Page 79 of Royal Beast
I wiggle my hand through the opening, feeling the rush of cool air outside. My fingers stretch as far as they’ll go, and I start waving frantically.
I don’t know if anyone will see me. I can only hope.
The car speeds up, and my heart lurches in time with it. My hand wavers, desperate, flailing against the taillight’s opening. We pull up to an intersection, and then I feel the sharp turn and increased speed telling us we’re on the interstate.
Fuck. Panic grips my heart and I pray that someone knows I’m here. Time seems to slow to a crawl. Where is he going to take me? What is he going to do with me?
Just as another wave of panic grips me by the throat, I see flashing blue and red lights.
Relief washes over me so suddenly I almost sob. The car slows, then jerks to a stop, throwing me sideways. I hear muffled voices outside, and the crunch of gravel as someone approaches.
“Driver, step out of the vehicle!”
My breath catches. It’s over.
The trunk is wrenched open, and blinding sunlight streams in. I wince as my eyes adjust.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” the officer asks, his tone laced with concern as he leans down to check on me.
“I’m okay,” I manage, my voice hoarse. “I think he drugged me.”
The officer nods, helping me out of the trunk and onto steady ground. My legs are weak, and I lean on him for support as I catch sight of Guy being cuffed, his face a mask of rage as he shouts protests at the officers.
“Darcy!” he yells, his voice venomous. “You’re making a mistake! I’m trying to save you!”
I flinch, but the officer steadies me, guiding me toward an ambulance already pulling up.
As the paramedics check me over, I watch Guy being shoved into the back of a squad car. The surrealness of it all settles over me and I just stare, unable to reconcile my father’s actions.
“Is there someone you want us to call for you?” the officer asks, coming up after Guy is driven away.
“My husband,” I say, my voice shaky. The officer presses a phone into my hands and I dial Kellan’s number, heart pounding in my chest.
He picks up on the second ring, and as I try to explain what happened to me, the tears begin to fall. The realization is sinking in that I could have been seriously hurt, or worse.
“I’m sorry!” I say, barely able to talk around the lump in my throat. “Oh, God, Kellan, I’m so sorry!”
“Darcy, where are you?” Kellan says, his voice gentle but firm. I look around and give him the intersection, and he promises he’ll be there as soon as possible before hanging up.
The paramedics try to get me to go into the ambulance, but I refuse. The idea of being taken back to the hospital right nowmakes me feel sick to my stomach. I just want Kellan. He’s the only person I feel safe with right now.
He manages to arrive in record time, probably breaking every speed law known to man, but as soon as he’s stepping out of his SUV, I push the paramedics away and run into his arms, clinging fiercely to him.
“I’m so sorry!” I sob, tears bubbling up again. “I don’t want an annulment!”
“Shh,” Kellan says, rubbing a hand over my back while he holds me tightly. “No one is annulling our marriage.”
“Guy… my coworker, he’s friends with my dad. He said he got our marriage annulled this morning!”
“Darcy,” Kellan says, pulling back to look at me, his arms on my shoulders. “No one can annul our marriage without the both of us being present. Whoever this man is, this Guy, he’s going to pay for what he did. I assure you of that.”
“I want to go home,” I sob, burying my face in his chest.
The paramedics try to insist on taking me to the hospital, but I refuse, and Kellan speaks to them in a low tone before they finally relent, giving me one last check before allowing Kellan to take me home with him.
Once we arrive, Rose is clearly upset at seeing how distraught I am, but Clary promises to take her to the park until I’ve calmed down. She also promises they can get some cotton candy from the park vendor as a bribe, so Rose willingly agrees to go.
“We’ll text you when you can bring her back,” Kellan promises as they leave.
