Page 101 of Wicked Dove
“You little bitch,” the other security guard roars, clambering from his seat, and I ready myself for him, but the second he’s close enough for me to attack, the claws disappear.
Thinking on my feet, I slam my palms against his chest, but nothing happens as he knocks me to the floor. My back hits the black tiles with a thud, stealing the wind from my lungs as he pins me down.
He sneers at me as I try to buck him off, but it does nothing. He’s too much on top of me, and he knows he outweighs me.
Fear turns to rage as he focuses on pinning my legs down, but I manage to free my hands and slam them against his chest. Relief floods my veins as I watch him stiffen. My soul warms as my magic consumes me, then the ache ripples through my jaw and my eyes narrow.
My nostrils flare as his eyes widen in panic. The foreign magic that floods me takes over, and before I realize what I’m doing, I sink my teeth into his neck. Blood pours between us, coating my skin as he grows weak in my arms.
Shoving at him again, he falls limp beside me, and I take a moment to catch my breath, willing the burning hunger inside of me to subside. Panicked, I push to my feet and blink deliriously in search of the portal.
I feel drained, but I crawl toward the swirling colors uninterrupted. When it’s within reach of my fingertips, I think of where I want to go, take a deep breath, and fall into the vortex on my back.
A gut-wrenching bleakness seeps into my bones as I feel like I’m floating. Dark tendrils frame my vision as my pulse throbs while I linger on the edge of consciousness. After another long blink and a soft exhale, I peer up to find the night sky twinkling above me.
It takes a moment for the hope to blossom in my gut, but once it’s there, it takes root as I feel the familiar gravel beneath me.
Stumbling to my knees, pain ricochets through my body. I can see the distant lights of the trailer park, but it feels so far away. I don’t think I’m going to make it without passing out first. Maybe that might be a good idea because once my father sees me, he’s going to knock me clean out anyway.
Not unless…
In my determination to run, it’s only just now registering in my mind that Rion said Thorne and Kael were headed here, and my gut twists. It had to be in search of him, but… surely not.
I’m not going to find out from here, though.
Crawling, I feel the gravel crunch beneath my bare knees and the palms of my hands, but it’s worth it if it gets me closer. My movements are slow, labored, and too much. I’m ready to give in when headlights stop me in my tracks. The slow roll of an engine, combined with the sound of the gravel shifting under the tires makes me falter.
My knees give out from under me, my weight too much for me to carry as the vehicle rolls to a stop, but I refuse to accept my fate. Despite the torture rippling through me, I use all of my strength to force myself to my feet. I blink slowly as a shadow steps before the full beams and I straighten my spine, desperate to stand and fight, but I’m sure there’s a crook to my frame, the pain growing stronger as it roots itself in my soul.
Helplessly, my fingers curl into fists, even though I know they’re weak, but it’s all I have now that the claws are gone, and there’s no way in hell I could summon my magic like that again.
I’m a survivor, a fighter, I’ll go down trying no matter what.
The figure comes into full view and I freeze, the wind stolen from my parted lips as my world crumbles, eyes blurring with emotions I’m too bruised to acknowledge.
Those eyes, I’d know those eyes anywhere.
Everywhere.
In the dead of night, they still beam like beacons, luring me to shore.
“Walker,” I rasp, unsure if I even make a sound.
His name slams through me as I fall against his chest, his arms wrapping around my waist, which becomes the only thing keeping me up. I want to throw my arms around his neck, breathe him in, but it’s impossible. Now that he’s here, my strength is gone as I sink into him, taking all of the warmth from his embrace.
He came for me.
My eyelids fall closed as he lifts me off my feet and hauls me toward the idle car. I hear the door slam behind us, feel the rumble of the engine beneath us as he holds me in his lap. I press my forehead into his shoulder as silent tears stream down my face.
He came for me.
Everything morphs into the background.
I hear nothing.
I see nothing.
I am nothing.
