Page 54 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)

FIFTY-THREE

Luna

My jaw hurts from clenching it as I fight to keep my teeth from chattering. I try to look toward my feet to see if I can see the sun anymore and gauge how long I have been hiding here.

I hear Matthew and some women yelling my name off in the distance.

Shivers start to rack my body as the temperature drops and the rain picks up. A twig snaps closer than I want, and I hold my breath, willing my body to still.

“We need to find her. The wedding must take place tonight as the end is near. The rain will slow her down,” Matthew snaps.

“Yes, Father,” a woman whose voice I don’t recognize says.

Their footsteps get farther away, and I let my breath out.

I’m itchy all over, and my eyes begin to get heavy.

I fight to keep them open.

If I freeze out here, I think about the things I’ll never be able to do, like watch Jess grow up.

Or tell Noah how much I love him and that I’m sorry I insisted on being the one to go to the truck.

To make sure he knows it isn’t his fault that I’m in this position.

He’ll blame himself. I know he will. I should have listened to Ann and just told him my feelings when I had the chance.

Anger boils through me as I think about everything The Family has taken from me, and I don’t want them to take this from me too. I can’t let them.

I’m just so tired.

And so cold.

I let my eyes start to close.

Just for a minute. Maybe I can ignore how itchy I am if I pretend to sleep, and when I get up, I’ll make sure to find Noah and tell him exactly how I feel.

Sometime later, I hear my name being called again.

My eyes snap open.

The voices get closer, and I try to focus on them. I hear my name again, but one voice stands out.

Noah?

My mind must be playing tricks on me.

I don’t move a muscle, and my legs cramp in the position I’m in.

“Luna, come out, baby. You’re safe.” Noah’s voice rings closer.

I start to scoot out of the hollow log as fast as my aching body can move. “Noah,” I whisper. “Noah! Noah, I’m over here,” I say louder, hoping he can hear me.

Rain soaks through my dress as I emerge from the log.

“Did you hear that?” someone whose voice I don’t think I recognize says, and I freeze in a crouched position, ready to go back into the tree trunk.

Is this a trick? Do they have Noah to make me come out?

“Yeah, I heard it. Luna! Call for me again. I have Special Agent Hunt with me.”

I stand from my crouched position and scan around me. I see him off to my right, and I take off in a sprint. “Noah!” I yell, and he turns toward me.

I slip on the wet leaves as I run, and when I right myself, he and Special Agent Hunt start running toward me.

When he realizes I’m not slowing down the closer I get, he stops and braces himself, and I jump into his arms.

“Noah, I’m so sorry I went to the truck alone. I’m sorry I didn’t fight harder, but I didn’t know how to get away,” I cry into his shoulder.

He cradles my head. “It’s okay, baby. You got away when you could. You did so good, and I’m so proud of you.”

Panic sets in when I realize we’re standing in the middle of the woods in the rain with The Family so close. “We have to get out of here. They’ve been looking for me. Matthew is trying to make me marry him.” I try to shimmy out of his arms.

He holds me tighter. “He’s in custody. He can’t hurt you or anyone else anymore. And the only person you’ll marry is me, my Lunabella.”

I lift my head and look him in the eye. “Wh-what?”

His smile warms my heart as he leans in and softly kisses me. “I’m not asking you yet, but I will be asking.”

I rest my head back on his shoulder, and he starts to walk. “Well, when you ask, I’ll say yes,” I murmur as shivers take over my body.

“Hunt, can you tell Sam and Luke that we’re on our way and to have some blankets out and ready?”

“You got it,” he says and softly talks into the radio.

With the warmth of Noah’s body against mine, my eyes start to close again.

“Don’t fall asleep, Luna. We’re almost where we need to go, but you can’t sleep yet. Okay?”

“I’m so tired, though. I hate running, and I did a lot of it this afternoon.”

He chuckles. “You don’t have to run anymore, but you can’t sleep just yet. Let’s get you looked over first.”

I yawn. “Okay” is the last thing I mumble as I lose my battle and fall asleep.