It was then that he even showed his true side. He could have been gracious and given Randall the impression that he wasn't completely horrible. Randall knew better though. He knew then that Ethan was cold and calculating and the very last person that he wanted around Page. The very idea of her anywhere near him made him sick to his stomach. It filled him with not just fear, but anger, and Randall knew then above all else that he had to win. He had to make sure that nothing happened to her. He would not be able to forgive himself, and Page being victimized by somebody like Ethan didn't seem like a very proper ending. He also thought that he was damned glad that Page had not found him. She was away, safe, their babies in her stomach. The last place he wanted her was right then and there with hateful men that would stop at nothing to have her. Not because he wanted her, but because he thought she was his property.
Randall would never be able to look at Ethan as a brother. He was cold and calculating, possibly like their father and there was a reason that they had left his side years before. Maybe certain parts of their blood didn't need to be continued. That was how Ethan was seen by Randall. He was a mistake; he was DNA that shouldn't have been reproduced. Their father was evil and the last thing that they needed was another one of him around.
Randall ran on hope for a little while. He ran on the anger and the idea of Page being subjected to such a man, but quickly it turned. Quickly, Randall was overwhelmed and Ethan started to come in fast. He could hear the crowd murmuring and he knewwhat they were saying. They were now all convinced that they were going to watch him be killed. Randall was losing hope once again that he would be able to win. Instead, all he could think about was how he was sure about everything. Randall thought he was the man that could save Page, but he might have just made it worse for her.
Again, Randall thought to himself he wasn't going to win. There was no hope and as he was knocked down, he felt blows to his head that didn’t feel like fists. Randall knew he was likely not going to open his eyes again. The last thing he saw, was Page looking up at him from above. She had a sweet smile on her face, trusting him to make everything better. He wasn’t going to be able to make anything better and it really did kill him inside. Randall knew that he was on the fast track to losing her, his life, everything.
Chapter 20
Page
Page was shaken when she saw Allie’s face a little while later. The woman had gone to go see her brother and to see what had happened to Randall. Page was told to stay back, and she had stayed out of sight like she was told. The last thing that Page wanted was to be found out. She didn’t know where Randall was, and she just wanted to get to him soon. She was going to have the babies before she knew it, and she always envisioned Randall being there by her side. No longer did she hold that as a given.
“What happened?” Page asked, even though the feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that she was better off not asking. It was the sort of information that she didn’t want to know. It was hard to focus on much of anything else at the moment. Page was watching Allie’s face and the ill that her sister-in-law was trying to swallow down. Hadn’t she done the same thing when she had to tell her about her brother not being with her? Page knew that bad luck was coming, bad news, and she steeled herself for it.
“I… I don’t know what to say, Page. I’m sorry. I thought that Randall was safe, or I would have gotten involved already. I can’t believe that my brother would let something like this happen…”
Page’s knot was getting bigger in her throat. She could barely breathe and wanted to know what in the world Allie was going on about. It was hard for her to focus when everything inside of her was screaming. What was she missing? “What happened?” Page repeated to herself. She was still half braced for it, but she had to know.
“He is being held in the dungeons and apparently it is for his own good. He was almost killed by his brother. He would have been, Ethan would have killed him, if not for Ben stepping in. He went against all traditions to save him, but now I think Ben is there until something happens. I couldn’t figure out what it was they were waiting for, but Randall had to pay with his flesh and time.”
With his flesh…Page rolled those words around in her head, not sure what she was supposed to think of it. What did that mean? He almost died? How could Ben let that happen? How could anyone? Randall didn’t deserve any of that. What had to happen for Randall to be freed?
“Is he okay?”
“I doubt anyone would be okay after that.”
Page nodded, but she was speechless. Now she could understand the look on Page’s face. She reckoned that she had the same look on her face as well. “Can I see him?”
Allie shook her head. “You really shouldn’t be there. Ethan is determined to find you and if he finds you like this, well, I don’t know what he would try to do. I don’t know what Ben is doing or how far he would go. I don’t want them to know where you are. I want you free because Randall did all of this so that you could be free. What would he think if it was all for nothing?”
Page knew what she was saying was true, but could she really just sit on her hands like she had no rights and leave it atthat? Page didn’t know if that was possible or not. It didn’t feel like it was. How could she just leave him there, knowing that he was in jail, still, and hurt? It ripped at her to even think about it.
“I can’t leave him.”
Allie shook her head. “You are going to have to because he doesn’t want you locked up and mated to someone else. If they find you, they are going to try and kill Randall. That’s just what will be next, so that the mating ceremony that the two of you did will not count. I don’t even want to think about what he would do with the babies, my nieces and nephews. You need to lay low until the babies are born, if nothing else. I will help you, Page. We will find you somewhere to be safe. There are plenty of underground houses up in the mountains. We can find you one to stay in.”
Page didn’t like the sound of underground homes, but she knew that it was Randall that designed them and saved the clan by hiding them better. Randall was so smart, and he would keep her safe, even if he didn’t know it. She liked the idea of that, but still she hesitated. “Do you really think it would be good to stick around here? I mean, with Ethan looking for me, his people, wouldn’t getting away from here be better?”
Allie shrugged. “I don’t know. All I know is that you’re going to have them soon and you can’t do it alone. You can’t go home, and I can’t get to Randall right now. What else can we do? At least if you were close by, I could help you when the time comes.”
Page knew that she didn’t have many better options. Allie didn’t even know her, and she was willing to put herself out there like that. It made Page happy to know that she wasn’t completely alone, but something told her that if she stayed, she was going to get the consequences that the witch had told her about. Shesaid to save Randall, she was going to have to sacrifice. What, she didn’t know. She had asked if the sacrifice was the babies. She didn’t know if she could do that, but she was assured that it wasn’t. She had to figure out what was going to happen. She didn’t want to walk into it, but since she didn’t know what “it” was, she basically didn’t have a choice.
She agreed to stay in one of the cabins, but it didn’t settle the nerves in her stomach. Whatever was going to happen next, her whole body felt like she was on fire. She had no idea what was going to happen next, but she worried about it. Page was sure that it wouldn’t be long until her and Randall were back together. The only hope she had was that it was before the children were born. She really didn’t want to do it alone.
Waiting for him was painful. The days went by so slowly and after a week, she felt like she had been staying underground for a month. At night, Page was walking to get some of the moonlight on her back, as well as stretch her tired limbs. She thought of Randall and how close he was at the same time. Being without him hurt and when she walked in the woods, thinking of him, all Page could do was cry softly. She felt like she was never going to see him again, and she couldn’t stomach that being the truth.
***
After a couple of weeks underground, Page made her moonlit strolls a habit. She also knew that the delivery was close at hand. It was just a feeling that she had. Even though Allie had come several times to visit her, bringing things that she would need, it didn’t feel like anything was settled. She didn’t have a home for her and the babies, for Randall wherever he was. It was all overwhelming and the idea of doing it all alone was more than she wanted to think about.
She heard a crack of a stick around her left side. She turned to look and was quickly overtaken by the eerie feeling that someone was there with her. She’d walked those woods so many times, she knew when she was alone. The sounds of the forest itself had quieted down.
Page didn’t stop or try to pretend like she knew what was going on. She instead just kept walking, ever aware that she was getting further from the village and help. She was out there alone. Page was found out and even as she shifted into her wolf form and started to run, she wasn’t going to be able to outrun anyone. She was stuck there and there was nothing she could do about it. Was she caught?
Seconds later, that question was answered. She was knocked to the ground and knocked out moments after that. It all happened at one time and Page had no time to protect herself or her stomach. She saw an unfamiliar smiling face seconds before the blackness hit. She didn’t recognize him, but he seemed to recognize her, even in her wolf form. Only one man was really looking for her that she knew, and Page hated the idea of finally meeting Ethan, her supposed mate. She liked him even less than she thought she would and that was saying something.
Chapter 21
