Page 28 of Curvy Hostage Mate
It didn’t take long to grab my things. I gathered them in the span of a few minutes and threw them into a bag, keeping my ear pricked for sounds of Chris. I didn’t know how he would react to my running, but I didn’t want to even think about the conversation we would have to have if I stayed.
The door was unlocked. He’d started trusting me. A little spasm of guilt ran through me. I pushed it away.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped out the door onto the soft grass. I looked around, heart pounding just a little as I picked up the bag and slung it over my shoulder, keeping an eye out for anyone coming through the woods, ears pricked for sounds of footsteps traipsing through the brush.
Nothing. Just the sound of whispering wind brushing through the trees.
For the briefest of moments, I hesitated, glancing back over my shoulder at the still-open window and the locked door. Biting my lower lip, I wondered if I wasn’t making a huge mistake. I wanted to run. I probably should, and I was still terrified of how Chris would react when he found out about the baby.
Another part of me, one I didn’t fully understand and didn’t really know what to make of, wanted to stay, to linger. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, there was some strange connection between Chris and me, one I couldn’t fully explain,but couldn’t deny, either. I felt drawn to him in a way I never had to anyone else. Leaving that gave me a feeling of emptiness.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. It didn’t matter. None of this changed the fact that he’d kidnapped me and tried to dictate my life, refusing to let me leave. Just another owner. And I wasn’t about to subject my baby to that sort of life.
With a deep breath, I tightened my grip on the bag and scurried through the woods.
Chapter 13 - Chris
Morgan. Morgan was missing.
I stared around the house, running between the two rooms in a panic, trying to make sense of the whole thing. But she wasn’t here. I knew that within a few seconds of returning home. I had only gotten home from a meeting with Declan a couple of minutes ago and instantly realized something was off.
As I stood in the empty space, overwhelming panic consumed me. The thought of her being out there on her own, vulnerable and just waiting for Cain to scoop her up, sent my wolf into a frenzy. Where the hell could she be? Had she run off on her own? Why?
It didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was out there, and it was dangerous. I raced back outside and sniffed the air, desperately searching for the aroma of burnt incense and rosemary.
When I found it, I didn’t let myself think anymore. I shifted and followed Morgan’s scent.
I raced through the woods, my wolf as panicked as I was. I needed her okay. I didn’t know what I would do if something happened to her because I let her out of my sight. Her scent grew stronger, and no others joined besides the normal smells of the forest. I pushed myself to go faster, determined to get to her as quickly as possible.
I came to a halt as I saw her sitting by a stream. Her eyes grew wide, and she shot to her feet, looking almost terrified. She squeaked and took several steps back, her eyes locked on me as I shifted back to human.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I snarled, stalking forward as I glared down at her. “Cain is still out there. He’s still hunting you. Why the hell would you go running off like that?”
“I’m sorry,” she muttered, not looking at me.
“Sorry?” I snarled. “You scared me half to death. Do you realize how worried I was about you?”
Her eyes burned with anger before the fire winked out a moment later, so fast I might have missed it had I not been staring so intently at her.
“Sorry,” she repeated.
“Were you running?” I gestured at the bags. Her mouth twisted as she glanced back at them, then back to me.
“Yes? No? Maybe.” Her eyes fluttered shut. “I needed to clear my head.”
I opened my mouth to demand exactly what she needed to clear her head about. Before I could, something cut through the anger. A strange scent, so faint that it was no wonder I’d missed it before. I sniffed again, nostrils flaring as I tried to get a better smell. Then I realized what it was.
My eyes widened as I took several steps back, eyes flicking up and down Morgan’s body before locking on her stomach.
“You’re pregnant?” I asked.
Her hands wrapped protectively around her stomach. She glanced down at them, then back up at me. Her pretty face had gone even paler than before, unease and fear spreading across it as her eyes searched my face, trying to get a better feel for my reaction as I just gaped like an idiot.
“Yes,” she murmured. “And yes, it’s yours.”
It’s yours.
The words rang over and over again in my head like a high-pitched bell. No matter how many times they banged around in my skull, rattling there, they didn’t seem to make sense. And yet, all the facts pointed to them being the truth.
