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I must get out of here.
The thought began to beat inside her with a terrible insistence. Until she knew if Owen was all right, she would not be able to calm down. Until she felt the warmth of his skin, looked into his magnificent amber eyes, and saw the light of his smile, she would continue to deteriorate.
Late one night, when only a single guard was at the door, she doubled over, moaning in pain. The guard said he would get the healer, but she begged him to come in quickly and help her.
When he did, she waited for her moment, and just as the burly man bent over to grab her arm and help her up, she swung her other hand straight into his face.
The guard dropped like a stone. Reika winced as she paced out of the cell, feeling sorry for the poor man but knowing that her actions were necessary. She was so relieved to be free that she bolted down the silent, dark hallway until she came to the forest and almost kept running out into the still, cold night.
But where will I go?
Reika felt a horrible sadness well up inside her. Shehadnowhere to go. She dreaded what would happen if her parents or her brother found her. She had to assume they were looking for her and that even though they wanted her to abort the child, they would still be furious to find that she had been taken captive by the Raff pack.
The wars will begin again. Another age of bloodshed, simply because a Raff and a Lovell fell in love!
Reika looked back toward the den, knowing that she had to go back for Owen. He was all she had … only he could help her and give her any safety.
I was a fool to suggest we return to his people! What idiocy possessed me to do this?
For a few minutes, Reika let bitter tears trickle down her cheeks. She began to walk slowly back to the keep, trying to get her emotions under control. Once she freed Owen, they could go. She was still afraid to deliver the baby on her own, but she really had no choice.
Reika headed back to the main hallway that she had come from. She knew that Owen wasn’t down there; it was all empty cells. Clearly, the pack wanted to keep them far apart. Without being able to shift, she wouldn’t be able to track him. She wasn’t too worried about the Raff pack tracking her. She had taken on a lot of Owen’s scent, and at this time of night, almost everyone would be in their human shape and, hopefully, asleep.
All I have to worry about is the guard I knocked out.
She had locked him in, but that wouldn’t help much if he started screaming for help.
Reika took the next hallway, hoping that it led to another line of cells. She put one hand around her large belly and the other on her lower back, hurrying as quickly as she could. To her relief, about halfway down the hall, she found Owen’s cell.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered, hurrying to the door. “They wouldn’t tell me where you were or what happened. Are you okay?”
She nodded, wincing as her temples began to ache from all the exertion.
“We have to get out of here, my love,” she whispered, unlocking the cell. Owen threw his arms around her, and they shared a brief but tight embrace before Owen gathered her into his arms and ran from the keep as fast as he could.
TWENTY-SEVEN
OWEN
Owen cradled his mate in his arms and ran as hard as he could for the trees. Reika begged him to stop and put her down as soon as they reached the forest … the force of his running was jostling her too much.
“Can you run?” he asked desperately. She nodded, but Owen was afraid for her. Reika’s skin was too pale, her eyes too dark.
Am I doing the right thing?
It was possible his pack had been giving her decent care and that maybe, running through the woods wasn’t the best thing for either of them. Owen felt fury rising in his heart as he thought about Connor and the inevitable leadership challenge. His resolve strengthened. He had to get Reika far away from here.
Holding hands, they ran through the trees. At any moment, Owen expected to hear the howling of the pack hunters as they tracked them. He constantly looked to the side, waiting to see his enemies gaining ground on him, ready to bring him down and tear him and his mate to shreds.
Owen tightened his grip on Reika’s hand, trying to urge her on. The futility of the situation impressed itself on him more insistently with every step. His family knew the area, every cave, nook, and hill. They couldn’t hide out here. They couldn’t run fast enough to keep ahead of them, even if they were in good shape … and Reika clearly was not.
Still, they ran.
Owen was aware of nothing except the fear in his chest, the burn of his breath in his throat. Reika’s hand in his began to feel heavy and cold, then it dropped away entirely, making him stop and turn, dismayed to see her falling to her knees.
“Reika, get up!” he begged.
“I can’t,” she gasped, sobbing. “I can’t run anymore. I just can’t.”
