Runaway Rogue

Chapter Forty One: Indigo's POV

Indigo thought she would hear Caspian's screams in her mind for the rest of her life. She hadn't been able to bear looking at him, knowing that one glance at his distressed expression would have sent her spiraling. And she couldn't have risked that. Because she knew what she needed to do. It was what she had always known would be her burden to carry.

Two lunas were now at risk. Anabelle was pregnant, which only made the situation more dire. And it was true enough that Sasha might never accept the role of luna, but that hadn't changed anything in Indigo's mind. Andrew wouldn't stop.

She needed to stop him. She was certain that she could be the one to do it.

Even if it meant sacrificing herself.

The drive was quiet, which was for the best. Indigo didn't know the man in the front seat, driving her to her demise. Andrew decided early on that she didn't need the friends she had before and he also made the decision to keep her away from any men on the packlands, even his own men. Because, obviously, no man could be trusted to control their urges and he was just trying to protect her.

They drove for well over an hour before pulling over. Up until that point, Indigo kept a sharp eye on the world around them, mentally marking off turns and straining to keep her focus. All she wanted to do was wallow. All she wanted to do was cry and go back to Caspian, beg him to forgive her and never leave the safety of his arms again.

Once they pulled over, panic filled her chest. This wasn't the packlands she had been sold to. In fact, the area looked rather deserted. Oh Gods, maybe they were just going to kill her.

"Time to put this on," the man said, swinging open her door. He handed her a piece of cloth. She just stared at him blankly. "Tie it over your eyes," he snapped, like she was an utter idiot.

She did as he asked, closing herself off from any of the visual cues she could have tucked in the back of her mind. Because Andrew thought of that. Of course, he did. He was her husband. He knew her, at least a little bit. And he wasn't going to let her win that easily.

Then, when she could not see, the man bound her hands together behind her back.

She was a prisoner, just like she had been all those years ago.

But, at least this time, Sasha was safe. Indigo wasn't dumb enough to think that Andrew was done, that he would give up. She just hoped that Bentley was as capable as he seemed and that she could end it before it got that far.

The SUV turned and stopped, then turned again. Indigo tried to keep track of the world around her, but trying to detect the movement while unable to see only made her feel sick to her stomach. With each gear shifted, with every turn of the tire, she felt a little more of her hope slip away.

They arrived at some point, but she had lost track of time long ago, only knowing the ache in her chest. Her skin crawled when her escort put his hands on her to help her out of the vehicle, his touches lingering in places they shouldn't have been. She wasn't surprised. Men like Andrew existed in echo chambers, surrounded themselves with the like-minded. She was a sack of meat, a cow to be sold, a lamb to be slaughtered, but never a person. Never an equal.

She was moved across something that felt like gravel beneath her shoes and she could hear a door creak open. Then there was flooring under her feet.

"Indigo."

She never, ever wanted to hear his voice again. It was the sound that filled her nightmares and now it was here, a reality. She froze, too frightened to even breathe.

The blindfold was removed with gentle fingers, far kinder than she expected from a man who purchased her and kidnapped her.

And there he was. He was handsome in the traditional sense, in the way that made it clear he wasn't used to getting rejected or turned down. A man with money, influence, and a charming smile was perhaps the most dangerous of them all.

But he grinned at her, revealing pearly white teeth and his eyes crinkled around the corners, almost kindly.

"Indigo, it's really you," he pretty much sighed.

She stood before him rigidly, trying to keep an eye on him and also survey her surroundings. She knew immediately that she didn't recognize this place. This was not the house she had shared with him on his packlands. This was smaller, older. Had a stale smell to it.

"Indigo?" someone else whispered. A soft, feminine voice.

Indigo whirled around. And there was Anabelle.

Indigo didn't know her well. They hadn't spent much time together, hadn't had the chance to bond. Indigo hadn't realized how worried she was about the woman until she saw her and her shoulders slid down just the tiniest amount.

Anabelle looked as well as one could. In fact, she appeared to be much better than Forest. True, she was a little pale, and though her belly had grown, it seemed as if she lost a bit of weight elsewhere. But she didn't have those awful rings around her eyes nor that vacant look that her counterpart had.

Anabelle's arms wrapped around Indigo, yanking her into the roughest hug known to man.

"You said you would let her go!" Indigo thundered, jerking out of Anabelle's touch.

Andrew didn't even bat an eye. "Now, now pet. Anabelle insisted she not leave until she saw you. I'm doing her a favor so please don't act like I am the villain in all of this."

Indigo glanced back at Anabelle who confirmed it with the smallest nod. "I just wanted to make sure that you arrived safely, that you were okay."

'Okay' seemed absurd right now. Indigo could actively feel the fight and flight response in her body, the one begging her to try and find the nearest exit or a knife. Instead, she just laid her hand softly over her heart.

"I'm fine," Indigo lied. "But you need to go back home. Forest is worried sick about you. And I'm right where I need to be."

Anabelle gave her one tight squeeze. She tried to whisper something in Indigo's ear, but she wasn't able to hear it over all the blood rushing in her head. The man who had brought Indigo in now grabbed at Anabelle, tying a blindfold over her eyes but tugging her outside.

The front door to the small home was barely shut before a palm cracked against Indigo's cheek. She fell to the floor with hardly more than a startled gasp.

"Now, little Indigo, how am I going to teach you that hiding from me will never work?" Andrew purred, the wicked glint gleaming in his eye.

~~~Question of the Day~~~

What is your favorite way to be active?