51. Kaia
Chapter Fifty-One
Kaia
There's vibration first. Deep. Rhythmic.
Constant. It moves through me like a second heartbeat, thrumming against my chest, my back, settling into my bones.
My head feels heavy. My body, disconnected.
I try to open my eyes, but they won't cooperate.
Everything is foggy. Muffled, like I'm underwater.
But the vibration keeps going. Steady. Grounding. It's the only thing that feels real—the only anchor in the fog. I focus on it—on the rhythm. On the way it vibrates through solid muscle beneath me, the way it seems to pull me back toward consciousness, toward safety.
Purring.
Lachlan.
The realization comes slowly, like surfacing from deep water.
I'm in the car. In his arms. But why? What happened?
The vibration intensifies, and with it comes a sense of presence—his presence.
Solid. Protective. Real. It vibrates through his chest and into mine, a physical reminder that I'm not alone, that I'm held.
I force my eyes open. Just barely. The light is too bright. Everything blurs. I blink. Once. Twice. Shapes start to form. The car interior. The back seat. Finn's face is close, worried. "Kaia?" His voice is tight. Scared.
I try to speak, but my throat is dry. Nothing comes out. My head is pounding. My chest feels tight, like I can't get enough air. Then I hear it—voices outside the car. Muffled but sharp. Angry. My body goes rigid. No. No, no, not that voice. I know that voice.
"—not for you to decide."
Cold. Controlled. Certain.
My father.
The world threatens to crumble apart again…It wasn't a nightmare. It's real. He's here. They're here.
Panic slams into me, fast, brutal, like a wave crashing over my head before I can catch my breath.
My ribs constrict around my lungs, making it impossible to draw a full breath.
My vision tunnels again, the edges going dark and fuzzy, until all I can see is a narrow pinpoint of light straight ahead.
Everything else fades into shadow. Blind, I try to sit up, but Lachlan's arms tighten around me.
"Easy," he murmurs. "You're okay. I've got you. "
But I'm not okay. I'm not—because they're here. And I don't know what’s happening. I don't know how long I was out. I don't know if they're going to take me.
I hear another voice, shrill, panicked.
"—doesn't know what she's doing."
My mother.
My stomach twists. I passed out—I remember now. I saw them standing there. And I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. And then, nothing.
"How long?" I whisper. My voice is hoarse.
Lachlan shifts, his hand coming up to cup the back of my head. "Not long," he says quietly. "Maybe ten minutes."
Ten minutes. Ten minutes I was unconscious. Ten minutes they've been out there, talking, demanding, trying to take me back.
I hear footsteps. Movement. More voices. I can't make out the words, but I recognize the tones. Adrian is calm, controlled. And there’s someone else. Someone unfamiliar. Then my father again, sharper this time.
"—our daughter."
My chest squeezes around my heart. I'm not. I'm not theirs. Not anymore.
"Kaia." Finn's voice pulls me back. "Look at me." I do. His eyes are wet. Terrified. "You're safe," he says. "We're not letting them take you."
But I don't feel safe. I feel trapped. Cornered, like the walls are closing in from all sides, pressing down with unbearable weight.
My heart pumps faster, more uncontrolled with every breath, and there's a constant gnawing in the pit of my stomach that won't go away.
The air feels thick and heavy, and I can't shake the overwhelming sense that something bad is about to happen, that there's no exit, no escape route I can see.
Lachlan's purr deepens, becoming heavier, more anchored. The vibration spreads through me, grounding, steadying.
But it's not enough. Because they're out there. And I'm in here. And I don't know what's happening.
"What…" My voice cracks. "What are they saying?"
Jonas turns around in the front seat to face me. His expression is tight. "Adrian's handling it," he says. "His father is on the way."
"But what if…"
"They can't take you," Lachlan says firmly. "You're an adult. You made your choice."
But what if that doesn't matter? What if they find a way?
A car door opens. Not ours. Someone else's. I hear my mother's voice again, closer now.
"…need to see her…"
My entire body goes rigid. "No," I whisper. "No, I can't…"
"You don't have to," Lachlan says. "You don't have to do anything."
But I do. Because they're here. And they're not going to leave. Not without getting what they want. Me. I try to sit up again. This time, Lachlan lets me, slowly, carefully. My head spins. My vision blurs. But I force myself upright. Finn's hand is on my knee, steadying.
Jonas is watching me, a deep line etched between his brows, his eyes swimming with worry.
I look out the window. And I see them. My father, standing on the porch, arms crossed.
My mother beside him, hands clasped. Two guards in black suits, expressionless.
And Adrian standing between them and the car.
Between them and us. Blocking them. Protecting me.
Tears prick at the corner of my eyes. This is real.
This is happening. And I don't know how to stop it.
"What do I do?" I whisper.
Lachlan's hand settles on my shoulder, warm and steady. "You don't have to do anything right now," he says. "Just breathe."
But I can't. Because they're here. Everything I ran from, everything I escaped, it's all right here. Waiting to latch onto me and drag me back.
I don't know if I'm strong enough to fight back.