Page 13 of Hunted by Them (Primal Desires #1)

SAGE

I woke with a jolt and gasped in confusion.

The first thing I noticed was the light pouring in through the glass in front of me. Gold, soft, and too warm, too steady. Not firelight.

My heart hammered. I blinked against the brightness, my lashes wet, and then the realization hit me…I was in my car.

The driver’s seat cradled me in the soft cushion, and yet I craved my fur blanket.

My steering wheel gleamed in the sunlight.

My pack sat on the passenger seat, neat and untouched, like it had never left my side.

I looked down. My clothes were dry and clean.

I was wearing my spare shirt, jeans, and boots.

Everything was normal, as if nothing had happened.

But something had happened.

My throat closed.

“No,” I whispered to myself. “No, no, no…”

Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, I twisted in my seat and looked around.

I was near frantic, trying to find some trace of them.

Mud on the floor, rope burn on my wrists, a rub from the blindfold.

Something. Anything to prove I hadn’t dreamed the storm, the cabin, the firelight, their hands, their voices. But…there was nothing.

The sun offered normalcy, but I growled and cursed it, smacking my hand off the top of the steering wheel.

What if it wasn’t real? What if I made it all up?

I dragged trembling fingers through my hair.

It was clean, brushed even. My nails were unbroken.

My skin was smooth and freshly lotioned.

I rubbed at my wrists. They were tender, but no visible marks.

Looking in the rearview mirror, there was a faint line on my chin.

Hand trembling, I ran my finger down the small mark that could’ve been made by anything.

A sapling branch to the face would have caused a larger mark.

My pulse wouldn’t slow. My body still ached.

Then I remembered, he carved himself into my chest. My hand flew to the spot, comforted for a moment. But a sharp knock shattered the silence and stopped me from checking.

I screamed, jerking back against the seat. My eyes whipped to the left as I clutched at my shirt.

A man in uniform crouched outside my window. Khaki shirt, patches on the shoulders, a wide-brimmed hat shadowing his eyes. I recognized the uniform of a park ranger.

He leaned close, calling through the glass. “Sage Harlow, is that you?”

My lips parted. My name sounded strange in his mouth, too ordinary after everything else. I was tempted to say no, it was Sweet Daisy, but I licked my lips and nodded.

“Can you open the door, please?”

My hand shook as I fumbled for the handle.

The door clicked, creaked open, and the ranger kneeled in front of me.

The ranger’s face was sun-tanned, serious, and etched with what looked like worry.

He had one of those sexy square jaws, but the sun and his hat shaded the rest of his face while I fought against the brightness.

“Ms. Harlow, how did you get here?” His gaze swept over me like he was making sure I wasn’t a ghost. “We’ve had a search party out looking for you for days. We were just getting ready to head out again when I spotted someone moving in your car.”

“I…” My voice cracked. “I don’t know.”

His eyes softened. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

Safe? What the hell did that word mean in this fucked up world?

I’d felt safe in the cave with men I didn’t know, and yet my heart knew them.

“Come on, I’d better get you over to the volunteer tent and let the police know you’re okay. We should also get you checked out.”

I didn’t say anything as he helped me out of the car, his arm steady under mine. My knees nearly gave out, but I forced myself to move, to let him lead me. We crossed the lot, the gravel crunching beneath our boots, and I lifted my head.

A cluster of tents had been set up at the edge of the trees.

Tables, radios, and volunteers in bright yellow vests.

Uniforms were everywhere. Some of them were rangers, some paramedics, and even police.

Coffee cups balanced on clipboards. Maps of the park spread wide, my name scrawled in black marker across them, and areas marked off.

All of this was for me?

I blinked hard. My throat burned. Was this why they got rid of me?

The search was getting too close. These people were all here to help me, worried I had fallen into a ravine…

or worse, and here I was wanting to scream at them.

I wanted to tell them to go away, so I could go running back into the forest and find that cave.

People looked up as we approached. Relief swept across their faces. Some whispered. One woman, despite not knowing me, actually put a hand to her chest like she’d been holding her breath for days.

A medic stepped forward, asking questions in a gentle tone, but my ears rang too loudly to process them.

“Ms. Harlow, do you know how long you’ve been missing?”

I pointed my thumb at the ranger. “He says days, but I don’t really know.”

“What happened? Did you get lost in the storm?”

The questions were coming from all directions. I swallowed, mind reeling. What could I say? Three masked men had chased me through the forest and tied me up in a cave. I couldn’t tell if it had been the best dream or something…else. I’d begged for them. I hadn’t wanted to leave.

I couldn’t tell them that.

I lowered my eyes, feigning confusion. “I…I don’t remember.”

The medic exchanged a look with the ranger, then nodded as he jotted notes.

“Memory gaps are common with trauma,” she murmured. “We’ll get you to the hospital and checked out.”

“No…no hospital. I just…I just want to go home,” I said firmly.

“Oh…okay, um…I’ll have to clear that. I’ll be right back.” Immediately after she stepped away, a police officer took her spot. His eyes were sharper, like he was accusing me of something, and I didn’t like it.

“Ms. Harlow, I’m Officer Walsh. Have you purposely been hiding?”

“No.” I glared at him.

“And you don’t remember anything?”

I crossed my arms. “No. I was caught in that horrible storm and took refuge in a small, rundown cabin. After that…I don’t know.”

“But you don’t want to be checked out? You must see how that looks suspicious?”

The ranger stepped between us and clapped the guy on the shoulder.

“Can’t you see she’s confused. She’s obviously been through a lot.

We’ve seen this out here before. The forest is…

well, strange things happen all the time.

You should see how many werewolf and Bigfoot sightings we get in a month.

Give her a couple days, it might come back,” he suggested, and I appreciated the backup.

“Fine, I’ll have some follow-up questions when you are feeling up to it, Ms. Harlow. I’ll make arrangements for your car and take you home myself.”

I nodded but knew that I wouldn’t be saying anything more. No matter how many days he gave me. My silence felt safer than the truth.

Eventually, the officer ushered me into his car. Exhausted, I held my pack on my lap and leaned against the window. The tents, the rangers, the trees, the cave where I’d learned who I really was…it all blurred into the distance as we drove away.

“Don’t worry about the car, it’ll be fine,” he said kindly, his voice different now that he’d decided I wasn’t lying to him. “You just need to get some rest.”

“Thank you,” I mumbled, not really caring about my car.

I felt numb, empty, and my mind spiraled as I recounted every second that I’d spent with Buck, Elk, and Caribou.

God, I wish they’d shown me their faces, or given me names or anything to hold on to for the rest of my life.

By the time we pulled up outside my building, the sun was higher. Heat pressed in on me, and it felt like too much. I stepped out, legs stiff, and thanked the officer with a voice that didn’t sound like mine.

Inside, my apartment smelled faintly of apple air freshener and dust. Everything was exactly as I’d left it.

I dropped my pack on the ground and looked around at the dirty dishes that needed to be washed.

The books I had stacked by the couch reminded me of my endless Tbr .

The mug that sat by the coffee pot, waiting to be used.

The tiny place no longer felt like mine.

The memories I’d made here were foreign.

I slowly walked to the bedroom, and as soon as I saw my neatly made bed and large pillows, tears filled my eyes.

Hollow. That was all I felt, an aching emptiness where the three unknown men had occupied. The storm was gone. The masks were gone. The forest was miles behind me.

But their voices still whispered in my blood, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I hadn’t escaped at all.

Buck had promised that when I left, I’d always think of them, and even if that had seemed impossible at the time…I believed it now.

Walking over to the bed, I flopped down and let the silent tears fall.

I wasn’t crying because I had to leave the men in the forest. I was crying because it felt like I had left my true self in the heart of the woods, and now…

there was no getting it back. I was back physically, but emotionally, I had never left that mysterious cave.

Yellowstone Park and the mysteries it held…could now add mine to the endless list of stories.