Chapter Seven
Wren
Iswipedabead of sweat from my forehead as I stood in the marina parking lot. The sun had gone down, but the heat and humidity from the day lingered, clinging to me like a second skin. The backs of my eyes hurt, as if tears wanted to fall but none came. I swallowed the painful lump in my throat as I looked around. I was hopelessly alone.
Ty had insisted on walking me to my car when we left the restaurant. Only I didn’t have a car, so I told him someone was coming to pick me up. Which was a lie. I always walked back to the small motel, no matter how late it was. The town was small, so it wasn’t far.
But I didn’t have anywhere to go tonight.
When I’d told him I had a ride coming, Ty said he’d wait with me until they arrived. He walked me to the edge of the parking lot and waited with me for a moment. I’d almost burst into tears as he stood beside me, assuring me over and over that we’d find my bag, and everything was going to be okay.
I’d nodded and turned to him, a plea for help and the truth on the tip of my tongue when Ty’s phone rang. When he answered and heard whoever it was, his face had changed. It got this pinched quality to it, and his eyes blazed with something like anger mixed with worry.
When he’d hung up and asked me when my ride was going to be here, I could tell he wanted to leave. Whatever happened on the phone was important. It probably needed his attention. So, I’d told him my ride was a minute away. I’d pushed him to leave, even though he seemed uncomfortable about it.
And now I was alone.
I hugged my arms around myself and started to walk. I wasn’t sure where I was going but I needed to be doing something. Going somewhere.
A small park near the marina looked out over the river, and I headed in that direction. I knew it was closed at night, but I entered anyway. Play equipment loomed in the shadows, illuminated only by the almost full moon above. Park benches surrounded the play equipment, and I sat down on one of them. The textured metal bit into my bare thighs.
I breathed in the night air, focusing on the fresh scent of pine trees. The lump in the back of my throat was still painful. My eyes ached and I wanted to cry, but no tears came. A darkness pooled at the edges of my mind like an inky ocean of despair. It threatened to overtake me, drown me in one giant wave. Pressing my lips together tightly, I tried to think of all the good in this situation. All the things I was grateful for even amid hardship. It was the only way I knew to chase away the darkness.
It was warm outside. Even in my T-shirt and shorts, I was not cold. That was good. I’d rather be warm than freezing. I glanced at the view of the river peeking out between the tall trees, taking in the moonlight dancing off the water. At least it was beautiful here. The gentle sounds of the flowing water were calming.
I curled my legs up to my chest, turning and lowering myself so I lay on the bench, my legs bent and back flat against the metal. The darkness in my mind lingered but retreated a bit, giving me room to breathe.
A large gap formed around the tops of the trees, providing a wide-open swath of unobstructed sky. The stars were bright here. They twinkled in the black sky like a million fireflies, and I laid my hands on my chest as I gazed at them. In the city, the stars were never so radiant. I never knew they could shine so bright, and I drank them in.
I was thankful for the stars, too; thankful they were watching over me in the night.
The wound on my chest twinged, and I winced. It was healing well, but every once in a while, a shock of pain flared across my skin, reminding me of where I’d come from.
I was thankful I’d come so far from there. I was thankful I was free.
I continued to look up at the night sky and all the brilliance it provided. I laid there until the pain in my throat went away. My eyelids grew heavy, my body relaxing as I slipped into an unexpected dream.
His scent was everywhere: above me, surrounding me, suffocating me as it mingled with the sharp smell of blood. I fought tears and panic as he touched me, claimed me, again and again. His mouth was everywhere, kissing, licking, biting—biting so hard I couldn’t hold in the scream. He smiled, his gaze bloodshot and glassy and filled with possession.
“You’ll always be mine.” His eyes widened with pleasure at the bite mark he made on me. “Now no one else will ever want you.”
Tears escaped, streaming down my cheeks as terror enveloped me like the pain radiating over the skin on my chest. Right above my heart—the heart that was breaking.
He leaned over me, his lips crashing against mine as I tasted the metallic tang of my blood. I held my breath, but he didn’t stop kissing me. His body pressed down against mine so hard that the breath I gasped for barely filled my lungs. One of his hands slid from my face to my neck and tightened.
A burst of panic erupted in my core. I tried to scream, but nothing came out as stars sprang in my vision. My eyes darted around me, desperate, as I barely held onto consciousness.
I saw the knife. It was so close.
As he kissed me, his hand tightened around my throat. I reached out, my fingers barely skimming the blood-coated blade. But it was enough.
I scooted the knife closer until I reached the hilt. Before the blackness overtook me, I reached up and plummeted the knife as hard as I could into the soft flesh above me.
A bright light and crackling of a radio broke through my nightmare, crashing me to the shores of consciousness. I shot up, scuttling away from the blinding light in panic and terror. Tears dried on my cheeks as my racing heart collided against my rib cage. Red and blue lights flashing nearby had my muscles locking in fear.
Oh God. Oh God.
I tried to orient myself; I’d had a dream. A nightmare. I wasn’t back there, even though the smell of blood lingered in my nose.