That was everything she needed to express. Jayce knelt and began to dismantle the boards until he discovered her. The wood fractured under his grasp; he pushed it aside and found himself towering over her like a deity illuminating her presence. Molly suspended her breath, contemplating whether he could perceive her presence.
Jayce promptly descended into the darkness and grasped her outstretched hands. Jayce lifted her from the shadows and into his embrace.
His warmth encompassed her entirely. She had never experienced greater safety or relief from a singular touch. It was as if all her apprehension dissipated the moment she felt his touch. Molly had never experienced the sensation of having someone evoke such feelings within her.
Jayce embraced Molly, securing her in his arms more tightly than anyone had previously done. His powerful arms held her firmly as her feet hung above the ground. It resembled a dream from which she wished to remain undisturbed. It is peculiar that he was once the source of all her nightmares. He had become the sole vision she desired to encounter each night upon closing her eyes.
“I believed I had lost you,” Jayce murmured near her ear. Molly did not require her wolf to dictate her emotions; for once, she permitted herself to experience all her feelings for him. All the relief, anguish, and affection that endeavoured to submerge her and obliterate her existence. Hearing his voice and recognising his profound yearning for her, equal to her own, made it all worthwhile.
It seemed as though a decade had elapsed while simultaneously feeling like no time had passed. From a single touch, she discerned that she occupied his thoughts entirely since their separation. Although he never confessed it directly to her, she was aware of its veracity. How could it possibly not be?
“You arrived for me,” was all Molly could articulate. Jayce withdrew for the first time and positioned her in front of him to observe her more distinctly. His cerulean eyes were nearly dazzling to her fatigued heart.
“Indeed, I arrived for you,” he stated while clasping her waist. Molly beheld his appearance and nearly lost consciousness due to the extensive blood that enveloped him. She harboured minimal doubts that it all belonged to individuals who had obstructed him. His shirt was ripped down the centre, and she recognised that he had not transformed into his wolf form. He approached her with a fierce determination that he executed with his bare hands. Every part of her resonated with anticipation at the thought. She could nearly visualise him on a battlefield in her imagination. She regretted missing the outpouring of his rage.
“Did they injure you?” Jayce enquired through clenched teeth. Molly observed the door he had torn from its hinges, noting blood smeared across the walls. She briefly contemplated whether Joseph was involved in that massacre, and a sorrowful part of her ached. Despite his actions towards her, she would not have desired their journey to conclude in that manner. No individual warranted that treatment.
“No. They merely placed me in dim environments, but I am generally fine,” Molly stated.
A flicker of anger still graced his countenance. She desired to erase it with a mere touch.
“What transpired? I overheard a portion of their plans merely a few hours prior. I was completely unaware that it would occur,” Molly stated softly. She was excessively apprehensive to venture into the hallway and possibly encounter dismembered body parts and faces of individuals she scarcely recognised. Although she had conversed with them for mere seconds, the sight would have haunted her.
Colton believed it prudent to remain at the camp until our scheduled meeting, whereas I contended that we should arrive early in the event that you were already present. Jayce narrowed his eyes, though not directed at her. “I persuaded him to proceed, and midway, we were ambushed by hundreds of rogues, as if an army had emerged from nowhere.”
“An army? They must have been strategising for a significantly longer duration than I anticipated… How did you succeed in escaping?”
I swiftly navigated through a queue of them and arrived here directly’, Jayce grumbled. His hands gripped her body as though he feared she would vanish at any moment if he did not maintain his hold. Molly reclined against him, suggesting she shared the sentiment.
He turned his head abruptly towards the door, gesturing for her to remain silent, and she suppressed the question that threatened to emerge. Voices erupted in frantic exclamations upon discovering the chaos left by Jayce. He tightened his grip on her hand as he propelled her towards an opposing door.
“It may have guards stationed outside,” Molly cautioned. Jayce paused to contemplate.
“We must exit through one of the windows,” he whispered, guiding her behind several benches. There existed a low window that she believed would not open readily. Jayce seized the frame and elevated it with a harsh creak that undoubtedly alerted the guards outside the room.
Jayce grasped Molly’s waist and effortlessly elevated her through the opening. She descended gently into a snowbank, yet the impact still inflicted pain upon her ankles. She bit her lip until it nearly bled to suppress her screams. She pondered when her body would ultimately succumb. At any moment, she might disintegrate, and she was convinced she would be unable to recover.
Jayce collapsed beside her moments later. He gazed at her face and grasped her cheeks to direct her attention towards him. “What is it?”
“I believe I twisted my ankles when I fell into the hole.”
A shadowy expression momentarily crossed Jayce’s face. She suppressed her fear and recalled the man who cupped her face in his hands. He could effortlessly fracture her neck without a moment’s hesitation, yet he cradled her gently as though she were a fragile blossom.
Jayce rose and cradled her in his arms as though she were a bride. Molly typically would have opposed it, but she recognised that it was an imprudent choice. He transported her through the snow, scrutinising every corner before proceeding directly towards the trees. They had mere seconds before her absence was detected.
Moments prior to the onset of a new phase of conflict. It was merely a question of timing.
Jayce maintained his breathlessness as he swiftly navigated through the trees. She refrained from enquiring about their destination, trusting solely that he was aware of the appropriate course. The greater the distance from the church, the more advantageous it is. Joseph indicated that hundreds of guards were surveilling the area; she merely contemplated how many Jayce had dispatched himself prior to locating her. Nonetheless, hundreds more may still be awaiting.
