It was time to go. They left the next day. Simone was far from recovered, but she insisted that they didn’t have much time left. They had to go. Kiera packed what she could with Mikael’s help, and it was harder to say goodbye to the house she grew up in. She didn’t know how long she would be gone for, but it was unlikely that she would be back anytime soon. The house had traces of Kane wherever she looked, and that was the hardest part. It felt like she was leaving a part of him behind. She didn’t know if Simone felt the same way. If she did, she didn’t show. Her determination to leave overpowered everything else. She looked around, at the pictures and paintings on the wall, and the holes that he made the other night when he put the boards up that were never filled. Her father’s office was impossible to look at. It was no longer her father’s, not in her heart. It belonged to Kane. There was nothing that she could bring with her that would fill the hole of leaving everything behind.
Kiera was in the dark for a long time.Her eyes were hot and heavy with tears. It was bizarre how much things had changed in the space of five minutes. One minute, they were all there; alive and well. The other, they were gone. Simone was gone. She didn't know what happened to her, or where they took the car. She should have acted quicker when she found the man in the shop suspicious. Her own inability to act condemned her. She should have checked Mikael to see if he was alive. She shouldn't have panicked the way she did. Now, it was too late. She didn't know what to think anymore. She was being driven to a place far away without anyone around her that could possibly save her. She thought about it, but her thoughts were as hollow as her. She couldn't hold onto them and attach importance to them. They were just flowing through her like water. She would be at their mercy, and she didn't even know who they were. She suspected that it had to do with the pack Simone destroyed, the DarkWa
The hours passed. Kiera was growing more uncomfortable than ever. She didn't know what they wanted from her, not anymore. At first, she thought that they were going to kill her. Now, it felt like they wanted to torture her with the sight of Celia. He kept insisting that it was her fault that the whole thing happened. He didn't do much apart from repeating the same words over and over again. It was torturous. They sky was getting much darker, and soon, she wouldn't be able to see. The sky was moonless and heavy with clouds. The rain stopped, but the night was cool. She knew it would rain again. She could smell it in the air. What were they waiting for?What did they want from her? It was harder not knowing what would happen, she realized that now. If they had told her what the intended to do with her—explicitly—she would know what to expect. But it seemed like they were all crazy. She was surprised that two men managed to cause so much damage. Celia hadn't lifted a finger. She cou
Kiera sat back in her chair and sighed. The sun was warm, a little too warm, but the one thing she loved about the sun was how it had the capacity of making her forget the cold days. It was almost as if the horrors she endured never even happened. The only reminder that they did was the empty space in her heart that belonged to Kane, and that would forever remain vacant. It took her a long time to feel normal again, even after finding out that Simone and Mikael hadn’t died that day. It was all a big shock to her, and although she had every reason to feel normal, she didn’t. She couldn’t get the image of Celia’s body out of her mind, and it was strange that that was the scene that haunted her the most, apart from the two of them cutting her neck with a knife and leaving behind a scar that she would bear forever. With Simone and Mikael’s help, though, she began feeling better. Leaving town helped. In fact, the change of atmosphere and the drastic improvement of the weather was enough
Aaron Rogers made a gesture with his gloved hand. "Bring him forward," he announced.His assistant, Simone, tugged at the chain in her hand and the man before her stood. He was a tall fellow dressed in tattered clothing and his shaggy hair was matted to his head. It was dirty with leaves and dry twigs. He glanced warily at Simone before turning to Aaron. He put his bony hands together and said in a deep, hoarse voice, "Please, I beg of you. My children. Set them free.""Name?" Aaron enquired, ignoring him.He gulped and licked his cracked lips. "Sam."Aaron wrote it down on his ledger and underlined it. "How many in your pack?""We are not a pack," he answered, shifting from one foot to another. "We live in these forests by ourselves. We have a small cabin. We don't bother anyone.""How many in your immediate family?""Please," the man said, nearing the table. Simone pulled the chain forcefully and the man stumbled and fell to his knees. Aaron put a hand up and she stopped jerking the
Kiera slammed her glass down on the counter and thought of ordering another shot but decided against it. She drank more than enough. Another shot would make her stumble out of the bar. The thought was appealing. She didn't consider herself a reckless person; she never did anything irresponsibly. But the argument she had with Jared was still on her mind after two days and she was desperate to flush it out. If a good hangover didn't take care of it, she didn't know what would. She asked for the bill instead of a drink, though. Going home to an empty house wasn't appealing in the slightest but it was all she had. It was getting late and she had work in the morning. She stepped down from the stool and buttoned her coat. She looked around the bar once but didn't see anything or anyone interesting. She had planned on talking to someone new or meeting someone who would at least have kept her entertained the whole night but she had no luck. She felt incredibly alone at that moment. With
"I-I..." Kiera trailed off, looking into his eyes.He patiently waited for her to finish her sentence. She couldn't find her words. She felt embarrassed for stammering and she couldn't help but wonder what he thought about her.She had to get a grip and fast."I'm—""Shaken up," he finished for her. She nodded gratefully. Yes, that was one way of putting it. Behind him, the employees were returning to the store. She looked at the mess the guys and caused and she groaned helplessly."I could call the police," he suggested. She turned to him again. "They can't have gone far. And who knows? They might have a record."She thought quickly. Did she really want to spend the rest of her evening in a police station? She was exhausted as it is and she had a fair amount to drink. If they tested her and she exceeded the permissible limit by even a little, she'd be arrested for misconduct. They might even blame her for the whole incident. So she shook her head. "No, I think I'll go home. I'll figu
Kiera's pounding head woke her.The first thing she did was check the time. Her phone said 10:30. She hadn't expected to sleep till so late but she spent an unnecessarily long time looking up Mikael. She couldn't accept that there was nothing on him.She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and made her way downstairs in her nightgown. Simone usually woke up at around eight so she already had breakfast, probably. Kiera would have to have her breakfast alone.Simone was in the kitchen prepping lunch. She was sawing a kitchen in half and the sight made Kiera squirm. She looked up and wiped her hands on a kitchen towel. "You look like you went to hell and back.""I feel like it," she admitted. "Do we have ibuprofen? Advil?"Simone shook her head in disapproval. "I'll fetch it. You just wait here. Do you want to have your breakfast now or later?""Now, please. I need to get started on work. I'm already behind." She looked around. From the kitchen, she had a full view of the sitting room an