I nod and slide off Ace’s lap, dropping to my knees next to his chair. Panic sends shivers down my limbs but I bite it back. The pack are right. If there are any issues, Rogue’s father will hopefully help us sort them out.
Devlin gets up, yanking open drawers and pulling out a gun. He throws one to Ace, who checks it and slots in the cartridge Dev tosses. Devlin looks at Gabe, who shrugs and points a finger at the knife set.
Rogue’s mouth tightens, but he doesn’t say anything.
We all listen as he moves out to the hallway, pulling open the main door. There’s a buzz of male voices, and I whimper. Ace strokes my hair gently, the movement soothing the buzz in my veins, but the ball of fear in my stomach is telling me that something is very wrong.
Rogue’s voice rises. “Is this really necessary, gentlemen?”
Devlin cocks his head, listening. “It’s a full check,” he whispers. There’s a hint of fear in his voice and we lock eyes.
The bedding. The clothes. Everythingreeksof me, especially after last night. Devlin realizes at the same time and pales as Ace curses. I close my eyes.
They’ll take me back.
Rogue steps into the kitchen, features masked with bored indifference, but his green eyes glitter with anger and worry.
“The compound is carrying out a check on the property,” he announces. “We’ve had no notice, and I’ll be calling my father to confirm,” he says, swinging his gaze to the large male who’s walked in behind him.
“You can do that,” the guard agrees. “In the meantime, I’ll need you all to exit the house whilst we conduct our checks.”
“Seems a bit overkill,” Ace mutters. None of the pack argues, and we all head outside. I shuffle on my knees, ignoring the sting of the gravel. Rogue can’t carry me today.
I’m looking at the floor, so Devlin’s startled shout makes me jump. My eyes shoot up and I see Rogue on his knees directly ahead of me. He’s swaying, shaking his head frantically as he tries to shake off whatever they’ve hit him with.
Male grunts and thuds sound around me, and forgetting any notion of keeping my head down, I swing around in horror. Gabe and Ace have collapsed. There areneedlessticking out of their necks.
Devlin staggers towards me, his face filled with horror. “Harper,” he wheezes. He drops down to one knee as he reaches out to me. “Run,” he breathes. “Run, princess.”
He barks out the last part before he drops.
I don’t think. I don’t breathe.
Irun.
Scrambling to my feet, I ignore the shouts and take off. Feet flying, I head straight for the forest, zig-zagging in case they decide to shoot at me.
They pull themselves together, shouts indicating that at least a few are following me, but I’m fast.
My feet run over twigs, stones, thorns catching my legs. All I have is Devlin’s shirt. My eyes blur and tears fall as I crash through the bushes.
Devlin. Rogue. Ace. Gabe. I moan, the tugging inside me begging me to stop, to turn around.
Devlin’s bark keeps me running until eventually, I have to stop. I drop my hands to my knees as I gasp for breath. Pain radiating up my legs tells me my feet are badly cut up, and I shiver at the cold.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go.
If I can hide long enough, I could try and make it back to the house. I could call Ezra.
The half-baked plan makes me feel a little better, and I look around for a good hiding place. I can’t run much further. The heat-spike from last night is still filtering out of my system, making me even weaker than I normally would be.
Spotting a tree with a small hole at the base, I head over to it and try to squeeze myself inside, wincing as the bark scrapes along my arms. It’s tight, but I manage it. Scrabbling at the dirt with my hand, I try to rub as much as I can over myself. Devlin’s white shirt will stand out like a sore thumb if anyone comes this way. I do the same with my hair and tuck it into the back of the shirt, before curling up.
I bury my face in my hands and finally let the fear in. What have they done to my pack?
I hope it’s just a tranquilizer, but what if it’s something else? What if one of them reacts badly?
My body shakes with the urge to crawl out of my space and go right back to them. I need to make sure they’re okay. The urges batter at my body and my scent rises up, acrid with fear and longing.
