AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We run, the city a blur of lights and shadow, and for the first time in too long, I let hope flare hot in my chest. Maybe, just maybe, we'll outrun the darkness yet.
Chapter seventeen
Gunnar
The neon sign ofthe motel buzzes a dull pink, like it's on its last legs, same as us. I shove my hands deep in my pockets and lean against the check-in counter, trying not to look like what I am—an alpha on the run with an omega ticking time bomb.
"One room," I mutter to the beta clerk, who doesn't bother looking up from his crossword puzzle. He hands over the key with a grunt, his disinterest a blessing in disguise. This is one of the only neutral areas close to Celestial Hills, on the very edge of town...and we've been walking and hitchhiking all day to get here. It's been a long journey, but we're safe.
For now.
Aisling trails behind me, her eyes scanning the dimly lit parking lot like she's memorizing escape routes. I can tell she's wired tight, ready to spring into action or fall apart—I can't decidewhich. We make our way to our room, Aisling freezing cold and shivering as I let us both into the room.
"Fuck...if I never have to walk in the rain again, I'll be a very happy girl," she murmurs, rubbing her arms.
I follow her, taking her by the shoulders and finding her ice cold. "You're freezing," I mutter. "Let's get you out of these clothes."
"Buy me a drink first, huh?" she teases--but I can see how cold she is, her skin pale, her jaw tight.
She goes to the bathroom and strips down, and I hear the shower turn on. Steam pours through the open door, beckoning me closer. I cautiously go with her, looking into the shower and finding her on the other side of the glazed glass door.
"You coming in or not?" she says. "I can't be the only one that's cold."
I chuckle and go in with her, leaving my clothes in a pile on the floor with hers. I'll hang them up when we're done showering; for now, I just want to get warm, and I want to be close to Aisling. I slide the door open and step in with her, and she steps forward right away to let me hold her in my arms.
"You seem worried," I say, brushing my lips against her temple. "Talk to me."
She sighs.
"I'm just...thinking about my friends at Dreamland," she says. "The other girls, and the bodyguard who was watching my back..."
"The asshole who told me off that one night?" I say, my voice rough.
"Oberon Vega," she confirms. "He's possessive, but he's a good man. And he helped me get out. I would be dead if it weren't for him."
For the first time, it occurs to me that Aisling will need more than just one alpha to protect her. She has a penchant for getting herself into trouble, and she's going to need a whole pack if we want her to survive.
"Do you love him?" I ask.
She looks up at me, periwinkle eyes sparkling in the cheap yellow light of the motel bathroom. "Can I be honest with you?"
"I wish you would."
She sighs and bites her lip, but her gaze doesn't leave mine. "For a long time, I've just...formed relationships with people who can protect me," she says. "You were one of them. Oberon was one of them. It's going to take me a while to learn how to not...use people."
"Are you using me?" I ask.
She tilts her head. "I told you once that you strike me as the type that might like to be used. So what do you want to hear?"
"The truth."
She laughs softly. "I was using you at first, yeah--but now I'm not sure. I think...I think that now, I actually like you."
"Gee, thanks," I grimace. It hurts a little to hear that perspective, but I'm at least grateful that she's being honest.
One step at a time...that's all I can ask for.
"Will you consider it though?" she asks. "Getting my friends out--I promised them--"
