Free Sanctuary (A Hunted Novel Book 1) by Bethany Shaw Page B

noise. With any luck, we will be the ones pursued and you’ll be left alone. The last thing we want is for our enemies to follow us back to Sanctuary.”
    “The council—” Ray began to argue.
    “I’ll deal with them when I get home,” Nate cut him off. “Let’s go. Hunters can’t be too far behind us.” He placed his hand on Tess’ forearm and led her to his car. He opened the passenger door and motioned to the seat. “Get in.”
    Tess thought about snapping at him about giving her orders, but thought better of it. He was doing what she wanted after all. Best not to try his patience.
    She slipped into the vehicle and buckled up as Nate hopped in the other side.
    Nate jammed the key in the ignition and revved the engine loudly. Tess raised her brow in question as she watched him. Apparently he’d been serious about drawing their enemies’ attention. She gripped the door handle tightly. They were about to become the bait, and no doubt would be followed and chased.
    The tires screeched as Nate punched the accelerator. Tess took in a sharp breath as they sped down the road. Here we go. I hope he knows what he’s doing because I really don’t want to get shot again.
    She watched the tree line, searching for movement. Their enemy had no doubt heard the cars loud engine. Now they just needed to find out where the Hunters were hiding so they could take evasive maneuvers. A blur of green jackets raced down an embankment. Got you . “Nate,” she hissed, pointing with her free hand to an opening in the trees. The group of hunters came to a stop when they reached the blacktop and drew their weapons, aiming them at the car.
    “Keep your head down,” Nate yelled as the car roared with speed.
    Tess ducked down. Gunshots rang out, and she cringed as one pinged against the car. Crap. That was too close for comfort.
    She gasped as the car jerked wildly to the right. Oh God was he hit? She glanced up and let out a relieved breath. Nate appeared to be fine. She tensed as bullets ricocheted off the car. Glass clinked and Nate dove, protecting her body with his. The vehicle swerved violently as he tried to steer without looking. Please don’t crash. Glass crackled and then shattered, she flinched waiting for the shards to slice though her, but they didn’t. She turned and let out a relieved breath. It was the back glass. They must have passed by them. Almost in the clear.
    Quickly Nate sat up and glanced in the rearview mirror. “I think we’re good now. Are you hurt?”
    “No. You?” she asked, gazing over at him. His cobalt eyes met hers briefly before flicking back to the road. She didn’t see any cuts on him.
    “I’m good,” he answered.
    She closed her eyes and let out a long, relieved breath. They were safe for the moment, but she feared the safety would be short lived. “Well,” she started, smoothing her hair out of her face. “I think it’s safe to say they’re going to be coming this direction.”
    “That’s a safe assumption,” he agreed. “Don’t worry, we won’t make any stops for a while. They can’t track us if we stay in the car. They’ll lose our trail before they even get started. I’ve traveled through Kentucky a lot. I know my way around.”
    “Thank you,” Tess replied. “I hope you won’t be in too much trouble when you get home.” She shivered as a draft from the back worked its way to the front seat. It was going to be a cold ride without any glass to keep the elements out.
    Nate reached forward and turned on the heat. “We’ll just have to blast this until we can get something over the back window,” he started. “If we’d have gone back, I don’t know when the next opportunity to find your family would be. I know what it’s like to want to look for your loved one’s but not be able to,” he murmured.
    “I thought your family was all at Sanctuary?” Tess asked curiously. That’s what he’d said, right? Did I miss something?
    Nate sighed heavily and gripped the