Chapter 29

Cha pter 29

Rose

I stand at my window later that night and watch as Maverick leaves. He has his bag thrown over his shoulder. Now that I know where he escapes to at night, I should feel better about it. But I don't. I hate that he feels he has to go to the fight club to work out whatever it is he's dealing with. As if he senses my gaze, he turns. I debate letting the curtain fall and stepping back, but I force myself to stand still. It's impossible for us to make eye contact at this distance, but it feels like he's staring into my soul. It only lasts a minute before he turns away. I continue to watch him, but he never looks back. Only when he drives away, do I drop the curtain and head back to my bed.

I sigh as I stare up at the ceiling. I wish I could help him, not because he's anybody to me. He's made it abundantly clear that we won't ever be anything. I just hate seeing people in pain. And Maverick, though he would probably deny it with his dying breath, is definitely someone who's in pain. I hate what he's been through and wonder for the millionth time what I can do to help him. I think through the horrific story Cade told me. My stomach clenches, and I roll over. Somebody needs to help him; he can't keep carrying around the pain and guilt. I'm not sure how long it takes me to fall asleep; I don't look at my phone because I don't want to know how late it is. I'm going to seriously regret this late night in the morning.

A sound wakes me out of my sleep, and my eyes pop open, my heart thundering in my chest. Because I always keep a light on, I see the men in my room instantly. I open my mouth to scream, but a hand covers my mouth before I can utter a sound. I fight against my attacker as my body comes roaring awake. Something is stuffed in mouth, and I gag against it. I try screaming into it, but it muffles my sound completely. Another guy approaches the bed and holds up a syringe filled with who knows what, but I'm not about to let them drug me with anything. I kick out and nail his hand. The syringe goes flying, and the man lets out a muffled curse.

"Quiet," the guy holding me snarls as he yanks me off the bed. I buck against my captive, but he's too strong. Another person grabs me on my other side, and they drag me to the door. My heart is pounding so hard, I feel like it's going to explode. I try to keep from being dragged into the hallway. I grab the doorframe, but a solid kick against my stomach sends me into the hall on my knees. I can't breathe as the air's knocked from my lungs. Panic assails me as I try but fail to drag in a breath. I'm yanked to my feet and dragged along. I can't see anything in the dark. Even if I could, my eyes are watering too hard. Hands on either side drag me down the steps; my feet barely touch the ground. I fight again at the door, knowing if they get me outside, I'm as good as dead. I know a car is probably next and then death. No matter who they are, that's how things always play out. Fear that the men who grabbed me are actually vampires has me panicking so hard, I'm afraid I'm going to black out. Just like I feared, there's a waiting car. My fear ratchets up another notch. Stop. Stay calm. Focus on getting away. I try to talk sense into my brain. I know if I get in that car, it's not going to end well. I let my knees lock for a minute and then I drop like dead weight.

The man on my left curses, and the man on my right stumbles. I use the opportunity to yank my arms free and run. I run for all I'm worth, knowing that if they're vampires, it's not going to matter. I slam into something in the dark, and it knocks the wind out of me. I turn to run away, but strong arms wrap around me. Too late! My mind shouts at me.

"Rose." I hear the harsh whisper, and I look up. Dark eyes bore into mine, and I suck in a shocked breath.

"Maverick?" My voice is high and panicky. "There's men. They—they..." Maverick puts a hand over my mouth, quieting me and pulling me around a car. He pushes me against the car and leans against me. My body is on overload, and the feeling of his large body leaning against me, protecting me is more than I can handle right now.

"I'm going after them. They won't hurt you." His words are low against my ear. "There's four of them, right?" I nod, unable to form words. "I'll be back in a minute." He starts to move; I can tell because his weight against me begins to lessen. Then he leans forward once more. "Plug your ears and don't watch." With those ominous words, the weight against me disappears. It's absolutely silent for a moment. All I can hear is my heart pounding; it's loud enough, I feel like it's going to let the men know of my whereabouts. I squat down and put my hands over my ears.

I hear a muffled sound, and I jump. Maverick kneels in front of me. "Let's go." He puts a hand under my arm and pulls me to my feet. I stumble a moment, and he steadies me but keeps us moving. Somebody comes around the front of a car, and I scream and stumble backwards. Maverick tightens his grip on my arm. "It's just Eli."

I stare in the darkness and make out the scary enforcer. "You okay, Healer?" Eli asks in a low voice.

"Yes, but there's four men out there somewhere. They—"

"They're dead," Maverick says, stopping my panicky rant.

I turn to him. "They're—"

"They're dead." He repeats.

"But...they..." My mind is trying to piece together what's going on. He was only gone a few seconds, and I heard nothing.

"Healer." Maverick gives me a little shake. "We need to get inside; there could be more coming." His words get me moving. I pull away from him, and he drops my arm. He stays close though. More shifters show up, and Maverick tells them to report to Eli. Once we're inside, Maverick takes my arm once again and walks us down the hallway toward where Cade and Amber live. Cade meets us in the hallway.

His angry eyes skim over me. "You're okay?" he asks. I nod, not sure if I can talk right now. "I'm heading out now. We'll meet in fifteen." Maverick nods, and we start down the hallway once again. He opens a door and leads me inside. It takes a moment in my state to realize that we're in his room. As soon as he closes the door, he wraps his hand around my elbow and guides me through his apartment to a chair. Once I'm in the chair, he disappears. He comes back a moment later with a bottle of water. He takes off the cap and hands it to me. "Where are you hurt?" His voice is gruff. I take a drink of water and try to settle my racing heart. I take a sip and spill some of it on my tank top; my hands are shaking too badly. I put the cap back on and try to still the buzzing in my head. "Where are you hurt?" he asks again.

I shake my head. "I'm not."

"Don't lie to me," he growls at me. I notice his eyes; they're dark with...something.

"I'm...I'm not. They bruised me, but I'm ok—"

"I smell your blood," he growls at me. "Where are you bleeding?"

I look up at him and feel my face heat. "Oh. It's not..."

"Just tell me!" he demands.

"It's my time of the month," I tell him, humiliated.

His eyes widen a moment, and he shoves a hand through his hair. "Sorry," he says gruffly. "I haven't been around you enough to recognize..." his words trail off, and I'm suddenly glad he didn't finish the sentence. His words make me realize that I need to head to my room, though.

I stand to my feet awkwardly. "I need to go...to my room." I feel my face heat all over again, and I wish I could just disappear.

He seems to know exactly what I'm saying. "You stay here; I'll go to your room and get what you need." He's gone before I can say anything. I stare at the closed door, my mind racing. I don't want to think about tonight, but it's like my brain won't let it rest. My mind brings back every detail from the moment I woke up until Maverick showed up. When I think about what nearly happened, I struggle to breathe. The only thing I can figure is that they were vampires, coming after me. And just like that, the fear that I've worked so hard to deal with over the last year comes roaring back with a vengeance. Suddenly, I can't breathe. I squeeze the arms of the chair and try to get oxygen, but there is none. The room swirls around me, and black spots dot my vision. I fall to my knees and bend over, trying to get air.

Help! My mind screams. I'm going to die here in this room.

"Rose. Rose." I hear a voice far away. "Rose." The voice is commanding this time. I jerk my head up and can barely make out Maverick's face through my blurry vision. "Breathe." His command is too strong for me not to obey. I suck in the smallest amount of oxygen. "Again." Somehow, I manage to suck in another breath of air. "Look at me."

I drag my eyes to meet his dark ones. "See me." I struggle to take in a breath, and he puts a finger under my chin, tipping my head up. "See me, Rose." My eyes meet his dark, intense ones. "You're safe." Somebody knocks at the door, but he doesn't look away from me. "You're safe, Rose." I search his eyes a moment and finally nod. "I'm going to answer the door; it's just Cade and Amber for now." He puts something in my lap, and I glance down and realize it's a bag from my room. "You can use my bathroom," he says quietly. I feel paralyzed to move. He moves close and puts a hand on my elbow and guides me to my feet. "Go ahead. I need to let Cade and Amber in before he kicks down my door." I hurry into the bathroom and close the door behind me. I peek inside the bag and see the tampons from under my sink in my bathroom. I'm not sure whether to be impressed or not. When I hear voices, I quickly do my business. After I wash my hands, I look around a moment, trying to decide what to do with the tampons for now. I end up stashing them under the sink, making a mental note to grab them later. I feel my face heat when I think about the fact that he could smell my blood, but I push those thoughts away. There are much more serious problems at hand to deal with. I take a deep breath and try to stay calm as I walk back out of Maverick's bathroom. I lose that calm in an instant when I see that Cade has Maverick pinned to the wall with an arm across his throat.

I'm moving towards them before I realize what I'm doing. "What are you doing? Stop!"