Page 15 of Curvy Hostage Mate (Gold Wolves Black Ops #4)

I groaned and moved away from the toilet, wiping the back of my mouth as I panted. I must have eaten something off. I had been feeling awful for days now. Nauseous all the time. That, coupled with the weird food cravings and exhaustion, had meant the last few days had not been pleasant.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was—

I froze, not even breathing as the idea struck. My period. When was the last time I’d had my period?

My mind spun in panic even as I desperately tried to do the math, only for it to confirm what I already knew. I was late by a couple of weeks. With everything going on, I hadn’t noticed until now.

That, along with the nausea and weird mood swings, pointed to only one thing.

Still trying to keep myself composed, I muttered an incantation.

A pink box appeared on the table in front of me.

A pregnancy test from some store or other, cash already placed in the register to compensate.

Without giving myself enough time to think or even really panic, I grabbed the box and ran to the bathroom.

The next fifteen minutes stretched for an eternity. I paced back and forth as I kept glancing at the sink where the test waited. The second my timer went off, I grabbed the stick and stared at it.

A pink plus sign stared back at me.

Oh, God. I was pregnant.

My legs gave out from underneath me as I collapsed back against the wall, staring at the far side in utter disbelief.

I was pregnant.

I was so used to being on medication—a typical thing for any slave, unless their master wanted them pregnant—that I hadn’t even thought about it when I ran away. Things had been moving so fast.

I was pregnant, and it had to be Chris’s.

Chris. Oh, God, how the hell would he respond?

How was I supposed to tell him? And what sort of father would he be?

I didn’t want my kid to grow up with a cold, taciturn father.

Hell, I didn’t even fully trust him. He kept saying that he knew my sister and was part of the Gold Wolves, but I hadn’t gotten a scrap of evidence to prove any of it.

What would he do when he found out?

I ran through the possible scenarios. The best-case scenario was that he was fine with it—happy, even—and we could figure out a plan, and come to a conclusion on how to approach the next few months. And, well, the rest of our lives.

I didn’t see that being easy. Chris was nice, but nothing was ever that simple when it came to me, it seemed.

God, what if realizing I was pregnant only made him more protective?

I may never see the outside world except through a window ever again, if he decides to double down on the security.

The thought made my skin crawl with dread.

At the very least, that was definitely what would happen until this Cain issue was settled.

If Chris decided he didn’t want to deal with a baby, he might just kick me out. In a way, that would be a relief since I would no longer be under his thumb. Except, then I would be a sitting duck for Cain, and I had no doubt he was still hunting for me.

Cain. I’d almost forgotten about him. What would he do if he managed to get his hands on me again, only to find out I was pregnant? Maybe he’d discard me, decide he was no longer interested. Or maybe it would only make things worse. I suppressed a shudder.

There were too many variables, too many ways things could go wrong. Not all of them I could account for.

I pushed out of the bathroom and collapsed on the couch, letting the new insanity wash over me, trying to get a grip as quickly as possible. The longer I panicked, the worse it was going to be. I needed to come up with a plan.

The best option was to take matters into my own hands.

I might not believe Chris about everything, but maybe he was right about my being stronger than I gave myself credit for.

Leaving on my own would still risk Cain finding me, but I would have a better shot if I made the decision myself.

On top of that, I could use my magic freely now. I wasn’t defenseless.

Once that thought settled, I realized it was the best option.

I needed to leave. I could even go to Kendra.

Chris might not have told me where she was, but I had magic.

I could find her. I knew that if she found out I was pregnant, she would do her best to help me, even if she wasn’t thrilled with the idea.

She would give me a place to stay, space to breathe, even help me figure out the next steps.

And right now, more than anything else, all I wanted was to see my sister.

To tell her everything that had happened and for her to give me some advice.

The idea of finding Kendra grew more and more appealing with every moment.

Except that was the first place Chris would look.

I couldn’t go there, not forever, and not right away.

Once the tumult about my running away died down, I could.

For the moment, though, I needed to lay low and keep my head down, at least until I had a more concrete plan.

I closed my eyes, trying to center myself. I could agonize about this all day and not come to any sort of decision. I had to act. And the first thing was to get out of here as quickly as possible. So that’s what I would focus on.

It didn’t take long to grab my things. I gathered them in the span of a few minutes and threw them into a bag, keeping my ear pricked for sounds of Chris. I didn’t know how he would react to my running, but I didn’t want to even think about the conversation we would have to have if I stayed.

The door was unlocked. He’d started trusting me. A little spasm of guilt ran through me. I pushed it away.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out the door onto the soft grass. I looked around, heart pounding just a little as I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, keeping an eye out for anyone coming through the woods, ears pricked for sounds of footsteps traipsing through the brush.

Nothing. Just the sound of whispering wind brushing through the trees.

For the briefest of moments, I hesitated, glancing back over my shoulder at the still-open window and the locked door.

Biting my lower lip, I wondered if I wasn’t making a huge mistake.

I wanted to run. I probably should, and I was still terrified of how Chris would react when he found out about the baby.

Another part of me, one I didn’t fully understand and didn’t really know what to make of, wanted to stay, to linger.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, there was some strange connection between Chris and me, one I couldn’t fully explain, but couldn’t deny, either.

I felt drawn to him in a way I never had to anyone else.

Leaving that gave me a feeling of emptiness.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. It didn’t matter. None of this changed the fact that he’d kidnapped me and tried to dictate my life, refusing to let me leave. Just another owner. And I wasn’t about to subject my baby to that sort of life.

With a deep breath, I tightened my grip on the bag and scurried through the woods.