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“He’ll find me there,” I said. Whether she imagined the “he” in question to be an abusive boyfriend, a serial killer, or a red-eyed, fallen-blood wolf, I didn’t know, but she understood.
“I’m not going as far as Maryland,” the woman started off with. I’d finally stopped panting, and I was sure she could tell I was technically unharmed. “But I can take you as far as Richmond.”
I pulled up a mental map and nodded my assent. Richmond was fine. I’d hitch a ride to Maryland. Or walk. Or maybe, if Johnny had any sense, he’d notice we were hours behind schedule for arrival, and he would be looking for me.
“Thank you,” I said. And because I couldn’t stay in this car with this woman for hours without knowing her name, I offered her one. Not my actual name, but a name nonetheless. “I’m Joy.”
“Oh,” she said with a smile. “I’m Reese.”
“Thank you, Reese.”
“You’re absolutely welcome,” she answered, then adopted a severe expression. “I know what it’s like to escape the insanity of toxic, abusive relationships.”
I had to adapt quickly, since this human believed our situations were similar.
“It took me two years. I’m proud of you for getting out of there, no matter how long it took you to break the cycle.”
My chest tightened. “I’m proud of you too, Reese.”
Reese and I learned a few things about each other as she drove us through North Carolina. She was a chemist at a lab back in Raleigh, and she had a kitten named Grunt who enjoyed sleeping in her shoes. She spent half her days in her lab and so rarely had time to date, and she was nervous about dating at all; she didn’t trust her own judgment when it came to men. She also saw a psychologist once a week to work through her trauma from her last relationship.
Reese was shorter than me by many inches. I hadn’t noticed as much until we stopped at a gas station in Kittrell, where she bought greasy food and a ridiculous amount of snacks, but she was scarred; there were raised cuts along the back of one arm and what appeared to be burn marks along the backs of her calves.
I would never forget Reese, I decided. One day, I would be able to repay her for what she’d done for me.
My wolf wanted to find her abuser, take a chunk out of his face, and then ship the rest of his body parts to his family. I agreed with her. I was feeling pretty bloodthirsty, myself.
A headache formed behind my eyes as we merged onto I-85, one which developed into a pulsing distraction the further we drove. My wolf had retreated to a corner of my mind in order to lay on her stomach and cover her eyes with her paws. It was odd behavior for her; I wondered whether she was affected by this throbbing in my brain, too.
The further we drove, the worse it became. My chest tightened right before we saw the “Welcome to Virginia” sign.
My wolf whimpered, and an image of Sariel’s face flashed in my mind.
All at once, Credence’s words about the bonds affecting us surfaced. Her warning had been that the bond could snap into place at any time due to the amount of time we’d spent together. She claimed that we’d both have to accept it, and we couldn’t be away from each other too long for a little while afterward. When the bond was still new, it would be fragile.
I’d accepted that Sariel was it for me in the forest, and he must have accepted the same long before I had. That was because—unless Reese had slipped something into one of the bottles of water I’d drunk earlier—I was experiencingwithdrawal symptomsfrom being away from Sariel.
It would also explain why my wolf had gone quiet. She laid limp in my mind, her eyes closed.
I wanted to do the exact same thing. I wondered how Sariel was doing. My heart ached; I wanted to be there and protect him from his father.
Just as that thought surfaced, I felt warmth spread from my chest outwards, filling all of my limbs. It momentarily soothed the ache in my head. After that, I had the fleeting thought that I needed to stay alive, needed to keep fighting.
Phantom pains ghosted across my ribs and face, and I gasped.
It was Sariel. I could… I couldfeelhim.
“What?” Reese asked, her expression wild. “What is it? Does something hurt? I knew I should’ve taken you to the—”
“No,” I interrupted her, batting wildly at the tears that had begun to gather along my lashline. “No. Everything is finally catching up to me.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed. “It’s okay; I’m sure your family will take care of you.”
I wanted to tell her that I was the one who needed to be protecting my family, and yet I could barely defend myself, and that was really bothering me.
“Yeah,” I whispered instead. “I’m sure they will.”
16
