“No idea, I’m at the house and they haven’t checked in yet,”he replies as I hear Ezra cursing in the background and the sound of something shattering.
“Be there in five.”
Chapter 18
Saige
––––––––
“Ssh, hey now, you’realright,” I murmur, sliding down the wall opposite the downstairs bathroom in Ezra’s house.
Rather than sit beside the door so she can hear me easier, I make sure I’m fully in view in case she cracks open the door, ensuring she doesn’t feel like someone’s waiting to get the drop on her. After seeing the wreckage in the living room, I don’t want to set her off again if I can avoid it.
While the girl may have been fleeing here in a last ditch plea for help, when the adrenaline started to wear off and she realized she was locked inside of a house at the mercy of strangers, dragons no less, she flipped out.
Because this girl gives off prey vibes that even my pathetic senses can pick up on. Eli just conveniently left that piece of information out on the phone, scared someone on our end would overhear him before we figured out what the hell to do since so many people witnessed her showing up.
I don’t fault her in the slightest, completely getting it. Logic doesn’t really have much place when you’re hurt and panicked, when anywhere other than where you’re currently at seems like a refuge until you actually get there. Just because you’re not in immediate danger doesn’t mean you’re safe.
Drawing my knees up, I wrap my arms around them, folding in on myself out of habit to lessen my presence. “I came here in a similar way, you know. Not actively being chased, but still running. Didn’t leave the house for weeks, and nearly had a panic attack when I finally did. But it’s been okay.”
Double checking that no one has crept back into the house, I quietly admit, “There are a couple of men I don’t doubt would sell me out in a heartbeat just to hurt my mates, but so far things have been as quiet as they promised. I’m not saying it’s perfectly safe, but compared to the other towns I’ve seen? Hadeon is both of our best chances for survival right now.
“The others are all outside updating each other and trying to make sense of things, as well as making sure any curious people keep their distance after all of that chaos. It’s just you and me.”
There’s a soft click as she disengages the lock, opening the door barely a crack and peeking out with bright, amber eyes. “Mates?”
Smiling softly, I nod. “Yeah. They’re outside with the others though, because I figured the last thing you’d want is more men in the house right now.”
“It’s you.” Relief pulsates off of her as she opens the door a bit more. Her onyx hair is cut at her chin in a severe angle, tangled and with the crunched bits of fall leaves still scattered throughout. There’s a particularly ugly bruise marring her cheek that can’t be more than a day old and the scratches around her throat look fresh.
“So there aretwoflights in this town?” she asks with genuine surprise. “No wonder you feel safe here. That many dragons, I’m amazed you think anyone would risk turning you over.”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I weigh my options. Ultimately, I go for as much honesty as I can. Even if I gave her a front row seat to the freak show, what is she going to do? She can’t call anyone without giving herself away, and it’s not like she could offer me up as a sacrifice, to trade me in exchange for her safety. They’d just take her right alongside me.
“We can’t shift.”
