Page 78 of Finding Her (Lore of the Fields #1)

We burst through heavy double doors into a square room that resembled a small-grade airport security checkpoint.

It even had a large scanning machine, with standard instructions to hold your arms above your head.

The lights turned red as we dashed through, alerting the dying guard that a threat was near.

Mykie wiped her blade clean on her sleeve and pulled the next door open.

I was prepared for more cold hallways and rooms reminiscent of corrupt science and medicine.

Instead, we crashed through the next threshold to find what might as well have been a five-star hotel lobby.

The stark difference in atmosphere made me queasy.

There was a reception desk, luxurious couches, an espresso station, and an expensive crystal chandelier hanging from the high, arched ceiling.

One would never know that just two rooms away, unmentionable atrocities were being committed against so many women.

The arrowed signs pointing down the side hallways reading “ conference rooms ”, “ senior staff ”, and “ guest accommodations ” mocked the barbarity of the facility.

I could easily imagine what the scenery looked like a few hours ago.

The smell of coffee was still fresh in the air.

A book was left open on a nearby glass table.

I could picture the “ guests ” in suits, happily retiring to their temporary chambers for rest before heading to a conference room to discuss finances or personnel management.

Did they know what happened just through the door behind reception? Did they care ?

When planning our escape, I had expected large metal gates like those in our holding room to release us into the wilderness.

Instead, automatic glass doors guilelessly parted to allow our exit.

The humid air of the forest coated my skin in a sticky layer of moisture almost immediately, but I was grateful for oxygen that didn’t taste like rubbing alcohol.

The night was dark, the landscape unassuming.

Colossal concrete walls as tall as the surrounding trees boxed in a looped driveway and a parking lot full of expensive vehicles, protecting visitors and staff from the fauna of the biome.

Nothing could keep out the hungry growls and gurgles in the distance. A shiver ran down my spine.

“You’re safe,” Graysen assured me as we hurried towards the towering gates across the grassy courtyard. An imposing statue of a Thornian was situated in the center of its walkways.

The popping of gunfire cut through the sounds of the wilderness.

Mykie hissed and tripped for a moment, quickly correcting herself.

Graysen pulled me in front of him as we pressed on, approaching the intricate metalwork separating us from our freedom.

We were cornered as more shots fired our direction from across the lawn.

I wrapped a hand around the cylindrical poles of either door, pulling hard. They wouldn’t budge.

Mykie made quick work of pulling a box from her bag and holding it to a blinking light by the nearby hinges.

There was a beep from the security system before the ornate twisting of the locks unentwined themselves from each side.

Dia pushed the heavy iron with her shoulder, creating a gap we hurriedly squeezed through.

“We can’t be on the road,” Mykie called, passing us and breaking through the tree line.

“Come here.” Graysen yanked me still for a moment before scooping me into his arms. “You don’t have shoes.” His voice had turned smooth and low, lulling me into an inappropriate sense of safety for the situation.

Dia didn’t have shoes either, but she was matching Mykie’s pace.

She launched herself through a low bush of thorns and jabbing branches, unfazed by their guaranteed sting.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head into Graysen’s chest, hiding from the nightmares I could vaguely remember that occupied the woods.

Everything would be alright. After all, I would rather die out here in the maw of a beast than waste away in the den of true monsters tailing us.

“Do I smell bad?” Graysen leaned his head into me and purred as he picked up speed to catch up with the others.

I was surprised to find a laugh escape my lips. “No, you smell wonderful.”

“The creatures of the forest seem to disagree.” He was grinning from ear to ear, I could hear it in his voice. “They’ve been avoiding me since an earlier run-in. I think I need a bath.”

“Why are you so happy?” Why were we both so happy?

“Because I found you. And now I’m going to keep you safely by my side forever.”

I wasn’t sure how he could promise that, given the enormous scale of the problem at hand, but I didn’t care.

I believed him. He would keep me safe from now on, and we would find a way to live together in peace.

He had a lot of explaining to do. I had questions to ask and bitching to accomplish.

It didn’t matter. What mattered to me was that after all of this, we could be raw together, facing whatever demons had been lurking in the shadows of our history as a team.

“Over here,” Mykie called out, taking a sharp turn to exit the treeline.

At first, I wasn’t sure what I was looking at; it was unnaturally dark under the canopy of trees.

The glow of Graysen’s emblem barely illuminated the sickly branches descending towards the ground.

However, when we shifted positions, I caught a shimmer of orange light reflecting on a smooth, glossy surface.

Mykie disappeared behind the large object, and headlights flooded the nearby road.

A car. Relief washed over me as I realized we had a way out of the forest.

Graysen brought me around to the trunk of the van, gently setting me down before closing the door behind the four of us. Mykie and Dia had already climbed their way to the front seats, leaving Graysen and I on the leather bench in the far back.

“Are you bleeding?” Dia asked, the colorful dashboard reflecting across her focused expression as she peered at Mykie.

“It’s just my shoulder, I took a bullet,” Mykie stated, reversing out of the coverage of the tree with sharp squeals of protest from the paint job.

“We have to move fast, Mykie,” Graysen urged.

“Now isn’t the time for a monster to come through the windshield, Graysen, dear ,” she chimed with tangible snark.

The engine muffled the monstrous cries from nearby, just enough to distract me from their presence.

Graysen wrapped his arms around my shoulders, and I turned into him, reaching for his hand, which gently swallowed mine in its grip.

My cheek pressed against his pec, and his hair tickled my forehead.

It might not be safe to stay in Virylan for the time being, but I was already home.

We could make a life together, if he’d run away with me.

“Thanks for, uh, helping?” Dia sounded appropriately confused, given that two strangers just rescued her without explanation.

I lifted my head enough to make eye contact. “Sorry, Dia. That’s Mykie, my friend. And back here is Graysen, my—”

What do I call him?

“Husband.” Graysen finished my sentence with a pleasant rumble in his chest, squeezing my hand and nuzzling his head into mine.

Alright. Husband it is. We could unpack that later.

“I can see about getting you somewhere safe to stay,” Mykie offered, slowing down for a moment to dodge something in the road before revving back to original speed.

“Don’t worry about it. If you don’t mind just dropping me off outside of the forest, I can get myself to my safehouse easily,” Dia said smoothly.

“You have a safehouse nearby? Are you sure you want to be that close to them?” Mykie’s voice held the same surprise that I felt. Why didn’t Dia want to get as far away from here as possible?

“Nobody’s going to find me there, and I prefer to stay nearby,” she said coldly.

“Alright, it’s not a hostage situation.” Mykie shrugged, holding one hand up in defense.

Graysen pressed his lips to the shell of my ear. “How do you feel about going back to Eitrea for a while?” His voice was bordering on purring.

I nodded.

“I promise I’m going to give you everything you deserve in life, my Little Fae. I won’t let you down again. I love you.”