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RAIKA
I stayedwith Minsi in her bedroom until she fell asleep. Seeing her in her bed, her breathing steady, her face finally so peaceful, brought a sense of peace to me.
It was the only moment I relaxed.
But it was brief.
I walked out of her bedroom and saw Dixon and Phell at the end of the corridor—it worked to shatter the illusion and throw me back into this infernal reality.
Raging on the inside, I walked into my bedroom and closed the door. Without turning on the lights, I sat on my bed and took a long breath. It came out in little sobs, but I swallowed the tears that wanted to come out.
I wouldn’t cry. I was stronger than this. I had endured this situation for a year. I had kept Minsi and the others safe for just as long. I wouldn’t break down now.
I wouldn’t break down. Ever.
Because Minsi and Rue and Tyren and all of the others depended on me.
I took a quick shower to wash away any memories of this damned day and put on my pajamas—shorts and a tank top. Tired but restless, I lay on my bed and tucked my hands underneath my pillow.
I touched a piece of paper. Sitting up, I pulled the paper from under my pillow. I turned on the lamp on the nightstand and stared at it.
Meet me where we found out about us.
I reread the damn note at least ten times.
Shane was here? He had been inside my bedroom? How?
I shot from bed and glanced out the window, into the forest behind the house. From here, I couldn’t see anything, but it was dark out and a handful of demons patrolled the outside at all times. If Shane was out there, he wouldn’t be close to the house.
I turned to my closet and paused.
What the hell was I doing? Shane had abandoned us, and now he was here? The will to leave him hanging warred with the will to run to him and find out what he wanted.
The latter won.
I put on black shorts, a cropped black top, and black boots—wedge ones, since it would be easier to walk in the forest with those. I picked up my leather jacket, tied my hair into a ponytail, and stopped again.
From the top of my nightstand, I picked up my long metal nails. My mother had given them to me many years ago when the bullies started turning physical. She said she didn’t care if we ended up in trouble later, I wasn’t supposed to let anyone hit me.
Thankfully, after I scratched Lucille’s arm with the metal nails once, the bullies stopped trying to hit me. They pushed me here and there, but their bullying turned psychological.
Still, I carried those nails everywhere. Especially after Conri had taken over and brought me to live here. I wasn’t sure what he wanted from me, but I thought he wanted to have his way with me, to force me to sleep with him. If he did, I would either kill him, or kill myself.
Thankfully, besides the few scratches I had given Conri, I never had to use the nails against him or any of the demons. I pocketed the metal nails.
Then I paused again.
How the hell would I get out of this house?
As silently as I could, I opened my bedroom’s door and spied out. Dixon and Phell were near the stairs, their backs to me. I couldn’t go out that way, but there was another place. Grateful demons didn’t have the same hearing wolves did, I tiptoed to Shane’s bedroom. I opened the door, slipped in, and closed the door. I went to the glass door and slid it open enough so I could sneak onto the balcony, then closed it again. I crouched down and stayed low behind the wooden rail, watching the patrols.
When the two walking around the estate disappeared in opposite corners, I didn’t think. I scaled the railing, swung my legs around, and lowered myself, holding on by my arms. When I was as low as I could go, I jumped down softly. This would have been easier if I could shift, but right now I was glad that we had lots of physical education and basic fighting and survival skill classes in school; otherwise, I wouldn’t be strong enough to do this.
I ran into the forest and disappeared behind the trees.
Knowing Conri had patrols in the forest, I stopped and listened. The crickets and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves. I trudged to the southeast edge of the forest, where a rock formation jutted from the ground. The witches had hidden here with Minsi when they kidnapped her. However, on the other side of the rock formation, there was a fissure and that was where Shane and I had hidden.
And where the mating bond had snapped.
