CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Maven

The rain drilling into the roof stirs me from my comfortable slumber. I check the time on my phone, shocked that I've been sleeping for hours. Before falling asleep, the rain seemed to be letting up, but not now. It sounds louder than ever. I must have fallen asleep before Renn got home, because I spy his raincoat and boots near the door. Sitting up, I realize a heavier blanket that wasn't here before lies on top of me, making my cheeks flush knowing he must have draped it over me at some point in the night. I truly wanted to wait up for him.

Just to make sure he's already asleep, I tip-toe up the small flight of stairs to the loft, my weight creaking the wooden slat steps. When I get to the top, the loft is larger than I expected and there are skylights on both sides of the ceiling with the bed sitting underneath. Renn is asleep on his stomach, the sheets stopping just below his waist, leaving his bare back exposed. Meekly, I inch closer, but he doesn't stir. He is soundly at rest, his back slowly rising and falling with deep breaths. I resist the urge to touch him, inching down the steps again to the couch.

Maybe I just wanted to see that he's content with me staying here. I wonder if he will have another nightmare. If he does, I'll be glad I'm here with him. I plump the pillow and lay the blankets over me to settle back in, but then I pause.

What was that sound?I hear it for a second, but it's gone in a flash. I still myself, trying to listen over the heavy beat of the rain, thinking it must have been in my head.

I hold my breath a few more quiet beats until I hear it again. It's muffled by the pounding storm, but I know I hear barking from somewhere outside. I glance around the room for Shy, but she is nowhere in sight.

Why is Shy out in the middle of the night, especially in the pouring rain?

Confused, I peek through the back door's window, turning on the porch light and trying to locate where she is, but it's impossible to see anything clearly through the perpetual downpour. I don't want to disturb Renn in his peaceful sleep, so, reluctantly, I pull on my boots and snag Renn's coat. His coat is long enough to cover most of my legs, my rain boots hitting just below my knees. I grab the lantern that is sitting near the door, then push it open, boots squeaking as I walk across the deck, trying not to fall in the process. It's rained so much that huge puddles have formed, collecting great amounts of the water. Everything is muddy and slick.

"Shy!" I shout into the storm. But there's nothing. My boots splat through the mud toward the tree line, and then I hear her bark again. "Shy!" Still she doesn't come.

I duck into the cover of the trees, grateful to be shielded from the water under heavy thick branches. "Shy? Where are you, girl?" Her frantic barking continues, but I can't decide which direction it's coming from. And then there is a shift in the air, and I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Something isn't right. A chill runs up my spine, and a different kind of darkness takes over me.

"Shy?" I whisper, suddenly it becomes difficult to find my voice. A twig snaps from somewhere behind me, and I jump so badly that I almost slip, but catch myself, barely. I stand still for a beat or two, waiting to hear something, anything.

I need to wake up Renn.

I turn around to run back to the house, but before I can take a step, a force slams my head into a nearby tree. Flashes of white spots dance across my vision, and instant throbbing radiates through my skull. I fall face-first onto the soggy, wet ground, unable to catch myself this time. The lantern lands somewhere nearby.

My first thought is that a branch must have fallen from above, but before I can lift my head to get my bearings, a strong grip takes hold of my hair and pulls me to my feet. I scream out in pain, and then a voice hisses into my ear. My body becomes stiff in terror, my balance and senses in vertigo. I can't piece together what's happening in the haze of pain. Is this a dream? The voice continues to say something, but the words mean nothing to me because everything sounds muffled, like something is covering my ears. Shy's barking continues faintly from somewhere. A constant ringing sound in my throbbing head.

Someone holds me and shakes me violently.

It only makes the pain in my head scream, but this time, when I hear the voice, I can decipher it's a male speaking. There's a malevolent tone to the voice, and he's shouting now, pushing me against the tree as he pins my arms behind my back. My face scrapes against the rough bark. The stinging sensation and the hammering in my head make me feel like I'm about to pass out. My vision goes dark, but I need to stay awake. I can't let this man take me and do whatever he is planning, because clearly his intentions are in no way going to be in my favor. I know I'm in grave danger.

The seconds tick on, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to remain present, slowly slipping under, but just as I'm about to fall unconscious, Renn's face clearly comes to my mind. I need to get to Renn . . . somehow . . . My body seems to register this the second I have the thought, and I can almost feel my blood heating up, pumping adrenaline throughout my veins. I see the lantern lying on the ground, giving me enough light to try to focus on my surroundings.

"What do you want?" I muster through a moan. He responds, but I still can't decipher his words as he speaks again, and then it clicks—he's speaking in a different language. "I can't understand you," I say, trying to turn my head so I can see his face, but he pushes me harder into the tree trunk.

My senses keep coming back, bit by bit, fear waking every inch of my body. My fear turns into fuel—the fear of this man, whoever he is. I need to fight my way out of this to stay alive. I know from the sinister tone in his voice that he's going to try to do something terrible to me.

I need to do something now.

I'm still a bit disorientated with pain and shock, but with all the force I can summon inside me, I throw my head back, colliding with something that feels like a nose. The man screams and lets go of my hands. I struggle to find my footing, but before I can manage a few steps, the man grabs my arm and yanks me back as if I were a doll. Instead of restraining me, he steps aside and lets me crash to the ground beside him on my stomach once again.

His mistake.

I peek through blurry vision and see a jagged rock within my reach. I lie still, waiting for him to come closer as I slowly move to wrap my hand around the rock, squeezing it tight, its sharp edges digging into my palm. As soon as I feel him lean down, I spin onto my back and slam the rock into the side of his head. He shouts in agony, and I don't hesitate as I start to run toward the light that I can see vaguely from the porch peeking through the trees. I don't dare turn around, pumping my legs as hard as I can, trying to move fast without falling. The ground is uneven as it is, but the rain makes it almost impossible to stay upright, especially with my heavy boots, but I keep pushing. I keep running. Seconds pass, but it feels like hours—like I'm running in slow motion. But finally, the house comes into view.

"RENN! RENN!" My voice breaks with the effort. I'm struggling to breathe. I try to shout his name again, but my voice is fading. I'm confused and terrified—my screams sound almost inhuman. My lungs burn, my chest blazes, and before I can scream again, the man catches me.

This time, he shoves me to the ground, then flips me over to my back and straddles me, pinning me down at the waist. He now has a knife in hand and holds it against my throat before he leans down, his face just a few inches from mine.

I see his features clearly for the first time in the stream of light coming from the porch. His eyes are dark and full of malice, hooded by thick eyebrows as his lips pull over his teeth, snarling. I've never seen anything so incredibly evil.

I'm going to die. Right here. And God, what will happen to Renn if this man gets to him too?

BANG!

A gunshot rings out. The man snaps his head up to the source, and I follow his gaze.

I find Renn standing there with a gun raised toward the sky. His face is cold and calm, lowering the gun to point it at the man still on top of me. He stares at my attacker, and then begins to speak. I listen intently to his words, but I don't understand what he says. He repeats himself when the man says nothing, and my heart jumps when I realize it.

Renn is speaking in the same language as the intruder. A different kind of chill flows through me, sinking in my chest. Renn speaks again, and the man pulls me to my feet, still holding the knife against my throat while his other arm restrains me against him. With a sideways glance, I watch him stare directly at Renn and smile with such evil delight that it turns my blood cold. I look back to Renn. He still has the gun raised.

"Renn?" I whimper.

He still doesn't look at me, never taking his eyes off the man behind me, like he's a snake and if he glances away he will strike. And I realize, gazing at Renn's face, that he knows this man—they know each other.

And whoever this person is, I know he's part of the reason Renn ran away from wherever he came from.