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CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 17

Cynthia

I drag myself up the steps, my teeth sinking into my lower lip to swallow the gasps of agony.

It’s past midnight here, and everybody is in bed. After two days of beating me black and blue, Jonathon should be dead tired. My left leg is broken, and I pull myself up the steps, my belongings clenched in my other hand. Norman is in his room, and he’s the one I’m most scared of right now. If he finds me trying to escape, it’s over for me.

I just have to make it to the front door and then I can call Tony.

I know he’s near the house. Right now, I don’t know if he will help me, but he’s been kind to me recently, and I want to believe he will. I’m just going on faith here.

I see the phone as I grip the wall of the living room and pull myself to my feet, forcing all my weight on my right leg. It’s on the kitchen counter, right next to a bright red laptop that I recognize.

"…leaving now. There had better be some bitches there, Ricky. Someone needs to suck me off."

Norman’s voice has me ducking into the kitchen and quickly flicking the light switch to shroud the room in darkness. His footsteps pound on the steps, and he walks right past the kitchen entrance. The entrance is U-shaped with two walls extending on each side. I’m curled up on the ground, on the inside part of the wall, hoping he doesn’t smell my blood. Fortunately, Norman just walks out the front door, and a few minutes later, I hear the sound of his car roaring away.

Blinking rapidly, my heart racing, I pull myself to my feet. A gasp of pain slips out as my back rubs against the wall. My left arm isn’t functioning too well, either. I must have dislocated my shoulder at some point. My chest hurts, and it’s hard to breathe right now. Taking the laptop will be more noticeable, but my escape will put me in just as much danger. I drag myself to the counter and, using my functioning hand, I first use my phone to call Tony.

"Pick me up at the main entrance of the house," I say hoarsely. "Hurry. Please."

Once that is done, I look around. I can’t possibly carry everything with me. I’ve just got one hand. I search for a bag or something and find a paper bag belonging to some branded store. Reaching for it, I stuff the laptop, Norman’s phone, and my own, along with my wallet inside. I don’t know how I get to the front door, but it seems like a never-ending journey to hell, each step making me want to scream in agony.

Tony is waiting outside in the car, and after one look at me, he’s out of the car. "What happened?"

"What do you think?" I mumble weakly. "L-Let’s go. Please, before they wake up."

"Wait," Tony stops me, alarmed. "Are you running away?"

I stare at him, my heart in my mouth. "You want me to stay? Why? So he finally kills me?"

"That’s not what I mean––"

"I’ve been starved and tortured, Tony." I’m so dehydrated that even the tears don’t come out. "Jonathon lost his shit. My left kneecap is shattered. My leg is broken. I can’t move my left arm either. Do you want me to go back in there and let him do something else to me?"

"That’s not what I’m saying," Tony responds, his voice low, but I’m at the end of my tether.

I’m in so much pain. My mind is in shambles. I want to crawl into a hole and just cry myself to sleep.

"If you… If you don’t want to help me," I gasp out, struggling to breathe, "I can walk. I’ll fucking walk. But I won’t go back inside. I’ll figure out a way." I look around, my chest feeling constricted. "I don’t need you. I can do it myself. I can…"

My legs give way from under me, and Tony grabs me, preventing me from falling.

"I’ll take you." He sounds defeated. "I’ll take you to your apartment."

Right now, despite everything Tony has done for me, a part of me is still scared of trusting him completely. I need to grab some things from my apartment and then I’ll leave. I have money. I can rent a room somewhere. As long as I don’t leave the city, nothing will happen to me. The blood debt will kill me if I cross a certain distance from Jonathon. For now, I need to hide. But I also need to be prepared. There is no way I am going back into that house. I am done. I am done being beaten, abused, and humiliated. If I can’t find a way out, I’ll find a permanent escape. Robert just confirmed what I knew that night at the gala. There is no escaping a blood debt outside of death. I don’t know how to stop my heart for five minutes. I don’t even know if it’s possible. But I will never be free. Jonathon never intended for me to walk out of the house. He got all his ducks in a row now.

"Let me take you to a healer first," Tony says, but I shake my head.

"Just drop me home."

I don’t have time for a healer. I have a few hours until Jonathon wakes up and realizes I’m gone. I can’t call Adam either because if the man didn’t notice I was missing for four days, how’s he going to help me now? He was probably with Tina this whole weekend, and when I didn’t show up for work, he couldn’t be bothered. My wolf is more agitated than normal, and I feel sick. My last whipping was brought on by the fact that I threw up on Jonathon’s shoes. Even with nothing in my stomach, bile still rises in my throat.

Tony pulls up in front of my building and he helps me out of the car.

"Go," I tell him. "Clean your car. I don’t want Jonathon blaming you for my escape. I can take care of myself."

"Have you seen yourself?" Tony demands, worry in every line of his face. "You can’t even––"

"Go!" I shout at him now, my whole body writhing in agony. "I don’t want you here!"

He takes a step back, clearly startled by my anger.

"I’ll be fine," I add wearily. "Just, please. Go. You don’t know what Jonathon will do to you if he finds out you brought me here."

Tony looks torn, but when I see him leave, I’m not upset. I’m just numb now. One by one, all the doors are closing on me, and I have to work first if I want to get out of this situation alive. I don’t know how I make it all the way to my apartment. My broken leg is healing, as is my kneecap, but it’s healing in the wrong way. I fumble with my key and open the door. The moment I step inside, my heart sinks.

The whole place has been ransacked.

This has to be Jonathon’s work. But what was he looking for?

One of the chairs is broken, and I pick up the leg, using it to support myself as I walk to the kitchen. It takes me close to half an hour to climb on a chair. My jaw is strained from trying to not cry out in pain as I reach for the box where I hide my money. Thankfully, it’s still untouched. I stuff everything into my wallet. I don’t have the strength to change, but I manage to tug on a sweater to hide my bloodied clothes. There are some other things I need to gather. Once I have everything, I open my laptop and look for motels. Choosing a human-owned motel, I book a room under an alias and call a taxi service, asking for assistance from my unit.

While I wait for the taxi, I plug in my phone to charge and gather some essentials. I will need a healer at some point, but right now, I need to focus on more important things. I can’t pack or carry a bag, but I need to take my laptop and Norman’s without creating suspicion. I take out a small overnight bag and stuff the laptops and other small items inside it.

When the taxi arrives, the middle-aged man gives me a sympathetic look and he helps me from my apartment into his car. He seems to sense I’m not up for any conversation, so he doesn’t pry throughout our journey, but once he helps me into the motel, he slides me a domestic violence helpline card. For a moment, I feel overwhelmed by the kindness of this stranger.

Once settled in my room, I lock the door and then pass out on the bed.

*****

When I come to, it’s late afternoon. My left arm is limp by my side, and my knee and leg are twisted at an odd angle. The numbness overtakes the horror. This was bound to happen. Fortunately, this place has room service, and I order some lunch while I figure out what to do.

I open Norman’s laptop, and as I go through it, I find myself reaching for my phone.

What is Norman doing with vampires?

Wolf shifters rarely work with vampires. Especially after the events from last year that occurred in another pack, a lot of shifter packs broke off their business dealings with vampire clans.

But the details here are both gruesome and worrying.

I call Adam.

He picks up the phone almost instantly, and the first words out of his mouth are, "Cynthia. Where have you––"

I cut him off. "I have the phone. There’s something you need to see."

"What?"

"Norman’s phone and his laptop. I have them," I repeat. "I’m messaging you an address. Come here."

I message him the details and then close the laptop, leaning against the headboard of the bed. I’ve slept for hours and yet I’m so tired. I want to close my eyes and sink into the abyss of darkness where it’s safe and silent, where I’m not being tortured. My leg is throbbing. Each movement makes me want to scream.

I will have to see a healer, but I’m afraid Lydia will get in trouble. What if I ask her to meet me here?

I pick up the phone, and this time, I focus on the screen. My blood runs cold at the sight of all the missed calls and messages from Jonathon. I don’t open the messages. I’m scared shitless right now. I put the phone down, my heart thudding in my chest. Hands unsteady, I reach for the motel phone. I call the infirmary, and the nurse who answers directs me to Lydia’s cellphone. When Lydia answers the phone, she sounds taken aback to hear my voice.

"It’s me, Cynthia. I need a favor," I tell her, my voice unsteady. "But please don’t tell anybody about this."

"What is it?"

"I got attacked, and I’m in bad shape. I can’t come to you, but can you come to me? Just make sure nobody finds out and that you’re not followed."

She doesn’t ask questions much to my surprise. "Alright. Give me your address."

It turns out she’s in the area, and when there’s a knock on the door twenty minutes later, I feel myself hesitate even though I know who it should be. "Who is it?"

"It’s me, Lydia."

I let out a sigh of relief and hobble over to open the door.

Healer Lydia takes one look at me, and her face tenses. "Who did this to you?"

"It’s not important." I sink back onto the bed. "I’m… Can you fix me?"

She cups my face with her hands, worry in her eyes. "Cynthia, you need to tell me who did this to you."

Her voice is gentle, and it brings tears to my eyes. "I can’t. Please understand. I can’t. I just need you to fix me so that I can… I’m tired, Lydia. I’m very tired."

The words are ripped from my very soul.

I am tired. Living has become such a chore now. I’m on the edge of the precipice. My reasons for living are fading away, one by one. The flame within me that has driven me to survive, to fight, is close to being extinguished. I have fought so hard and yet gained nothing. The most happiness I achieved was in those moments when I believed Adam was mine, that I was cherished. But all that was also a lie. Perhaps that’s what broke me the most, to taste this exquisite happiness just to have it yanked away from me.

"Alright." Lydia gently urges me back onto the bed. "Lie still. This is going to hurt, but once I check what is wrong with you, I will have to break your leg and knee again to reposition it properly."

I nod, letting out a shaky breath.

I lie still when she runs her hands over my body, hovering just an inch from my skin. Her hands are glowing a soft yellow, warmth emitting from them. When she reaches my stomach, she pauses.

She does it again, and she pauses once again.

Lydia takes a step back, her eyes wide. "Cynthia, are you pregnant?"

Shock hits me like a punch in the gut. "Excuse me?"

"You’re carrying a child within you. You’re two to three weeks along." Lydia looks concerned. "You didn’t know?"

My working hand clutches my stomach. "It’s not possible."

"You are pregnant," Lydia reaffirms. "I double-checked. Why do you look so upset? This is a good thing."

"No, it’s not!" I burst out, fear eating at me.

A child? I’m supposed to bring a child into this world when I’m still tied down as a slave?

I can’t even protect myself. How will I protect my baby when Jonathon…

I can barely finish the thought, my eyes burning. "I can’t… You have to check again. Lydia, you have to check again! I can’t be pregnant!"

"Honey," Lydia sits down beside me, trying to comfort me, "a baby is a good thing. And it’s healthy. Despite the attack on you, it remained safe inside you. You should talk to your mate––"

"I don’t have a mate." I give her a desperate look. "So, I can’t be pregnant."

She sniffs me now, and her expression changes into one of shock. "But Cynthia, you––"

I hear footsteps, and I know who it is. I grab Lydia’s hand. "Swear to me. Swear to me you won’t say anything to anyone about this. Nobody can find out!"

"Cynthi––"

"Lydia!" I cry out, terrified, and she gives me a jerky nod.

"Okay. Alright. You have my word."

I go limp on the bed, the shock of this news having drained me.

Someone is pounding on the door, and Lydia looks at me.

"It’s Adam," I tell her. "You can open the door."

His scent is creeping through the door.

She does so, and I see Adam stride inside, followed closely by Robert. Both of them come to a halt when they see me.

"What happened?" Adam is by my side in a heartbeat, concern all over his face. "And where have you been?"

"It’s a long story." I don’t have the strength to shove him away from me. His scent is comforting, as is his presence. "The laptop’s there. You can take it with you."

"And I’ll be taking you with me as well," Adam snaps. "What happened to you? Do you have any idea how worried I was? You could have called me or sent me a message or something! You––"

I catch Lydia looking between us, and I don’t want her to jump to conclusions. "I thought you would be with Tina, so I didn’t want to bother you two. Now, take the laptop and the phone."

"What’s wrong with her?" Adam whirls around to interrogate the healer. I shake my head at her and can see her reluctance.

However. she keeps her promise. "She was attacked. I need to heal her, so it would be best if you leave the room."

Adam turns to face me, and his eyes run over my body. He’s quick to put two and two together. "Her arm and leg. They’ve already set, haven’t they?"

"I’m afraid so," Lydia admits.

"I don’t want you to stay."

"You’re going to shut up now," Adam says. His flashing eyes contradict his tone, however. "I’ll hold her while you make the breaks. Be quick, though. I don’t want any more pain than necessary."

"Then it would be easier to break them at once, if your friend can assist."

Robert steps forward, grimly. "Tell me what to do."

As Lydia instructs him, Adam sits beside me, his voice soft. "This is going to hurt a lot, Cynthia."

"Give me something to bite down on," I tell him, my voice even.

"Take my hand."

"Don’t be ridiculous, Adam." I give him an annoyed look. "I’ll hurt you."

"It’s fine."

"I don’t want to bite down on your hand!"

"Here." Robert tosses me his tie. Instead of giving it to me, Adam wraps it around his hand and then holds it out.

"We have to get started, Cynthia," Lydia warns. "Just do it."

With no choice left, I bite down on his hand.

My body jerks in agony when Robert and Lydia break my kneecap and my leg. Tears stream down my face, and I smell Adam’s blood as he comforts me. The pain grows worse when she begins setting my kneecap and my bone. However, it’s a temporary pain that begins to fade once she uses her healing magic. I tremble as I feel the bone mend. I go limp against Adam at some point, unable to handle it all. Fighting to remain conscious, his voice soothes me. "I’ve got you. You’re okay. You’re safe."

I want to tell him not to let me pass out, but his scent is warm and soothing, and after so many traumatic days, having Adam by my side is making my wolf relax. I’ve not even thought about the baby yet. What am I supposed to tell him? What am I supposed to do? I feel myself sinking deeper and deeper until I feel nothing but calm.

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