Warm and cozy, safe for the time being, exhaustion swiftly takes over my body. I give in to my intense need for sleep. That way, I’ll be rested and prepared for whatever comes next.
I hope.
My consciousness surfaces before I move a muscle, and when I hear low voices, I stiffen, maintaining my position in hopes of overhearing something useful.
“…we’ll have to do something with them, Sage. If there’s anything we’ve learned from the situation with your other daughter, it’s that a pack won’t give up without a fight.” A deep voice, maybe the driver or maybe the man who sat waiting for our arrival here, the one with the bright red hair.
“There can’t be much left of them, after Rip and James are through?” Edward sounds positively giddy at the thought.
“From what they tell me, they’re still alive, but barely.” Mother sighs dramatically. “I really don’t want to take them all out if we don’t have to. It’s messy, there’s too many people involved. All three of those boys are from powerful packs. We can’t just brush them under a rug.”
“We’ve dealt with worse,” the first man says grimly. “What we don’t want is for them to keep coming after us long after she’s gone.”
“Well it won’t matter, because when it’s done it’s done, and I wash my hands of the entire thing. Perhaps there’s a way we can handle it but throw it back on Jade’s pack? If we can tie them directly, perhaps we can remove ourselves from any implication.”
They continue plotting, but I can’t hear any more. My vision turns red, a fierce, snarling beast awakening inside my chest. My guys are hurt, and these three are plotting how to make all of us disappear.
Not on my fucking watch.
Stretching and groaning loudly, I make a show of moving around and ‘waking up.’ A quick glance around tells me it’s early morning, the sky outside just beginning to lighten.
Hedging my bets, I stand and make my way up the stairs to the kitchen, where my captors watch me with suspicious eyes.
“What’s a girl gotta do to get some coffee around here? And some Tylenol, my head is still killing me.” I remain expressionless, doing my best to breathe evenly, though my body threatens to tremble with a flurry of emotions.
Mother’s eyes narrow for a moment, then she looks at Red and nods once. He rises from his seat and fetches me a steaming mug and a small pill bottle. “You want milk and sugar?”
“No thank you,” I reply demurely, taking his seat and spotting the small bowl on the counter where a pile of car keys rests.
I knock the pills back dry, then wait for my moment as I blow on the hot beverage.
Sure enough, my presence gets them all moving. Red heads downstairs and turns into a hallway, closing a door to what I can only assume is the bathroom. The driver descends into the living room as well, staring out the windows at the far end of the cabin.
Leaving just my mother and Edward between me and my freedom.
Red cleaned his nose up passably well, but it’s still incredibly swollen and he’s sporting two black eyes.
Mother sits like a queen on a throne, ignoring me completely.
I pull in a deep breath as quietly as I can. My heart races, echoing my chest so loudly I’m almost certain they’ll hear it. I need to be fast, I won’t have much time.
Three. Two. One.
In one explosive movement, I stand and toss the boiling hot coffee directly into Mother’s face. She barely starts screaming before I smash the heel of my hand into Edwards’s already broken nose, but I don’t take time to savor the crunch before I grab the bowl of keys and make it to the door.
Mother screams in pain, Edward’s shrieks challenge hers in pitch, and I take advantage of the precious seconds before the thundering footsteps of the driver reach me and foil my escape.
Somehow, I manage to open all three deadbolts and unhook the chain, swinging the door open and slipping outside. I slam the door shut behind me and tip over the giant wooden sculpture of a bear that rests on the stoop, hoping it slows my pursuers.
I grab the first car key I find and hit the unlock button, which flashes the lights on the SUV we drove in.
By the time they make it out the door, I’m already peeling out, spitting gravel from my tires. The driver gives chase for a few seconds but he knows it’s no use, I’m already too far ahead of him and will soon be long gone.
Adrenaline courses through my system. Holy shit, I just did it! I escaped! I still have no idea where the guys are, how to find them, or even what state they’re in, but I’ve got a hell of a lot more hope now than I did ten minutes ago.
Once I’m a good twenty minutes from the cabin, I stop to access the SUV’s GPS and buckle my seatbelt. Stupid thing won’t let me navigate and drive, and the ‘fasten seatbelt’ alarm has been blaring this entire time. I set a course for Drakewood, realizing I’m nearly three hours away on mostly back roads. Starting the guidance and pressing on the gas, I lurch forward, grateful that these assholes have appropriate vehicles.
The drive goes slowly, or at least it feels that way with my racing heart. My pulse hasn’t slowed down since I left, the concern for my guys is overwhelming. I plan to talk to Warden Black first, find out what she knows and see how much she can help me. Then I’ll have to pivot from there.