It was past four in the afternoon by the time the girls made it to the waterslides. The trek was hard and they were surprised they hadn't seen the men behind them yet. Izzy crouched behind one of the rocks to rest as Kate and Susanna searched for the entrance to the slide that could be their escape if they needed it. After a half-hour search, they finally found it. "Kate, it's here!" Susanna called out softly, not yelling too loudly in case the Kreil were close by. "Let's move closer, Iz, so we can jump down if we need to," Kate said reasonably, holding Izzy's hand as they navigated the rocks to the small crack where they would be able to slide out of view if they needed. The hole was big enough for a Kreil to fall through and the rocks were so smooth, having been worn down by water over the centuries that once you fell through, there was no getting back out. You had to finish the ride, no matter who was behind you. This was concerning to Kate but she decided

40:00:00 Seth cursed as he sped ahead. He was running as fast as he could. He wasn't following a scent; he knew exactly where he was going. Nate and Logan sped alongside him. Their adrenaline pulsed as they made quick time. They ran for hours, stopping for brief rests and water before pushing on. They knew where their mates were, and they knew there weren't many places to hide along the canyon. If they could only make it in time, they would find the girls and catch them. The thought pushed them on and they raced ahead. "They looked tired," Nate said as he leapt over a large rock. The canyon’s edge was rocky. "Exhausted," Logan agreed. "They're not going to keep going. They'll have to make camp until morning at least. My guess is they won't move much tomorrow. They won't want to risk creating a new trail that we pick up on tomorrow when we head back along the canyon," Seth said reasonably. "I wish they would just come with us back

Izzy woke with a start and she yelled out frantically, “KATE!” She sat up quickly, her eyes wide with fright as she groped wildly for her sister. “I’m here, Iz. It’s ok.” Kate jumped up in alarm and gathered Izzy in her arms. Izzy’s nightmares had gotten worse over the Hunt, but in the field, Kate had slept with Izzy held tightly in her arms, helping to keep the dreams at bay. The Hunt had ended and Izzy had been bitten by her mate, the sedation of the bite left her lying alone in a bed with no one to comfort her in her sleep. Her fear and anxiety weighed her down as she slept, coming to a pinnacle in her dreams. It was enough to wake her from the bite of her mate which should have knocked her out for twelve hours, but had only really been effective for a few. Susanna sat up in alarm, looked at Kate and Izzy, and ran her hand down Izzy’s hair in comfort. “It’s ok, Iz. We are together, no one will hurt you,” They murmured softly to Izzy until her breathing had calmed

Amelia sat in the darkness of her room, her stomach churning. Cliff had escorted her to the feast and she had escaped as soon as she could. She pulled out the map that she had kept of the kingdoms. There were so many to choose from. Her eyes scanned the paths going from Elail, surely there was a path she could take that would keep her hidden from her mate. The last time they had traveled north, they had taken the western path but it was filled with travelers. That made it safer, but it also meant she was more likely to be caught. She needed to go on an eastern path, her eyes traveled up the map to the dragon kingdom, drawing a line along the trails available to her. The dragon kingdom, Daikon, was directly north of them. There was the fairy kingdom, Sephathilian, which was directly north of Daikon. The fairies were kind, and if she could make it past the dragons to the fairy kingdom, they would likely give her sanctuary. They would probably hand her over though if Cliff foun

Nate stood for a full five minutes staring at the door that Izzy had walked through before he sat down and put his head in his hands. "You obviously didn't know," Richard said to Nate. Nate shook his head, still staring at the ground, his head cradled in his palms. Richard cleared his throat awkwardly, "Sorry to accuse you." Nate shook his head and said gruffly, " 'sok." Marcus stood behind Richard's chair, surveying the room. "They said it happened the night of The Feast of the Living?" Marcus asked. "That's what Izzy said when she said she was attacked," Richard nodded. "We left that evening," Marcus said softly. Richard nodded in agreement. "It must have been right after that," Richard said, his anguish apparent. "We were still out at that point, rounding up warriors to watch the castle while most of us were in The Hunt," Logan said. "None of the five of us were even here that night," Seth r