Page 5

Where I Faceplant in the Forest

I do my best to keep up. But we’re in a forest, in the middle of a moonless night. Thankfully, the scary red lightning has stopped, but it means I can’t see much of anything—just murky shadows looming in the darkness. Ahead of me, Khaosti moves as though it’s the middle of the day. He slides between the tree trunks, jumps nimbly over the branches that crisscross the forest floor so fast, that I struggle to keep him in sight. “You know, there are paths through this forest. Could we not use one?” I shout after him but get no answer.

I trip over yet another branch or root or whatever and lurch forward, landing face-first in the mud. I lie there until something toes me in the side. Rolling over, I stare up and can just make out Khaosti’s pale face in the darkness. His lips quirk. I’m so glad he finds me amusing.

I spit the mud from my mouth and do a quick body check, but I don’t think anything is damaged.

“We need to go,” he says.

“I heard you the first time,” I mutter as he reaches out a hand to me. I grasp it and feel a shiver of something pass through me, and then I’m being hauled to my feet. He doesn’t give me a second to catch my breath before scooping me up in his arms.

I go completely rigid. “What are you doing?”

“Carrying you. It will take all night at this rate.”

“You can’t carry me.”

“Of course I can. You’re smaller than I expected.”

“You expected me to be bigger?” I’m just astounded that he expected anything at all. It’s finally sinking in. There’s someone who knows, if not who I am, then at least of my existence. And apparently, he’s been looking for me. And I’m smaller than he expected—ugh!

Then we’re moving. I’ve never been carried like this—at least, not that I remember. I guess I’m lucky he hasn’t just tossed me over his shoulder. I have no clue what to do with my arms. I consider wrapping them around his neck but can’t quite bring myself to do it. In the end, I fold them across my middle and trust he won’t drop me.

I close my eyes as the last of the adrenaline leeches from my system, leaving me weak and shaky. Burying my face against his broad chest, I breathe in that spicy scent mixed with something uniquely masculine—almost feral—and let go of my fear. I realize that I feel safe. Carried by this intimidating stranger, his strong arms wrapped around me, a sense of peace fills me. It’s new, and I allow myself to relax against him, listening to the beat of his heart.

I’m jolted out of my trance as he lowers me to the ground. I think my legs are going to give way, but I lock my knees and stand up straight. Something warns me that I can’t show weakness around this man.

I open my eyes. We’re in a clearing, and a black SUV is parked on a dirt road off to the side. The door opens, and another man steps out. As tall as Khaosti but not quite as broad, he has blond hair pulled into a ponytail.

“Who’s he?” I ask.

“Trystan,” Khaosti replies. “He’s a friend.”

Huh. He doesn’t look very friendly. There’s a calculating coldness to his expression that puts me on edge.

“You found her?” Trystan says.

“Obviously. I tracked the shadowguard directly to her.”

“They’re getting stronger. He’s getting stronger.”

Who’s ‘he’? I want to ask, but Khaosti is already heading to the vehicle. I loiter for a few seconds, unsure what to do. The new guy is studying me with hard eyes. I’m not sure what to make of his expression, but I don’t like it.

“You want me to cuff her?” he asks Khaosti, who’s already opening the car door.

What the holy heck?

Khaosti pauses, then smirks. He looks me up and down as if considering the idea, and something dark flickers in his eyes. I scowl, and he shrugs. “Not right now.”

“How about never,” I mutter, giving Trystan a dark look. He shrugs and nods toward the car. I hesitate. Do I really want to go with these men who I know nothing about? Except they presumably go around with handcuffs on their person. Anyway, I have a strange premonition that I really have no choice. If I refuse, then those cuffs might become a reality. And I do not want to be cuffed.

Hell, no!

I can’t even phone someone because I left my bag and phone on the roof when I ran off. Serves me right for being so impulsive. I need to learn to think before I jump. Zayne and Josh must be out of their minds with worry, but there’s nothing I can do right now.

Plus, maybe if I hadn’t run, those things—whatever they were—might have tracked me there and killed all of us. But why? What did they want from me? For that matter, what the hell were they? From what I glimpsed, they weren’t human. Am I finally going totally crazy? Or was I hallucinating? Maybe I still am. I glance at the man sitting in the driver’s seat of the SUV, his face in profile. Could I have conjured him up?

I don’t freaking know anything anymore.

But on the off chance that this is real, then these men have to know what’s going on. Or at least they know more than I do. And maybe they even know who I am. That’s huge, and what I’ve wanted more than anything since I woke up three years ago.

So I give in to the inevitable, totter across to the car, and climb into the back. The locks click. I’m pulling the seat belt across my chest as we start moving.

“Hey guys, where are we going?” I ask.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Trystan replies.

I don’t think I like Trystan. But I suspect I’m not going to get anything else out of them. The motion of the car soothes me, and I close my eyes and try to stop my whirling thoughts. There’s no point in trying to think this through. None of it makes sense. The car jolts, and I open my eyes. We’re out of the forest and on a road heading south—I think.

All I can do is wait and hope they’ll tell me something when we reach our destination. At least the headache that’s plagued me all day has disappeared. I fight to stay awake, but it must be close to 2 AM, and exhaustion takes over; I close my eyes again and drift off into sleep.

I don’t know how long I’m out or what wakes me. Blinking open my eyes, I find we’ve stopped in an underground parking area. I have no clue where we are. I should have fought harder to stay awake.

The two men are talking quietly, and I hold myself still, hoping to hear something useful. But they go silent as though sensing I’m awake.

They both climb out, and the door beside me opens.

“Get out.” It’s the blond one—Trystan—and he really needs to work on his manners. For a moment, I stay where I am; then I sigh, unfasten my seat belt, and climb out. I look around, but the place doesn’t tell me anything. It’s just a garage with a couple of high-end vehicles parked nearby. I look between my two… What are they? Saviors? Captors?

I have to cling to the thought that Khaosti did actually save me—apparently from a fate worse than death. Or so he says. Besides, while Khaosti has been an arrogant ass, I do feel safe in his company, and I tend to have a sixth sense for these things. His friend, on the other hand…

I look up to find those amber eyes fixed on me. Khaosti’s gaze drops down over my body and his lips twitch. Then he raises his brow, turns, and walks away. Once again, I give in to the inevitable and trail after him and his obnoxious friend.

We head to an elevator and the doors close on us. The elevator is huge, with silver walls and a dark blue carpet. Khaosti presses a button, and we start to rise. I feel jittery in this confined space with these two big men.

There’s a mirror on one of the walls, and I glance at myself and immediately wish I hadn’t. In this case ignorance is definitely bliss—but it’s too late. I’m a freaking mess. I look like I’ve been dragged by the hair through a forest of mud. And I feel like it as well. I reach up and pull a twig from my ponytail, then stare at my hands. They’re dirty, scraped, and oozing in places. As soon as I look at them, they start to sting. There’s also blood on my face, but I can’t tell whether it’s from a cut or if I’ve wiped blood from my hands. My T-shirt is stained with mud, blood, and God knows what else. There’s a long tear through the middle, and I sniff—it was my favorite T-shirt.

The elevator comes to a halt, and the doors slide open. They lead directly into a hallway with marble floors and white walls. It’s spotlessly clean. I hesitate to take my dirty self into such pristine surroundings. But it’s that or stay in the elevator, so I take a deep breath and follow my two new friends.

I open my mouth to ask where we are, but Khaosti has stopped in front of a doorway. He opens the door and gestures for me to enter. I step past him and through the door into a bare room. I come to a halt and turn around to ask Khaosti what happens next... just as the door shuts in my face.

I hear a click.

My hand shoots out for the door handle. It doesn’t turn.

They’ve freaking locked me in.

“Bastards!”