Page 58 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

Things were turning around. I grinned and reached my other hand higher. After finding a spot to grab, I pulled down on my arms, willing my biceps to give me the strength to go up instead of down. I hung there, not able to pull myself up. My arms and legs trembled from the exertion. Then fear slid in to corrupt the optimism I was desperately holding on to whispering in my ear that I’d never make it out of here. I’d be stuck in this ravine for days before anyone figured out where I was.

I pulled my fingers free, pounded at the wall with my fists until they grew numb. It was useless to fight an inanimate object, so I turned and leaned my back against my enemy. The wall had beaten me and come away the winner.

My palms curled around my biceps, as my feet slid out from under me. My body slumped, falling down the slippery wall, until my ass hit the cold uncomfortable ground.

Sore muscles screamed at me from every part of my body. My arms, my legs, and even my butt hurt. There wasn’t a position I could sit without a jab of pain, reminding me what a colossal idiot I’d been.

Dejected at my failed attempt at escaping my circumstances, I screamed until my voice grew hoarse, hoping with each burst of sound someone would hear me. Time passed, and my voice now only let out little squeaks instead of the previous bellows. The decibel level far too quiet for anyone looking for me to possibly hear.

When I finally admitted to myself that no one was coming, and I was stuck here, I curled up into a ball and cried until I gasped for breath.

What had I done?

I swiped angrily at the tears that trailed down my cheeks and lifted my head to stare blindly out into the surrounding darkness.

Bone weary, soul crushing, exhaustion clawed at me. Not just from my futile effort trying to escape the stupid ravine, but from everything. The constant worry and care for my father, the idea of losing him, of him losing his insurance, not having enough money for his continued care, compounded with the lies I told to Jaxon. I wanted Dad to walk away from his job with his dignity intact as well as the insurance we desperately needed.

My heart ached as I remembered Jaxon’s expression now etched permanently into my memory. He’d been so angry when he caught me in my lie. I hated seeing the fury sweep across his face, turning it unrecognizable.

What I hated even more was the spark of betrayal that entered his eyes before the anger took hold. He’d tried to hide it from me, and if I hadn’t been staring at him, I would’ve missed the split second his face had dropped before it grew taunt with anger.

I sniffed.Ugh, I needed to stop crying and toughen up.

Each article of clothing I wore stuck to my skin, waterlogged. Even my coat hadn’t escaped the wrath of the rain. I attempted to push my hair away from my face and used my fingers to comb through the stands. Pain tugged at my scalp, and I gave up when the matted strands, caked with mud, refused to budge.

I’m not sure why I bothered. I was beyond caring what I looked like at this point.

A deep sense of loneliness penetrated my heart. My body grew heavy, and my fears of being alone in the woods came crashing back to me. I was not an outdoorsy type of girl. And being here unprotected, at the mercy of the animals sharing the woods with me, made me cringe.

Logically, I knew someone would come looking for me, but the reassurances I muttered to myself were helping less and less as the pitch-black night continued to engulf me. The beams of light from the half-moon fighting to shine through the low-hanging clouds weren’t enough to push away my fear.

An uncontrollable shiver worked through me. My teeth chattered so loud the animals howling in the distance could probably hear it. I laid my forehead on my up drawn knees, letting my weariness win. They should have realized I was missing by now.

It was about time I faced facts. No one was looking for me.

Chapter Eighteen