Chapter 546

Olivia

I awoke with a pounding ache in my head and a burning sensation in my wrists. Something warm and wet was caked to the back of my skull, and when I tried to lift my head, I felt my vision begin to reel as a low, involuntary groan escaped my lips.

“Stay still,” my wolf’s voice echoed in my mind. “He’s close.”

“He?” I asked, shutting my eyes against the searing pain that was reverberating through my skull.

“The captain’s son. He’s watching you.”

Despite my animal urge to open my eyes and look at the man who had cracked me over the skull with god-knows-what, I kept them shut. I focused instead on steadying my breathing, tapping into the training that Freya had given me.

Slowly, the longer I breathed, the more the pain began to ebb away. That was a relief, at least.

But I couldn’t lay here forever. I knew what was going to happen, and I knew that it was going to happen soon judging from the sound of the waves hitting the side of the boat at a frenzied pace.

‘Captain’ Eleanor and her son were going to take me right into the eye of the storm and leave me there. They had another boat, or maybe a helicopter, waiting for them.

And what would happen to me then? I had no idea how to navigate over the ocean or drive a boat, so I’d be lost. I’d become another poor soul adrift in the sea, with no familiar land in sight. And without any food or water, assuming that I would even survive the storm itself, I’d die.

Nathan would never know what happened to me for certain. Neither would the twins.

No, I had to act quickly. I knew that, if I could just overpower Eleanor’s son, I could use my power of Suggestion to make Eleanor turn the boat around and take me to land.

But first, I had to get out of these restraints.

Carefully, I cracked my eyes open ever so slightly and scanned the room through my lashes. I was in the cabin, that much was for certain; they had tied me with my wrists in front of me and had laid me on the floor, where the blood on the back of my head was now sticking to the wood.

Across the room, however, I could make out his silhouette; Eleanor’s son. He was leaning against the far wall, his arms folded across his chest, watching me. It didn’t seem as if he was planning on leaving anytime soon, either.

“H-Hello?” I whimpered, trying to sound as scared and helpless as possible. “I-Is anyone there?”

There was no answer, but I could see the way his head turned toward me when I spoke. After a long silence, I spoke again.

“P-Please… Water…”

For a few moments, Eleanor’s son simply looked at me in the darkness—and during those moments, I thought he might refuse water or simply stare at me forever. But then, finally, he sighed and walked over to the sink.

As he filled a cup with water, I took my opportunity to look around. There, on the table, I saw it: a small paring knife next to some apple slices.

Steadying my breathing, I shut my eyes momentarily and opened my fingers, willing the knife into my hand. If I could just focus my energy…

There. I felt the knife slip into my hand, the movement so smooth and quick that Eleanor’s son didn’t even see it. By the time he had turned back around, the knife was concealed up my sleeve.

“Here.” He crouched down next to me and held the cup out. Carefully lifting my head and groaning against the sensation of the sticky blood tugging at my stinging skin, I took a sip and offered him a weak smile.

“Thank you, um.... Sorry, what was your name?” I asked.

The man looked at me, blinking stupidly in the low light. Then, softly: “Jon.”

“Jon,” I said through another smile. “Thank you, Jon.”

Jon grunted in response, stood, and walked over to the window. While his back was momentarily turned, I got to work cutting the ropes; the knife was well-sharpened, thankfully, which allowed me to slice through the rope like butter.

However, before I could conceal the knife again, Jon turned around.

His eyes went wide as he stormed up to me and snatched the knife from my hand. “You sly little bitch!” he spat, raising his hand as if to strike me. But little did he know that I had already freed one hand from my restraints.

Quickly, I thrust my free hand forward and concentrated my energy in a localized shockwave.

A burst of invisible force erupted from my palm, sending Jon flying backwards. He crashed into the wall with a grunt, the knife clattering to the floor. I wasted no time, scrambling to my feet despite the worsening pounding in my head, and pounced on him before he could recover. With my knee pinning his chest, I grabbed the length of rope that had bound my wrists and began tying his arms together with it.

“What the hell are you?” Jon growled, thrashing beneath me.

I secured the final knot and leaned in close. “Listen, I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to get back to my husband,” I said in a low, firm voice. “As long as you cooperate, you’ll be just fine. Nod if you understand.”

Jon held my gaze for a defiant moment before giving a reluctant nod. I eased off of him, eyeing him warily as he pulled himself into a seated position against the wall.

“Smart choice,” I told him, scooping up the knife. “Now just sit tight while I have a chat with your mother. And don’t worry; she’ll be fine.”

Slipping from the cabin, I emerged onto the rain-soaked deck. Cold drops of rain pelted my skin as the wind whipped my hair in all directions. Thunder rumbled ominously overhead as I squinted through the storm, finally making out the unmistakable silhouette of Eleanor at the helm.

I started toward her, the deck rocking treacherously beneath my feet. A bolt of lightning forked across the sky overhead, briefly illuminating the fear etched across the old woman's features as she wrestled with the wheel.

Eleanor turned at the sound of my approach, her eyes going wide. “How did you get out here?!” she cried, her lips pulling back in a snarl. “Jon!” she shrieked. “Jon, get out here!”

No response came from the cabin. I seized the moment, planting my feet and locking eyes with her.

“Eleanor,” I said, honing in on my power of Suggestion even though doing so sent my head throbbing and reeling. “Turn this boat around. Take us back to shore, now.”

The woman’s body went rigid within an instant, her eyes glazing over into a hundred-yard stare. “Okay,” she said in an eerily calm tone. With robotic movements, she began wrestling with the ship’s controls, fighting against the roiling waves to alter our course.

I let out a slow, steady breath, grabbing the ship’s railing to steady myself. I felt my vision ebb and flow, unconsciousness tugging at the corners of my mind, but I kept breathing and pushing through the pain. I couldn’t stop now. I had to hold focus.

I had to get back to Nathan.

Nathan. My gaze drifted down to my phone, which I had just slipped out of my pocket. I was hoping to contact Nathan, but a glance at the screen revealed no signal whatsoever out here.

A cold knot twisted in my gut. Nathan was sure to be worried sick by now. Or worse, somehow involved in whatever scheme had led to my abduction. Pursing my lips, I typed out a brief message, even though it might never make it to him:

“Coming home. Wait for me.”