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A petite woman with red hair and bright blue eyes sits before me, a gentleness radiating from her.Don’t trust her.Taking in my surroundings, my shoulders relax when I realize I’m in Marnix’s room. The longer I take in the area, the more his masculine scent filters through my nose. It shouldn’t calm me as much as it does, but it’s enough to make me lay back down against the pillows on the soft bed.
I’m safe.
She’s not here to hurt me.
I’m away from Zayan.
I did it. I really fucking did it. I escaped him.
But for how long?
A shudder ripples through me at the thought, but I push it away. I can’t think like that. No way Rush and Cohutta would let that happen again. They’ll keep me safe for as long as they can.
When the worst comes again, I’ll protect myself. I’ve done it once; I can do it again. I’ll always fight for myself.
Shaking the thoughts out of my mind, I look back over the unfamiliar woman in front of me. “Who are you? How long have I been here?” The guys wouldn’t let someone they didn’t trust in here, right?
“I’m Dr. Poore. I’m here to check you over and make sure you’re okay. You need to try and rest while I do some more tests. Just relax, you’ll be safe here.” The understanding look in her eye makes it seem like she gets what I’m going through. Like there’s some sort of unspoken connection between us that neither of us needs to explain.
She doesn’t look at me with disgust or even pity, she looks at me with pride. I don’t know this woman, but I can tell she’s been through something terrible, maybe even worse than I have.
She’s right, though, I need to rest. Exhaustion wraps itself around me, consuming my senses as my eyes flutter closed, hoping the thoughts of fear running through me don’t plague my dreams.
* * *
You’ll never get awayfrom me, dahlia. Even in your dreams, I can still find you.
I jerk awake, sweat drenching my body from the dark dreams I just escaped from. It felt so real. Like Zayan was here whispering in my ear. Like he was in this room, in this bed. I can still hear his deceiving voice and feel his burning touch. He’s surrounding me, holding me captive even if I’m away from him.
He’ll keep trying to find me.
He’s going to hurt everyone I care about.
He’ll do anything to get me back, even if that means obliterating everything that’s important to me.
Zayan’s not going to stop. He’s going to hurt them. My family. My friends. The men I lo—
I can’t let that happen. I have to leave and go somewhere no one will find me. Go completely off the grid. It’s the only way to protect them from the monster that wants to destroy my life.
Sitting up, I groan from the sparks of pain ripping through me. Fuck, this hurts like a bitch. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here, though not long enough to heal my battered body. Ignoring my trembling limbs, I push up, knowing I need to get out of here before anyone expects me to be moving. They can’t know what I’m doing because they’ll try to stop me, and they won’t be safe if they know where I am.
Looking at my arms, I see the IVs pumping blood and water into me. Taking a deep breath, I pull them out quickly, wincing from the pain. I slide my legs to the edge of the bed and push up. My legs shake, barely able to hold my weight, as I move toward the door. The last thing I remember wearing is a ratty old sheet, except now I’m in one of Cohutta’s t-shirts and a pair of my shorts. I don’t know how I got these on, but I’m grateful for them now. That’s one less thing I have to worry about as I escape.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The unexpected voice makes me jump out of my skin. “Jesus fucking Christ. What the hell are you doing?” I slowly turn toward the voice that stopped me in my tracks.
“That’s exactly what I’m wondering?” Lya leans forward, creepily sitting in a chair that’s pushed in the shadows. She was sitting so quietly I didn’t even see or hear her.
“Well, I’m sure as hell not sitting in the corner like a B-grade movie villain plotting someone’s demise,” I sass back at her. Something about my best friend always brings out the extra attitude, and I’m glad I haven’t lost that part of me. Perhaps there is still hope for me to get back to myself.
She smirks, but there’s a touch of sadness to it. “It’s good to see you haven’t lost that humor you use to deflect.” Her voice lacks its usual bite.
“What are you doing here?” I lean against the bed for support.
“What amIdoing here?” she scoffs, hurt covering her features. “I’m your best friend. Of course, I’m here. I haven’t left since I found out you were in trouble.” My knees buckle, but I quickly recover. “Seriously? Tara, lie back down.” I defiantly cross my arms over my chest, ignoring the searing pain. “Please. I can see your body shaking right now. You’re in no shape to be up and moving,” she begs. The quiver in her voice takes me aback. Lya doesn’t ever show weakness unless she’s an inch away from breaking.
Realizing I can barely hold myself up any longer, I sit down on the edge of the bed, exhaustion consuming me from the minimal movements I made.
