Ross didn't give the guard a chance to stand up and yell. Jesse stumbled to the side as his mate shifted into his wolf form; Ross lunged at the guard, pinned him on the floor, and savagely tore at his body.

Jesse watched with a grimace as blood sprayed up the walls and onto the floorboards. Only when his mate reached his maw into the man's chest and gripped his heart did Jesse look away. He heard the crunching and chewing; knowing that Ross was devouring that guy made him feel nauseous, but rather that than getting caught.

They didn't speak as they rushed back the way Jesse had come. Ross returned to his human form, holding Jesse's hand firmly as he led his mate towards the service room. The patrolling guards were in the way, but the pair hid behind a thick pipe until they passed, and then they hurried into the service room.

Jesse led the way down the ladder, and when they got to the service floor, Ross grabbed his shoulders and pinned him against the wall. The man immediately kissed Jesse, and he could feel his mate's relief and appreciation.

"Thank you," Ross breathed, nuzzling the side of Jesse's face.

A faint smile graced Jesse's lips as he moved his arms around his mate. "You didn't think I was gonna leave you there, did you?"

"I didn't think you'd be able to pull something like that off."

As candid as ever, but Jesse wasn't surprised, nor did he blame him. He was admittedly a cowardly person, someone who fucked up and often made mistakes. But not this time. Saving Ross wasn't a mistake, and neither was what he was about to say. "I want to come with you," he said, his heart racing as nervousness engulfed him. He was terrified of the life that awaited him, but he knew that with Ross, he'd be safe.

"To Dor-Sanguis?" Ross asked, sounding a little surprised.

"Yes," he confirmed.

A relieved huff broke free of Ross' ragged breaths; he wrapped his arms around Jesse and held him tightly.

"And...I want...you to claim me," he added shyly.

He felt Ross smile against his cheek. "You do?" he asked, a hint of seduction in his voice.

Jesse nodded. But as much as he wanted to give in to the anticipation that suddenly swept over him, there wasn't time. "We need to get you somewhere safe before the guards know you're out again. They might suspect you'd come to me, so...I don't know. Maybe you can hide in the room next to me or something."

"We'll figure it out. Let's go," Ross said.

With a determined nod, Jesse took Ross' hand and led the way. He took his mate through the narrow corridors, following the path he'd taken earlier. When they reached the stairs, he hurried up, and then he quickly made his way to his new room, pulling Ross inside. He shut the door, and with a deep, relieved exhale, he relaxed his tense body.

"They put you in a storage room?" Ross questioned, glancing around.

"It's better than nothing," Jesse mumbled. He examined the wounds on Ross' body, his eyes darting from each cut, burn, and bruise. "Are you...okay?" he asked quietly.

Ross stopped looking around the room and set his sights on him. "Now that I'm here with you, yes," he answered.

Jesse smiled shyly and looked down at the floor. "We just have to hide you for twenty-four hours; we reach DeiganLupus tomorrow."

His mate glanced around again. "Maybe we can use the crates," he said and walked over to the stack of crates and barrels. "Take some of the shit out, create a false bottom."

Following him over there, Jesse frowned and asked, "But what if they empty the crates? They'll find you."

Ross shook his head as he opened a barrel, revealing its contents.

Wolfsbane flowers.

Jesse watched him lift the barrel and turn it upside down, pouring the thousands of small, powder-blue flowers onto the floor. His mate then took the lid of a slightly smaller barrel, which was filled with Uzlian Citrus, a very rare fruit used in powerful potions. He was tempted to take one, but before he could, Ross lifted and turned the barrel upside down, placing its exposed top on the floor and making the bottom look like its lid.

"I'll get in here," Ross said, tapping the larger barrel, "and I'll rest this on my back," he said, waving the lid at Jesse. "You'll have to fill the barrel back up with wolfsbane."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"Okay, but...what about the rest of it?" he asked, gesturing to the blue flowers. "There's still gonna be like half a million flowers on the floor."

"We'll dump the rest out the window."

There wasn't time to argue. It sounded like Ross knew what he was doing, so when his mate opened the window and started shovelling the flowers out, Jesse helped. Once they'd thrown half the pile out into the ocean, Ross climbed into the barrel. He held the smaller lid above himself, and Jesse began putting what remained of the flowers back inside. And to his relief, it looked like a normal barrel full of wolfsbane.

"Uh...so...it looks good," Jesse said. "But...are you gonna stay in there until we dock?"

"It's best that I do," Ross called from inside. "Better safe than sorry."

Jesse was admittedly disappointed. He wanted to see him, feel him, and lay on him. But Ross was right. The guards could burst in at any moment, especially since they all knew that Ross had been hiding with him after his first escape. He'd get to see his mate once they reached DeiganLupus.

"All right," he replied hesitantly. He sat beside the barrel, leaned against the crate beside it, and sighed quietly. "So...what's gonna happen when we get to Dor-Sanguis?"

"We'll meet with my pack," Ross answered. "And then we'll find some territory."

Jesse nodded, but his worries quickly resurfaced. "I just...well, I'm not gonna have to kill anyone, am I? I-I want to learn to use my sense and whatever better, but...I'm not a killer."

He heard Ross chuckle. "I know. And don't worry; you don't have to be like me to be with me. I won't make you do anything you don't want to do."

That reassured him. Of course, he was still nervous, but he had every reason to be. He was about to start a new, terrifying life...but it was with Ross, the man he'd been waiting his whole life to find.

But then came the despair. "Ross?"

"Mm."

"One of the guards...he told me...that you're a Night Crawler."

Ross didn't reply.

So Jesse continued, his heart aching. "And...that you slaughtered an entire village, killing hundreds for no reason, to cover up your tracks or something, and—"

"That place wasn't a village; it was a cultist hideout," Ross interjected.

Jesse frowned. "What?" He'd never heard of any cultists in Solitudinem.

"The Lupus Sicarius," he said. "They're a group of rogue vampires who hunt wolf walkers for sport. That village was a coven, and we killed every single one of them, doing the Strigoi's job for them."

The Strigoi: a Nosferatu division just like the Vârcolac, except they dealt with rogue vampires. Jesse knew them because his family often met with them. "So then why did the guard say nothing about that?"

"Because the Vârcolac despise me. I've killed hundreds of their friends; they'll say anything to make me out to be more of a monster than I already am."

Jesse didn't doubt him. He trusted him, so he believed him.

"I've killed a lot of people, Jesse; I'm not ashamed of how I make money, nor do I feel any guilt for wiping out a cult. But I've never killed someone because I enjoy it. I don't actively seek out villages and towns so that I can hunt, eat my fill, and leave."

"I believe you," he said, softly but firmly.

Ross shuffled around inside the barrel. "I need to get some rest, and you should do the same. Things are going to get a lot harder once we dock."

Jesse nodded. "Okay." He didn't want to go all the way over to his bed to sleep, so he grabbed his pillow and blankets and set them up beside the barrel. He made himself comfortable, relaxed, and closed his eyes. "Ross?"

"Mm," came his tired response.

"Despite...everything that's happened, I'm glad I found you."

"I'm glad you found me, too."

- ⥽ ◯ ⥼ -

A loud knock woke Jesse.

His heart immediately raced as he shot up. He hurriedly moved his blankets and pillow away from the barrel, but just as he was about to run to the door, he realized that he was still wearing the maintenance outfit. He quickly pulled it off, shoved it into his open suitcase, and then opened the door.

"S-sorry," he said, huffing, looking up at the Vârcolac guard. "I was sleeping and had to throw some clothes on."

"Move aside," he said.

Jesse did as he was told and watched the guard enter. It was only then that he realized it was daytime. Sunlight shone in through the window, illuminating the room as the man searched it, lifting the cot, checking behind the crates. As he got closer to the one that Ross was hiding inside, Jesse began to feel like he was going to throw up. He stifled a breath, his body tensing, and when the man lifted the lid and revealed the layer of wolfsbane flowers, Jesse almost gagged.

The Vârcolac guard grunted, dragging his fingers over the flowers, shuffling a few of them around. But then he put the lid back on and started searching the others. "You see anything? Hear anything?" he asked as he searched.

"No," Jesse answered.

"The prisoner has escaped again," he said, turning to face Jesse. "Since you were the one he came to, our General is stationing me outside your door until we reach DeiganLupus. You will keep the door locked at all times, and if you need anything, you ask me. Understand?"

Jesse wanted to protest. If there was a guard outside his door, how was he supposed to talk to Ross? How was he supposed to get Ross out? And although it wasn't as important, how was he going to tell the Vârcolac General that Sophie wanted to meet?

He was taking too long to answer. "Y-yes," he said, nodding.

The guard walked past him and stepped out into the hall.

"There was one thing," Jesse said.

"Yes?"

"Uh...your General. Sophie, one of the stewardesses, asked if he'd have a coffee with her. I was wondering if you could pass the message on?"

The guard raised an eyebrow, but he nodded a single nod and grunted, "I'll pass it on." He then pulled the door shut.

Jesse exhaled and went over to the barrel. At least he'd paid Sophie back for her help. Now, all he had to do was wait for the ship to reach DeiganLupus.

He grabbed his pillow and slumped down beside Ross' barrel. Leaning as close as he possibly could, he whispered, "We'll be there soon."

Ross didn't reply.

Of course he didn't. He was right. Jesse should shut up.

With a quiet sigh, Jesse lay down and gazed at the window, watching the sky pass by. DeiganLupus wasn't far away, and soon, he'd be disembarking with his mate and starting an entirely new life. He was nervous, and he was afraid, but he was also excited. He'd yearned for this for as long as he could remember, and he was ready to do whatever it took to be with his soulmate.