Page 23 of Claimed by Him

Eleven

I was lost in the dark, and something was coming after me. That much was a fact. Why it was dark, I didn’t know. It wasn’t night. How I knew that particular bit of information, I didn’t know, but it was the truth.

My eyes opened, but I still couldn’t see. Had I been walking with my eyes closed? Was I still walking? I couldn’t feel my legs moving. I couldn’t feel them at all. I couldn’t feel anything. Arms. Legs. Stomach. Head.

The realization should have frightened me, but it didn’t. I existed, and that was enough for me.

Except I was being hunted.

I couldn’t see it or hear it, but it was there, creeping, sneaking. It wanted to kill me. Cut me. Eat me. Destroy me.

The smell of cigarette smoke hit me all at once, making me gag and choke. It invaded my nose, my mouth. I tasted it on my tongue. My eyes burned, and I realized that I could feel some of my body again. I wished I couldn’t. I hated the smoke more than I hated the dark.

A faint voice echoed in the distance. Someone was shouting, but I couldn’t make out words. I felt the urgency, the desperation, but didn’t know why. Were they being hunted too? Who were they? Could they see?

I wanted to tell them that I’d find them and help them, but I couldn’t figure out how to get to them. Where were they? I shouted a question, but it disappeared even as the words left my mouth.

I tried again, putting more effort behind the attempt, but the words died again before they could take shape.

Was the thing hunting me also keeping me silent? Or was it keeping me from calling for help? Would I die here without being able to scream?

Was I in space? It made sense. No weight, no pressure, no light. But I could breathe. There wasn’t any air in space. No stars. I wasn’t in space.

Underwater? No, again, I could breathe.

Except…I didn’t know if I was breathing. I couldn’t feel my lungs expanding, couldn’t feel the air entering my body. I tried holding my breath, but there wasn’t anything to hold.

Was I dead? Had the thing in the dark caught me? Was this what dying and being dead was like? Hovering here in the darkness. Unable to do anything but think and fear and wonder what came next. I was still being hunted. Was death being hunted forever? If I was already dead, why did it matter if I was caught? Couldn’t I give up and just let what happened happen? Would anyone even know if I gave up? Would they care?

Should I care? It would be so easy to surrender. To give in to the desire to not care. To give in to the darkness and just drift away into nothingness–

I woke with a gasp, awareness of air and body and pain and pulse and life rushing through me all at once, nearly overwhelming me. I fell back against my pillows and reached over to turn on my bedside light. I knew I wasn’t in danger, that my apartment was safe, but it would take my body some time to catch up to logic. When it did, I’d get up and start getting ready for my day. Right now, I just kept repeating to myself that I was safe. No one was hunting me anymore.

* * *

I’d donemy due diligence yesterday after Jalen left my office, pulling up as much information as I could find about Jalen, as well as Meka and Theo. The latter didn’t have much in the way of a social media presence, but the other two had given me plenty to work with. Still, I was impressed as I entered the lobby of Sylph Industries.

“Good morning,” Jalen said as he came toward me. “Thank you for coming in early. I appreciate how seriously you’re taking this.”

“I don’t know yet if Meka ran away on her own, or if something happened to her, but the reasons don’t matter to me as much as finding her does. Even if she made the decision to stay away, she’s a minor and needs to be brought home.”

I’d found enough on Theo to get the sense of him being a good man. I’d conduct my interview with him shortly, but my gut told me that he wasn’t hurting his daughter. There was always a chance I was wrong, but I was as certain as I got without irrefutable proof in front of me.

“Thank you,” Jalen repeated, taking my hand between both of his.

For a moment, I was caught by those incredible eyes, and everything else faded into the background. His hands were warm, and they sent a different sort of heat licking across my skin. My eyes dropped to his mouth for a brief moment, and I could almost feel his lips on mine. Would he taste as amazing as he smelled, I wondered.

Then he was stepping back, releasing my hands. He looked as shaky as I felt, but when he spoke, his voice was even and steady.

“Theo’s already here,” he said. “I put him in the chairs outside of my office three floors up. I figured you could use the space as you conduct interviews. We have a conference room on the second floor, but my office is a little more private. Unless, of course, you think it’d be better to be more visible.”

I shook my head. “Good instincts. Have you told your other employees?”

“I wanted to talk to you about it before I made a decision either way. If you want them to know what’s going on, I figured I’d tell them while you’re talking to Theo.”

If everyone was as accommodating as Jalen, I’d get through these interviews quick. “Tell them that they’ll be asked some questions and that they need to be honest, but don’t tell them what it’s about. Often times, surprising someone with an unexpected question prompts a more honest reply than if someone is prepared for the subject matter.”

Jalen nodded as we walked into the elevator. “I’ll call for a meeting as soon as I show you to the office. Once you’re done with Theo, how do you want everyone else called in?”

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