Page 42 of Saving Sarah (Blissful Bets)

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Sarah stopped while Evelyn began talking to one of Nicole’s friends, Tara. She excused herself, heading to the bathroom Ev pointed out to her. The need to collect her thoughts and find a quiet space drove her to the safety of the blue decorated room.

Shutting the door, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Blonde waves hung over her shoulders, covering the majority of her pastel blue dress. She’d had no idea what to wear, but the dress was loose, yet still showed her curves. The square neckline brought out the creaminess of her skin, skin that looked paler than usual, she noticed.

The more Sarah took in her reflection, the more confusion she felt. Something was off, and she couldn’t figure out if it was with her appearance or her mood. She rested her palms along the sink and bowed her head, breathing in deeply. Just a few more hours and they could go home. She truly was happy for Nicole, but lately she couldn’t get her thoughts in order. The need to lock herself in her home and stay protected left her shaken. What she was protecting she wasn’t sure.

The sound of the door knob turning had her opening her eyes. At the light blue gaze that met hers, her heart stopped. Sarah walked slowly back, not sure what to do. She opened her mouth to scream, but a hand quickly clamped around her mouth.

“Did you miss me? God, I sure did miss you.”

Tom inhaled deeply, running his face against her neck. She screamed against his fingers as her adrenaline kicked in. His hand tightened over her mouth while he crushed her body into his.

“Now, none of that. I’m just going to take you home. Don’t you want to go home with me, Sarah?”

Shaking her head back and forth frantically, she tried fighting him off, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. She didn’t know what to do. What was he planning? Did he just expect to walk her out of the front door and take her away? There were way too many people here. He’d never escape.

She felt her body go calm, and his grip loosen. A knock on the door had his hand growing so tight, she could feel her teeth cutting into her lip. The taste of blood on her tongue nearly made her gag.

“Sarah, it’s me. Open the door. You’ve been in there for a few minutes already. Did you fall in?”

“Tell her you’re fine and that you’ll be out in a minute. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.”

The hand eased from her mouth, and she took a shuddering breath. If she didn’t do something now, there was no telling what would happen. Sarah opened her mouth and let out the beginnings of the loudest scream she could create. The hand clamped back over her mouth, and Tom swung open the bathroom door, exposing a stunned Evelyn.

The moment her friend bolted, she’d never felt more relief. Sarah could feel herself being pulled farther into the house. Yells were erupting from the living room area, but the sound drifted away as Tom opened a back door and pulled her through.

“That was really stupid. Do you know that? It’s okay though. You’ll pay when we get home.”

Sarah twisted frantically, jerking against his iron grip. She’d never been happier to be wearing stilettos. Bringing her foot up, she lunged back, catching his shin with the spike. He let out a howl and slowed, but still didn’t let go of her.

Tom’s fingers weaved in the back of her hair, giving a painful tug, but with her adrenaline in full swing, she hardly felt it. “You keep fighting me and I’ll make your change the most agonizing pain you’ve ever gone through. It’s going to hurt anyway, but I can extend the torture for hours if I want.”

A car came into view along the lining of trees. Fear like she’d never felt before took over every space in her body. She couldn’t let him get to that car. If he did, she’d never see her men again. Some part of her knew that.

“Sarah!”

A combination of people and wolves poured out of the house and around the side. Devon and Gavin rushed forward, followed by Stephen, Ayden, Trevor, and people she’d never seen before. Devon’s words regarding the pack refreshed in her memory. Pack always stuck together, and to them, Sarah was pack.

“Don’t come any closer. She’s mine.”

Devon raised his hands, easing forward. “Listen to me, Tom. Sarah can’t be yours. Do me a favor. I want you to tune into your senses. Feel her. Smell her. I know you’ll be able to pick up on it if you try hard.”

Tom hissed at him. “I already know you both marked her. I don’t need to smell her. It might be painful, but she can still be changed.”

“Not the mark, just please, try again. I know you don’t want to do this.”

The grip around her tightened as Tom leaned into her neck. He kept his face buried against her skin for what felt like forever. As his tongue traced down her ear, she gagged in his arms. The sound of Tom spitting caused her to try to turn to see him, but he held her tighter. What in the hell was he doing?

“Ugh, you ruined her!”

The anger laced in his voice made Sarah’s whole body shake. Her gaze connected with Devon’s and then Gavin’s. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was wasn’t good. Tom’s fingers gripped her hair, snapping her head back. The scream got trapped in her throat as his fangs sank into her neck.

Both Gavin and Devon raced forward, their bodies noticeably shaking. She knew they were about to shift. She could feel it down to her very bones. At that moment, she should have been scared, but she wasn’t. She wanted them to change, wanted them to save her from the psycho who held her against her will.

Wolves raced forward from all angles, and suddenly Channing was there, right next to her. Her eyes locked on him, and before she could process what was going on a snap filled her ears, and she was falling. Gavin caught her just in time. Wolves jumped on Tom’s fallen body, and Gavin quickly buried her face in his chest. The realization that the sound had been Tom’s neck made stars dance in Sarah’s vision.

“Wait, she’s still bleeding.” Channing came up to them. “Please allow me to make the wounds disappear. It’s the least I can do. I am so sorry I didn’t stop him before this happened.”

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