she really think he’d let her go? That he’d lie down and accept the fact that she’d cut and run? If she had, she was going to get a nasty surprise when he caught up to her. Because Hawke was feeling all kinds of mean.
A single question and he knew she hadn’t checked out any of the vehicles. Which meant she was on foot. He shifted to wolf form mid-run, following her scent out of the den and to the lake. Anger had his wolf digging its claws into the earth, but worse was the jagged sense of betrayal. How dare she do this? How dare she think to isolate herself in this way? They were going to have the mother of all fights when he caught up to her.
Which he would do, very, very soon.
Sienna was smart, but she wasn’t wolf, wasn’t alpha. He lost her scent at the lake. It didn’t matter. Because he knew her. He also knew this territory like the back of his hand. Cutting across the land with the speed of a predator infuriated with the woman he’d claimed as his own, he planned to head her off in under three hours.
SETTLING them in the break room off the infirmary, Lara made Toby and Marlee cups of hot chocolate, and handed out cookies. “Sienna will be fine,” she said, ignoring the tear tracks Toby furtively wiped away, and hoping her words weren’t a lie. “Hawke’s gone after her.” Hawke always ran his prey to ground.
Marlee scrunched up her nose. “I bet he was mad.”
Toby nodded to his younger cousin. “Yeah, Sienna’s in big trouble.”
They began to discuss whether they wanted to swap their cookies.
Startled, Lara looked up to meet Riley’s gaze. The lieutenant gave a single satisfied nod before leaving the children in Lara’s care—though Lara wasn’t certain they were as sanguine about the situation as they appeared, especially Toby. But, having dealt with more than her share of boys, she didn’t fuss. Instead, she moved around to fix the ribbon on Marlee’s braid. “Did you tell your dad what was happening?” Walker would want to know as soon as possible.
“Uh-huh.” Marlee nodded. “He was helping Riaz with the older kids far away. He’s coming home though.” Eyes identical to her father’s pinned Lara to the spot when she finished with the ribbon. “Ben says you smell like my dad.”
Lara hesitated, glanced at Toby . . . to see no surprise on the boy’s face. Of course not. He was empathic,
