All at once, a flash of light followed by a force so strong behind her threw her hard to the ground. Her hands and face stung from the sudden impact of the cemented surface. Everything went silent as she blinked her eyes profusely while she tried to get to the bottom of what happened; her eyes then landed on a piece of paper floating down in front of her. It was burning as steam floated off of it. Her ears felt muffled, similar to how they feel before they pop on an aeroplane.

Groaning, she turned her body around on the ground and gasped as her eyes widened and her mouth gaped at what she saw before her. The building, the prison of a place she had been kept in, burnt brightly as flames engulfed it; the windows were shattered, and debris flew up in the air. Another building behind it exploded, making the ground vibrate.

Aila’s ears started to ring as a muffled voice increased in volume.

“Is it done?”

“All evidence is destroyed.”

“Is the she-wolf out?”

“Got her here.”

“Good. See you later.”

Her head whipped to the side at the sounds of the voices. Connor hung up on the phone; the noise was loud, indicating he was using the loudspeaker. Aila tried to back away from him, but he was too quick and jerked her up from the ground.

“You blew up the building!?” She sobbed.

Connor didn’t reply and instead stabbed her in the neck with her second injection of wolfsbane. Her head jolted back as she tried to inhale as much air as possible to help breathe through the pain, but it didn’t work; fire burned through her blood from her neck, making her body tremble. When the trembling subsided, Aila growled loudly; her chest vibrated from the simmering anger she felt.

Connor gritted his teeth; he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her towards the car, an annoyed expression on his face that she was still yet to fall unconscious.

“You killed them!” She screamed; she couldn’t hold back her sorrow, her anger, a tidal wave of emotions was now consuming her as reality slapped her across the face.

Ajax.

Finn.

Gabriel.

They were dead.

They were all dead; these heartless animals killed them. Aila’s heart dropped to her stomach; her breathing almost stopped as her friends faces flashed before her eyes. Each one of them, innocent, taken away from their families, tortured for years and now dead. It was unforgivable, and if she managed to escape, she would seek justice for them, starting with Silas. She was now the last remaining person of the Prisoners Club.

Connor stopped walking and yanked her hair down, so her chin tilted up; he grasped her face roughly in one hand,

“Yes, they are all dead. Because of you.”

“No,” She whispered; she felt a lump in her throat, making it hard to swallow and breathe.

“Its. All. Your. Fault.”

“NO!” She roared and pushed him on the chest, but he did not budge and instead laughed at her futile attempt to hurt him.

“None of this is my fault. It’s yours!” She screamed in his face.

Her breathing became erratic as her emotions ran wild along with the wolfsbane that urged her temper to bubble to the surface. Connor let her hair go; unaware of the storm whirling inside of her, he backhanded her. Another growl erupted from her chest; her eyes glowed while her nails extended into claws. Aila kneed him in between his legs, causing him to crouch forwards; she immediately pulled his head down, slamming it against her rising knee. Holding him by his shirt, she viciously scratched him across the face, and as she balled her fist up, ready to punch him, she felt another pair of hands on her.

Aila was pulled away from him. She felt manic as she struggled against her assailant behind her, kicking her legs out and moving her restrained arms frantically. Taking a deep breath in, she pretended to calm down, which made the hunter relax just a fraction. Once she felt his hold on her loosen the slightest, she elbowed him in the ribs, then smacked the back of her head into his; the contact made him release her immediately. When she turned around, he was bent forwards, clutching his nose; she wasted no more time, grabbing his head, she smacked it against the car window and let him fall to the floor unconscious.

She glanced inside the car and saw the keys already in the ignition, and when her attention went to the window’s reflection, she saw how her eyes were glowing a brilliant blue. She wanted to look again at how beautiful they were, but time was of the essence. The sound of flames from the burning building filled her ears, reminding her of her fallen friends and how she needed to escape for them. Stifling a sob, she bit her lip and pushed her mind into action.

She stumbled around the front of the car, noting how the first car was long gone by now. Aila almost laughed at the thought of driving with her hands bound and her legs restricted, but it was an opportunity she was not going to waste. Freedom was nearly in her grasp; she could feel it. Her muscles tensed in anticipation. She only needed to get in the car and drive away.

However, when she made it to the other side of the car, Connor also rounded the backside of the car; he reached into the back of his pants and produced a gun. Aila’s eyes widened as he stopped and pointed it at her.

“Stop right there, you fucking mutt!”

Aila halted and stared down at the pistol in his hands; she then glanced back up at Connor’s bloody face. She needed to stall him so she could think about what to do next.

“How could you kill everyone? Even your friends?” She managed to keep her voice from stuttering as she eyed the gun again.

Connor scoffed at her,

“It’s in our line of work. We know what we are getting ourselves into. Now shut. The fuck. Up! Get in the car. NOW!” He opened the door while his other hand still aimed the gun at her.

Aila couldn’t help it; she growled back at him, her eyes glowing a bright blue again.

“Aww, the wolf wants to come out and play? Too bad playtimes over, I will shoot you.” He smirked at her.

Aila ignored his threat and sauntered her way towards him as if she were going towards the car’s back seat. But she continued to walk, coming closer to the boot where he stood, her head tilted to the side as she scrutinised him.

“Go on, then, do it!” She shouted, encouraging him.

He clicked the safety off while he continued to watch her, but she was not afraid, so she kept walking as she stared down the barrel of the gun. She placed her hand on top of it and aimed it directly at her forehead, leaning into it. Moments passed as their eyes were locked with one another’s. This time, she did not look away from the devil’s stare. His finger hesitated on the trigger then moved off onto the trigger guard.

Aila burst out laughing and stepped away from him. Connor’s lips twisted as he glared at her. She began to circle him, each step intently slow, her eyes locked with his,

“You can’t kill me. You have orders. I’m too important for your little army.”

“Accidents still happen,” He spat back at her.

“You and I both know Silas won’t believe that. He’s the sort of man who will hunt you down for ruining his plans. Now I don’t know why I am so important, but by the sounds of it, he was looking for me for years. You kill me. Your life is over.”

Where the hell was this confidence coming from?! This was not the time to see if Connor, of all people, was bluffing with a fricken GUN!

Although her mind was in a panic, her face was composed. Even staring at the despicable man in front of her, she kept her disgust off her face. He was easily angered, and she needed to keep it under control. Or he would shoot.

“I don’t give a shit about Silas’s plans. I’ll take much more pleasure in killing you.”

Aila’s face dropped as she watched his finger go back to the trigger.

Her eyes widened; she should have known better. Connor was adamant about killing her from the beginning; he disobeyed Silas’ orders on the first day of her abduction.

BANG!

Aila stopped walking and gasped. The air left her lungs sharply.

The noise reverberated across the parking lot, deafening the sound of the ongoing flames from the burning building in the starry night sky. Aila’s eyes were still locked with Connors as she clutched her stomach.