Page 53 of Knot Enough
Axe’s familiar voice echoed, and I stiffened, but then he continued arguing. He never sounded angry with me, so hearing him direct it at the others was off-putting.
If I had to stay here another minute, I’d go mad. I needed out—now. I rushed to the window in the bedroom and looked down. A tingle infested my toes from the height. The bedroom was located at the backside of the house and faced the woods. I eyed the grass and the steep drop. Oh God, that would hurt, but if I managed to aim right for the bushes closer to the house, they would break my fall . . . I peeked over my shoulder. They’d left me in here, expecting me to just sit pretty. I scrubbed my hands down my arms in irritation. No! Enough was enough. I needed space to breathe.
Fuck it. I shoved the window open. The cool breeze fluttered my hair around my shoulders.
Taking hold of the ledge of the window, I tossed my leg over to straddle the sill. I leaned and my stomach dropped to my toes again. I could do this. I breathed out slowly and tossed my other leg over. My best bet was landing on my butt to cushion my fall.
I flexed my hands on the sill, I got a better hold, and in the same motion, pushed off with a twist of my torso. A gasp slipped free, but I managed to suck a breath in to cut my scream off. I dangled, the ledge of the sill digging into my hand. I did not think this through.
Heaving in a breath, I let go and my stomach pitched. I sank my teeth into my lip to keep my scream inside. My ass landed with a hard thump and the crunch and rustle of the bush. Bits of it snapped under me. It took a moment for the numbness to be overpowered by the throb that worked down my legs. I pitched forward, curling over my knees with a whimper. That hurt so much. Fuck! But I couldn’t just stay here in pain. The bush crunched with my movement, the smushed plant still having alittle bounce. A broken piece of it sliced my ankle and I hissed, cringing from the pain, and rolled off the bush. I rubbed my ass.
The fall was much higher than it looked from down here. I gingerly stepped forward. A throb worked all the way down to my toes. I was definitely going to be bruised, but at least I didn’t break anything. With a quick scan of the area, I started walking away from the house.
I should have grabbed a pair of shoes. I peeked over my shoulder. If I went back now, they’d never let me out of their sight; I’d have to suck it up. Quickening my stride, I hurried through the break in the trees; fortunately, there were patches of grass, enough that it protected the soles of my feet. Wrapping my arms around myself, I continued trekking through the sparsely filled woods.
None of what had happened to me was fair. I scoffed. None of my life had been fair. I hugged myself tighter and sighed.
An engine roared and the sounds of civilization became heightened. I continued on my path, weaving through the maze of trees. Finally, I pushed through the break and stepped onto a cement pathway. It gave my feet a bit of a rest, so I continued forward. The path turned abruptly, and I stepped out onto the sidewalk . . . a little shopping area?
The straight-through street was framed on both sides with different establishments. Padding over the warm cement, I gawked at the cute little center. It was pretty busy with people strolling down the sidewalks. I avoided smacking into a couple so invested in looking at each other that they didn’t see me.
A sweet scent invaded my nose, and like a dog, I sniffed and followed the smell a few stores down. I stopped and eyed the cake shop, mouth watering. Some cake sounded fire right now. Displayed in the window was a chocolate bundt cake with creamy glazing on top.
The hair on the back of my neck stood, and my shoulders hiked. It felt like someone was staring at me.
I scratched the back of my neck and casually looked over my shoulder, but there was no one. I frowned and continued on my path. My attention snagged on a little kid. His gaze was fixed on my feet. His mom followed his attention, and her eyebrows rose at my lack of shoes. Concern flashed across her features.
I needed to get away before the questions came. I hurried down the next little alleyway leading to the back of the buildings, hoping and praying it wasn’t a dead end. Score! The alley spat me out back into nature. I smacked at a branch before I knocked into it.
And I kept walking . . . and walking. The excursion pushed my body, forcing me to focus only on the burn of my muscles.
I wasn’t sure how long I walked along the grassy knoll, hiking over valleys and hills of the vast landscape. Eventually, a bench came within view, and I beelined toward it. The wood creaked under my ass. Resting my hands at my sides, my fingers grazed across a divot. The letters L & G were carved into the wood with a heart around them. The obvious sight of affection warmed my gut. That was all I wanted—to be seen and loved.
Why had they hurt me so much?
I tipped my head back, letting the drooping sunlight warm my cheek.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and a shiver coasted down my back. I rub my arms. It was going to be a chilly night then.
The final rays of the sunlight disappeared, allowing the stars to shine their brilliance. I tipped my head back. There was something so magical about the sky. I focused on my breathing, admiring the beauty.
A bright shooting star crested across the darkness, and I perked up, following the brilliance with bated breath.
I clasped my hands together, squeezing my eyes tightly shut.
Please, all I want is for Rath and Kane to accept me. For all of them to love me, please.
A tear trickled out of the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t be somewhere I wasn’t wanted. I’d lived too much of my life that way already…
Emotion built in my throat. The hurt bubbled and overflowed as a sob exploded free. I clasped my hand over my mouth to cut myself off, but it was no use. I sat there, crying my eyes out.
Pathetic . . . alone.
TWENTY-EIGHT
After kicking Zade’s ass, I drove to Pack Reaper’s house, and parked just outside of their land boundaries. I needed to know what the fuck they were up to. What I wasn’t expecting was the body that fell out of the window. Caught off guard and intrigued, I watched as the woman, so desperate to get away, threw herself from the second story, picked herself up and glanced around nervously.
She took off, and so did my need to figure out what Reaper was up to.
