2. Ember
CHAPTER TWO
EMBER
I know before I even open my eyes that I’m in the hospital.
Which means I failed.
But the weird thing is, I think I’m relieved I’m not dead.
As I sliced into my wrists with agony, tearing through my very soul, I was sure death would be a kinder fate. All I’ve ever known is pain and suffering. And the one time I allowed myself to let go, to feel love and happiness, I had my heart pulled from my chest, then stomped on.
But it all feels different on the other side.
Clearer almost.
The curtain tugs to the side, and a man in a white coat looks up from his chart, surprise filling his light eyes. “You’re awake,” he notes.
I nod, not bothering to respond. Captain Obvious here doesn’t need one.
“How are you feeling?”
“Fine,” I say, my voice devoid of emotion.
I don’t understand how I went from feeling too much to feeling nothing at all so quickly, but the numbness is comforting, and I lean into it like an old friend.
Doubt flickers through his eyes as they drop to my arms, and I take a moment to look down for the first time. Both wrists are covered in thick bandages from my elbows to my wrists, and I wince slightly when I flex my hand. Okay, so maybe I’m only emotionally numb. Better than nothing, I guess.
“There are a few things we need to go through before you can be moved to the ward,” he says.
“The ward?” I ask, my brows tugging together. “I don’t think I need that. I feel fine.”
“That may be so, but you almost died tonight. You’ve had several blood transfusions, and it’s important we keep an eye on you. We’re also required to hold you for at least seventy-two hours to ensure you’re not a danger to yourself or others.”
I open my mouth to argue, to insist they release me, but I know it’s not going to do me any good. If I want to get out of here, I’m going to have to do it myself.
“Can you tell me how you got your other injuries?” He nods to my face, and I raise my hand to touch my cheek instinctively. “And before you consider lying to me, you have a boot print bruised into your side. I know you didn’t fall down the stairs or fall against a cupboard.”
“I had a run-in with my boss,” I tell him. “He’s not a good person, and he doesn’t take to insubordination well.”
“Is your boss Orion Henderson?”
That gets my attention, an involuntary flinch making my wrists scream in pain. The man who lied to me. The man who made me love him, only to be my biggest nightmare come to life.
A whisper of emotion flickers to life in my chest. Anger and betrayal roll over me in gentle waves, battering at the unfeeling wall my mind has erected.
“No,” I whisper. “Orion’s my…boyfriend.” The word doesn’t do what we shared justice. Before everything fell to shit, we were everything.
“And did Orion hurt you?”
I shake my head. “No, not physically.”
He watches me over the rim of his glasses for a moment, likely trying to decide if I’m telling the truth. I’m not sure what he sees, but he simply nods and makes a note on the chart in his hands.
“Would you like to file a police report on your employer?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No, that’s okay.” The last thing I need is the cops taking a look into Lucas and the work he does, because that will inevitably implicate me.
He doesn’t bother looking up, instead writing something else down. “Very well. The nurse will be here shortly to take you to the ward. I trust I don’t need to restrain you to the bed for the journey?” he asks with a raised brow.
“No, that won’t be necessary.”
“I’m glad. The pain medication we’ve given you may be good, but cuffs on fresh cuts like that are something we try to avoid.”
“Thank you,” I say softly. I know how to get out of cuffs, and even with the cuts, I’m sure I could pull it off, but I’d rather not test that theory when I’m dealing with blood loss as well.
The doctor turns on his heel and steps out of the curtained area, sliding the thin paper back into place and leaving me by myself once more.
I look around the small space and spot a set of drawers.
As carefully as I can manage, I push myself up off the bed, wincing as it creaks beneath my weight, before sliding off the side.
My bare feet hit the cold linoleum floor, and I try not to think about all the germs that could be on the ground as I focus on my task. I tug open one of the drawers and frown when I find it empty.
I try the next one down, and the one after that, before sighing. They’ve pulled everything out of here because they think I’ll try to kill myself again. Probably not an unrealistic concern to have, but death is the furthest thing from my mind. Or at least my death is.
Killing Orion is very much at the top.
Maybe once the Hunter is wiped off the face of the earth, I’ll finally know peace.
I sigh and tug at the ugly blue gown that hangs loosely from my body. If I’m going to make it out of here without being seen, I’m going to need clothes, because somehow, I think I’ll look pretty fucking conspicuous in this thing styled with my bandaged arms.
A snicker escapes my throat. It would probably stop people from getting in my way, I guess.
I creep over to the curtain and shift it enough to look out at the dark room, listening intently for any sounds of life around me.
Once I’m satisfied that no one else is in the room, I shift the curtain to the side and take a proper look around.
There’s an empty bed beside me as well as two across, but only one of them is occupied.
A woman not much older than me sleeps soundly in the bed directly across from me, and I watch her chest rise and fall for a few beats before making a move.
I take it slow, making sure I’m steady on my feet as I sneak across the room and slip her chart out from the end of her bed. Surely this shit should be digital by now, but it’s making my job easy, so I can’t complain.
Jane Denver is on all the good shit, meaning she won’t be waking up anytime soon, even if a herd of elephants traipsed through the room.
I drop the chart back into its holder and move to the cupboard beside the bed. I tug the door open, and my shoulders sag in relief when I find a pile of neatly stacked clothes sitting on the shelf.
Without hesitation, I slip the hideous gown off my shoulders and quickly dress in the simple mom jeans and sweater that slide over my bandages with ease.
Once I’m dressed and have slipped on the sandals that are only a size too big for me, I consider my next steps.
I can’t go back to my apartment for a whole host of reasons.
One, it was trashed and, to my knowledge, is still unlivable.
Looking back on it, I should have pushed harder for Orion to let me go home, but I allowed myself to be blinded by how perfect things were.
Look where that got me. And two, that’s the first place he would look for me.
Shaking off the thought of the man who made me love him just to shatter my heart, I grab the baseball cap sitting on the top of Jane’s bag, tugging it over my messy hair before stepping in front of the mirror above the sink that the staff must use to wash their hands between consults.
I’m too pale, and my hair hangs limp beneath the hat, but it’s going to have to do. Once I’m out of here, I can worry about how I look.
Before I can overthink my next steps, I slip from the room and look both ways down the hallway. It’s blessedly quiet, meaning it’s probably the middle of the night, which works perfectly for disappearing into the night.
I slink down the hallway quietly, keeping my eyes moving in case a nurse comes to check on a patient, but so far, I haven’t so much as seen anyone who works here.
When I turn a corner and come face-to-face with the nurses’ station, my heart stutters in my chest thinking I’m about to be caught, but it’s empty.
The stairwell sign catches my eye on the other side, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
Almost there.
My feet carry me toward the door, and it’s only when I catch sight of a pill bottle sitting beside one of the keyboards that I pause.
I read the label and a scoff tumbles from my throat. There’s no way I’m this fucking lucky.
Valium.
Just the thing I’m going to need to skip town when I’ve had a panic attack with every vehicle I’ve been in since the accident that killed my brother.
The accident caused by the man who made me love him.
Fuck.
I shake off the thought of Orion and shove down the nausea that rolls in my gut. I never should have allowed myself to think I’d have a happily ever after, but that was my mistake. One I intend to rectify as soon as I can get my shit together.
I swipe the pills from the desk and head for the stairs.
It’s not until I’m on the street and the cool night air wraps around me that I release my first full breath since I woke up.
First, I heal.
And then I kill the Hunter.