Page 78 of Alpha Queen
His thoughts returned to River, locked in her room below. Perhaps it was time for a different approach. The isolation clearly hadn't even bent her spirit. If anything, it seemed to strengthen her resolve. He'd tried the carrot. He'd tried the stick. What was left?
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
RIVER
River waited in the darkness, counting the minutes. Titan's footsteps had stomped up the stairs hours ago, following the delivery of her evening meal. Once the house fell silent, she lay her ear against the wall, listening for any sign of activity.
Nothing.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she crept toward the damaged LED screen. The jagged hole Titan had punched through it gaped like a dark mouth, beckoning her. With trembling fingers, she removed the TV screen and slid through the hole once more.
Her heart hammered, and she took a slow breath. Her wolf's desire to escape spurred River on. River inched along, every sound- her ragged breathing, the soft scrape of her clothing against the wall, the pounding of her pulse in her ears- seemed impossibly loud. She moved quick as she dared, terrified that at any moment, Titan would discover her absence.
Following the path she'd explored earlier, River navigated the passages. Left at the junction, straight, and then right at the wider section. Her muscles burned, but desperation drove her forward. This might be her only shot.
After minutes which stretched out like hours, she reached the second passageway, the one she hadn't fully explored before. Slightly wider than the first, it allowed her to move with marginally more speed. Dust tickled her nose, and she held back a sneeze, freezing in place until the urge passed. The whirring sound grew louder as she moved toward it.
The passage curved, and River realized she must be following the outer wall of the house. Her wolf stirred, offering what little strength she could. The pregnancy had drained them both, but the instinct to protect all of them burned fierce and bright.
The passage opened into a small maintenance alcove. Moonlight spilled through a narrow window, casting silver patterns across the dust-covered floor. River gasped. An actual window, not a screen, not a simulation, but real glass separating her from the outside world.
She rushed to it, drinking in the sight of the night sky. The moon hung full and luminous, bathing the lawn beyond in ethereal light. For the first time in weeks, a flicker of genuine hope burned inside her. She reached high above her head and pressed her fingertips against the cool glass, a sob of relief threatening to escape her.
The small window, hardly eighteen inches square, was real.
River scanned the space, but there was nothing to stand on for her to reach the window. She took several steps back and examined it, almost bursting into tears. It was a fixed piece of glass that didn't open. So even if she did find something to help her get up there, she'd have to break the glass to get out.
River slid to the floor and hung her head.
No. Give up.
I know. I'm not. I just… need a sec.
River stared at the cement floor, her back against some kind of heating unit.
Please, goddess, get me out of this.
A soft creak echoed in the small space, and River froze, her heart nearly stopping. After several agonizing seconds of silence, she breathed again. She couldn't stay there. She had to do something.
Air whooshed against her feet, and she looked to her right. Light parallel shadows cast across the floor.
She stared at them for a moment before realizing what they might be.
She crawled over and placed her hand on the wall, casting the shadows. A metal ping sounded as she ran her fingers down the area.
"Yes."
She pushed on the metal, and it fell forward. She caught it before it hit the floor. She sat, not moving, not believing what she saw. She let out a breath and placed the metal grate on the floor. Her heart leapt as she crawled through the hole and into the paint studio.
River scooted out from under the table and looked around the space. Everything sat as she'd left it days before. She ran her fingers over the table, feeling for the tools. She found two palette knives and hurried to the doors in the corner that led to the backyard. She tried to keep her hand from shaking as she located the lock and wedged the first palette knife in the joint between the door and the doorjamb. She tried wiggling it, but nothing happened. Then she tried sliding it up and down. Still nothing.
She groaned and tried twisting it harder, and the knife snapped in half.
"Shit." She looked at the knife handle in her hand and then dropped it.
A palette knife wouldn't cut it. She needed something more substantial. But there wasn't anything stronger. She'd looked before.
She touched the glass on the door. Maybe she could break one of the smaller panes, and it wouldn't make too much noise. Then she could open the lock from the outside. She glanced around and grabbed a rag, wrapping it around her hand. Man, she hoped she didn't screw it up.
