Chapter 6

Which wasn’t all that reassuring. Fuck, why joke about the worst thing that could happen with someone who’d probably mentally come up with all kinds of disasters already?

Hell, I’m the biggest fucking disaster right now.

“Follow our tracks in the mud, you’ll be fine.” Pike tried turning his ankle, his stomach flipping as warmth trickled down over his foot. He’d just keep that to himself before he sent Danny into a damn panic attack. “We’ve been gone a while, they might even meet you halfway.”

“That’s true.” Danny’s throat worked, but he gave a firm nod, rubbing Pike’s shoulders before he set off at a run.

Tugging the jackets tighter around himself, Pike focused on the sound of Danny’s sneakers until it faded to nothing. Then he stared up at the moon, trying to ignore the lap of the waves getting closer. And closer.

They’re going to find me.

He’d give anything to hear one of them yelling right now. Any of them.

Seth is going to chain me to the fucking bed, just like Jamie and Wren talked about their Doms doing. And I will fucking love every second.

Maybe the fighting would stop after this. Someone almost dying was a good reason to call a truce, right?

So’s a funeral.

The icy water caressing his fingers. He jerked his hand away, his whole body shaking as he took in the blackness creeping over the sand.

Blocking off the slicing pain along his ankle, jaw clenched, Pike moved as far as he could from the water. Stared in the direction of the trees he couldn’t make out anymore. “Seth!” His pulse pounded in his ears. “Quint! Is anyone there?”

Biting cold washed into the crevice, numbing his foot and his ankle.

There was no answer.

Only the ocean that glimmered in the moonlight. Beautiful enough that he wanted to immortalize with paint. Try some of the new techniques Noah had shown him. Near the nice big fireplace.

With that damn mug of warm milk he should have gotten and brought back to bed with him.

And some cookies. Maybe some leftover stew.

His stomach growled and he let out a soft laugh. “I was so damn worried about starving. Why didn’t I think about drowning? Much more realistic.” He tipped his head back, bracing his hands behind him. Almost jumped right out of his fucking skin as a shadow moved closer.

He couldn’t tell what it was at first.

Probably some kind of animal.

“Wonderful. I’m gonna get eaten by a bear before I drown.” He pressed his eyes shut. “I should have asked Danny for some predictions before he left. Totally didn’t see this coming.”

There was a familiar sound, like someone clicking their tongue. Not something bears did, as far as he knew.

I’m losing my mind.

He really had to be, because now he really was seeing things.

Like Avery, standing a few feet away, arms folded over his chest, hip braced against the side of a bolder.

“If I was gonna imagine someone before I die, I wouldn’t have thought it would be you.” Pike lifted one hand to rub it over his face. “If Avery was here, he’d be helping me. So you’ve got to be a mirage or something.”

Avery snickered, shaking his head and freeing one hand. A blade flashed as he flipped it idly in the air. “I can’t help you, I have my orders.”

Okay, that sounded like something Avery would say. Pike frowned, sitting up. “You were ordered to watch me… Fuck, that makes sense. Rhodey wanted to make sure the job was done and no one would ever know what happened to me. And I just made shit easier for him.”

“Nope.” Avery flipped the knife again. “Wren was assigned to make sure you couldn’t get a signal out. I’m here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

Pike stared at him. “Well you’re doing a shit job of it. In case you didn’t notice, I’m stuck.”

Inclining his head, Avery flipped the knife again. “That’s gotta suck. What are you going to do about it?”

“Ask really nicely for some help?” Pike tried for his sweetest tone, chewing at his bottom lip when Avery shook his head. “You can’t be serious. Come on, man. Do you want me to beg? I’ll fucking beg. I’ll do whatever you want. Please, just get me out of here.”

That got him a dry look. “That’s not how training works.”

Lips parted, Pike struggled to make sense of the other sub’s words. “You mean...this is some kind of test?”

“Mhm.” Avery tucked the knife out of sight, crossing the distance between them to crouch down beside Pike. “And you’re failing.”

“I didn’t ask to be trained!” Pike jerked at his ankle, bile rising in his throat at another spill of warmth that quickly cooled in the water covering his foot. “I didn’t ask for any of this!”

Avery’s brow lifted. “Sure you did. The second you and Danny walked out the front door.”

“He was hurting! I wanted to help him, I wanted to do something decent for once in my stupid fucking life. Something that didn’t involve anyone getting dead.” Pike drew in a measured breath. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Cut off my fucking foot?” He eyed the place under Avery’s black jacket sleeve where the knife had vanished. “Can I borrow your knife?”

The edge of Avery’s lips twitched as he stretched out his hand, letting the knife drop into his palm in a smooth motion. “Sure, but I’d start with trying to get your sneaker off first if I were you.”

Cheeks heating, Pike took the knife and bent as close as possible to where his foot was stuck. “You’re a horrible fucking teacher.”

“You’re right. Giving you the answer is cheating.” Avery sat down beside him, dipping his fingers in the water that was now soaking into Pike’s jeans. “You should probably hurry. Hypothermia isn’t much fun.”

“Neither is bleeding to death.” Pike tried to angle the blade close to his laces, but he couldn’t quite reach without risking cutting himself. And by the jagged mess of the skin of his ankle, he probably didn’t need another injury. “Avery...I’m serious. I can’t…”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Avery took his knife back. Then peered into the hole, sucking in air through his teeth. “Shit. You weren’t supposed to actually get hurt. Rhodey’s going to be pissed.”

“Before or after he writes my grade on my fucking tombstone?”

“Don’t be a drama queen. It’s only cute when Danny does it.”

Despite himself, Pike laughed. “Fine, this probably won’t kill me, but will you help me now?”

A quick nod, then Avery maneuvered his hand in, carefully cutting the lace on Pike’s sneaker. He set the knife aside, dipping his hand in again. Gave Pike’s foot a firm tug.

Then cursed again. “We’re gonna need to go back to basics and teach you how to freakin’ walk. It’s not coming out. We need something to pry up that rock.”

“Which is what Danny was going to get.” Pike trembled, grateful when Avery put an arm around his shoulders, the other sub’s body heat at least making the cold a bit more bearable. “So...now what?”

Avery lifted his shoulders. “I guess we both fail.”

“No fucking shit, Sherlock.” Pike huffed out a breath. “I mean what do we do?”

For a few beats, there was only the sound of the waves, rushing closer. His own inhales, exhales, too sharp and short. He had to look over to make sure Avery was still there, the other man was so quiet.

And when he finally spoke, his words weren’t very reassuring.

“We wait.”