Page 98 of Healer’s Betrayal

My brain goes into overdrive. “How long have you been here?”

“This time? Two weeks.”

“This time?” I ask, almost hesitantly. Before she can answer, the door to my room flies open, crashing into the room. Two guys I’ve never seen before enter and grab her before I can say a word. She doesn’t fight them as they drag her from the room. Her eyes meet mine right before the door slams shut, and I hold her gaze until she’s gone. The sound of the door slamming jars me, and I take a deep breath. The reality of everything she just told me threatens to suck me into a deep, dark hole; but I refuse to let it. “We will escape,” I speak to the empty room, willing it into existence. “We are not going to die in here.” It’s not until hours later that I finally crash in bed and fall asleep. The next morning, I’m out of bed before they get me. I eat a bowl of ramen and try to mentally prepare for today. “We’re not going to die here,” I speak out loud. When they come for me, I’m ready.

I don’t see Jade that day or the next. By the third day, I’m starting to go stir crazy. I’m sitting on my bed eating mac and cheese when I hear a faint sound at my door. I’m on my feet and at the door seconds later as Jade opens it and pushes past me. “What room number are you?” I ask. I’ve been waiting for a chance to speak.

“Seven.”

“Where’s the exit?” I ask next.

“Two floors up. No stairs. Or maybe there are stairs, but I’ve never found them. You have to know the key codes to use the elevator. I’ve tried, but they change them daily or maybe hourly for all I know.”

I refuse to let the information deter me. “We’re going to escape,” I tell her.

She nods. “Yeah, we are. Here.” She shoves something in my hand. “You can use it to pick the lock at your door; it’s how I get out.”

“I can’t take it,” I start.

“I have another one. Just don’t—” The door crashes open, and they drag Jade from my room. Seconds later, there’s silence. I open my hand and look at the small piece of metal. I have no idea where she got it from, but I’m not losing it. I drop it into my bra; I need to make sure it’s on me at all times. I shove the rest of the food into my mouth and then stride for the front door. I try opening it first, but of course, it’s locked. I examine the locking mechanism. I've never picked a lock before, but I’m going to learn now. After trying for what feels like hours, I fall into bed exhausted. The next morning, I’m at it again. When I hear it finally give, elation fills me. “I did it!” I pull open the door and close it quickly and try opening it again. It’s locked, but that’s good because they should be here to get me soon.

The two guys that show up to get me are the ones from last night. They’re rough with me, and I resist the urge to fight back. When we get to the room, the female that’s usually there all but shoves me onto the bed. Seconds later, I’m out. It takes me a while to come out of it, and I’m back in my room before I really even realize it. I rest on my bed a few minutes and then get up to make something to eat. I really don’t want to, but I know I need to keep my strength up. This time, though, I can’t keep the mac and cheese down. I throw it all up and hang over the toilet, groaning. When the nausea passes, I clean up and then sit on my bed. I will myself to stay awake; I am going to see Jackson tonight. I wait until it’s late and then make my way to my door. It takes much longer than I thought it would, but I finally open the door again. I pull it open as quietly as possible. Dropping the metal piece into my bra, I let the door close softly behind me and then start down the hallway. I keep my head high, hoping anyone that sees me will think I’m supposed to be out and about. I get as far as the elevators, and my heart drops. They’re closed. I look at the keypad next to it, but I have no idea what the code is. I’m afraid if I try something, and it's wrong, an alarm will sound. I stare at the elevators a few more seconds and then decide to go back to my room. I don’t want them to drag me back to my room for nothing. When I get back to my room, I try to open it; but it’s locked. “Shoot,” I mutter. I see the keypad next to my door and curse myself for not noticing it before. It takes less than five minutes for somebody to appear.

A guy stands in front of the key code. I try to move so I can see it, but it’s of no use. He keeps it hidden from me. He grabs my arm before I realize what’s happening. I react without thinking and kick him. Hard. Rage contorts his features, and he throws me across the room. I hit the wall and crumble. He’s on me before I can recover and delivers a swift kick to my ribs. “Don’t do that again.” He's gone a moment later, and the door slams shut behind him. I lay on the floor trying to catch my breath and vow once again to get out of this place. Thankfully, I’ve learned how to take a hit or two in my day. I finally drag myself to my bed and curl into a ball. It’s a long night, and I’m not sure I’m relieved or disappointed when morning finally comes. When my door opens, and I see it’s the same guy as last night, something crumbles inside me. He smiles at me, but it’s cold and awful. “Ready?” There’s something in his face and eyes that makes my heart beat faster.

Chapter 43

Kayla

He closes the door and approaches me. I’m off the bed in a flash and backing away from him. His smile grows. I look behind him, wondering if the door is still locked from the inside, or if I can get out. My heart races in my chest, and I try to take a calming breath. “You know what the great thing about these rooms is,” he says, stalking me. “There are no cameras.” My stomach drops, and I track his every move. He’s on me a second later, and something snaps inside of me. I’m tired of being a pawn in a man’s hands. I’m tired of being treated as less than, and I’m tired of not fighting back.

“Don’t touch me!” I yell at him and kick him as hard as I can down low. He doubles over, and I race for the door. I hit the door at full force and fumble with the handle. Desperation seizes me when I find it locked. I pound on it with both fists.

He grabs me by the hair and pulls me backwards, wrenching a cry from my lips. He pins me to the floor, and I pummel his face with my hands. With a roar of rage, he pins both my hands to the ground. But that leaves my legs free, and I make him pay for that mistake. I manage to land a hard kick to his stomach, and he rewards me with a blow to the face. My head whips to the side, and black spots dot my vision for a second. It only lasts a second, and I ignore the pain in my cheek and arch my back and shove my hand up into his nose. He bellows, and I roll away from him and jump up off the floor, running once again to the door. I pound on the door. “Help me!” I scream. He rips me away from the door and throws me across the room again. The air is knocked from my lungs, and I can’t catch my breath.

“I will kill you,” he says in a fit of rage. He wraps his hands around my throat, and now, I really panic. I kick with my legs, but I can’t get any purchase. Suddenly, the door to my room crashes open. Something powerful shakes the room, and then the weight is gone. I roll over choking and gasping for air. I blink watery eyes and try to make sense of what I’m seeing. At first, I think I’m hallucinating what I’m seeing. But then I hear his voice.

“You were dead the moment you dared touch what is mine.” I don’t even recognize Jackson’s voice. And then in a move I will never forget, he rips his head off. Jackson takes the body and hurtles it across the room before turning. We lock eyes, and I stare at him. This is Jackson, the leader of the rogue wolves, the man in charge of helping a group escape a vampire site. I feel like I’m seeing him for the first time. Power seems to ripple off him, and I can literally feel it. He’s at my side in three strides. He drops down next to me. His eyes run the length of me, taking in every detail. I watch as his eyes pause on my face. “I should have made it last longer.” He doesn’t ask me if I’m okay, and I’m thankful for that. “We have to get out of here.” His voice is gruff, all business. “They’re going to know I’m gone. We have to find a place to lay low until we can escape.”

He speaks fast, and my brain has to work overtime to shake off what just happened and now try to move forward. “Okay.”

His bright blue eyes meet mine. “I will get you out of here.” He reaches out a hand like he’s going to touch me, but then he drops it. “Do you have any more of those?” I scramble mentally to keep up with him. “Pants,” he says, nodding at me. I realize for the first time that he’s wearing only boxers.

“Yeah.” I stand to my feet. The world spins around me, and he steps close but doesn’t touch me.

“You good?” I nod and walk over to the drawer and rummage through to find a bigger pair of sweat pants. They’ll still be small on him, but it’s all we’ve got. He pulls them on a second later. I notice he has bare feet, but he doesn’t say anything about it.

“We have to go. Now.” I nod and follow him to the door. He meets my eyes. “Can you run, or do you want me to carry you?”

Thankfully, my adrenaline finally starts kicking in, warming my body and preparing me for the fight that’s coming. “I can run.” He gives me a sharp nod. “Wait,” I say, right before he opens the door. “We have to get Jade before we escape.”

“Jade?”

“Another healer. She's in room seven.”

“Okay.” That’s it, and then he turns back to the door. He’s quiet a moment, and I know what he’s doing. He’s listening. “We’re going to have to fight our way out of here. We’ll get to a place where we can hide until things calm down and then make our escape.”

“Okay.” I get what he’s saying, but I don’t know how it’s going to work. But before I can overthink it, he throws the door open. And then he’s running. I sprint down the hallway behind him. Two men are on us almost as soon as we start. They literally appear out of nowhere. Jackson brutally attacks both of them. The fight is over in seconds, and they’re both on the ground. He starts running, and I run right behind him. Another guy comes at Jackson, and he takes him down in seconds. Something grabs my wrist, yanking me to a stop and pulling me backwards. A sound escapes my throat, and that’s all Jackson needs. I’m free a second later, and for the second time, I see Jackson rip a head clean off its body. I swallow hard, repeatedly, trying to keep the contents of my stomach firmly in my stomach. I hear the ding of the elevator, and I go still. Jackson grabs my hand and runs. We slip into a little alcove area. He pushes me into the wall, his big body covering mine. We hear voices shouting, and I hardly dare to breathe. My body shakes with both fear and nerves; I know that we’re going to get caught any second. The longer we stand there, the more the shivers come. Soon, they’re full-body shivers. Jackson presses closer to me, pushing me into the wall. His body is plastered against mine, and I almost can’t breathe. But I don’t dare say a word. I don’t know how well vampires can hear or smell for that matter, and I don’t want to find out. There’s more shouting.