Theron’s POV
Panic surged through my system as I hoisted Lara to her feet. Her eyes were wide with confusion, tears still glistening on her cheeks, but she was with me now. I couldn’t let anything happen to her.
“Come on!” I urged, my voice sharp with urgency as I pulled her toward the exit. The alarm sounded deafening, but I pushed through the adrenaline, focusing solely on getting us to safety.
We sped through the dimly lit corridor, the walls blurring as we raced toward the main hall. I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was slipping away. Grayson was waiting outside, and everything depended on a clean escape.
“Where is Grayson?” Lara gasped, but there was no time to answer.
Bursting outside, the cool night air hit us like a rush of relief. The chaos of the kingdom loomed behind us, but right now, we were free. My eyes scanned for the car that Grayson had waiting for us.
“There!” I shouted, spotting the vehicle parked under the shelter of a tree. I pushed Lara toward it, my heart racing with determination. We had to leave quickly, but as I fumbled for the door, the sound of shouting suddenly cut through the air.
“Theron! Lara!” Alex’s voice echoed behind us, and I turned to see him barreling toward us, fury etched across his face.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, panic tightening my chest as apprehension rolled over me.
“Where’s Eliza?” he demanded, eyes searching mine, wild with worry.
“What do you mean, where’s Eliza? She was just with us—” I started, but my heart began to sink as I realised she had not been behind us when we started to leave the castle.
“She wasn’t with you?” Alex’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade. “What do you mean? She was just here!”
My world spun—Eliza. I’d been so focused on getting Lara out that I hadn’t noticed Eliza was no longer behind me. My breath caught in my throat as dread chilled my bones.
Where was she?
“Damn it!” I cursed under my breath as I returned to the castle, desperate to retrace my steps.
At that moment, a roar erupted from the kingdom's gates as if scripted by fate. We turned just in time to see a car speeding into the distance, its headlights cutting a white path through the darkened landscape. My blood ran cold as understanding rushed over me.
“Morgan?” Lara yelled out in disbelief.
“That’s her!” Alex shouted, pointing toward the fleeting vehicle. “That’s Eliza!”
Alarm flushed over us again as we watched the car vanish into the night. My heart sank, a lead weight dragging me down. The echoes of my heartbeats felt like the drum of impending doom.
“The hell! They’re taking her!” Alex roared, fists clenching at his sides, barely able to process the reality of what was happening.
“No!” Lara cried, her voice thick with fear, and I turned to face her as her expression shifted from confusion to dawning horror. “Morgan—he’s escaped. He has Eliza!”
Morgan. The name sent a cold shiver down my spine. He had always been a shadow lurking in the fringes. I should have killed him years ago! And now he had Eliza.
“Get in!” Grayson shouted, urgency breaking through his fury. “We need to follow them!”
I nodded, my gut twisting with anger and fear as I hopped into the driver’s seat, Lara sliding in next to me. Alex climbed into the back, and I slammed the door, the harsh sound echoing in the silence that had fallen over us.
The engine roared, and my hands tightened around the steering wheel. I punched the gas, flying out of the parking lot, eyes glued to the road ahead.
“We have to catch up to that car!” Alex barked.
“I can’t lose her, Alex!” I shot back, the reality of the situation crashing down on me like a tidal wave. “We can’t let Morgan take her away!”
As we sped down the road, the faint glimmer of the car’s lights in the distance faded, and a deep-seated fear gripped me. The world around us blurred, but my focus narrowed. Eliza was out there, and I had to bring her back—no matter the cost.
“Hold on, Eliza,” I whispered, a promise for her alone. We were coming. I wouldn’t stop until she was safe.
“Where did they go?!” Alex shouted from the backseat, his urgency palpable. I stole a glance in the rearview mirror—his face was taut, eyes burning with worry. At that moment, I understood his fury; it echoed my own.
“I don’t know,” I replied, forcing my focus back to the road ahead. But we’ll find them. We have to.” My voice was steady, but deep inside, a whirlpool of dread churned. Every second we lost was another moment for them to get further away; another moment Eliza could be at Morgan's mercy.
“Damn it!” Alex spat, the frustration leaking through his voice. “I should have stayed with her.”
The landscape whizzed by in a blur as we caught a glimpse of the highway, but the headlights faded quickly. My heart sank deeper—if we didn’t catch up soon, we might lose them altogether.
“Can you see them?” I asked, my voice strained with urgency. “Do you see where they went?”
Alex leaned forward, twisting in his seat as we rounded a bend. “I can’t see anything!” A pang of panic seeped into his voice, and it struck me how crucial this moment was.
“They could have turned!” I asserted, my focus tightening as I scanned for any signs of movement. “Find the road that leads around the outskirts of the city!”
Lara’s eyes darted between us, filled with determination despite her fear. “We’ll catch them,” she said, though her voice was barely above a whisper. “We have to.”
Another twist in the road brought us to a fork, and I had to decide. My gut churned, a heavy knot pulling at my insides. “Left!” I shouted, veering sharply without a moment’s hesitation.
I felt the car jerk as I rounded the corner, my knuckles white against the wheel. The adrenaline coursed through my veins like fire; I needed to be set ablaze with purpose, channelling all my thoughts onto that fleeting vehicle I knew Eliza was trapped in. And then I remembered how they moved—how Morgan knew how to disappear into the night.
“Lara, do you know if they have a plan?” I asked suddenly, glancing at her. It could give us an edge if she had any detailed knowledge of Morgan. “Where would he go?”
Lara shook her head, her expression grim. “They must have a safe house. Something hidden. He wouldn’t want anyone to find them. It's all about getting her to a place where he can control everything.”
“Then we move faster,” I decided, my voice fierce because there was no room for doubt. “If we can get to the last location he was known to use, we might catch them off guard.”
“Rylan would know.” Grayson suddenly said, causing me to grunt. Of course. They would have an idea.
“We need to go to Creek. NOW!” Alex demanded, and I suddenly spun the car around, causing the wheels to shriek as I did so. “If anything happens to my sister, then he will be dead meat!” Alex growled.