Within five minutes, Jordan and I were cradling mugs of steaming hot chocolate, and I was warm for the first time since I’d left the river. We sat in the living room where Jordan and Derek kept up a steady conversation, while I watched the clock and waited for Derek’s friend to arrive.

At five minutes after six, a knock came at the door, and I was so jittery I nearly spilled hot chocolate over me. A tall blond man in his early twenties let himself in. I recognized him from the party. Derek reintroduced us to Wes, and we wasted no time in getting down to business.

“You got the money I transferred this morning?” Jordan asked Wes.

“I did, thanks.” He reached inside his coat and pulled out some folded papers. “Here’s the title and registration. I filled the tank and checked the oil. She’s good to go.”

“Perfect.” I stood and carried my mug to the kitchen. “Thanks for taking care of this on such short notice, Wes. And thanks for the hot chocolate, Derek.”

Derek followed me. “You seem to be in a hurry. Is everything okay?”

I rinsed my cup and faced him. He looked genuinely concerned, and I tried to think of something to reassure him.

Jordan answered for me. “We’re supposed to meet some friends in Boise tonight.” The dazzling smile she turned on Derek made him forget whatever he was going to say, and he merely nodded instead. I hid my smile. Jordan was lethal in more ways than one.

Wes laughed. “Something tells me Boise better watch out.”

“You have no idea.” Jordan grinned and held up her hand. “Keys?”

He pulled a set from his pocket and handed them to her. “You do know how to drive a stick, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “Who doesn’t?”

I decided to keep silent on that subject.

Derek and Wes accompanied us outside where an older model white Ford Escort sat in the driveway. We thanked both men. Then I hurried to the car, hoping the heater worked well. Damn, it was cold outside tonight.

“Hold on a sec.” Derek ran inside and returned a minute later with two fleece jackets. “Here, take these before you freeze to death.”

I refused them because I doubted we’d be able to return them anytime soon, but he waved it off. “My mother keeps buying them for me, and I have more than I’ll ever use,” he argued.

“Thanks.” I pulled on one of the jackets and handed the other to Jordan. We slid into the front seats, waved to Derek and Wes, and pulled away.

“And we’re off!” Jordan let out a whoop and gave me a wide smile. “Next stop, Boise.”

“Let’s get out of town first and then we can celebrate.” I glanced around, expecting to feel a telltale brush against my mind at any second. Butler Falls was only five miles from Westhorne, and it wouldn’t take Nikolas long to get mobile and come after us. This was my only shot at leaving. If they caught me now, there would be no second chance. Nikolas would make sure of that.

Jordan and I were tense as we sped through town as fast as we could go without drawing attention to us. At one point, a dark SUV appeared behind us, and my heart leaped into my throat until the vehicle turned into a grocery store parking lot. By the time we reached the highway exit, my stomach was tied in painful knots and Jordan’s knuckles were white from clenching the steering wheel. We both released audible sighs when we merged onto the highway and picked up speed.

After we put a few miles behind us, Jordan began fiddling with the radio, and I turned up the heater to warm my cold feet. I missed my boots, but they had been too bulky to fit inside my coat with my change of clothes. Someone definitely would have noticed and our getaway would have been over before it had even started.

I still couldn’t believe we had pulled it off. Westhorne was going to be in an uproar when they realized Jordan and I were gone. I’d left letters explaining why I was leaving, though I didn’t expect them to placate the people who read them.

Nate had been through so much lately, and he was going to be very upset when he heard what I’d done. But I was doing this for him and everyone else I cared about. None of us was safe as long as the Master was alive. Our only connection to him was Madeline, and I was sure I could find her with David’s help. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe that.

Nate wasn’t the only one who would be upset. An ache settled in my chest when I thought about Nikolas. Already, I missed him and I wondered how long it would be before I saw him again. In the back of my mind, a sad voice whispered, Solmi. My Mori couldn’t understand why we were leaving Nikolas and his Mori behind. For once, I had no words of comfort for it.

I pictured Nikolas’s reaction when he discovered I was gone. I hadn’t talked to him since we had argued about his plans to take me away and hide me from the Master. He’d come to my room twice, but I wouldn’t open the door even though it had been so hard to feel him nearby and not go to him. Nikolas was astute, and he would have known I was planning something as soon as he’d seen my face.

He’d left me alone after that, but he’d made it clear that he knew me a little better than I’d accused him of. When I’d left my room to go to the menagerie, Niall and Seamus had materialized beside me and accompanied me there. They hadn’t left my side when I’d taken Hugo and Woolf out, though I could tell they were nervous around the hellhounds. On my way back to the main building we were met by Chris who took over babysitting duty. Nikolas might have been giving me space, but he hadn’t been taking any chances either.