Page 119 of Owned

I clung to the seat with bloodied fingers, the metal frame cold against my skin, and fumbled to get it upright.

“She thinks she can get away!” The voices dripped with disdain. I didn’t even care; I was so close now. I had to make it.

With trembling hands, I turned the key that had been left in the ignition.

And the bike roared to life beneath me.

The sound was deafening.

It shattered the silence, and I felt the vibration in my bones.

I could almost taste my freedom past the coppery stain of fear that bathed my tongue.

“Wait—” a voice slipped from the trees, urgent now, but I was already releasing the clutch. The tires spun and spat clods of mud into the air as I shot forward.

The sudden force slammed me backward and I lost my grip for a terrifying moment and my vision was a dizzying spiral as I fought to stay upright and regain my grip on the handlebars.

My fingers throbbed and pain raced through me as the wounds on my palm opened again and my blood was slick against the leather and chrome. I let out a strangled scream as the bike, as it had done a hundred times before, veered out of my control. I held on tight and fought to regain control.

Then I had it.

I was— I was okay.

Wind tore at my clothes and hair as I flew down a narrow path.

It was a path.

And it was clear.

I could barely breathe, but freedom was so close.

Closer than I’d ever been.

I leaned into the bike and forced the throttle farther open just as Valen had shown me, desperate to gain distance between myself and the dark shapes.

I didn’t dare look back.

The engine roared louder, and I knew that any second they’d be out of sight.

But then the bike lurched beneath me and my stomach dropped.

A flash of fiery light split the air just ahead, and an explosion rocked the ground. Dirt and debris filled the air and this time I couldn’t stop the scream that tore from my throat.

I struggled to keep the bike upright, but couldn’t, and another bright projectile struck the back wheel.

The impact rocketed through my body as the bike hurtled off the path and into the underbrush. I couldn’t even draw enough breath to scream as the world tumbled around me in a violent blur.

When I hit the ground, there was nothing but darkness.

“You hit her!”

“I didn’t—”

“She’s no good to us if she’s dead.”

Heat flared against the side of my face.

The jarring crunch of boots against fallen branches made me flinch.

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