She fled as fast as her legs could carry her. Her lungs burned, but she pushed on. The uneven terrain made it difficult, but this was her only chance. Sure, she could end up lost, but that was better than the alternative.
It was hard to tell how long she’d been running through the forest. It could have been hours, but eventually she saw something up ahead—light. A ranger station perhaps? Damon told her they had them all over the mountain.
“There she is!” someone behind her said.
No! They tracked her down. Counting the two guards, and assuming both SUVs were at capacity, there were probably a dozen guys after her. Jameson had been prepared to take her at any cost, it seemed.
Just keep going, she told herself. If she could reach that station, maybe—“Ow!” She let out a yelp as pain shot up her leg. Her foot had tripped on a rock or a root and twisted, sending her crashing to the ground. Tears sprang to her eyes and the light she had seen up ahead blurred in her vision.
“There!” she heard a male voice say. “There she is.”
Her lips clamped shut, and she tried to curl herself into a ball, but it was too late. Footsteps thundered around her, then she was hauled up. She cried out as her ankle throbbed in protest. “Stop! Please, I twisted my ankle.”
“Serves you right, bitch!” A hand roughly pulled at her, the injured ankle dragging along, and the pain made bile rise in her throat.
“Please, please,” she begged, hands reaching out for anything she could grab onto.
“Walk, bitch!”
A hand pushed at her back, and she hurtled forward. Pain lanced through her arm when her elbows connected with the cold, hard ground. This was it, she thought. She was going to die, and she would never see Damon again.
“I’m freezing my ass off! Just kill her here,” someone said. “Boss said to get it done.”
“Hey, didn’t you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“It sounds like a—”
The goon’s voice was cut off, as a deep, loud roar pierced the air.
“What the fuck was that?”
“Shh!”
The ground vibrated underneath her, and another bone-rattling growl broke through the silence.
“Holy fuck! It’s a—”
Another roar came, followed by panicked shouts. Anna Victoria scrambled to turn around, but it was dark, and she could only see shadows. One very big shadow.
A bear! Her heart jumped, as at first, she thought it was Damon, but she knew deep inside it wasn’t him. For one thing, this bear was much larger and bulkier. The humungous creature was on its hind feet, growling and bellowing, its long limbs stretching so it could swipe at the dozen or so men around it.
Adrenaline rushed through her, and she knew this was her second chance. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain and scrambled away from the chaos, not knowing where to go, but she knew she had to get away.
She was limping through the thicket of trees when she saw a bright light up ahead. She moved as fast as she could, but tripped and fell again. The pain was unbearable, and she couldn’t find the strength to get up.
“Look what I found,” a male voice sneered. “Got you, bitch.”
She burst into tears when a hand roughly pulled her up to her feet. “My … ankle …” she managed to choke out. “P-please. Can’t move.”
The man who found her cursed and then bent down to haul her up on his shoulders in a fireman’s carry. She would have pounded on his back, but her limbs were exhausted. The world turned upside down, and she fell limp, defeated.
“Got her, boss,” the man who carried her shouted triumphantly as they stepped out into the road.
She cursed to herself, realizing she had come back to where she had started.
“Did you think you could get away from me, Anna Victoria?” Jameson shouted, his voice trembling with rage. “I’m going to kill you myself and enjoy every minute of it. Bring her here, Larson.”
They continued to advance, but Larson stopped about halfway as a loud screech cut through the air. Lifting her head, she was temporarily blinded as bright headlights of a truck came into view.
Jameson screamed in fury. “Get her here, now!”
The lights shut off, and she saw the truck stop a few feet from them. The doors of the vehicle flew open, and she could have sworn two men jumped out, but they moved so incredibly fast, she couldn’t keep track. All she saw were shadows moving and shifting, growing larger. A familiar, animalistic roar made hope spark in her chest.
“Damon!” she screamed.
The bear sped forward, growling as it locked gazes with her, eyes like green fire. Larson was now running like mad toward Jameson, but he was still too slow. Damon’s animal rushed forward, getting in front them. Larson yelped in surprise and stopped as the bear roared furiously and stretched to full height, massive arms raised high.
“Better let her go or my friend’ll tear you to pieces,” came a warning voice.
Gabriel! She turned her head around to where he was standing behind them.
Larson swallowed audibly, then bent down and lay her on the ground before scrambling off in the opposition direction.
“Coward!” Jameson shrieked in fury.
The bear let out another roar, then turned, rushing toward the SUVs.
“Damon, no!” she screamed. Before she could even attempt to chase after him, she felt herself being lifted up.
“I got you,” Gabriel soothed as he lifted her into his arms before he walked briskly toward the truck.
“You have to go after him,” she said, distraught. “They have guns. Where are you taking me?”
“Need to get you to safety first.” Gabriel said he gently laid her in the passenger seat of Damon’s truck.
“Please, Gab—”
Gunshots cut her off, but before she could protest, he was gone. She reached for the switch for the headlights and gasped as
