3

~Meara

The stairs spiral up to surface level.

I emerge through a hatch door entirely exposed to the outside world, which means magic recently revealed it. Immediately I slam the door behind me and take off running.

Darkness smothers the area, cut only by streams of moonlight that dapple the forest floor through the forest canopy.

I could go back and look for Hazel, but I have no idea where I am.

Thankfully going down the hill is far quicker than going up it. Usually I would take my time picking down the uneven path, but I practically fly down, desperate to put as much distance between myself and my mate.

At some point I slip, stumbling down onto my knees.

I knock my left knee and scrape my hands, but as quick as I can manage, I’m back up and running.

Eventually I make it to the foot of the hill and to a marker I recognise. From there, I weave through the forest and to a road I’ve travelled on many times.

Bending over, I brace my hands on my knees, raking in breath after breath.

I’m so damp with sweat my clothes cling to my skin, similar to how my hair is slicked against my forehead. Everything hurts now. I just want to be home, safe.

The rain seems to have chased me down the hill. It starts to drizzle at first, but soon enough, it’s beating down on me viciously, just as Hazel said it would earlier.

Headlights distantly appear as I stare down the road, so bright I have to shield my eyes as they draw near.

Once they are close enough, I wave my arms around. Thankfully, they decelerate before pulling off to the side, wheels crunching against the loose gravel.

The window rolls down a crack. "Everything alright miss?"

"Where are we?" I question loudly, speaking over the sound of the rain smattering against the road. Lightening races through the clouds above me, briefly illuminating my soaked person.

"Rosewood street,” he replies.

I nearly collapse with relief. "Perfect..."

"Do you need a ride somewhere?"

Glancing over my shoulder, I scan the forest line, half expecting Sire to emerge from the shadows to drag me back to his scary term to have his way with me.

There’s nothing. Just vacant, cold darkness.

Throwing the door open, I clamber in. The driver winces as I dampen everything touch. He’s an older man who looks stunned at the sight of me. He’s probably wondering what I’m doing out here in the middle of the night.

"Would you be able to take me home? I live about ten minutes that way,” I tell him, pointing down the road.

"It's opposite to where I was heading but..." he draws off, looking over my shivering form. "Alright then."

I shuck off my soaked jacket, trying not to look through the side window. What if Sire emerges and kills the kind driver? The thought makes my stomach churn.

"Thank you,” I breathe out as he pulls back onto the road, leaving behind the omninous forest and cursed tomb.

The man glances down at my legs. "Are you injured?”

I look down. Blood has soaked through my pant leg, and the palms of my hands are littered with grazes. The more I stare, the more adrenaline that wears off, leaving behind a painful sting.

"I just tripped on something out there. It's dark,” I explain sheepishly, shifting uncomfortably.

"Why were you out there alone?" He asks warily.

"My friend and I were camping. We got split when it started to rain,” I mumble.

I’m officially the worst friend ever, having left Hazel out there with Sire around. She is smart though, so hopefully she’s out of there quickly, knowing no amount of magic could get us out of there.

"I hope she is okay,” he mutters.

I rest my head against the glass. "Yeah, me too."

After I give him some directions, the man takes me down my long driveway, not asking anymore questions. Sire shouldn’t be able to track me since I got into a car. Tomorrow, I’ll put some more distance between us.

"This it?" The man asks, his headlights drenching my small home with light.

"Thank you so much,” I tell him, grabbing my jacket before scrambling from the car.

He drives off quickly as I cross the section and toward my house. Around here, we leave our doors unlocked, which is lucky, because I would probably have lost my keys out there.

Stepping inside, I flick the light switch.

Nothing.

“Fuck,” I mutter, slapping a hand over my forehead. A tree must have fallen with the storm rolling in, killing my power.

Thankfully my home is small, so I make quick work of locking everything, ensuring all my windows are closed.

Feeling my way through my house, I find a flashlight before making it to my bathroom. Holding it between my teeth, I fumble beneath my bathroom sink, looking for medical supplies.

I manage to scrounge together some alcohol, some kind of cream and a small bandage. It will have to.

The thought of Sire accompanies me as I balance the flashlight on the the of the sink and sit on the toilet, peeling my pants off.

The wound isn’t too bad.

Still, my nose curls up in disgust as fresh blood dribbles down my skin. I’ve never been good with this kind of stuff. If only Hazel were hear.

Patting it dry, I quickly clean and dress the wound.

As I’m stuffing everything back under the sink, thunder cracks above my head.

I flinch as the sound rumbles through the house. This is a bad storm. Hopefully Sire will be disorientated from all the rain and terrible weather, and won’t know how to navigate through these changed lands…

A knock sounds from my front door.

I pause, staring at my dishevelled state in the mirror. That must be Hazel, coming to see if I made it out.

As quickly as possible, I shove some clean, dry pants on before venturing slowly toward the door. The sound of my footsteps are concealed by the rain, so feasibly, I could pretend as though I’m not home.

But what if it is Hazel, what if she’s hurt,

"Who is there?" I ask shakily through the door.

"Sire."

Fuck.

My eyes flutter closed as I consider my next move. This is bad. He knows where I live, and if he managed to track me back here, his abilities are far beyond my understanding.

"You need to leave,” I growl. I don’t sound very threatening, although I suppose it doesn’t matter. He can sense that I’m magicless.

"We need to talk." He sounds so firm, so unmoving.

"Why don't we talk in the morning?" I ask hopefully. I doubt he understands the custom of not knocking on a young woman’s door in the middle of the night.

All he knows is I’m his mate, and he’s just been woken from his curse. That’s it.

"I wish to speak to you now?” He responds.

"Just give me one second, alright?" I order tensely, looking around.

Without waiting for his response, I rush into my bedroom, throwing the window open. There is no chance I’m opening that door for him. I need to put some more distance between him and I until I can get a car.

Then, I’ll drive to the opposite coast to lay low for a bit.

As quietly and as quickly as possible, I slide through the window and out into the rain. My knee protests, but I start off into a run, weaving through the woods that border my house.

Thankfully Hazel lives close by. I’ll run to her house and she will be able to keep me safe.

And I won’t look back.