Hazel’s POV
A hand clamped over my mouth, jolting awake. I thrashed against my attacker until my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I recognized Leo’s silhouette hovering over .
My heart hamred in my chest as he removed his hand.
“Get up,” Leo whispered, his voice sharp with urgency. “We need to leave. Now.”
I blinked, still groggy from sleep. “What’s going on?”
“No questions. Just move.”
Sothing was off. Leo wasn’t making sarcastic remarks or calling “sweetheart” or “babe.” His face was full of concentration, his jaw clenched tight. This wasn’t the Leo I’d co to know.
“Leo—”
“Hazel, please,” he hissed, grabbing my arm and pulling from the bed. “We don’t have much ti.”
I stumbled to my feet, barely managing to slip on my shoes before Leo dragged toward the door. He pressed his ear against it, listening intently before cracking it open and peering into the hallway.
“Clear,” he muttered, more to himself than to . “Stay close.”
We slipped into the dimly lit corridor. The facility was eerily quiet at this hour, with only the hum of distant machinery breaking the silence. I glanced at a wall clock as we passed—3:17 AM. The middle of the night.
Leo moved with purpose, his grip on my wrist firm as he guided through the maze of hallways. We ducked into a supply closet as footsteps approached. I held my breath as two scientists walked by.
“What’s happening?” I whispered once they’d passed. “Why are we running?” Then, an idea shot through my head. My eyes widened with hope. “Did the triplets find us?”
Leo’s head snapped toward , his eyes narrowed. “No. This has nothing to do with your mates.”
I studied his face. He wasn’t lying. If the triplets weren’t the reason for this midnight escape, then what was?
My heart imdiately sunk to the pits of my stomach. “Then why—”
“Later,” Leo cut off, checking the hallway again. “We need to reach the east exit. It’s the least guarded.”
The bad feeling in my gut intensified as we continued our escape. Leo seed genuinely afraid. In a facility where he was nearly at the top of the food chain, that was a worriso sight.
We rounded another corner and Leo froze, pushing behind him. Ahead, the hallway opened into a wider area near what looked like an exit. But between us and freedom stood four guards. Their unnaturally pale skin and predatory postures marked them as vampires.
“Stay back,” Leo ordered, his voice barely audible. “If anything happens to , run for the exit. Don’t look back.”
“What? No. What about you? Am I supposed to just leave you with the vampires?” I whispered, surprising myself with how much I ant it.
I didn’t even know why I said that. The words slipped out of my mouth before I could even control it. This was his ho and those were his subordinates. Why would it matter if he was left behind?
But with how guarded Leo seed against them, my anxiety only grew.
“Yes.” Leo’s jaw tightened. “And this isn’t a discussion. If you want the thing in your stomach to live, then you’ll do as you’re told.”
Before I could respond, he moved forward, his body tensing like a coiled spring. The first vampire spotted him imdiately, but Leo was faster. He tackled the creature to the ground with inhuman speed, landing a crushing blow to its face.
The other vampires reacted instantly, pulling what looked like tal batons from their belts. Silver, I realized with horror as they glead under the fluorescent lights.
This wasn’t good. Just one hit could put Leo out of commission.
“Leo!” I cried out in warning.
He ducked as one of the batons swung over his head, then delivered a powerful uppercut that sent the second vampire flying backward. But the third and fourth closed in, and I could see Leo was outnumbered.
Despite his warning, I couldn’t just stand there. I grabbed a fire extinguisher from the wall and ran forward, swinging it with all my strength at one of the vampires. It connected with a sickening crunch, buying Leo precious seconds.
“I told you to stay back!” he snarled, blocking another blow.
Two more vampires appeared from a side corridor, drawn by the commotion. Six against one. Leo fought like a demon, taking down another vampire with a series of brutal strikes, but I could see he was getting tired.
When a silver baton caught him across the shoulder, he howled in pain, his skin sizzling where the tal touched.
“Leo!” I scread, trying to reach him.
One of the vampires grabbed from behind, his cold hands like iron around my arms. I kicked and thrashed, slamming my head back with a grunt. The vampire hissed in pain, montarily loosening his grip.
“Nice try, little lady,” he hissed. Before I could put distance between us, he pulled back into his arms again. “But you’re not going anywhere.”
Leo’s eyes found mine and they widened in fear. Not for himself, I realized with a jolt, but for . He lunged toward , but two batons struck him simultaneously, one across his back and another at his knees.
He collapsed with a choked cry.
“Stop!” I begged as they continued to beat him. “Please stop!”
Leo’s eyes t mine one last ti before he finally went still, his body slumping to the floor. My chest constricted with panic. I didn’t understand why I cared so much, but seeing him injured sent waves of distress crashing through .
The vampires separated us, dragging down a different corridor while others hauled Leo’s unconscious body away. I fought them every step, screaming his na until my throat was raw.
Why was I so worried about the man who had kidnapped ? It made no sense, but I couldn’t deny the fear gripping my heart.
They took to a sterile room with a single chair in the center. Despite my struggles, they forced into it, securing my wrists and ankles with silver-lined cuffs. The cold tal burned against my skin, preventing any chance of shifting or escaping.
A door opened, and a woman entered, her face hidden in shadow. She approached with a syringe filled with a pale purple liquid.
“What is that?” I demanded, straining against my restraints. “What are you going to do to ?”
“Hold still,” she commanded.
“Who are you?” I asked, though she ignored . “Get the hell away from !”
I thrashed as she brought the needle to my arm, but the restraints held firm. I felt the sharp prick as the needle pierced my skin, followed by a burning sensation as the substance entered my bloodstream.
“What did you inject with?” I gasped, feeling a strange weakness spreading through my body.
“It’s just a bit of wolfsbane,” the woman replied calmly.
My eyes widened in horror. “Wolfsbane?!”
I struggled harder against the restraints, panic consuming .
“Relax,” she said, stepping closer. “The dosage is small enough to weaken you, but no harm will co to you.”
As she moved into the light, her features beca clear. Middle-aged, with black hair streaked heavily with gray. She was standing so close that I could clearly see the brand on her neck.
I narrowed my eyes, her na on the tip of my tongue. She seed familiar. I had definitely seen her before, but where—
Recognition dawned on like a physical blow.
“Well,” she added with a cold smile, “I suppose I cannot guarantee the sa for your baby.”
My blood turned to ice in my veins as I stared at the face I’d seen before in magazines and dical journals whenever I tidied the packhouse. The woman who was supposed to be my mother’s friend.
Esther Perez.
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