Chapter One
Kelly
Standing in my tiny living room was hard. Memories flooded through me in a rush: of arguing with Jacob, of hearing a knock on the door and thinking it was him, of opening the door for two men who pushed their way inside my apartment, and of being tranquilized.
A shiver chased down my spine. Cold sweat beaded my forehead, and I wrapped my arms around my stomach as nausea bubbled up within me.
Weeks had passed since the last time I’d been home—if I could even call it that anymore. It was supposed to be my safe haven, but that illusion had been shattered into dozens of fragments.
My life had changed irrevocably.
The wild beast within transformed me into someone I barely recognized.
My number one priority had been survival. Locked away like an animal in a cage, I’d been wild and nearly feral. For a while, I’d doubted Jacob and I would ever be found at all, but then a military man with short black hair had discovered and helped free us. That man might very well be dead. The gunshot piercing through the night had sounded so final as we’d fled for our lives. And the woman’s screams…
If only we’d stayed to help… But what could we have done?
Jacob’s strong arms encircled me from behind, pulling me into his warm embrace. My back pressed against his chest, and I drew in a deep breath, scenting his musky cologne to ground myself again.
“Let’s not stay here longer than we have to, babe,” he said. “It has been an intense night, and I smell your fear. Grab some of your stuff, and we’ll rest at my place.” He soothingly ran his hands over my arms, and I closed my eyes for a moment to savor his touch.
Knowing he was here helped a little, but the images in my head wouldn’t stop their assault. Running away didn’t always work, even if I’d desperately wanted it to. However, I couldn’t run from my fears and anxiety. They were always hot on my trail.
“Okay, I’ll grab my backpack and toss some clothes and toiletries into an overnight bag.” My textbooks and notecards were still laid out where they’d been during our study session, and I ran my shaky hands over them, wondering how life might’ve been if I hadn’t gotten so pissed off at Jacob in the first place. What if we’d had sex instead of me trying to protect my virtue? “Hopefully the school won’t be jerks about us missing finals.”
Wait, did that really matter? Only a couple hours ago we had escaped from the crazy scientists and their mercenaries.
“Let’s not worry about school right now.” He sighed against my hair. “Not after everything we’ve been through. Once we’ve gotten ourselves grounded again, then we’ll figure all of that out. Okay, babe?”
He was probably right, but what if the school didn’t let me come back? My life would be even more complicated and challenging.
“My mom will talk with the university. I’m sure they’ll be lenient due to extenuating circumstances. We’ll figure out what to tell them soon. Maybe my mom could talk with the school on your behalf, too, or at least get the proper information to your parents.”
Jacob was lucky to have a mom who was probably worried sick about him while we were locked up. My own parents likely didn’t even know I’d missed finals. We weren’t close at all.
I turned and wrapped my arms around his waist.
“That’s great, but what if all the work I put into this semester was ruined by…” My voice broke, and I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.
Instead, I buried my face into his chest, breathing in the vanilla-scented soap from my bathroom that mixed with his musky scent and lingering undertones of bleach and other chemicals from the laboratory. We’d taken a long shower here, but it obviously hadn’t helped to erase the haunting smells from that horrible place.
Pulling away from him, I scooped up my books from the bed and tucked them into my backpack along with my notebooks and other school supplies. It was probably pointless to bring them along, but I didn’t want to leave them behind either, not when I didn’t know when I’d return here.
A lump clogged my throat, and I tried to swallow it down. How was I supposed to do well on any make-up exams now? Most of what I’d learned had probably been forgotten. What did College Algebra matter when I’d been locked away like an animal to be experimented on by some sick scientists?
“Babe, just sit down and take it easy. Please. I can pack a few things for you so we can leave. It will be okay. We’re safe now.” He sat on the bed next to me and ran his hand down my back. “I’m here for you.”
Jacob had helped me stay sane through our time at the research facility. Pulling away now would be the worst thing I could do, both for him and for me.
“I know.” I leaned into his touch. “I’m okay, I promise.” But my heart didn’t agree with that sentiment. “If you could grab the purple travel bag from the top shelf in my closet, I’ll get my toiletries. Like you said, the sooner we’re out of here, the better. They know where I live, and we don’t know if those men are still a threat or not.”
“Right.” He didn’t sound convinced, but the bed creaked as he stood and headed toward the closet.
I steeled my shoulders. You can do this, Kelly. Once we were at Jacob’s, I’d probably feel better. My small make-up bag was big enough for my toothbrush, deodorant, and anything else I needed from the bathroom, which wasn’t much.
The girl in the mirror looked like a stranger. I’d brushed out my long, dark brown hair, but it refused to be tamed. Dark circles lined my bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep. Ugh. Worst yet, my features were gaunt from malnutrition.
I dropped my gaze back to the make-up bag, feeling disgusted by my current appearance.
Jacob had offered to take me shopping so we wouldn’t have to come back here. Why should he have to do that? Besides, I’d wanted to see my apartment for myself, to make sure no one had broken in while I was gone.
A shudder chased down my spine. That was the last thing I’d needed. If everything I’d owned had been gone… It would’ve hurt me so much more than the pain I felt now.
I headed back to the main room of the studio apartment as Jacob tucked a couple pairs of socks into the travel bag. He lifted up a pair of lacy panties next, looking at them curiously. In an instant, he cocked his head to the side and turned to face me. Desire darkened his eyes, but he shoved the panties back into the drawer and quietly closed it behind him as if he’d been caught doing something naughty.