[color=#b97703]“We’d have to find your ID fast,”[/color] Cas glanced back at Iris over his shoulder when she suggested that they spend more time together after they got back. [color=#b97703]“We only have one hour, and your curfew is at ten.”[/color] As much as he would have loved to pick up where they’d left off, he had a feeling they wouldn’t get more than ten minutes even if they hurried. The drive to and from the forest would take close to fifteen minutes since he couldn’t speed—without a recognizable plate number, he would get pulled over by a patrolman—and then they would spend up to twenty minutes looking for a little plastic card in the fallen leaves. Chances were, they wouldn’t get back to the mansion until right before the clock struck ten.

As they exited her bedroom and headed down the dark hallway, he fell quiet. The guards were in the east wing by now, but there were still servants to look out for. Like Iris, he’d planned ahead to wear dark colors in the hues of black and navy blue, but they could still be seen if someone happened to get up for a late trip to the restroom or a snack from the kitchen. He didn’t want to have to explain himself to anyone. The servants would most likely take whatever he said at face value, but if word got back to his father that he and their barely welcome guest had been sneaking around the mansion at night, he would have to answer to the equivalent of an interrogation. Just the thought of it made him shudder, and he picked up his pace to get to the car as fast as he could.

Fortunately, they made it to the garage door without getting caught. Cas stepped inside first and held the door aside for Iris. [color=#b97703]“Careful, there’s a step down right in front of you,”[/color] he whispered. Once they were both standing on the concrete floor, he closed the door so the room was enveloped in darkness and took her by the hand to lead her over to a wall on their left. The vehicles he was looking for were supposed to be used in emergencies only, so they weren’t kept with the other cars. Instead, the Maydestones had a second garage that was unattached from the main building. The only reason he’d brought her to the first garage was because there was a door at the front that they could use to get outside without triggering the security system. It was hooked up to the wires that connected the rest of the portals to the silent alarm, but three weeks ago, a rat had chewed them up and severed the door from the others. With any luck, the security team would have forgotten to fix it.

Turning on the flashlight on his phone, the prince crouched down by the corner of the door and narrowed his eyes as he searched for the frayed wire. After a moment, he spotted it and grinned to himself. It looked like security had forgotten about it after all, which meant that he and Iris could slip out without anyone knowing. He righted his posture again and unlatched the door, leading the way into the courtyard.

On the other side, there was a large shed-like building with a door that had a fingerprint scanner. Cas used his own access to get inside and then turned his flashlight back on to reveal a set of three, rather mundane-looking cars. There was nothing special or luxurious about any of them, but that was point. To blend in with the other vehicles on the streets in the event of an emergency getaway, they were all common models that were owned by plenty of other people in the capital. The biggest difference between them was their coloring in black, silver, and white.

[color=#b97703]“So far, so good,”[/color] he mused, casting a smile back at Iris as he stepped over to the silver four-door in the middle. Instead of walking up to the driver’s side, he trotted around to the passenger’s and opened the door for her. Since the cars were supposed to be accessible quickly, they were always left unlocked, charged up, and with the key hidden inside the glove box. [color=#b97703]“Ready to go?”[/color] he asked as he waved a hand for her to get inside first.