Chapter 5 Lily's POV

The hallways all looked alike, and sometimes it felt like I was running too fast and at other times, like I hadn't moved an inch.

I could still hear their voices behind me, closing in. They weren't running. I would have been able to tell. Or maybe not, because my senses weren't working anymore.

The only thing I was sure of was that the drink was drugged, and every single person in that room knew even before I took a sip.

But what I couldn't fathom was why. What could I have done to them for them to treat me like this?

"Lily!"

That was Zane's voice, trying to goad me out. There was no need as I whimpered with every step I took, leading them straight to me. I tried to hold it in, but it seemed to find its way out like a broken music box.

I found the stairs and climbed them, even though I had no idea where it was going to lead. My legs wobbled at intervals, but I pulled myself up always, knowing it was either run or let Zane's friends have their way with me tonight.

Rage and fatigue coursed through me. My wedding played in my head like a flashback. Zane coming in late. Sophie sauntering in after him. The look they exchanged. The smug look on their faces. His sudden change in attitude a year ago.

Had it all been leading to this?

Finally reaching the landing of the staircase, I moved to the first door and knocked. Everything still swirled in front of me, and I could barely keep my head up. I wanted to go to bed so badly, but at the same time, I was so scared that it made me constantly look over my shoulder.

Just as I moved on to the next door, the first one clicked open, and someone pushed his head out. I couldn't see his face. Just a lot of finger tousled hair and a single chain dangling from his naked chest.

"Please," I whispered when his eyes fell on me. I didn't think he understood what I was asking for, but he stepped aside surprisingly. I could hear approaching footsteps on the stairs, so I dashed into the room, hoping that this was enough to keep me safe.

He closed the door behind him and turned around to face me. "What is going on?"

My limbs couldn't keep me up any longer. Darkness was approaching. I staggered on my feet as it slipped off the floor, gravity giving up on me. But I didn't land on the ground like I expected.

The smell of earth and cedar teased my nostrils as firm hands wrapped themselves around me. He lifted me like I weighed nothing and dropped me gingerly on the bed, while a knock echoed around the walls.

"Stay here," he whispered, then strode over to the door. I opened my eyes a fraction, enough to see his fingers comb through his hair. He looked restless. I wondered why.

"Open up, man! Did you see anyone run past here?" The eerily familiar voice came from the other end of the door. The stranger who had just saved me pulled it open a crack.

"No!" His tone was sharp, leaving no room for an argument.

"You sure?"

A silence followed, and I moved slightly on the bed.

"Get lost," the stranger snapped. I heard the door slam shut. I sat up and leaned against the bedframe, my body trembling.

"Thank you," I whispered when he walked back into the room. I tried so hard to focus on his features, but the only thing I could see was his hair.

"What the hell did they do to you?" he questioned.

"I...I don't know. The drink...It was drugged, and I had..."

"Figures," he blurted under his breath. "They looked like bastards."

He moved closer, and his features came into view. It was blurry, but at least I could see him. He crouched so we were eye level. His eyes looked...wrong. Glazed. Dark. His hand gripped the edge of the bedframe like he needed it to stay upright.

"You can go now," he muttered. "They should be far gone by now."

I shook my head. "Please, don't let me leave," I whispered, my voice trembling. "They will find me. I don't think I will be able to make it. I can't...."

"You can't what?"

The stranger had suddenly gotten closer, his hands trembling as they grazed my cheek. Our breaths mixed in the air, shallow and raging. I didn't push away from him, even though I knew there was something wrong.

"I'll get you a glass of water," he whispered, moving away from me again.

I was conscious of every inch of him as his feet padded across the room, returning a moment later. He slid the glass onto the nightstand and helped me up, his firm hand sliding under my back.

A shiver ran through my spine, delicious and cold. I pulled away from him then, muttering an incoherent apology as he paused.

But he said nothing, dropping to the ground beside the bed. I reached for the glass, gulping down everything. I should have learned by now not to accept things from strangers. If my husband could drug me, what more could a stranger do?

Yet, for some weird reason, I trusted him as much as I trusted myself.

"Thank you." I wiped my mouth with the back of my palm, feeling much better already.

His head moved in a nod, and silence fell over us again. At the other side of the door, I could still hear them moving.

"Aren't you going to ask me what happened?" I found myself whispering after a long minute of an oddly comfortable silence. He shifted slightly on the ground, angling his head in my direction. He didn't bother to turn on the lights.

"It's none of my business." He didn't say it in a foul manner. His tone dripped with sincerity and something else.

Something much more delicate that made me want to spill my darkest secrets.

"That was my husband," I said either way. "And my cousin. I think..."

"Shh!" He suddenly whispered, placing a long, slender finger on his lips.

And that was when I heard it.