AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No running water, though there was an antique pump in the kitchen that brought up water so cold it froze my fingers when I touched it.
I suspected the place was being taken over by squirrels and mice—if the scrambling in the walls was anything to go by.
How had Gravor survived here for so long?
Even if we had lights, I wouldn’t turn them on. I worried that would draw attention, though how anyone would find us out here was beyond me.
“Where are we going to sleep?” he asked.
“Together in the bed.” Or in the woods. That might be more pleasant. As long as Gravor was beside me, I didn’t care where we laid our heads.
“Should I do my teeth?”
He was much too cooperative, but I sensed he was as spooked as me. This place wasn’t like home, though it had been for Gravor.
I wanted to hold Gravor one more time. I’d tell him he was brave and strong, that he was a survivor.
I could do it when he came back to us.
Which he’d do soon. I wasn’t going to let myself believe anything else.
And if he didn’t? The tiny voice chimed in my mind.
I’d take Asher and run. The guy knew who our son was—what he might one day be. And I’d never let him do to Asher what he’d done to Gravor.
“It’s too soon to think of that,” I whispered to myself.
Outside, a small creature shrieked, followed by the yip of coyotes. They hunted. Gravor hunted.
Rising, I started pacing. I couldn’t sit still, or my mind took over, telling me horrible things were happening. That he was never coming back.
How long would I wait here for him to return?
“As long as it takes,” I said. “I’m not abandoning him.”
Please. Come back to me, love.
The crunch of tires echoed around us, and my heart came to a shuddering halt. I froze, unable to suck in a breath or blink.
Had the guy found us?
Sweat trickled down my spine, and my pulse surged to overdrive. Gulping, I ran to the front window and peered out.
Headlights shut off in the vehicle sitting outside.
My SUV. Someone moved inside, and I’d recognize the tilt of his head, his height, and his lanky frame anywhere.
I wrenched open the door, calling his name, and stumbled down the rickety front steps.
Then I flung myself into his open arms.
He kissed me. Spun me around. Tipping back his head, he laughed, though the sound held a thread of desperation.
“It’s over,” he said when he came to a stop.
“Where is he?”
“Where he’s belonged for years. I . . .” He pinched his eyes shut, then opened them. “I thought about what you said. And I’d decided not to kill him. My plan was to disable his vehicle enough I could call the police and let them handle him. But he lost control, and his car went over the cliff. I flew down as a dragon and . . . Well, he won’t be coming for us any longer.”
