Hope shook her head. “He never made fun of you, but he did see the real you, and I didn’t.” She should have listened to Paxton. “So much for trying to find peace.”
She looked at the other two warriors in the room. If there was ever a chance to cause a problem for Drake, this was it. “Vero, do you know what the Kurjans are doing with all the enhanced females?”
Vero shifted his gaze to Drake before returning his focus to Hope. “It’s my understanding that they’re just cataloging them.” He winced. “Kind of like wild animals. Like geese or moose.”
Her jaw dropped. “You mean they’re tagging the women to keep track of them like scientists do for certain animal species?”
“That’s what I’ve been told,” Vero said. “This is the first time I’ve actually been in this camp. It doesn’t feel right, though.” He looked at his cousin.
“No, it certainly doesn’t,” Hunter said.
Drake’s gaze wandered to his computer area and back. “Harold, make yourself useful for once and escort the future queen to her room. Vero, I need to speak with you. We have plans to make.”
Hope’s heart leaped. She tried to keep the outrage on her face as Hunter gestured her toward the door. “I’m not done with this,” she said, her head held high as she swept out of the room.
Hunter followed her and shut the door, his hand instantly on her elbow. “Keep moving,” he whispered.
She walked partially into the great room. Noting that the room was vacant, she turned and hugged her cousin. He’d grown and filled out in the time they’d been separated.
He hugged her back, patting her shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I am,” she said. “How about you?”
“I’m fine.”
It was time for Hunter to come home. “We have to save Paxton.”
Hunter’s jaw visibly hardened. “This is a two-pronged mission. First I get you out, then I get Paxton.”
“I am not leaving without him.”
“You are,” Hunter said, his fingers firm on her arm as he pulled her across the great room to the back, where a sliding glass door led to a massive snow-covered deck. A trail had been kicked through the snow on the other side of the deck toward a dark and foreboding forest.
Hope tried to pull away.
Hunter ignored her, staring outside. “I have transport waiting for you, but we’re going to have to run.”
She started to protest, but he cut her off.
“Trust me, I will get Paxton out of here. If you’re both here, Drake will use you against each other. He’ll hurt him to force your acquiescence. He’ll hurt you to mess with Paxton. I have to take you out of play.”
Hope took a big deep breath. “I just can’t leave him, Hunter.”
Her cousin’s gaze softened. He didn’t look right with the Kurjan features, and that surgery had to have been painful. “I know, I get it, but he’s nowhere we can reach right now. He’s in that cage in the middle of the courtyard, and we can’t just walk out there. You need to trust me. I will get him free, and we will both meet you. Please.”
Hope took a deep breath. She trusted her cousin almost as much as anybody in the world. He’d been undercover since he was sixteen within the Kurjan nation, and no doubt he had plans in place. “Can you trust Vero?”
Hunter winced. “I don’t know. He’s actually a good guy, but he has taken a vow to follow Drake. And he and Drake are blood like you and I are.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Come on, cuz. Let me get you out of here.”
“All right.” Hope had to go on trust. “But please tell me you’ll get Paxton free.”
“I promise. Follow me.” Hunter opened the door, looked both ways, and pulled her out. He glanced at his watch. “The soldiers are on a five-minute rotation today, so we have five minutes to get through the forest. It’s going to be close. Are you any faster than you were before?”
“No.”
“All right.” He looked down at the dress. “We don’t have time for you to change out of that thing, so you’re just going to have to hold the skirt up and run. If it gets too close, I’m going to throw you over my shoulder. Okay? I want you prepared.”
She hated that he might have to do that because she wasn’t fast enough, but there was no other choice. “Understood.”
Cold instantly slammed into her, and she ducked her head. There were so many layers to the bottom of the dress that her legs were warm, but the bodice was flimsy, leaving her skin exposed and chilled. “I’m okay, let’s go,” she said.
The shoes skidded on the ice, but she didn’t complain. Instead, she ran as fast as she could behind Hunter. He had to slow down for her, but he dodged and wove through the trees as if he’d memorized the entire forest. He was impressive, and she would make sure to tell Uncle Dage that he should be very proud of his son.
They were in the middle of the dark forest when he paused, turning. “Are you doing okay?”
She panted, her breath filling the air. “Yes, I’m fine,” she lied. “Are we close?”
“We’re getting there,” he said. “I know where most of the scouts patrol, but every once in a while there’s a random one. If I start to fight, you keep running. I have a car waiting for you.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Something cracked. “That’s unfortunate,” Drake said, coming around a corner up ahead. “I’m not ready to lose you quite yet, Hope.”
Hunter jumped in front of her and set his stance. Soldiers dropped from the tops of the trees all around them, their guns out. Hunter tensed.
“No,” Hope said, grabbing his arm. “There are at least twenty of them. You’re good, but nobody’s that good.”
Hunter looked at Drake. “I couldn’t let you force her to mate. As a Kurjan, I felt I was doing the right thing.”
Drake laughed, his low voice roaring through the trees. “As a Kurjan? Give me a break. You’re not a Kurjan.”
Hunter blinked. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve known exactly who you are for at least this last year, Hunter.” Drake smiled and addressed the nearest soldiers. “Take him, find another cage, and put him next to Paxton.”
Hunter fought them, but he was outmatched. He did some serious damage to a couple of the soldiers, but there were just too many of them. Soon they had him trussed up, and they dragged him away.
The wind whistled, freezing Hope’s skin, but she stood tall and faced the Kurjan. “If you knew he was Hunter, why did you let him live?”
Drake shrugged. “I didn’t think it’d be this easy to get you here and thought there might be a trade necessary in the future.” He grabbed her arm, digging his fingers in until she winced. “You need to understand this now, my queen. There is no escape for you, so you might as well stop fighting me.”
Chapter Thirty-One After a nail-biting afternoon during which Hope was locked in the opulent bedroom with nothing to do but pace back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the now-missing Paxton and Hunter, soldiers escorted her back down to the same study, where a table had been set with white linen and crystal goblets. Drake poured two glasses of wine and gestured her to the other seat. “I thought I could show you how life might be with me,” he said.