Page 9 of Rescuing Red

The thoughts and memories that had plagued her the last few hours drifted away, allowing her to sink into a slumber so deep, nothing intruded. Covered by darkness and soothed by the delicious scent seeping through the vents, Liz had no choice but to fall into a rejuvenating sleep.

***

Ever so slowly, thoughts snuck into Liz’s mind, never complete enough to make sense. They began with the simplest of things—her own hand reaching out, the warmth of a fire, a sense of belonging—and morphed into increasingly disturbing visions. A massive body hovering over hers. Gentle caresses in intimate places. Flames licking up her thighs.

She jolted awake, gasping and blinking at the tiny room in confusion, until she remembered where she was. Weight pressed her shoulders back to the bed as she flopped down and stared at the ceiling. A beam of sunlight snuck past the curtain andstreaked across her torso, and when she realized why the room was no longer dark, panic crept up her throat.

She’d slept so long, the sun was high in the sky. She’d wasted too much of the day sleeping instead of searching for a way out of the city.

Guilt crept back into her heart as she rolled onto her side. How could she reach her nana if she hid in a hotel room the entire day?

Slapping her doubts away, Liz forced her body out of the bed, ignoring the myriad of complaints it gave, and threw her clothes on. After using the facilities and doing a quick wash in the sink, she slipped her shoes on and flung the curtain open.

There were still hundreds of people rushing about on the streets, with a few dirty and disheveled groups being funneled through the blockade. A soldier stopped each group before allowing them in, unlike the night before when they passed through freely. With a sinking feeling in her gut, Liz noticed they’d narrowed the space between the concrete blocks and doubled security. No one headed out of the city.

She wouldn’t give up. She had to find her nana, and her instincts still screamed that her grandmother was out in the wilderness. Knowing Nana, nothing short of family being in danger or the place burning down around her ears would make her vacate her home, and Liz couldn’t leave her to face what was coming alone.

Letting herself think of the direness of the situation for the first time, Liz gathered everything she knew about her nana and fought down panic. The last time they talked on the phone, Nana had been so excited about the tiny community she’d found. If things were worse than she could handle, she’d head there for help.

Liz squared her shoulders even as she blinked away tears. If her nana loved her new friends, the older woman would staywith them, unless every single one of her new family members came to the city.

Which meant Liz might need to convince more than her nana to travel.

It didn’t matter. She’d do it. She’d do whatever it took to get her nana to safety.

With her conviction warming her chest and her tails fluffed behind her, Liz opened the door and stepped out onto the walkway.

Her feet carried her to the left, even as she told herself the stairs were to the right. She stopped at the corner of the building and perused the horizon, gleaning nothing but confusion as she spotted a black moon in the sky across from the blazing sun. Shaking her head, she pulled her attention down and looked at the surrounding city.

With the blockade wall on the right and a sea of buildings as far as her eyes could see on the left, Liz let pride rise in her chest. She’d traveled through that chaos on her own, so she’d be able to find a way over the wall.

A hub of movement below caught her eye, so she studied the area, trying to figure out why so many people crowded together. It had to be a market, if she could trust the signs and flurry of people, and was only a few streets from the blockade, the tail end of it beginning near the foot of the building she was in.

She decided it could be a good place to find knowledge and maybe a guide to another way out of the city if they turned her away at the blockade again.

With a plan in place, Liz pulled herself away from her vantage point and hurried to the stairs, squeezing the railing as she rushed down them two at a time.

She’d wasted too much time sleeping, so she had to move fast.

She had to get to her nana, no matter what it took.

Chapter 6

Blaide

His groan of desire as he rolled over sometime later was shameful.

So was the leaking need constricted by his pants.

Pushing himself upright, Blaide grumbled under his breath. The entire time he’d enjoyed solitude in the wilderness, he’d never felt the urge to seek a female, but the scent teasing his nostrils had plagued his sleep, bringing dreams of silky skin and wet heat.

Levering himself off the bed, he stumbled to the bathroom, catching his reflection in the mirror. A twig stuck from his hair just above his ear, and when he turned to look, his tail was in a sorrier state. Full of bits of dirt and leaves, it looked like he’d dragged it behind him the entire trip, and it took a moment to realize he probably had during the last few miles.

It took a bit of maneuvering to wedge his body into the narrow shower, but he pulled his tail in behind him and forced the door shut. Tapping the auto cycle, he spread his arms asmuch as he could and scrunched his eyes closed as water pelted him from all sides.

Ice. Cold. Water.

Followed by scorching hot air, leaving his fur fluffed and sticking out in all directions.

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