AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And that's not even the biggest problem here. If Laith does eventually figure out whose car it is that he stopped to help, then she's screwed. And what if he tells the police? Then they're bound to realize that she was attacked as well, and then they’ll want to know what she was doing in the forest last night, and she doesn’t have an answer for them.
There was no reason for her car to be anywhere near the forest at that time of night. She doesn’t even know why she was there.
Elara’s breathing becomes faster, even as her throat constricts. Her whole world is falling apart. Fracturing. And she doesn’t know how to keep it together. She knows she needs to stay calm, but she can’t. The truth is, she’s terrified.
Suddenly, there’s a loud crack. Almost like a gunshot. Elara spins around, seeing the window in the door behind her has broken. And then the one beside it. And the next one.
She slams her hands over her ears and crouches down, instinctively knowing what’s going to happen next.
The windows explode like a bomb just detonated, spraying glass all over her and the pavement. Someone screams. People run.
Yet, Elara doesn’t move. In fact, she curls even tighter into herself.
Something is happening to her.
Something bad.
And it’s only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
12
Kade
Kade’s head jerks upwards the moment he hears the first crack. He’s sitting on his car, staring at his phone as he waits to catch a glimpse of Elara. Is she alright? Did she make it through the night unscathed? Why did she come straight to the hospital?
He hadn’t been able to find her last night, as hard as he tried. Every minute had been counted by frantic heartbeats. Every hour felt like an eon. But he wasn’t able to find her.
He wasn’t able to be there for her.
But now, as he looks up at the splintering windows of the hospital, his eyes land on Elara. She’s right next to the windows, looking up in sheer terror as if she knows exactly what's about to happen. For a second, Kade swears she locks eyes with him, but then the glass shatters.
He’s on his feet and sprinting before another thought can form. He watches her duck down, curl in on herself, and it takes all of his self-control not to shift, there and then. She’s curled up in the fetal position with a frame of glass all around her. Her hands are covering her ears and her eyes are squeezed shut.
Glass cracks and shatters further under Kade’s feet as he bends down and reaches for her. His hands are trembling, but he forces himself to touch her, to grip her shoulder and make sure she’s alright.
“Elara?” he whispers, trying not to startle her.
She blinks, looking up at him with confusion, denial, and then—fury. Kade frowns, grabbing her forearms and helping her to her feet. He refuses to make eye contact again, and he can feel his face darken as she continues to stare at him as if he’s some puzzle she needs to figure out. She steps closer, and Kade steps back, holding his arms up in front of him to tell her he means no harm.
“Why are you always around?” Elara whisper-shouts, her hands clenched and tight. “When I look for you, you’re nowhere to be found. But when something is happening, you’re right here!”
Slowly, Kade lowers his arms to his side.
“What is going on? Am I doing all this? Kade, you need to tell me! I know you knowsomething!”
Her voice is pleading, tearing at his heartstrings. He curls his lip in disgust, but not at her, at himself.
“What’s wrong with me?” she wails, leaning closer until her hands land on his chest. They’re warm, trembling, terrified.
Kade sighs, taking a deep breath, before he wraps his arms around her shoulders and pulls her close to him. “None of this is your fault, there’s nothing wrong with you…” he says quietly, using the moment with her in his arms to take a deep breath of that warm amber lotion she had on her nightstand.
“Then why is this all happening? Last night I—and now Laith?” Elara shudders, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Kade’s surprised, but that isn’t the emotion most prevalent. He knows a guy named Laith. He was the one who was watching Elara just as closely as he was at the waterfall. He was the onewho asked her out… Kade stiffens, pushing her back at arm’s length, and looks down into her eyes, trying to control the dark anger that shouldn’t be smoldering in his gut.
“What does Laith have to do with any of this?” Kade says his name like it's a personal insult, a curse word, something disgusting to never be uttered by anyone.
“He was attacked by a wolf! Just like me!” Elara hisses as she grasps his forearms. His hands are still glued to her shoulders, holding her away.
