Into The Wild ~ Book 3 ~ The Royal Blood Collection

Chapter 12

I woke, my head resting on the chained arm. Silas was behind me, his free arm wrapped around my waist. It was an uncomfortable place to sleep but when I couldn't trust the man behind me, I had little choice.

Rolling over, I closed my eyes and pretended that everything was fine. Like I wasn't doing damage to my sanity. Allowing the thoughts, dreaming of the possibilities, it was wrong and if I weren't careful, it would kill me.

Hearing my phone beep, I sighed softly and sat up. As I ensured that everything was in place, I checked the time. Six o'clock, that was pretty good timing. Grabbing the keys, I got out of the back seat and climbed in behind the wheel.

The beep was a message from my mother, asking me to call her as soon as I could. It didn't say that of course. We spoke in code because our life was not an easy one. She was duck and I was duckling. We messaged each other regularly so that I knew what was going on because my father was not well. If it was drastic then the message would be drake nine-one-one. It meant that I'd have twenty-four hours at most to get home and say goodbye.

I should be at home with my parents, I should be there in my father's final days but life was incredibly complicated. It was the reason for the elaborate code system, it was the reason that I did not remain in my own province. If the man in the back seat knew who I really was, he wouldn't be sleeping as well as he is right now.

Turning over the engine roused Silas from his sleep, wearily he sat up and leaned forward.

"No post-coital cuddle time?" He teased.

"Slept in your arms, didn't I?"

With a merciless chuckle, he sat back in the seat. It was all going well until he stuck his dirty shoes on the console between the seats. His foot would intermittently tap against my arm, I'd look back at him and see him grinning like a loon.

"It's like being around a five year old." I muttered under my breath.

It made the trip incredibly long, even if it was a journey of a few minutes. The car needed gas and I needed to call my mother.

Silas behaved himself while I filled up with gas, saying nothing as he sat in the back seat. He even remained in the car while I paid for the gas. No trying to alert the world that he was cuffed to the door handle. I was quietly suspicious.

Pulling into the parking area, I grabbed my bag and turned to look at Silas.

"I'm just making a quick call, okay?"

"Sure thing."

"I won't be too long."

"Okay. Leave the air conditioning on."

Sure, why not? At least it would stop him from yelling out to me. With the engine running and keeping the child cool, I wandered over to the public phone and dialed my mother's number.

She had a second phone, one that was listed in another name. I memorized the number rather than listing it anywhere.

"Duckling," She said warmly.

"Hey mom, how are things?"

"Well, we've seen better days. Your father is still sliding down the slope."

"Should I come home?"

My mother paused, I could hear the grief in her sigh.

"Honey, it's too dangerous at the moment. There are spies everywhere. I look out the window and I see things that should not be. I hear whispers of strangers and I see what has happened in the past and I fear that it is our turn."

I turned and leaned on the wall, looking at the bane of my existence. He forced a smile at me, pretending that he was behaving himself. I know he's up to something, but what?

"Mom, I want you to promise me that you will flee."

"I can't leave your father."

"Stay with him until the end and the minute he is gone, I want you to walk away. Is that clear?"

"But you will be left with nothing."

"I'd rather you were alive than a life without you. It's bad enough that dad's dying. You know that they will kill you if they walk into that place and find out that dad's gone."

Turning back, I hid the pain. I didn't want him to see me suffer. I was not weak and I'd accepted that I was going to lose my father a long time ago. Still, it hurt. Vampires were not meant to die, we were supposed to be immortal.

The doctors had no idea what was wrong with him. Different doctors, surgeons, scientists, psychiatrists. You name it, he's seen them. They changed his diet, they changed his surroundings. The people around him, the things he did. Nothing was constant, nothing stood out. Even my mother stepped away for a while to see if it would make any difference.

It was like he was just giving up.

"They will take the house from us."

"Then let them. The risk is not worth it. When you know that dad is going, send me the message and pack your bags. Go to the safe house when he's gone and stay safe. Okay?"

"Sure thing honey."

Hearing something click, I turned and almost dropped the phone. Silas was seated behind the wheel. He gave me a cheesy smile as he waved and then backed out of the car space.

"Damn it," I muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a target that's causing me a lot of grief. I gotta go, mom, remember what I said."

"Will do."

As we said goodbye, I pulled out my phone and opened the tracker app. I pressed the button and put the phone back into the cradle. Turning back to follow the fleeing man in what was essentially now a stolen car, I smiled and watched as it veered off the road.

Thankfully it was just dirt. No ditches, just flat ground.

The door opened and Silas fell out of the car, groaning that I was a horrible woman. I smiled sweetly at him and opened the back door, hoping that he'd willingly return to his seat.

"How did you get out?"

"Go to hell." He hissed. "You could have killed me, you mad woman."

I looked at the back seat and saw one of my hairpins, warped out of shape. Pocketing the pin, I felt like searching him again but that led to a path that was probably not appropriate for such a populated area.

"Get in and put the handcuffs back on."

Silas slid over the seat, clasping the handcuff around his wrist. With the world restored to the way that it should be, I got in behind the wheel and pulled out into the traffic.

"Turn the damned thing off."

"Spoil my fun."

He groaned with relief as the tracker was turned off. I smiled and said nothing.