12: Last Minute Decision

SIERRA

I attended her appointment, but I did it in a detached way. The idea of having a feminine check-up made me feel violated, as if I needed to be ‘scrubbed’ down there. They gave me a couple of shots, like I was a human trying to prevent an illness, and then they drew blood.

Now, I was staring at my reflection in the office mirror, fully dressed and waiting for the results of my lust or cycle test. I wanted to know right away, not wait for a message. I was certain my father would be the first to know anyway.

It was my body. I should be the first to know. The doctor who performed the exam was a woman, which was a relief. She seemed kind enough.

I was sure my father had requested one of the few female doctors they had for this very reason. Many male vampires didn’t want a male doctor examining their wife or bonded. So, we did have female doctors.

Suddenly, a wave of pain washed over me, a pang of sadness. The bruise on my cheek had disappeared, and Harper’s blood still coursed through me, making me feel strong. But I also felt weak, insignificant.

I felt like a doll on a shelf, taken down and played with at others’ whims. I sat there, mulling over Harper’s words. True mate, fated mate.

He seemed serious, and the bite on my shoulder wasn’t fading. Thankfully, my exam didn’t involve my upper body, so the doctor didn’t see it. The visit was brief.

I’d only been there for about an hour. Checking the time, I realized that the meeting between Harper and my father was probably still going on. It had only started a short while ago.

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t get to see Harper before he left. This made me wonder about werewolves and their true mates. They could identify each other, but vampires didn’t have that immediate recognition.

However, when both parties started to become obsessed with each other, that was usually a sign. Harper was certainly on my mind, growing into an obsession. I didn’t know much about him, but I wanted to.

I wanted to know more than just how amazing he was in bed. Admittedly, my sexual experiences had been disappointing. Kaven was my first, and all I did was lie there, hoping he would finish and leave.

Harper made every encounter with Kaven seem insignificant. From now on, whenever I felt a sexual urge, I would think of Harper. That is, if I ever felt that urge again after all of this.

I felt nauseous. I was praying that my lust wouldn’t start soon. The thought of having to endure sex with Kaven anytime soon was unbearable.

I was sure it would be dreadful. Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the doctor walked back in.

“Let’s see if we can get you out of here quickly, Lady Sierra. I’ve already sent the results to your father,” the doctor said.

I just nodded and sat down to listen. A knot formed in my stomach as she relayed the test results.

When she told me that all my counts were up and my pheromone levels had changed, I felt truly sick. I wasn’t sure if I had anything at home to suppress my lust this time.

I had managed to get my hands on a few things and had also starved myself so my body wouldn’t be capable of getting pregnant. Vampire females needed to eat a lot more, and during lust, your appetite would spike so that your body had enough to get pregnant and bond.

Now, I was wondering if feeding from Harper had been a mistake, even though I had wanted it so badly at the time.

“Thank you, doctor,” I said, standing up abruptly.

She had still been talking, suggesting things I could do to start my cycle in a few days. I just excused myself.

The doctor looked a bit taken aback as I stood up and moved to leave the room. Miguel was waiting for me in the hallway. They wouldn’t stop me. Not with who I was.

We left the clinic in silence. I looked up at the dark sky, noticing a few flashes of lightning in the distance. A storm would be nice.

I was deep in thought, my hands clenched into fists in my lap. For a moment, I considered grabbing the car door handle and jumping out, just running.

I was fast, and I was psychic. I might be faster than Miguel, given who I was and my blood. My chance to escape the car ended as we entered the parking garage.

I saw Harper’s SUV parked and ready to go. I watched a servant open the back hatch to load items, and I felt a pang of irritation. If only I could leave, just get in a car and go.

A wild idea struck me, and it was crazy, desperate, and not well thought out. When you feel like you have no options and something is sitting right in front of you, that’s when you think of crazy things.

Desperate, crazy things. I watched a servant load bags for Harper and his men into the SUV. I was pretty sure this car belonged to them.

We parked in the secure spot for elites, and a gate came down behind us, preventing anyone without clearance from entering. I made up my mind and sat up as Miguel parked the car.

I felt guilty about what I was about to do, but I didn’t see any other option. No one was going to help me. No one was going to let me escape but me. This was my chance.

“I’m sorry, Miguel. Really sorry. Be still,” I said sharply.

He turned to look at me, frozen in confusion, not expecting my attack. My control via voice.

I reached forward, slamming my hand over his face and forcefully pushing his head back. It hit the window hard, and I also used my mind.

I was both a mind reader and a telepath. So, I used that to strike his mind. I didn’t want to kill him, just knock him out, and it worked.

The force of the slam and my mental attack was unexpected, and he was out cold.

“I’m sorry,” I said, getting out of the car and leaving my phone and other items in the seat.

I kicked off my shoes to run faster. No one saw anything; there were only servants down here right now. I couldn’t have been luckier than at this moment.

I watched as one of the servants pressed the button to close the trunk and then walked away. The other headed toward the driver’s side, and that’s when I made my move.

I sprinted toward the car, using every ounce of my vampire speed. I managed to grab the edge of the trunk just as it was closing, slipping inside and holding it down so it wouldn’t spring back up.

I quickly pulled it shut, hearing the driver’s door close just as I did. I sat there, my heart pounding in my chest.

Had anyone seen me? Had one of the servants turned around? Was the trunk locked? Was it closed all the way?

A million questions raced through my mind. The trunk had sensed something was there and had stopped closing, but I’d been stronger and had managed to pull it shut. I heard it latch just as I jumped in.

But what if the servant had felt the car rock? I was on edge, terrified that someone would open the trunk. If they did, I was ready to bolt.

I’d run through the entire place if I had to. There was no way I could explain this, not when I was Lady Sierra. But then the car started moving.

I hunkered down, noticing a kit in the back with the bags. I found an emergency blanket inside and quickly pulled it over myself. As the car pulled up to the front, I sat there, my heart pounding, terrified that they would open the trunk to check their bags and find me.

I told myself to be ready to run if they did. After what felt like an eternity, but was really only a few minutes, Harper and his men got into the car. I stayed silent, not moving.

Their voices were muffled, but I could hear them in the front. I had no intention of revealing my presence. I would wait until they stopped somewhere, then I’d slip out and disappear.

Was this crazy? Absolutely. But I was committed. I heard one of them ask Harper if he’d slept with me.

I braced myself for some crude male banter. But his short answer surprised me and made me feel a little better about him. There was a part of me that wanted to sit up and tell him I was here.

But I knew he’d take me back. No one would let me leave the territory, and Harper wouldn’t risk his relationship with my father over this. So I stayed where I was, listening to their conversation.

They seemed comfortable with each other, making jokes and talking about people they knew. They even mentioned being at Red Coven. They seemed to share my opinion of my father and Kaven.

My name came up again, but Harper quickly shut it down. He warned them not to mention me if they knew what was good for them. They turned on some music and started talking about a hunting sport played by wolves in their territory.

It was an old tradition, but had been modified over time. We’d been driving for a couple of hours, so I was sure we were out of Red Coven territory. Our main city was close to their side, but the quickest route would take them through a small part of fae territory.

I figured we were probably passing through that area, which was mostly woods. If we were a few hours out, then I could jump out if they stopped. But I’d have to get through the divider.

I didn’t see a button to open the trunk from the inside. I slowly shifted my position, my muscles cramping from staying in one place for so long. The one named Zen turned down the music, and I froze.

Had he heard me moving the bags?

“Hey, you see that?” Zen asked.

I had no idea what they were looking at. I didn’t dare peek.

“Yeah, that car is coming fast,” Harper replied.

I glanced toward the windows, but couldn’t see anything. Dawn was approaching, but the windows were covered in rain.

The steady rainfall outside reflected the headlights on the divider.

“They’re driving more than fast,” Zen said.

“Just be ready in case this is something. We’re almost to our border. We’re friendly with the fae here. I don’t know who would be speeding up on us like this. My instincts say this isn’t some random civilian driver,” Harper said.

My heart pounded in my chest. I crossed my fingers, hoping this wasn’t someone chasing us because of me. Please let it just be a car speeding to get home, not because I’d stowed away in their car.