"Recovery room?" Asra cocked his head.

I nodded, tugging on the cuffs of my coat. "After Darius had his fill, he would often put me in there instead of leaving me on the floor. When he was sober, you got left alone. When he was drunk, he put you in there. It's empty and closed off in the disguise of being a spare room. No guests ever went in there, so they never knew of the things that happened in there. The window opens, but not enough to get out of."

"So, you are worried he has hurt her?" He pursed his lips.

I nodded mutely, watching his expression as he traced my fearful features. I was used to the teasing, cocky Asra, and this serious one was eerily new. His jaw ticked as he glanced away to Caleb and they communicated silently.

"Curtain?" Asra wondered.

"Partly open." Caleb nodded.

"Blood?" He frowned.

"Little."

"I smell it too." He murmured before cursing. "Okay, we will get her out."

I exhaled heavily, following him to the window. Caleb diverted, going elsewhere. Probably to survey the area.

There was no light from what I could see through the crack of the curtain, and I shakily rested my hands on the edge of the frame. My heart warmed at his protectiveness, and his desire to save my sister made me feel strange things.

"She is definitely alone?" I whispered.

He nodded. "The scent upstairs is male and smells of..."

"Whiskey?" I cocked my head. "Or beer?"

"Whiskey."

I winced, nodding. Beer drunk usually meant he left you alone, but spirit drunk was when he got nasty. He got pissed faster, and it turned his moods haywire. I couldn't explain the science, but from personal experience... Yeah, drunk Darius was a horrible Darius either way.

"Okay. I will knock." I murmured.

"I shall stand back. Caleb will be in the trees. The first sign of anything going wrong, we get out."

My hand shook as I rose it to the glass window and just before I rested it on the glass, I looked at Asra.

"Tell me when she wakes or stirs." I told him.

He nodded silently, and I tapped my knuckles into the glass. Asra's head cocked, listening to what was happening inside. When he shook his head, I knocked again, three gentle taps against the glass. Arabella was a deep sleeper, so I assumed it would take a few goes. Asra grimaced, shaking his head again, and so with a loud huff, I banged my palm against it to create a dull thud. When his eyebrows rose and he nodded, I started to play out our secret knock.

Two knocks, followed by two rolls of my fingertips against the glass, and then two knocks. After each sequence, I gave it a two second break before trying again. We created our secret knock for when we wanted to escape mother, and I only hoped Arabella remembered it. It had been a few years since we used it-since before I lived with Darius.

Doing it two more times, I was about to give up when Asra took a large step back and his eyes snapped to the window. My breath hitched when the curtains shifted and fingers appeared on beside the glass. They were delicate and well-manicured, peeling back the fabric until one dark brown eye appeared.

Tears pooled in my eyes as her eye widened before the curtain shifted.

"Arabella..." I whispered.

The curtain opened fully and revealed the rest of her. Her lips wobbled, eyes wide as her own tears flowed down her smooth skin. She seemed relatively unharmed, but I saw the relief, felt the fear in her heart. Her hand shakily came to rest on the window, palm toward me. I placed mine opposite, a happy sob breaking through my lips.

She went to speak, but I shook my head, pressing my finger to my lips. She gulped, nodding and so I pointed to the handle, gesturing for her to unlock it.

I had tried to escape this room before, and on my second attempt, Darius had a strange metal bar that wouldn't let it open further than an arm's width. The window clicked as she lifted the handle, and it made a soft swishing noise as she pushed it open. I moved slowly, pushing my arm through the gap until I secured her fingers in my hand.

Her tense shoulder seemed to sag as tears dripped down her face, her body falling forward. I felt her nails dig into my palm, her desperation for reality outweighing the sense of touch.

"Ailia... I thought... You are dead..." she whispered through tears. "Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're awake." I smiled, rubbing her skin. "We're here to get you out of here."

"We?" she wondered; eyes wide. "Mum?"

I grimaced, shaking my head. "She is drunk. I'm here to get you out of this town."

"But... where will we go?" Her lips wobbled. "The wolves will kill us!"

I smiled sadly at her. "They won't, they can't. Trust me, Arabella."

Her eyes stared at me, darting across the features of my face. I kept my expression sincere, a promise.

"Okay." She exhaled. "How are you going to get me out?"

I chewed my lip, eyeing the window. "We will have to break it."

"We? Again, you said we?" She swallowed.

"I need you to trust me, okay? Don't scream, don't shout, just trust me." I nervously glanced at Asra.

He was in the shadows of the house, his back pressed against the brick so Arabella could not see him. Even in the dark, with only the dull glow of the house lights, it was hard to see him.

"My friends are here, they..." I sighed and her eyes locked onto mine. "They will break the window, okay?"

Silence. Her wide doe eyes stared up at me through the window as she mutely nodded.

Smiling, I turned to Asra with a new bout of tension. His jaw tightened as he approached and I let my gaze wander over his large build as he stepped up beside me to investigate the window. His fingers curled around the frame, pulling and pushing it until he nodded.

My eyes drifted to Arabella, finding her wide-eyed as she stared at Asra. I suppose she has not seen a man as large or intimidating as the tattooed devil. I too would be shocked. I mean, when I first met him, I couldn't believe what I saw. He was a lot different from a human male. I still remember the dark and terrifying feeling of seeing him in my hospital room when I first woke up.

Asra hummed as he found the piece holding it together before looking down at my sister. "Stay quiet."

With wide eyes, she eagerly nodded, taking a step backward. Fingers curling around the metal pole, Asra snapped it like a twig, the metal crunching softly in his palm. Arabella's eyes only seemed to widen, an effect that I would assume have them falling out of the sockets if this was a comic book.

Pulling the window open, he shared a look with me. I knew what it meant; Arabella would not take his arm to get out. Stepping up toward her, she shook her head in disbelief.

"He just..." she whispered. "One hand."

"I know." I murmured. "Take my hand."

At last, her mind seemed to catch up, and she was rushing toward me. Her hands wrapped around my shoulders as I cupped her elbows, helping her to climb the window. Luckily, it was only three feet from the ground, so she scaled it easily and was out in no time.

The moment her feet touched the grass, I wrapped my arms around her. My baby sister.

She shivered, a small sob of relief that had her body quiver against mine. She was cold, clad in only a nightgown. I soothed her, whispering soft words into her ear as I held onto her. Asra's eyes met mine from over her shoulder with a stern look before he tilted his head to the side.

"Okay, we have to go." I murmured, pulling away from her.

She shook, arms wrapping around herself as I held onto her shoulders. "Go?"

"Are you hurt?" I wondered, looking down at her appearance.

She appeared physically fine to the point I could not see any bruising on her arms, legs, or upper body. Her lower lip wobbled and when I met her eyes, I understood right away. He had a tainted her, touched her in ways that no man should touch a child.

My jaw tightened. "It's okay. Where we are going, you will be safe. I promise you."

Shimming out of my coat, I wrapped it around her. The cool midnight breeze washed over me, but I couldn't let my sister freeze. I luckily was in a t-shirt and jeans, and was more than happy to keep her warm.

"Where are we going?" She wondered, teeth chattering as she placed her arms into my coat.

"I will explain once we are out here." I promised her. "Let's go, follow me."

Arabella nodded, understanding the urgency. Asra walked up to us, leading the way as Arabella clung to my arm. Only when we darkness covered us did we come to a stop.

"I can't see." Arabella panicked.

"Me either." I mumbled. "This is where you need to trust me a little more, okay?"

I heard her shaky breath as I blinked into the darkness. Her soft answering reply was like a caress in my ears. Through the dull moonlight glow, I saw the outline of Asra move closer, his dark eyes seeming to glow as he peered down at me. His lips pulled down into a grimace, and before I could even blink, he was pulling off his jumper and forcing it over my head. I made a soft sound of complaint, my face trapped inside the warm wool.

I couldn't help but sniff the shoulders as I pulled my arms through, finding that sandalwood scent so alluring. If he caught me sniffing it, he didn't react.

"What now?" Arabella wondered.     

"We move." Asra grunted. "Out of this town."

"Okay." Her breath shook.

Asra took my hand just as I took Arabella's, and together, we walked through the darkness of the trees. The further we went, the more blind I became. I could barely make out the shapes of trees, and kept my gaze firmly locked on where I believed Asra to be.

"Ailia..." Arabella whimpered as she stumbled and tugged me with her.

I cursed softly, letting go of Asra to stop myself. She was traumatised, shaking and her body was crashing. She had become clumsy and her mind was too confused to keep up.

"How much further?" I wondered aloud.

"About three hundred yards. I can see the lights." Caleb answered, suddenly beside us.

I couldn't see anything! When did he creep up on us?

"Come, Arabella, we have to get out of here before Darius finds out you are gone." I sighed softly.

Her whimper had me clutch her hand tighter, before I reached out for Asra again. I knew he could see perfectly, and when his fingers wrapped around my hand, he pulled. He took us a less treacherous path, which I was grateful for, and soon enough, I saw the lights on the wall.

"Finally." I breathed, letting go of the hands clutching me.

I turned to Arabella, finding her face ash white as she stared up at the bricks.

"How are we going to get out?" She squeaked. "We are trapped."

"It's not the most entertaining activity of the night, but we're going to jump it."

"Jump it?" Her eyes bulged.

"Yes. Trust, Arabella."

I glanced at Asra, who nodded at me and then at Caleb. Caleb was quick to scale the ten-foot wall, and I felt Arabella's fingers snake into the fabric at my waist. She was fearful, and no doubt confused.

"I will go first with their help, then Asra..." I gestured to my mate. "He will do the same to you, okay?"

"Okay..." she whispered, eying him.

Time to get out of here. I just hoped Arabella could handle it.

****

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate!!
❤️❤️ I hope today is special and if you are struggling know I am thinking of all of you 💙