Page 21 of Saved By The King's Gamma

My feet ache from running, my muscles protesting, and my lungs burning. I want nothing more than to collapse onto the cold concrete beneath me, to catch my breath and rest my weary body. But I can’t stop, not when I know my window of opportunity is small. I have no idea if I am even running in the right direction or how far the town is, making decisions at each corner harder.

I run blindly through deserted streets, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. My heart races, fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins. The fact I can’t read any of the signs makes it even harder. Yet still, I run, praying Ivy is on her way to me. I pray she picked up on my subtle message; hope is all I have, especially once the howls ring clearly through the sky.

His voice booms into the mindlink, hurting my brain, demanding I return home. When the screams and threats don’t work, he tones it down. When that doesn’t work, he yells again.

“You tell me your whereabouts, love, I will come get you. You stop at anyone’s door and hand yourself in, and we can go home and put this behind us,” he tells me, and I wonder if he actually thinks I’m stupid enough to believe him.

“Fucking whore! When I find you, I will make sure you can never run from me again!” he snarls angrily after a few minutes. Then back to the coaxing in gentle tones, only for his true colors to shine through once again.

By the time I am out of the town and on a long stretch of road, my feet are bleeding, my shirt is drenched with blood, and I am limping worse than when I started. My hand presses firmly against my side as I try to stem the bleeding. Hope comes in the form of a service station. Its light is a burning beacon in the night, and I fasten my pace, nearly there, but I’m not oblivious to how the howls grow closer, and the sound of revving engines of cars tear up the town behind me, heading my way.

The neon lights of the service station sign illuminate the dark night, casting an eerie glow on the deserted pumps and flickering windows.

Reaching the service station. I burst through the door of the run-down little building, panting heavily and my heart beating a million miles an hour. The man behind the counter jumps at the sudden commotion, his eyes widening in shock as he takes in my bloodied appearance.

“Ma’am?” he stammers, stepping back as I move toward him.

“Someone is after me! I need your phone!” I gush, desperation and fear evident in my voice. I frantically scan the area outside through the windows, expecting to see my mate hot on my trail.

The man seems stunned before shaking his head and looking for his phone.

“I have a first aid kit,” he tells me after passing the phone. He asks questions and unlocks the door while peering out. I reach into my pockets to find the piece of paper with the number on it that Alana had given me while trying to answer his questions. My hands shake as I punch the number into the corded phone to call Ivy. When the phone starts calling, I hold it to my ear.

“Pick up. Pick up,” I whisper, not realizing the call has already connected.

“Abbie?” she asks.

“There should be a microphone picture. Press it so I can hear,” Dustin says in the background; it sounds like they are in a car.

“Are you there?” I ask while glancing around the windows.

“Yes, can you hear me?” Ivy asks, the phone volume turning a little static and crackling.

A sob escapes me. “Ivy! Oh please, thank God!” I gasp.

“I’m right here,” Ivy tells me. And I can’t seem to get myself together enough to speak.

“Did she answer?” the man from the service station asks.

“She answered,” I tell him, peeking over at him as he watches out the window.

“Thank you so much,” I quickly tell him before listening to the static through the phone.

“Are you there still?” I ask.

“Yes, I am. I am…” The phone crackles before the phone drops out of reception. I curse and call again. It immediately starts ringing again, and Ivy answers it.

“Abbie?” she asks.

“Listen, I need you to come to get me. I was wrong about Kade, Ivy. Send Gannon. Please! I want to come home! I am…” she falls silent. “I don’t know where I am. I can’t read the sign. I am… Where am I?” I ask, turning to the service station manager.

“Metro service station. It is in Langley,” he tells me.

“Metro Service station in Langley. Abbie is there!” Ivy tells Dustin, obviously hearing him in the background.

“Are you okay, Abbie? We are nearly there,” Ivy tells me, and I sigh.

“You have to be quick. I know he already knows I ran. Wait, you are nearly here?” I ask.

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