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could climb.
    The wire cutters are cold in my hand as I work on the fence. Sage stares in awe.
    “Where did you get those?”
    I shrug as the first links part with a soft twang in the dying light. “Stole them in the last town,” I say.
    Sage’s frown hurts me.
    “We’re on the run,” I say. “You wanted me to find a store and buy some?”
    He hesitates and shakes his head at last. “Sorry,” he says. “You’re right. They’re just cutters.”
    He has no idea this is going to be the least of our criminal activities. Though it’s odd he cares I stole a pair of wire cutters when he’s made no complaint about hitching free rides on train cars. I’ll consider his skewed sense of morality later.
    I slip through the hole I’ve made, careful not to catch my pack on the broken links. Sage joins me, deft and as sure as I am in movement. If I’m to run with anyone, he’s an excellent choice, at least. If only his issues don't get in the way of our success.
    We run toward the trees on the other side of the border, feet pounding a moment over the hard-packed concrete road. The rumble of a jeep engine returning pushes me harder, but we are safely inside the woods before the lights of the vehicle flash behind us. I keep running, exhilarated by the experience, knowing I shouldn’t be enjoying myself. But the wolf in me loves this, the chase, even if she’s the one being pursued and I can’t help but embrace her enthusiasm.
    This is how I’m meant to be, the life I’m supposed to live. I’ve been trained for this, to endure constant threat, the steady pressure of tension, the protective instincts to watch over the one I serve filling me with satisfaction. And no, Sage isn’t exactly a bonded client. But it feels the same, in many ways.
    How can I ever go back to living in a shining palace with everything done for me? I snort in my head as we run. I may never have to worry about that again, considering what I’ve done. Death could wait for me on my return. Or imprisonment. So my reticence over being queen of the werenation may be unfounded from here on in.
    I shake my head. Oleksander won’t let that happen. He’ll find a way to stuff me into a coronation dress with a giant crown on my head and chain me to the throne with a weremate and a pack of whining cubs to continue the Moreau family line forever.
    I’m grateful when lights sparkle ahead, needing the distraction from the morose image I’ve created of my future. The next town greets us, the sky now full dark. As we walk its streets to the other side, I realize there is no train station. I ponder our options as we circle around the outlying homes, though my mind is made up for me when the distant sound of a siren goes off, followed by the pressure of Enforcer magic coming closer.
    A small house at the far end of town is dark and quiet. Their little car hunches in the driveway, just begging for an adventure of its own. Sage keeps pace with me, though he stops when I test the driver’s side door and find it open. I’m already checking for keys when he hisses in my ear, looming in the opening like a thick shadow.
    “What are you doing?”
    “What does it look like?” I push him back. “Get in, and hurry up about it.”
    Sage moves slowly, more slowly than I’d like when a flip down of the visor rewards me with a key. It’s an old Volvo, clunky and cranky, but the engine fires up the moment I turn the key and, fortunately, the house beside stays dark. If we can just get away before the owners wake…
    Sage stands outside the passenger door, immobile once again. I lean sideways, fury firing my muscles, and push the door open. It slams into him before he can catch it.
    “Get. In.” I show him my wolf. He scrambles to obey as my eyes flare with power, though from the anguished expression on his face, he’d rather be anywhere than here. For that matter, so would I, but he just has to deal with it.
    I drive away, moving slowly through the lower gears with