I struggled to run, my already sore feet pushing forward, my panting only getting louder before I finally reached up to Ferra, her legs scraping on the beach as she struggled to break free. Without warning, I grabbed her legs and started dragging her to the opposite side from her kidnapper, who gripped her hair, roughly jerking her away from me but I held on as well. All Ferra could do was let out painful screams as we both pulled her to our side and with a growl, I used all my strength to yank her towards me, causing him to lose him balance and free his grip. With a sob, I watched Ferra get up and grab my hand, sprinting to the other side as we both ran, ran for our lives.
“Ke-keep running!” I finally breathed out, barely being able to keep up as we both kept running, Ferra already sobbing and crying as she kept charging forward, brushing her messed up hair away from her face as a gush of wind brushed against our faces. Suddenly, two large hands covered my mouth before I was jerked behind and I muffled out a scream, kicking and struggling to free from his grip as I dug my nails into his hands.
“Stop, let her go!” Ferra cried and started to run back to me when I shook my head, using this chance to bite the skin on his arm, tugging it as hard as I could, causing him to hiss in pain before freeing his hands from my mouth but tangling an arm around my waist before I could sprint forward.
“Run, just run and get help!” I wanted to believe in my own words but I knew that I was holding back. Of course I didn’t want to get left behind but if both of us got caught, it’ll be the end for her and me. “Run! Just ru-” a hand clutched my mouth again and I watched Ferra come to a halt before turning around and bolting towards the people, most likely to warn Draven or one of the Ardelean brothers.
“Let go, you fucking creep!” I hissed and spat, jerking my body away and was about to turn around when he forcefully grabbed my hair so hard, it caused a painful scream to escape my throat.
“Now, now, sweetheart, relax.” I should’ve known it was him, I should have known.
“Dexter…” I instantly crumbled at his touch as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me into his body, his chest pressed against my back as I stood stiff in my position.
“Now that’s a good girl.” He mumbled and I was about to say something when he gripped my hair tightly and started dragging me along with him, the sudden force making me cry out in pain as I struggled to keep my balance.
“Dexter, please…” I choked out and I froze when the sound of thunder bellowed across the sky. It didn’t even take seconds for the heavy rain to start pouring down and I heard Dexter curse something under his breath before he started to hurry his pace, roughly pulling me into to the nearest bush. “Help! Somebody help-” a strong stinging sensation on my cheeks made me freeze and I slowly turned around, covering my sore cheeks, tears already threatening to spill as I stared at him in disbelief.
“Why don’t you shut the fuck up and play nice, hunh?” he growled, ripping my hands away and forcing me to sit down on the ground, right behind the bush. I was still shocked and stared at him, trying to ignore the burning sensation on my cheeks as I watched him rummage through his pockets before picking out a Vervain bracelet.
“Please…” I started to sob but he gripped my wrists before slipping the bracelet on and shooting me a glare again.
“Next time it won’t be a slap so why don’t you shut the fuck now?! I killed his girlfriend once, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut another pretty little face again, sweetheart!” he raised his voice and even in the dark, I could see the anger and hatred gleaming inside his blue eyes, making my whole body tremble at his words. My breath was caught between my throat and I opened my mouth to scream but nothing came out, causing me to cower in fear instead.
“We’re staying here until the rain stops.” His eyes softened as he watched me hug myself to stop shaking, my already soaked body trying to find any comfort in my own arms but it was no use. I can’t get taken away again, I can’t. I just can’t. I brushed away a fallen tear and looked at him and his eyes swiftly moved from my thighs to my eyes, making my heart drop. God, no.
“Bad day to wear something so hot?” he had the guts to tease and I could feel anger boiling inside of me as I pulled my already soaked skirt further down my ankles, the thin fabric that stuck on to my skin making me feel highly uncomfortable.
“You’re si-sick. The hell is your problem…” I choked out, brushing away a tear that had rolled down my cheeks as I struggled to keep myself together. Calm down, all I had to do was find a chance to make a run for it. But how? And would Ferra have told Draven already and sent hel-
“Stop!” I snapped as he moved closer, slipping off his jacket and wrapping it around my shoulders before I could even stop him. “So now you want to act nice, get off me!” I tried to conceal the fear in my voice but it was clearly evident now.
“I’d suggest you keep wearing them, for your own good.” He warned, slightly scanning me from head to toe and I cringed in disgust before pulling my body closer. As he glanced up at the cloudy sky, I heard him let out a huff and I slipped my hands inside his jacket to keep myself warm, my heart suddenly coming to a stop when I felt a familiar object grazing against my fingers. Is it the knife? Yes, it was, it definitely was.
“No way…” I breathed, my fingers following the trail of carved writings.
“No way, what?” Dexter questioned and I snapped my attention towards him before shaking my head, my stomach tying itself into a knot at the thought of him catching me with it. He must have forgotten that he had it inside the pockets. “We need to leave now.” He mumbled, realizing that it wouldn’t stop pouring anytime soon and before I could say anything, he grabbed my upper arm and jerked me up, pushing me ahead as he followed behind me.
“I can walk on my own.”
“It’s not about what you want, alright? Now keep moving, I don’t want you to catch any attention. Get ready to make a left turn when I say so.” He ordered through gritted teeth as we started moving faster and I tried to come up with a plan to escape. As we kept walking further and further, I started to panic and I looked to my right, staring at the sea as I gripped the knife in my hand, my mind already becoming hazy at my new plan. Was it going to work? I didn’t have time to think, it was my only chance. I suddenly came to a halt and watched Dexter turn to face me as I took several steps back. He and I both knew that I had no chance of running away or out-running him so I did the one thing I was certain would buy me time.
“I suggest that you don’t anything stupid and co-operate well right now, Adriana.” He warned but before he could take another step forward, I pulled out the knife and turned around, hurling it towards the sea with every force I had left.
“The fuck did you do?!” I heard him growl, pushing past me as he sprinted towards the sea and I used this chance to start running again, throwing away his jacket and slipping off the bracelet, hoping that someone could sense my presence and hear my heartbeat. I glanced back, my eyes barely focusing on the dark figure that was now in the waters, desperately searching for the knife but I knew that it was no use. I cried out as my legs sunk inside the wet sand, my legs beginning to ache as I stumbled ahead before losing my balance and falling down, my legs finally giving away.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I yelled up, looking up at the sky and letting the tears roll out, rain drops hitting my face as I struggled to breathe and stand up again. Before long, I picked myself up again and started running, my heart beating loudly against my chest at the thought of Dexter catching up to me. No, no, he can’t-
My face connected to a hard chest and I stumbled back before looking up to face Draven, who was now staring at me in both shock, his whole face knotting up in concern. Before he could say anything, I threw myself at him and cried, my body beginning to shake at the thought of Dexter almost getting the chance to kidnap me again. I got away with it and I can’t believe I did.
“Where is he?” his body started to tense up and I shook my head, gripping his hands as we pulled away.
“I-I don’t know bu-but don’t leave me and-”
“Hey, of course I won’t.” he cut in, pulling me into a hug and it relieved me beyond words that he didn’t let the anger get the best of him tonight. Usually he would have just ditched me right here and then run off to find him.
“Adriana, are you okay?” I heard Tyrell’s concerned voice as we pulled away and I brushed away the tears before nodding. I hadn’t even noticed him.
“Go with Tyrell, I’ll be back.” Draven instructed and I shook my head in protest. Guess I spoke too soon about him not ditching me.
“Please, don’t, just stay and let’s go home. I don’t want to be alone again, I don’t want to-”
“Shh, hey, just calm down, alright?” two large hands cupped my cheeks and I looked up at Draven, our voices barely audible due to the pouring rain and the sound of thunder bellowing down on us every now and then. “I promise you’re going to be safe now, just go with Tyrell. I’ll find him and-”
“Draven, please. Just stop, even if it’s for tonight, let it go…”
“I can’t.” his jawlines locked and I noticed just how much he was holding back his anger now. I could see the anger and hatred slowly starting to flicker in his eyes and I shook my head.
“Please-”
“I said, I can’t, alright? He went too fucking far and I’ve had enough! He can’t get away with hurting you, I’ll make sure he fucking understands that very clearly.” He emphasized through gritted teeth, standing up straight as I grabbed his hands.
“At least take me home…” I begged softly and I heard Tyrell clear his throat.
“I think you should just go, Draven. We’ll look for him.”
“Yeah, like you guys have done a very good job so far. He is getting away with it every single fucking time and it’s-” he stopped, suddenly rubbing the back of neck in a frustrating manner and letting out some weird noises from his mouth. “Fuck!” he spat, hurling his hands away before grabbing my hand and picking me up in his arms.
“Drav-” I stopped when my mind started to get dizzier before it came to a sudden stop and I was already in my room. Draven put me down and I stared at him as he marched up to my cupboard and jerked it open, picking out a random white sweater. I dropped down on the bed, my legs starting to feel heavier than before and I let out a deep sigh, my heartbeats finally becoming more even.
“Three minutes, I’ll be back, change and rest.” He said shortly, throwing the sweater at me and disappearing out of the room. I quickly slipped on the sweater and stripped off my skirt before making my way towards the cupboard, my legs slightly limping as I felt a stinging pain on my right knee but I didn’t even bother to check it out. Instead, I just picked out a random black short and as I was slipping them on, I noticed a huge scrape on my right knee and hissed in pain as the fabric brushed past up the bruise as I slipped on my short. Just as I sat back down on the bed, Draven walked in, still shirtless and wet with only his short but I was too focused on what he was carrying.
“Draven, it’s fine…”
“Stay put and don’t move.” He mumbled, carrying a dangerous aura around him as he sat down next to me on the bed, pulling up my knee and opening the first aid kit. I watched him dip a cotton in some liquid bottle and take it out, using his other free hand to take a firm grip around my ankle and pulling it closer to him in order to extend my legs. He suddenly stopped and I looked at him, my eyes slightly widening when I saw his jawline clenched, his eyes growing a shade darker as the grip around my ankle started to get more intense with each passing second.
“Draven, that hurts-”
“Why the fuck did you try to help her, Adriana?” he asked sharply and I looked at him in confusion.
“Because she was getting kidnapped, Draven…what was I supposed to do? Stand and watch her get-”
“Yes, that’s exactly what you should do! The hell makes you think that you’re strong enough to go up against Dexter?!”
“I didn’t know that it was-”
“Then why would you fucking try to help if you didn’t even know?! You could have gotten yourself killed!” he spat and hissed at the same time, tightening the grip around my ankle even more and I whimpered in pain.
“I’m warning you, doll face, next time you do something like this, I won’t let you slide off so easily either.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong…”
“I asked you to stay and not move till I come back, you clearly disobeyed me and look where it ended you up!” his temper was getting the best of him and I decided not to argue with him.
“Yeah…can you please let go…? You’re hurting me…” I mumbled weakly and watched him give me a long look before freeing the grip he had on my ankle.
“Stay put.” He hissed as I tried to pull my legs away from him and I watched him grip my legs before brushing the cotton against my scrape, making me hiss in pain but I decided to hold it in. After he was done, he wrapped a bandage around my knee and I watched him do it gently, assuming that his anger had finally rinsed off by now.
“How’d you get away?” he asked softly, standing up straight and I edged further away as he sat down right next to me, leaning against the headboard before resting his lower arm over his eyes.
“We-well Dexter gave me his jacket because it was pouring and I-”
“You let him give you his jacket?”
“Yes, but it’s only because-”
“You-let-him-touch-”
“Draven, it wasn’t like that, let me finish.”
“So I could get more pissed? How about, no.” he said sharply and was about to start getting up when I grabbed his hand, interlocking our fingers so that couldn’t move.
“Just listen alright? He did so because I was soaking wet and it was starting to show off my- and not the point, of course.” I stopped halfway when he shot me a hateful glare.
“Was that your attempt to make things better?” he squeezed my hands and I went silent. There was no pleasing this guy, I swear.
“I’m sorry…I’ve caused so much trouble lately and I…I don’t know,” I finally breathed, my eyelids drooping as I leaned my head against his upper arm. “I’m always putting everyone in danger…” I fiddled with my fingers as he let out a sigh, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and I shivered at his cold touch.
“True, but you know that you can get away with it as long as I’m around, don’t you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”
“It means you know,” he leaned his face closer and I pulled away a little as he narrowed his eyes at me. “You know that you already have me wrapped around your fingers.” My eyes widened at his blunt words and I could feel my mouth slightly hung open in surprise. I would never use anyone like that and to think that he thought of me like that was just… hurtful.
“I-I would never-” I started to choke out but couldn’t bring myself to say it, so instead, I turned and sat up to leave when he grabbed my wrist.
“But,” I heard him say before I was yanked back and I let out a gasp as my nose bumped against his chest. “I wouldn’t mind that.” I heard him whisper before he grabbed my chin and leaned into a kiss, his soft lips pressing gently against mine as I pressed both my hands on the bed, my heart pounding loudly against my chest. I felt him grip my shoulders with his other hand as he licked my bottom lip and I let him in as our tongue fought for dominance. It felt like time had stopped for the next few minutes and all I could hear was the pouring rain along with our soft gasps and heavy breathing. I was already sitting on my heels and I couldn’t bring myself to pull away so instead, I gripped the bed sheet and let him take over as he sat up on his knees, cupping my cheeks in his hands and I followed his movement, finally gripping his hands that were still resting on my cheeks. For once, he pulled away first and I was about to say something when he placed a few more pecks on my lips before giving the last one on my forehead, his fingers grazing against my earlobes as he did. I couldn’t take my eyes away from his abs and I gulped softly when he backed away a little before sitting down to meet my gaze.
“I really wouldn’t do that to anyone, you should know that before you-”
“Geez, I was just kidding, doll face.” He chuckled softly and I raised a brow before giving him a look.
“You think you’re sooo funny, don’t you?”
“I think I’m hilarious.” He suddenly disappeared and I heard the sound of the door locking before I turned to watch him walk towards the bed again.
“Oh, ha-ha, so mature. Why lock the door?” I asked softly and watched him grin before cocking his head to a side and raising a brow, as if I was asking the most obvious question in the world.
“I’m sleeping with you, of course. Wouldn’t want anything happening to you again, now would I?”
“No, we’re not…we’re not doing that again. I’ll be fine, just let someone stand by the door and-”
“Already made up my mind, Adriana, let’s not waste our breaths tonight, shall we?” he was already getting inside the sheets and I scoffed in disbelief and annoyance.
“You’re so annoying…” I huffed, slightly feeling happy that he was worried about my safety. But then again, this was probably for his own benefit too, let's not get carried away, Adriana.
“I love you too, doll face.” He mumbled with no emotion in his voice but my heart still raced at his words.
xxx
