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No. I’m sure I’m safer going where I plan to. No one will know me there.
My head comes up, and I scan the street, looking for anyone who might seem off or watching me. Thankfully, it’s midday. Surely, it would be reckless of someone to try to take me in the daylight.
I stand and head to the bathroom before the long journey, but when I go to push the bathroom door open, something doesn’t feel right, as though I’m being watched. I turn around, looking for something—I don’t know what.
A sharp pain, like a wasp sting on my neck, startles me, and I attempt to whip around, my hands flailing to the spot. I have no strength to scream as I collapse into a stranger’s arms. I can only make out a dark, fuzzy figure standing over me.
My body feels as though pins and needles are stabbing me through every inch of my skin. Then darkness starts to settle over me, the weight of it terrifying me.
Am I going to wake up?
* * *
“You shouldn’t have done that, Landon.” Hunter’s angry voice growls in my ears, making me groan. “She’s awake! You’re okay, Aelina. Rest.” A large hand presses on my forehead.
“I did what was needed. They would have snatched her up, and she already fights you at every damn turn. Relax, Hunter.”
I hear a low grunt, and I can only assume it’s Hunter.
“Hunter, settle down. She’ll be fine.” An elderly woman’s voice piques my interest, but my heavy eyelids won’t open. “Relax, dear. You’re safe now. Rest,” she whispers into my ear, and the hand remains on my head.
“You didn’t have to drug her,” he snaps.
“Like I said, I did what needed to be done.”
No remorse there.
He’s probably right. I wouldn’t have come quietly or even at all. I don’t want to be involved in any of this.
“Shut up, both of you. You’re hurting my head more,” I manage to say, my voice barely a whisper.
Someone chuckles, and if it didn’t hurt my head to do so, I’d roll my eyes.
“Oh, she’s got some sass, this girl. She must get it from me,” the woman says, and the sound of light footsteps and the click of a door follow.
Did she leave?
Was that who I think it was?
My grandmother?
She’s here! I so desperately want my eyes to open to see what she looks like. Even though coming here wasn’t my first choice, I’m excited to meet her.
“Why won’t my eyes open?” My voice strengthens as the drugs wear off.
“Sorry. Give it a moment, and they will.” I assume that’s Landon.
When the hand moves off my head, I want it back.
After what feels like a lifetime, my eyes finally open. I’m lying in a large, king-size, four-poster, solid wooden bed. The room is a fuzzy blur as my eyes adjust to the lighting. I take in the solid timber walls and the different natural tones bringing life to the room. The room smells like blossoming roses, providing a calming atmosphere. To the left, there’s a large window. The sky is a light pink color outside—sunset. And a familiar figure stands in front of it.
Hunter.
He moves toward the bed and sits, but I turn away to look at the other side of the room. I’m not ready to face him.
Another manly figure stands at the door.
Landon.
