“In case you forgot, you don’t dictate my life. Your ‘final say’ isn’t law,” I said.
He frowned. “It is when it comes to your safety,” he growled.
Frustration boiled over, and I couldn’t take it any longer. I exploded.
“Fine,” I snarled. “If that’s the case, then why don’t I just tell Elias?”
I tried to step around him. Sam blocked me, looming over me as he glared down.
“I’m not going to let you do this, Rachel,” he said, his voice deep and dangerously soft.
I stared back up at him. “I’m not giving you a choice.”
His eyes darkened as he stared down at me. “Is that your final say on the matter?”
I met his gaze. I wasn’t going to sit back and let this happen when there was something I could do about it.
“Yes,” I said.
He let out a deep breath. “In that case, I’m sorry.”
Before I could react, he had picked me off the ground and thrown me over his shoulder. I screamed, kicking at his chest and pounding on his back as I squirmed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. He ignored me like I was a mewling kitten, simply hauling me down the stairs to the basement without a word as I spewed curses at him. He didn’t say a single thing as hediscarded me in the middle of the room and started walking back up the stairs. I ran to the case and glowered up at him.
“I trusted you,” I said, my voice breaking. “I trusted you, Sam. How could you?”
He turned to look down at me. Something like guilt might have flickered across his face, but stoic resolve replaced it in a heartbeat.
“I’m doing this to protect you,” he said. “I’ll be back when this is all over.”
“If you do this, I’m never going to forgive you,” I stated, my entire body trembling with rage and indignation. “For as long as I live.”
His jaw tightened, if only for a moment.
“But at least you’ll be alive,” he said.
He slammed the door shut as I raced up the stairs, closing it before I could reach him. A moment later, I could hear the lock slide into place, sealing me inside. Over the pounding of my fists, I could hear Sam’s footsteps as he walked away. A minute later, the front door opened and closed, leaving me alone in the house, trapped.
I screamed as I kicked the door. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have trusted him? He didn’t care about me, no matter what he said. If he cared about me, he wouldn’t have locked me in here like a helpless cub.
Taking a step back, I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to collect my thoughts, but too angry to do so. I had finally started opening up to Sam, beginning to trust him after years of keeping him at bay. He had promised me agency. He had sworn that he wouldn’t be this controlling. And yet, here I was. Hehad broken that promise. I knew in my heart he thought he was doing the right thing, but that didn’t soften the sting of betrayal.
I gritted my teeth. I didn’t have time to stew on Sam. I needed to save my friend, no matter what Sam said. And, even if I was furious with him, I couldn’t let Sam die. I was their only hope. I wasn’t going to let Sam’s pigheadedness stop me. Not this time.
I remembered Amelia’s training, telling me to use leverage instead of brute strength. I wouldn’t be able to open the door on my own, but I bet I could find something that would help.
I raced back down the steps and began hunting through the drawers and other items. Eventually, I settled on a lamp with a thick metal base. I jerked it out of the socket and ran back up the steps. I hefted it in my hand and slammed the base into the wood of the door. A satisfying crack reverberated through the air as it connected. I slammed it down again and again, until the door broke away from the lock and swung open.
My arms throbbed as I dropped the lamp, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was getting to Emma before the wraith could do whatever it had planned for her. I grabbed my car keys and raced out the door, hoping that I wasn’t too late.
Chapter 22 - Sam
A swarm of guards wandered around the edge of town, grouping into small clusters. I moved between the groups, issuing orders and coordinating between them as Elias spoke with Drake and Oz. Rage radiated off him even as his face remained stoic. No one in their right mind would trust that neutral face.
Night was beginning to fall, darkness falling over the sky as we prepared to go after the wraith. The normal jovial, relaxed demeanor that often fell over the group was nowhere to be seen. Everyone was hellbent on going after the wraith after it had taken their luna; their anger and outrage at a level I had never sensed from them before permeated the air, rippling through the pack. Even if this mission was designed to retrieve Emma, none of the group would miss an opportunity to destroy the wraith if it showed itself.
As I moved to speak with Elias to go over final strategies, movement on the edge of the group caught my eye. A slender, small figure weaving through the crowd, head swiveling as she searched for someone.
My jaw clenched as I stared at Rachel, panic gripping me. She couldn’t be here. She needed to be as far away from here as possible. Without wasting a minute, I marched over to her. Her eyes found me, and she stilled, her lips thinning as she stared at me in defiance, but she didn’t run, nor did she fight me as I took her by the elbow and tugged her away from the crowd, searching around to see if Elias had noticed.
