Chapter 9

9

L oneliness settles into the pit of my empty stomach as I walk out of my apartment, wheeling my suitcase behind me. During the last six months, I've saved as much as I could in case something ever came up.

Leaving Hunter in my apartment was hard. I needed to do it, though. I don't want to be a part of what he's offering. I'm sure there's something between us. It was overwhelming, the way he made me feel secure, not lonely, as though I had someone on my side, and best of all, he wanted to keep me safe from my family and his.

He isn't a monster. At least, I hope he isn't.

I could be very wrong, though.

Stopping on the sidewalk outside my building, I don't know where I'm going. I left with no plan, no direction.

I grab my purse, digging for my journal. I started it six months ago, keeping pictures of places I'd like to go. Opening it, the first place that pops up is New York. But instantly, my internal alarm bell starts ringing.

Isn't that like the crime capital of the States or something like that?

However, it's only a couple of hours away, and it's a start. I need to start fresh, and I'm sure I can find somewhere safe in the surrounding towns.

* * *

While I sit at the bus station waiting to board, I put some sort of plan together in my mind—find a halfway house or backpack and hide out until things settle down.

Pulling out my phone, I scroll through news articles about crimes I should be aware of, and a message pops up.

Hunter:

I really wish that you stayed with me. I just received a phone call from my father. It's not good. Your father contacted mine to tell him that you are alive. Reconsider, please. Go to your grandmother's. She can keep you safe.

Reading those words, your father , causes my chest to tighten with fear. It weaves its way under my skin, wraps around my insides, and twists with each word I read.

Me:

No. I'm sure I'm safer going where I plan to. No one will know me there.

My head comes up, and I scan the street, looking for anyone who might seem off or watching me. Thankfully, it's midday. Surely, it would be reckless of someone to try to take me in the daylight.

I stand and head to the bathroom before the long journey, but when I go to push the bathroom door open, something doesn't feel right, as though I'm being watched. I turn around, looking for something—I don't know what.

A sharp pain, like a wasp sting on my neck, startles me, and I attempt to whip around, my hands flailing to the spot. I have no strength to scream as I collapse into a stranger's arms. I can only make out a dark, fuzzy figure standing over me.

My body feels as though pins and needles are stabbing me through every inch of my skin. Then darkness starts to settle over me, the weight of it terrifying me.

Am I going to wake up?

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that, Landon." Hunter's angry voice growls in my ears, making me groan. "She's awake! You're okay, Aelina. Rest." A large hand presses on my forehead.

"I did what was needed. They would have snatched her up, and she already fights you at every damn turn. Relax, Hunter."

I hear a low grunt, and I can only assume it's Hunter.

"Hunter, settle down. She'll be fine." An elderly woman's voice piques my interest, but my heavy eyelids won't open. "Relax, dear. You're safe now. Rest," she whispers into my ear, and the hand remains on my head.

"You didn't have to drug her," he snaps.

"Like I said, I did what needed to be done."

No remorse there.

He's probably right. I wouldn't have come quietly or even at all. I don't want to be involved in any of this.

"Shut up, both of you. You're hurting my head more," I manage to say, my voice barely a whisper.

Someone chuckles, and if it didn't hurt my head to do so, I'd roll my eyes.

"Oh, she's got some sass, this girl. She must get it from me," the woman says, and the sound of light footsteps and the click of a door follow.

Did she leave?

Was that who I think it was?

My grandmother?

She's here! I so desperately want my eyes to open to see what she looks like. Even though coming here wasn't my first choice, I'm excited to meet her.

"Why won't my eyes open?" My voice strengthens as the drugs wear off.

"Sorry. Give it a moment, and they will." I assume that's Landon.

When the hand moves off my head, I want it back.

After what feels like a lifetime, my eyes finally open. I'm lying in a large, king-size, four-poster, solid wooden bed. The room is a fuzzy blur as my eyes adjust to the lighting. I take in the solid timber walls and the different natural tones bringing life to the room. The room smells like blossoming roses, providing a calming atmosphere. To the left, there's a large window. The sky is a light pink color outside—sunset. And a familiar figure stands in front of it.

Hunter .

He moves toward the bed and sits, but I turn away to look at the other side of the room. I'm not ready to face him.

Another manly figure stands at the door.

Landon.

"How is the young lady?" The question comes from behind Landon.

I carefully move into a sitting position just in time to watch a lady walk in. She's elderly, her white hair tied in a neat ponytail, and she has a tiny frame. She walks in with such poise and shows such strength.

How old is she?

She walks over to the opposite side of the bed, joining Hunter. "Hello, love. My name is May. I'm not sure what this dashing young man has told you..." she gestures to Hunter, "... but I'm your grandmother, your father's mother. I'm sorry for what Hunter did to you, but it really is for your own good. I want you safe, and with him, you are."

My eyes widen.

"I know you probably have a million questions, but I think we should leave those for tomorrow. It's been a big day for you, thanks to Landon here." She looks pointedly at him, and he hangs his head, mumbling something I don't quite catch.

"Young man, I won't have that in my house," May snaps. Wow, she must have some wicked hearing, and I can't help but laugh. "You look so much like your mother, which I'm happy about."

She smiles, and it lights up the room. She has an aura surrounding her. I bet everybody who meets her falls in love with her.

"Nice to meet you, May. I'm—"

"I know who you are, Aelina. I'm the one who gave you that name. I needed to keep you safe. Unfortunately, I've failed." Her hand takes mine, and I note how soft her skin is. She shakes her head, then says, "As I said, we won't discuss that right now. Let's get some grub in you and get all of you settled for the night."

"Okay," is all I manage to say. I can't believe I'm here with someone who is my actual family.

My blood.

May stands and goes to the closet on the right side of the room. "My girl, all your clothes are in here."

She opens the door, and I spot my suitcase on the floor. Above it, eight brightly colored dresses, three shirts, and four pairs of pants hang from the silver rail like clothes on a line—a small amount of belongings.

"Wow, thank you so much," I gush.

She waves her hands, brushing me off. "It's nothing for my granddaughter. There's a shower through that door there." She points to a door on the left side of the room.

"Thank you again."

I push back the blankets and move to the side of the bed opposite where Hunter sits. As I process this whole ordeal, my head becomes less foggy. As things become clearer, frustration bubbles toward Hunter, who doesn't seem to listen to anything I say. He brought me here even when I asked not to be included.

"I'll be out finishing dinner. Landon, you come help me, son," May says, and he nods, following her out the door.

I place my feet on the soft carpeted floor and stand to pull out some new leggings and a blue tank top. Clothes in hand, I walk slowly toward the bathroom, well aware of Hunter and his heated gaze.

"Let me help you." He rushes to my side, taking my arm.

I snatch it away from him, and he holds his hands up in defense. Stopping, I turn toward him, my face deadpan. "I told you I didn't want to be a part of any of this. Yet here I am, and I feel like death because of your stupid bodyguard out there. Did you have him follow me?"

Hunter's stare drops to the floor. He doesn't say anything but simply nods.

I narrow my eyes. "Thanks to you, I'm now in danger. Our fathers want me, not you. If you were the smart man you think you are, you would have helped hide me. Instead, you want to bring me into a world I know nothing about and want nothing to do with."

I drop my clothes, my hands coming up and shoving hard against his chest. My body temperature rises with the anger rippling through my veins.

Hunter moves back when I push him. His face is unreadable. The tension in the room is so thick a knife could cut through it. My breath is ragged as the hammering in my heart increases. My head can't figure out what to do. I've become a bird locked in a cage. Hunter has inserted himself into my life and now wants to own me. I won't have it. I'm not some exotic bird who will remain a pet.

Bending over, I collect my clothes from the floor. As I come upright, my head spins slightly, and I press my finger and thumb to the bridge of my nose, hoping to settle it. Hunter takes my arm again, but I pull away, losing my balance. My hands fly up in the air, and I stumble backward. Then I'm falling. In seconds, I've got a throbbing pain in my ass.

"Oh my hell," I cry out and release a hiss between my teeth. Breathing through the pain, I struggle to hold back tears because of the pain shooting up my back.

Hunter rushes to my side. This time, he doesn't touch me or even make a move to assist me. "Let me help you." That soft, smooth-like-honey voice tickles certain parts of me and makes me want to fall at his feet, letting him do whatever he wants.

"You've done enough. I've survived perfectly fine on my own without you before..." I pause and gingerly pull myself off the cream-colored carpet. Straightening up, I say, "Just leave."

"Please forgive me, Aelina." The hurt is apparent in his voice, and he doesn't come across as the sort of man who would wear his emotions on his sleeve.

A battle wages within me. To let him in or pull away, but in the end, this is all too much, and the risk of letting him in isn't worth it. "Leave, Hunter. You've done enough for now."

I sigh and step around him, trying to conceal the pain with each movement, causing shooting stabbing pains up my back. I don't watch to see what Hunter does.

I can't believe the last twenty-four hours. That's how long it's taken for my world to fall on its axis once again, thanks to one man who decided I was better off knowing the truth.

Well, they weren't wrong when they said the truth hurts, and the same goes for ignorance is bliss.