Chapter 92

“I’m not leaving you behind, Ari,” Jackson spits out, glaring at me like I’ve said something. horrible and ridiculous, like we should both throw ourselves off the cliff.

“I’m just slowing you down!” I say, throwing out my hands for emphasis. “Seriously, if you hadn’t back– tracked for me, you’d be like, finished now

“I didn’t backtrack for you,” he mutters, still staring at me, “I backtracked for

“Your mate, whatever,” I sigh, rolling my eyes. “Either way, it’s not fair. I’ll find my own way

the mountain, it will be fine.”

up

“It will not be fine,” he says, reaching out to grab my arm. “Do you think I want to do this without you!?”

“What?” I ask, suddenly baffled.

“Not…not this, Ari,” Jackson says, waving the map around at the darkening forest. “Not the Examination. I mean, the Academy. Do you think I’m not aware that you’re the only person who has been nice to me? That you’re you’re the only human connection I have at all?”

–

“But,” I frown at him, “Rafe and Jesse –”

“Are only friends with me because you make them be

“That’s not true, Jackson,” I whisper, turning to face him, desperate for him to believe me. “They like you for who you are sure, I was the start of it, but they really do –”

–

“Ari,” Jackson sighs, his shoulders slumping, “this isn’t the time for a pep talk. Just – I’m not leaving you behind, okay? I found you in the woods, for some reason – because you’re always weirdly around when I smell her scent – but…I’m not leaving you behind now, all right? There’re ways to do this, even if I have to drag you up the mountain myself.” He mutters the final words, looking back at the map, and a slow, terribly pleased smile creeps over my face.

Because my mate- he likes me. He’s my friend.

Emergency calls only

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15:43

And as stupid as that is to realize because, duh, of course your mate is supposed to like you as a person…god, it means everything in the world to me right now.

“Okay,” I whisper, giving in and stepping close. “So, what should we do?”

“Can you shift?” he asks, glancing over at me, hesitating. Not everyone can shift

people, even though they’re full wolves, just never develop the ability. “This will all be a lot easier if you can run as a wolf”

I bite my lip, because while I can shift….I mean, the jig will instantly be up if I do. Jackson will take one whiff of my honey and clove scent in my wolf form and know immediately who I am.

Which will, of course, destroy his world and throw his attention off again when we both need to concentrate on getting to the top of the mountain.

So, slowly, I decide to lie, hoping desperately that it’s the right choice. “No,” I whisper, and my wolf howls within me to be denied the chance to run as well as the fact that we’re blatantly lying to our mate. “I…I can’t shift.”

Jackson scowls, looking down at the map. “Well, let’s get to the bridge then,” he says, folding it neatly and sliding it into his back pocket. “See what the situation is there. Then….we can make our next move.” noveldrama

Nodding. I fall in slightly behind him, letting him take the lead.

We walk for another hour then, with me placing my feet where Jackson placed his, trusting his steady steps and his apparently innate knowledge of the wilderness to know the best way through the dark. He silently, almost passively watches out for me, pointing to tricky spots or turning to offer a hand when the terrain is particularly steep. I stop noticing the pulse that rushes through the air every time we touch, because it’s become natural to me now, just part of being near him.

Both of us become intent, though, when we see fire ahead. I focus my eyesight, seeing the edge of the ravine and the start to the bridge next to it. Clearly, a group of cadets truly has set up something of a toll at the crossing, and they’re not being shy about announcing it.

“Bold,” Jackson murmurs, peering through the trees. Then he looks around, interested. “Let’s get to higher ground,” he says, nodding upwards to a cliff above us. “I want to see

Emergency calls only

what we’re up against there.”

* .0095%

[15:43

Then, to my shock, Jackson ferrets out a teeny tiny little path up the cliff, balancing on it with incredible grace that makes me wonder if he’s part goat shifter, instead of all wolf. I do my best to follow, clinging to the rock and taking his patient hand when I need to. Twenty minutes later we’re about thirty feet in the air on a flat jut of rock about ten feet wide. I hesitate, wondering if it’s safe, but Jackson crouches casually on the edge, apparently having no such concerns.

I scowl and move close to him, wishing I moved in the wilderness with his clear ease and confidence.

Too much time hanging out in a palace, I guess.

“What are you seeing?” I whisper, wanting to know what the situation below looks at from his eyes.

“Big group,” he murmurs, gesturing towards the three fires burning below and the cadets. gathered around them. “Already done some damage.” He points to the side now and I grimace to see that there are about ten cadets passed out to the side, my stomach turning to see a few of their legs twisted and broken, taken out of the running in their attempt to cross.

I press my eyes shut, swallowing hard, hoping desperately that none of them are Ben, or Jesse, or Luca, or Rafe. But…no, it can’t be. Their stories at the Academy can’t end like that, and neither can mine.

“So?” I ask, forcing myself to open my eyes and pay attention. “What do you think, do we risk it? Rush it?”

“No, too many of them,” Jackson murmurs, shaking his head. “They’ll hold out overnight, hoping to take out more. Then, in the morning, they’ll shift and run. Maybe cut the bridge. behind them. We need to get across another way.”

“Is there another way?” I ask, fear curling in me now.

“Down the ravine and back up,” Jackson murmurs, nodding and pointing left along the trail, beyond the bridge. “It’s….harder, it will take time.”

“Well let’s go,” I say, standing up straight. But Jackson’s hand intercepts me, pulling me back

Emergency calls only)

down.

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15:43

“Impossible in the dark,” he murmurs, and I can see him shake his head. “Handholds, footholds…you could easily fall to your death.”

I don’t miss that he says that I could fall to my death. He doesn’t mention himself.

“So, what?” I ask, ignoring it. “First light?”

“First light,” he says, nodding. “We move along the ridge, get to a high point, get into position. Then, as soon as we can see…we move. Hope to hell nobody has projectiles, like you.” He nods to my crossbow.

“The only people who do will be marksmen,” I sigh. “And…the other two are close enough with me. They won’t take us out.”

“Trusting,” Jackson says, his voice sarcastic, like he clearly thinks that they might. But I ignore him as we both stand and move to the left along the cliff face. Again, I step where he steps, trusting the fact that if the stone can hold him it can certainly hold me. About fifteen minutes pass as we move along and I’m drenched in sweat, even in the cool night air, with the stress of having to balance so high and so precariously.

Finally, though, we come to another wide, flat area, this time with a slight overhang in the cliff face that creates a little shelter. I peer into it, a little worried it might already contain some wildlife, but Jackson moves towards it without a care.

“In,” he says, tossing his canteen beneath the overhang and taking off his backpack, dropping that too. I do as I’m told, sitting down and crossing my legs, unlooping the crossbow from my shoulder and placing it at my side along with the arrows as I look up at him. “There’s some fruit in there, and bread,” he says, gesturing towards the bag. “You should eat.”

“Well, you should too,” I mutter, pulling it towards me as I realize how hungry I really am.

“Nah, I don’t need it,” Jackson says, putting his hands on his hips and looking back the way that we came. “Eat as much as you want. I’ll be back by morning.”

And then my mouth drops open as Jackson begins to stride away.