Is that the group of men you were concerned about?” Sage asks close to my ear so no one can hear.

I nod my head. “We need a plan. Now that they know where we are going, they are going to follow us. We don’t need a messy fight on the plane. People could get hurt. Do you have your phone?”

Sage pulls it out and says, “Right here.”

“Order tickets for the soonest plane to anywhere but Texas.”

She looks at her phone as discretely as possible and then looks at me. I take the phone from her and see she has ordered tickets for the next plane to Atlanta, Georgia.

“We will wait until they board the plane. We can’t let them see us leave. Pretend you forgot something in the bathroom, and I will say I need to wait for you.”

Sage nods her head. “I really hope this works. But if it doesn’t…”

“We fight. This shouldn’t be a surprise to you.” I’m trying hard not to let her see how tired I am of all this. I’m the one who got us in this mess, and I need to stay strong.

“I’m sick of fighting. I’m also sick of fearing that each day will be my last.” Sage stops talking as she sees the men sit down. Her shaky hands fumble around as she puts her cell phone back in her purse.

I look at the men who are clearly Hunters. I wonder if they think they are being secretive. I laugh to myself as I think about how stupid they really are. It’s obvious they’re following us. I’ve also noticed the Hunters are working in larger groups now. A little intimidating, but I know one thing for sure: I won’t go down without a fight.

I scan the group of men as soon as I notice them not looking in our direction. I don’t see all seven of them, so I shift my eyes to the window where I find the seventh guy. He is leaning slightly against the window that looks out onto the runway, hands in his jean pockets, gazing out into the night. His whole demeanor is intimidating. He is tall, slender, and carries himself in a way that makes him appear to be far superior to any other being. His eyes seem made of dark shadows, almost mystifying. I might actually find him attractive if he weren’t here for my blood. I look away when he glances in my direction.

My heart starts pounding, and I can still feel his icy stare locked in on me. The lady at the desk announces they are now ready to load the plane, and I give Sage a knowing look. She nods.

We make our way to the back of the line. I’m trying my best to keep calm. It’s taking every ounce of self-control not to start blowing their brains out. We are standing directly behind them. It would be so easy.

“Oh, shit! I think I left something in the bathroom! Can you wait for me?” Sage says and walks away quickly.

I stand here and act as if I’m waiting. When it seems like Sage has been gone long enough, I look at the lady taking the tickets. “I should probably go check on her.”

“You will miss your flight, ma’am.”

“We will just have to catch the next one! Sorry!” I hurry towards the women’s bathroom and see Sage leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.

“The next plane leaves in ten minutes!” She yells and takes her phone from her purse.

We both run to the next plane loading area and hurry to get in the line. When it is our turn, Sage shows the tickets on the phone to the man, and he scans it. Once through the gate, we hurry and take our seats. I sigh in relief as I scan the plane and see that no one threatening is aboard. Or at least I hope there isn’t.

“I can’t believe we ditched them! Damn, what a rush!” Sage laughs and places her purse down by her feet.

I laugh and smile. “Maybe we will make it through one night without a fight.”

“Maybe.” Sage lays her head back on the headrest and closes her eyes.

I grab my IPod out of my messenger bag and place the earphones in my ears. I start my playlist and lay my head back.

The flight is long, and the layovers boring, which I’m thankful for. This is the first night in a long time that I haven’t had to fight for my life.

After several hours, we land in Atlanta. We make our way out of the airport, our first priority being sleep. Tomorrow starts the first day of our life in Georgia.