Faun made quick time now that the obstacles in his way were cleared, showing up to the agreed-upon spot a tad early even. That didn't pose a problem as Allan was already waiting for him, the werewolf casually leaning against a wall. Faun straightened up unconsciously when he spotted him, walking forward with a guarded expression.
Allan could instantly tell that the hybrid still had a hard time trusting him, and honestly, he was just surprised that the hybrid had shown up at all. It was good that he had gone the extra mile to find a demon from the most troubling bodyguard's past.
He pushed up from the wall with a polite nod, "There's no time to waste, come with me." He said shortly, knowing that pleasantries might just dissuade the tentative hybrid further.
Faun found himself nodding as well, following right after the werewolf against his better judgment.
"Wear this," Allan handed a hat to him, the hybrid's hair was a dead giveaway and stood out enough to be seen by someone from the window even while they were at the gate.
Faun put it on without question and matched his pace to Allan who sped up. The werewolf prince seemed like he was the real deal, he solely focused on his task as he managed to lead them down completely empty hallways. It was kind of ironic that he needed the help of a werewolf prince to escape another.
He had no idea how many turns they took but they went down a flight of stairs somewhere in the middle of all of it and several minutes later, he was following Allan down a side door to the exterior of the palace.
It had been two full weeks since he was brought to the palace and for the first time since then, he was finally setting foot outside. The fresh air hit him like a wall and it felt like his lungs were filling up completely for the first time in a while - it tended to get stuffy in the huge palace.
Allan quickly hurried him inside an inconspicuous black car, the werewolf getting into the driver seat of the car himself and driving them out. He didn't speak until they were well away from the palace.
Allan handed him a phone as he drove, "I guessed you might need this…"
"I um… I have my phone with me," Faun cleared his throat to say.
Allan flicked his eyes to the rearview mirror so he could get a glance at the hybrid, his expression guarded. He hadn't been expecting that his brother would give the hybrid something as valuable as a phone when he was trying to keep him locked up.
"Right," He muttered, "I already booked you a flight to Oakwood, you should be able to find your way from there, right?"
Faun's eyes widened, genuinely taken aback. He hadn't been expecting Allan to go so far for his sake. "Yes, yes I can… thank you." He added quietly.
Allan merely nodded, "I wanted to do this so we're even." He said lightly, his dead gray eyes filled with amusement. He wasn't lying about that, he knew how important the hybrid was to Declan so there was only one thing to do… to get rid of him.
Violent routes would only lead back to him, and his older brother had been looking for a reason to wipe him from the face of the earth, there would be no escape for him from that… After all, his brother had let this hybrid mark him…
Allan looked behind him to see the hybrid staring fixedly out the window. Soon, the little fox would be long gone… his gaze dropped to the collar on his neck. Was it possible that- He didn't trust Declan not to put a tracking device in the collar.
"You can take off the collar now," He said carefully, staring straight ahead at the road.
Faun's head whipped around at that comment, he deflated when he found Allan focused on the road, a sad look filling his eyes. He reached behind him to take off the collar without a further word, going back to staring out the window but this time his eyes were vacant.
Allan was uninterested in the well-being of the hybrid, he just wanted to get rid of him. He was lucky that the hybrid listened perfectly to him, this endeavor was progressing smoothly. Soon he would be on a flight that would take him further and further away from Declan.
-*-
"...If it's the money you want, I don't mind giving you all of it," Andra pressed, her tone getting even more desperate.
Ash scowled at this as he eavesdropped, disliking the insinuation she was making about Cade.
"Don't you dare," Cade said tightly, sounding pissed.
Ash had a hard time following their conversation, he had no idea what they were talking about but it seemed to mean a lot to Cade. Did Cade need money? Ash didn't like to bring it up but his family was filthy rich, he would give Cade as much money as he wanted…
"...The social standing then? You couldn't have possibly wanted the marriage!" Andra lashed out, her voice cracking.
Ash's scowl darkened, marriage?
Cade's black eyes flashed at Andra's words, "It's always this old argument with you. I want you to quit working here and leave me alone," He said in a quiet, dangerous voice, turning around to pull open the doors.
Ash felt his heart drop into his stomach when he came face to face with Cade, he hadn't been expecting the other to come out yet. He stumbled forward slightly because he had been standing with his ears pressed against the wooden doors so he could better hear Cade.
He chuckled nervously, brown eyes staring up at Cade who just stared him down with a masked expression. "Heyy, how's it hanging?" He made finger guns as he spoke to try and diffuse the tense atmosphere.
The ghost of a smile flitted across Cade's face, about to pose a question to the other only for Andra to beat him to it.
Her pale blonde hair was tucked into a maid cap, light blue eyes going wide with consternation as she took in Ash. "Ashton Wylder? You know him?" She turned on Cade, "So it is the money after all."