Page 20

Charlee

Rain pounds against the window as the lights flicker on and off. It’s only a matter of time before we lose power. I’ve survived a Georgia storm a time or two and can predict the inevitable. I lie on my bed staring at the blank wall across from me. The window lost its appeal days ago. Looking out the window at the vast expanse of trees I’ll never touch became its own form of torture.

A tray with my untouched food sits on a nearby nightstand as thoughts of Asher fill my head. His ice blue eyes haunt me. Every tattoo has become etched in my memory, like a bad dream—one that turns into something more. Much more. I hate the way my body betrays me every time he’s near. It craves his touch, but that’s wrong on all levels. He’s a monster. One who stole my freedom. I’ll be damned if I hand him over another piece of me.

Why does the devil have to look like a God?

Thunder hits so hard that it shakes the whole damn house. The lights flicker one last time before everything goes black. An idea forms in my head and my lips twist into a smile.

I creep out of bed, careful not to make a sound. My fingers dance along the nightstand until the hard plastic hits my fingertips. I dump the food onto my bed and feel my way toward the door. It’s not hard to do since there isn’t much in here. My body presses against the cold wall as I lie in wait, clutching the tray in front of me like it’s my only lifeline.

Footsteps stop outside my door, causing my pulse to race. Adrenaline pumps through my veins, giving me a sudden rush. The second the knob turns, my body hums with anticipation.

“You alright in here, Hellcat?”

Not Asher’s voice. He steps further into the room and sees the spilled food on my bed. “Shit!”

He shines the flashlight around the room. “Where the fuck did you go?”

I slink forward, waiting for the right moment. I only have one shot at this and I have to make it count.

He spins around so fast that he doesn’t have time to prepare for my attack. I swing the tray out, slamming it against his face. He goes down with a loud grunt, sending the flashlight to the floor. He’s down, but I need to make sure he stays that way for a bit longer, so I lift my foot and kick him right in the balls.

“Fucking bitch!”

he groans.

I pick up the flashlight and haul ass through the doorway, out into the hall. His groans echo behind me as I navigate through the hallway. I’m not sure which way to go, but lucky for me it only takes a second to figure it out and find the banister. My fingers slide down the wooden railing as fast as I can without tripping. I stumble a few times, but reach the landing near the front door rather quickly.

More thunder vibrates though the house, sounding much closer this time.

My hands shake as I unlock the dead bolt. Flashes of lightning light up the night sky, causing me to rethink what I’m doing. Then I hear stomps coming down the stairs after me and my decision is made.

“Fuck it,”

I whisper to myself. It may not be my smartest move, but I’ll take my chances. Getting struck by lightning is better than staying locked up in this prison for one more second.

“Get back here. God damn you.”

His steps pound loud enough to drown out the thumping of my heart.

I bolt out the door without a backwards glance. My bare feet slip against the slick Georgia clay as rain pelts my skin, soaking the oversized-t-shirt I’m wearing. Cold seeps through, chilling me to the bone, but my arms propel me forward as my legs pick up the pace. The house is becoming a distant memory the further I run. My eyes can make out the faint outline of trees and that’s good enough for me. If I make it through there they’ll have a hell of a time finding me.

A smile breaks out across my face once I make it through them, but then I realize how fucked I am. Cloud cover makes everything beyond the trees a dark outline. Without the light of the moon, I’m a blind woman running.

My legs begin to feel the exertion as my adrenaline wears off and I slow to a fast walk, but I force myself to keep going. I’ve come too far to stop now. A whip of lightning streaks across the sky, lighting my way.

I wipe the rain from my eyes and push on. A sudden dip in the ground causes my ankle to twist sideways, sending me forward on my hands and knees. Clay and mud splash into my face. The sharp sting of rocks slicing into my hands is only a slight distraction from the pain radiating from my ankle.

Thunder booms overhead, sending a vibration to rumble straight through me, but it’s the high-pitched growl that has the tiny hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Things are about to go from bad to worse. All I can make out is some sort of animal. It’s too small to be a wolf, but sounds too feral to be a dog. Not to mention we’re too far out in the middle of nowhere for it to be just a family pet.

My heart beats like a trumpet against my chest the longer I stare at it. Lightening strikes again and I quickly realize just how deep the shit I’m in is. Its mouth is pulled back, exposing a set of sharp canines as a pair of small eyes trains on me. The animal is standing tall and ready to attack any second.

The clay digs underneath my fingernails as I make to crawl backwards in preparation to run the other way, but I don’t even move an inch. Warm hands yank me up to my feet and against a firm chest as another one clamps down over my mouth, muffling my screams.

“Quiet, Princess. I’d hate for either one of us to end up this coyote’s dinner.”

A shiver runs through me at the feel of familiar warm breath against my cheek. It takes a minute for his words to register, but once they do it chills me to the bone.

A fucking coyote? In Georgia?