Hunting Her

Chapter 25

I clutched my knees to my chest as I waited. The door remained untouched, the silence pressing in around me like a heavy blanket.

After Cam stitched me up and felt I was okay to move again, he guided me to this room. Hunter's orders, I assumed. I hadn't heard or seen anyone else. Cam said I needed to wait, that someone was coming to explain everything.

I tried to stop him from leaving, to get more information, but when I attempted to move, the world spun again. Cam gave me a direct warning not to push myself and that all I had to do was sit and wait.

The room was sparsely furnished, with a worn sofa resting on a brown rug. A small coffee table stood in front of the sofa, with a little green plant placed in the middle. I stared at the plant, wondering who had put it there and who had kept it so well-maintained. Someone lived here or visited often enough to care for it and it only made me more annoyed that I had no clue where I was. I had no clue where I was or who was going to walk through the door, and I hated it. I hated this feeling of being out of control more than I hated feeling nothing. I felt helpless, and I loathed it with every fibre of my being.

Desperation led me to unscrew the lightbulb from a lamp in the corner. I wrapped it in the oversized shirt I'd been given to replace my jacket and smashed it. I sifted through the shattered pieces, picking the largest shard, and wrapped my hand around it as I waited. I waited, tucked into the corner of the sofa with a weapon clutched in one hand.

A small knock came, breaking the silence. It was evidently a warning to prepare myself, so I tightened my grip and watched as the door opened.

Hunter walked in, followed by his rag-tag entourage. They filled the room quickly, making the once spacious area almost claustrophobic. My eyes darted to each one of them, trying to gauge the situation, when another person entered the room.

"зайка," Mila whispered as our eyes connected. She looked tired, with the remnants of a bruise along her jaw. I couldn't stop the rage as it rushed through my veins, the instinct I had to rip through everything and everyone to save her. They had caught her; they had hurt her. I shot to my feet.

"What did you do?" I screamed, rushing at the nearest person—Hunter. I pointed the glass shard at his throat, pushing him against the wall. He glanced down at the glass, then back at my face. My hands trembled still not fully recovered from the blood loss, but I held steady.

"Careful," he said in a barely audible whisper. His eyes were like fire, almost daring me to do it.

"Let her go!" I snarled, pressing the glass harder against his skin.

"Lexa!" I barely heard Mila shout. My eyes snapped to her as she gave me a worried look. "Lexa, I'm okay, they didn't kidnap me."

My hands didn't move. I didn't believe it. They'd told her to say that, to let down my guard. They were going to hurt her. They were going to kill her.

"Lexa, I'm okay," Mila said slowly, carefully stepping towards me like I was an animal in a cage. "I asked them for their help." She moved close enough to touch my arm. I didn't stop her as she guided my arm away from Hunter. My chest felt like it had been cracked open. I dropped the glass to the floor as she grabbed my hand. "What have they done to you?" she whispered; her beautiful face contorted with sadness. "Why didn't you let me come with you?"

My hands trembled as she pulled me into a hug.

Who had I become? Who was this person?

I barely noticed as everyone else left, but at one point my knees buckled and she caught me. We moved to the floor, and she held me tightly. We stayed in that position for a while.