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Bruised in more places than her face. The vibrations of the motorcycle had gone from comforting to down right painful. Her legs aching more and more with every long hour that dragged by.
She had hoped for a reprieve when they stopped near a diner just off the highway. To be finally able to stretch and move for longer than five minutes would have been a godsend.
But at Hydes low orders, Thorn had simply grabbed them all a quick burger. Which they ate standing near the bikes in awkward silence. Strangely, she missed the enforcer’s easy banter, his teasing now absent seemed to highlight an undercurrent of stress.
Today, the wolves were tense. Eyes skittering to and away from their Alpha. The silence was deafening, and she knew that something was off. It made that knot of dread tighten even more in the pit of her stomach.
With barely a growled word, they had hit the road again. Talia winced as she got on the bike behind him, shooting daggers at his back. The relentless push for time might be easy on leather-clad bikers. But she had never spent this amount of time on the back of a bike. And it had lost its appeal hours ago.
The day slowly passed into night. Stopping every two hours or so to refuel, her stamina fast fading, Talia fell into a mindless rhythm with the bike. The sound of the engine was loud in her ears as they passed from mountains to open planes. Each town getting bigger than the last.
Old roads becoming highways and still he pushed them onwards. Her head ended up resting against his back as she slumped in the seat. Her eyes opening as the bikes slowed again. Hyde navigated his bike through the maze of parked trucks and pulled up to the petrol pumps. Across the distant water, a city of lights spread out, past the rolling hills.
Her heart plummeting, her hands starting to tremble.
Her mouth dry, she took his silently offered hand. Every ounce of her rigid and sore, she dismounted slowly. Her fingers sliding off his as she stood staring down at the city. The giant famous bridge stretching across the bay.
Her heart rate climbing as her mind somersaulted. Was this it? The city in which his master lived. Trying hard to keep her breathing calm, even as she felt his eyes on her.
She made herself move, refusing to look at him or the city any longer. She walked past the pumps towards the diner and the female bathroom.
Turning back to his bike, Hyde gave a terse command. Thorn moving to follow her.
Making her way into the building and through the maze of tables before pushing open the bathroom door. Without looking at Thorn, Talia pulled it closed, locking it firmly behind her.
She unbuttoned the denim, easing the stolen jeans down over her bruised hips. Marcus’s fingerprints had dug in so hard that her hips had turned a nice black-blue colour.
Sitting, her fingers creeping up to trace over the cuts that were still red raw and stinging. She had always kinda known that as a witch she healed faster then average humans. Bruises would be gone in hours and cuts would heal even faster. It all just added to the misery of the last twenty four hours.
The toilet flushed, and she adjusted her jeans carefully around her waist. Stepping over to the slightly dirty bathroom sink, she washed her hands. Her blonde hair was neatly pulled back in a high ponytail, with only a few strands stained pink from the blood.
But with her swollen lip and the bruise on her cheek darkening, she didn’t think anyone would notice her hair.
Thorn had brought back clothes for her that morning, but they were so snug that they accentuated every curve of her body. The bra was a little tight, pushing against the cuts on her breasts. The push up pads giving her more cleavage than the already snug t-shirt needed. She would have accused him of choosing the bra deliberately, but one glance at his sour expression had kept her lips closed. Today, everyone was on edge.
Meeting her own terrified eyes, Talia tried to think past the growing panic.
Oh gods, how was she going to get out of this?
Thorns’ loud knocking making her flinch slightly.
Hurriedly drying her hands, she rushed out of the room. Tripping on the slightly over large hiking boots, Talia stumbled forward. His reflexes faster than her’s Thorn caught her arm just as she was about to face plant.
“We don’t need anymore bruises on you” his fingers tightening, he tugged her forward. They weaved their way through the crowded room, and finally arrived where Hyde stood with his phone pressed to his ear. His jaw tightening, eyes glinting dangerously at Thorn. Letting go of her arm, he shook his head. His hands raising as he backed up a few steps.
Muttering too low for her to hear. He made his way over to the counter to stare at the menus.
“Better be,” Hyde growled into the phone before ending the call and gesturing to the empty booth as He tucked his phone into the inner pocket of his jacket.
“Sit,”
The last thing she wanted to do was sit. She wanted to walk, to stretch her legs. To run as fast as she could away from here. Away from him.
Around her, the diner was spotted with people. Most of them men. Tired and distracted. A couple of young kids working as servers, the girl at the cash register blushing under Thorns’ attention. Even as the door swung open, as the two other wolves riding with Hyde stepped into the room, not one set of eyes lingered past curiosity. Not one face registered concern at the leather-clad bikers that looked around like they owned the joint. How did they not see the bad men that had just walked in? How could they not feel the malice that the wolves breathed as they moved almost in perfect rhythm across the room?
Even if she did make a scene. No one here should help her. They would be little more than lambs to the slaughter.
Her whole body stilled, breath catching as she turned back to look at Hyde. He had moved forward, his body inches away from hers. Deep red wolven eyes narrowing as he stared down at her.
