\[Elise’s POV\]
I yank my wrist free of Jose’s grip and attempt to leave, but am stopped as Marty and Rosco block the doorway. Frowning, I slowly look from one man to the next while debating what the chances were of me actually escaping.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Rosco asks when I try to come up with a plan.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Marty chuckles. “She is trying to flee.”
With wide eyes, I look at Marty as betrayal shoots through me. What happened to us being birds of a feather and all that bullshit? This was exactly why I refused to trust anyone, even if I wasn’t being used right now in the way that Alexander used me, I was still being forced to do what others wanted of me.
“So this is how it is going to be.” I growl, letting my aura begin to trickle off of me. “Either I go along with what you want or you’ll force me? I should have known better than trusting that you would actually trust me.”
Growling, I begin to extend my claws while only one thought hits me, and that is to kill the two in front of me so I can be free.
“Woah there, tigress.” Marty says, his eyes widening. “There isn’t any reason to be so on guard. We aren’t…”
“Aren’t what?” I snarl, lunging forward and swiping.
Fuck. My old survival instincts were starting to kick in, and all I could see anyone as was the enemy, and if I wanted to truly be free, then I needed to...
“We aren’t your enemy.” Rosco snaps as if reading my thoughts. “We just need your assistance in one thing.”
“I already told you I wouldn’t help!” I hiss. “I’ve told you what I know. Isn’t that good enough?”
Despite my best attempts, I was becoming manic, and I could feel Anna begin to stir within me, urging me to let her go so that she could help me out of this situation.
“I don’t see why I have to relive the fucking scene again just so you can maybe get an idea of where these bastards are hiding. You don’t know what the fuck I saw during that time and what I felt.”
With each word, the very scene that I didn’t want to see was beginning to come forward. Threatening to draw me back in, so I had to watch the whole thing again.
“There, there.”
Whirling around, I let out a growl at Jose as he pats me like I’m some fucking puppy.
“Who hurt you so badly that you don’t trust anyone or anything?”
For a moment, I don’t speak as shock rushes through me, but just as quickly as it appears, it disappears, and I’m on guard again.
“Don’t touch me!” I hiss, smacking his hand away.
Snapping my gaze back to Rosco and Marty, I begin to consider whether or not I should bum rush them, just as William appears with a look of confusion on his face.
“Are you teaming up on a lady?” He asks, eyeing not only Rosco and Marty but also Jose, who still stands behind me. “And who is that?”
“This doesn’t concern you.” Rosco warns, not tearing his gaze away from me. “Why are you even here?”
“I was passing by and felt killing intent.” He explains, eyeing me. “I’m assuming it is coming from the feral woman standing in the middle of the room.”
Feral! Who the fuck was he calling feral? If he was only here to add to the problem, then he could just…
“Are they bullying you?” He pushes when I remain silent. “Just say the word, and I’ll help you.”
Help me… Was I hearing things? Why in the world would he go against everyone to help me? Especially when he didn’t even know what was going on.
“Stay out of it.” Rosco repeats, his expression darkening. “You don’t know what the fuck is actually going on.”
“I don’t really care, to be honest.” William admits. “I’m sure that whatever it is can be handled easier than holding a woman hostage, don’t you think?”
“What a gentleman.” Marty chuckles, his posture relaxing. “But I’m afraid the only way for her to escape is to go through us.”
Feeling my fight or flight instincts take control, I look toward the window that sits just to my right. Fine, if they weren’t going to let me escape through the door, then they couldn’t blame me for causing some damage.
Deciding that this was the only way, I begin to move, and while chaos erupts around me, I leap at the window. As my body hits, it breaks, and I find myself diving straight for the ground below. However, before I reach, strong arms wrap around me. And as the earth grows closer, a large body is wrapping around me and taking the impact of the fall for me.
Eyes widening, I jump up and find that William is beneath me with a look of amusement on his face.
“Do you always have to be so dramatic?” He asks as I scurry off of him. “Couldn’t you have handled that situation better?”
“What?” I manage as he slowly sits up while wincing. “What the hell are you even thinking? Why did you follow me?”
“To make sure you didn’t get hurt.” He responds, turning his gaze toward the window above, where Rosco is hanging out and glaring at us. “Whoops, I’m definitely going to have to pay for this later.”
“Then why do it?” I snap.
“Isn’t it easy to tell?” He chuckles, getting to his feet and grabbing my wrist. “We’re partners in crime, remember?”
With wide eyes, I look from him to Rosco and back before letting out a huff of frustration.
“What, would you have preferred to have dealt with them later on alone?”
Would I? Honestly, I knew that the worst that would happen to me was that I would be thrown back in a cell for disobeying Rosco’s orders, but what would happen to William? He had a lot more to lose than I did.
“Are you out of your mind?” I sigh, watching Marty appear, and from the look on his face, I know that he is considering taking the same route I did.
“Who knows?” William shrugs, grabbing my hand and pulling. “But I think we should probably run.”
I don’t get a chance to respond before I am being pulled across the empty grounds of Emerald Moon while the sound of shouting echoes around me.
Attempting to block it out, I let myself get lost in the feel of the earth beneath my feet and the wind on my skin. It reminds me so much of the past, when I would run through the forest. It had been so long since I did something so simple yet so freeing.
“Just up ahead!” William announces, quickening our pace. “There is a tree large enough for us to hide in. And it is too high up for them to catch our scents or feel our presence.”
“I’m not worried about that.” I point out.
Letting out a laugh, William doesn’t speak as we reach our destination and start to climb. With each branch we grab and hoist ourselves with, we move higher and higher until we are able to burst through the canopy of leaves and see the beautiful starlit sky above.
“Wow,” I whisper, taking it in. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Yeah,” William agrees, coming to stand beside me. “But not as gorgeous as you.”
For a moment, I don't speak as I examine the man beside me, trying to make sense of his sudden words. Did he hit his head when he fell and not tell me?
"Did you just hit on me?" I ask slowly.
"And if I am?" William asks. "Would that be a bad thing?"