Chapter 38
Thirty-Eight
Riot
Ijust...I have no fucking words.
This woman is going to literally drive me insane. I'm absolutely sick to my stomach after watching her almost get strangled to death. So much so that I had to lie down on the bed and close my eyes to make the urge to vomit go away.
I watched her breathe and curl up on the ground first to make sure she wasn't going to spontaneously combust. Fuck knows she has a death wish, I wouldn't be surprised if she just exploded for no apparent reason.
I've decided not to bother her until I have my head back on straight, and she clearly needs some rest after that horrific scene. So, imagine my fucking surprise when I hear her shuffling around and something creak.
"Shhhh."
Frowning, I open my eyes and lift my head off the bed. My heart climbs up my throat and yanks me to my feet so damn fast I stumble. Vivian is outside of her fucking cell!
I'm struck silent as she tiptoes down the hallway. Like a dumbass, I don't call out for her or try to follow. Simply watch her leave me in the dust. Just when I'm about to either cry in despair or breathe a sigh of relief that she's free, she comes back quickly with keys in her hand.
"Where did you get those?" I hiss, rushing for her right as she opens my door. The thing creaks and she glares at the hinges, but I only have eyes for the omega with bruises around her neck.
Instead of responding, she starts walking away from me before I can make the mistake of wrapping her in my arms. "Firefly," I whisper shout, rushing after her with alarm.
She gestures to a hook on the wall around the corner, and I assume she's showing me where she got the keys. "Keep them, we might need them," I suggest, and she rolls her eyes like it's obvious. "No sass, Omega. Once we're out of here, you can tell me how useless I was, okay?"
Frowning up at me, she looks like she wants to argue. Her eyes are soft and open, so I know she would deny my words if she could, but I turn her around and take the lead.
The hallway ends with a staircase and another hallway. I keep walking right past the stairs, knowing that would be a dumb idea when I hear the telltale sign of a creaky board. Whirling around, I see Vivian with one foot on the stairs and wide eyes staring up at the creepy fucking door.
Rushing back to her as male voices filter down to us, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her with me. She feels so right in my arms.
"S-sorry," Vivian whispers so quietly I barely hear her.
I refuse to speak, knowing any indication that we're wandering around could mean the end of our escape. Instead I kiss the top of her head and continue toward the moonlight at the end of the hall.
Fuck yes! I hoot in my head when we stop beneath a cellar door.
Of course there's a lock on the inside, probably to keep people out of here if someone came snooping around.
Vivian nudges the keys into my palm with her bad hand, and I take a moment to study the bruised skin.
She's using it so it must be fine enough.
For now. I'll make sure it's good as new when we're out of here.
Pushing me a little, Vivian urges me to go faster.
Nodding, I climb the few steps and reach up, trying the first key on the ring in my fingers.
No luck. The second one doesn't fit either.
A thump upstairs has my pulse skyrocketing, and Vivian crowds my leg.
I almost fucking fall when she wraps a trembling arm around my leg from a few steps below me.
"Breathe, Firefly," I murmur, breaking my silence to help her feel better. If she panics, I'll probably freak the fuck out too. "Be strong for a little longer, okay? You can break soon. Be strong for me, pretty Omega."
I feel her nod against my jeans, then the audible click of the latch disengaging makes us stiffen. Fuck, okay, onto the next part of our escape. I pocket the keys and suck in a deep breath.
Taking a chance, I lift the wooden door and peek out. Seeing nothing but a few lights and trees, I inch it closed and turn to Vivian. Crouching so we're at eye level, I cup her cheeks with both hands. "Alright. You stay right on me, okay? Hold on to my shirt and don't let go."
Blinking furiously, she staves off her scared tears and nods. I don't know what's going to happen out there, and the thought of never having the opportunity again makes me throw caution to the wind.
"Fuck it," I rasp and capture her plump, trembling lips with mine. She tastes like salty tears and a fresh breeze all wrapped in a simple kiss that means more to me than anything else ever has in my entire life.
Blue and green burst through the darkness behind my eyelids, making me gasp and pull back. It's the perfect reminder that I need to get her the hell out of here.
She's panting and looking up at me with wide eyes. A tear slips down her cheek making my heart clench. Wiping it away, I give her a small smile. "No matter what happens, you keep running. You find your pack and you find all the things that make you smile again, okay?"
Her frown returns, but before she can argue I kiss her again, knowing it will probably be the last. "Hold on tight. Let's go," I whisper and whip around to get this beautiful woman back to her life.
I do my best to keep the trapdoor from slamming into the ground, but even the small thump feels like too much.
Once our feet are on the grass and I feel her small hand fisting my shirt, I duck to keep low, then rush to the first bunch of trees.
It's pitch black aside from the bright lights angled across the property to catch movement.
We need to avoid those, but the brush is dense and I have no fucking idea where we are.
A yank on my shirt draws my attention to Vivian huddled at my back.
She's almost hyperventilating, but she tugs on me again and points through the trees, then places her hand on her chest. Pointing again in the same direction, I realize she can feel the pull to her mates.
She must have known they were here. Smart omega.
Nodding, I work to move the sharp branches out of our way and hold them away from her half-dressed body. Each hiss and whimper from Vivian makes me murderous. There's this growing desire to turn back around and kill every single one of those fuckers that hurt her.
Pack. Get her to her pack. Then I can go rogue again and murder everyone within a five-mile radius.
A twig snaps further off in the distance, and I swear I see a glint of a car ahead too, but a flash nearby is all that matters.
Whirling to my left, I see the silver gun pointed at my omega and don't need to think before I react.
My arm snaps out as I shift my weight, becoming her shield at the last moment.
The gun fires, but before the bullet can pierce my skin, another flash of steel closer to us pushes me to block that blow too.
Except the gun went off and the impact of it tearing through my shoulder twists me out of the way of the knife.
"RIOT! NO! AHHH!"
Something burns my eye as I go down, and the bullet tearing through my body tries to drag me into unconsciousness, but my omega's pained shout keeps me awake long enough to see blood from her side and the bullet that went through me landed in the man who stabbed Vivian.
Bang! Bang! BANG!