Chapter 221

Fear tremored through me, starting within my heart and quickly spreading outwards to the tips of my fingers.

Asher collected me into his arms, but that didn’t stop my trembling. It was too severe this time. The fear too real.

Joseph was everywhere. He would stop at nothing to hurt me, however he could.

“It’s okay,” Asher whispered in my ear. How much I wanted to believe him! But even under Asher’s watchful eye, Joseph had gotten close to pass me these threatening notes.

I didn’t know if I would ever feel safe again.

At once, my stomach clenched fiercely. I doubled over, clutching my waist.

“Cynthia?” Aimee and Nicole rushed closer.

I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t tell them what was wrong.

Pain. So much pain.

“Ash-er,” I grunted and collapsed.

He pulled me up into a bridal carry.

“Should we call an ambulance?” Aimee asked. She sounded panicked.

“Too slow,” Asher said, voice tight. “I’ll take her to the hospital myself.”

He started running.

The pain pulled me in and out of consciousness.

“My baby,” I whispered from the passenger seat of Asher’s car as he zoomed too fast through the city streets.

“Everything will be okay,” he said, his fingers curled, knuckles white, around the steering wheel.

I blacked out again, and this time woke up in the emergency room. I was on a gurney, and they were wheeling me away from my friends.

“Asher!” I cried, suddenly panicked.

He rushed to my side. I gripped his hand and wouldn’t let go.

“Asher, please…” I didn’t know what I was asking for. I just didn’t want to be alone, no matter what was to happen.

I couldn’t even feel Lilith inside of me right now. Where was she? Where was everyone?

“I’m with you,” he said. He growled at anyone who tried to stop him. “She is my mate.”

When the word mate came out, everyone allotted him more space. However, my relief was immediately undercut by a spike of pain.

Clutching Asher’s hand as hard as I could, I fell into darkness once more.

I awoke to the sound of a beeping heart monitor and a too-bright fluorescent overhead light. My hand was still curled around someone else’s.

I blinked the tired sleep from my eyes and looked to where Asher had pulled his chair to the side of my bed. He had fallen asleep resting his face near my hip. His free arm was wrapped protectively around my growing stomach.

He was still holding my hand.

Warmth spread through me, as much as it could. Overall, I felt numb, almost distant from myself. The doctors likely drugged me.

At least, in the moment, I couldn’t feel fear. Unfortunately, that also meant I couldn’t feel much of anything at all.

In my mind, I reached out for Lilith. It had frightened me further, before, being unable to sense her.

“Are you there?”

For a moment, only quiet remained in my mind.

Then, like a whisper in an empty room, I heard her.

“…protect …the baby…”

She sounded so weak. She must have exerted all of her energy to protect my child during my attack.

Likely she was the only reason either of us were still alive now.

“Thank you,” I told her, and felt her peace.

She’d be okay with rest. Hopefully, all of us would.

Shrouded in the warmth of Asher and Lilith, and likely the morphine, I drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke again, Asher was speaking softly to my cousin Nancy. He was still holding my hand.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I slowly sat up.

“Oh, there she is,” Nancy said, coming closer to me. She peered into my face. “How are you feeling?”

“Groggy,” I said.

She nodded. “You’ve been asleep for some time.”

I glanced at Asher. “The baby?”

“Safe,” he said, and I exhaled the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“For now,” Nancy added, frowning. “All this stress has unfortunately put the baby in critical condition. With your wolf’s help, we were able to waylay the worst of it this time, but Cynthia… Things cannot continue this way.”

I understood what she meant. It wasn’t like I wanted to be this stressed out. “There’s been a lot going on.”

“Asher filled me in,” Nancy said. “But we need to find a solution. You and your child cannot maintain this level of stress.”

“I’m going to the police,” Asher said then. “I wanted to wait until you awoke so you would know where I am. But its past time we involved them.”

Nancy nodded. “They can assign a guard to the door to protect you. You don’t have to go through this alone, Cynthia. Joseph should not be allowed to act this way.”

Her words offered comfort, and I wrapped them around myself like a soft blanket.

Asher squeezed my hand. “Will you be alright if I go now?”

“I’ll stay with you until he returns,” Nancy said.

“I won’t be long.”

“Hurry back,” I said and released my hold on him.

He leaned down, kissed me on the cheek, and then rushed out of the room.

An hour later, he returned with an officer who, after introducing himself, stationed himself just outside the door.

Finally, with that added layer of protection, I felt like I could truly relax. Joseph was a coward. He would never make a move with an armed guard watching me.

“They’ve been on the lookout for Joseph anyway, because of his connection to the website,” Asher said. “When I alerted them that Joseph is after you specifically, they jumped at the chance to be able to catch him.”

“Good,” I said in relief.

“They are taking this seriously, Cyn. I’m sorry, we should have gone to them sooner.”

Gently, I shook my head. “I’ve been so frightened, I’m not sure I would have had the strength. Besides, they are here now, and that’s all that matters.”

Asher agreed.

He sat down beside me and took my hand again. Then he pressed his lips to the back of my palm.

“I’m so glad you are safe now. When you collapsed… I didn’t know what to do. I panicked. I have never felt so helpless.”

“I’m still here,” I said, offering him a tiny little smile.

His brow pulled together. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. Either of you.” His gaze dropped to my baby bump. “You are both my family now. I can’t lose you.”

I lifted his hand that held mine closer to my face and nuzzled into his skin.

“I’m sorry I frightened you,” I said.

“I just want you to be okay,” he said.

I whispered my reply, “I will be.”

Later, Chase knocked on the door and, after being cleared by the policeman and Asher, entered the room, a big smile on his face.

“It’s so great to see you, Cynthia! When Asher said you were in the hospital, I expected… Well, the worst. But you look great.”

“Thank you…?” That was a complement, right?

Chase came to stand beside my bed. Asher stood on the other side.

“I come bearing great news,” Chase said.

“They caught Joseph?” I gasped.

His smile wavered. “No…”

“Oh.” I sunk back onto the bed.

“But!” Chase brightened again. I couldn’t tell if the additional wattage was just to make up for disappointing me. “The Vice President of the Academy has been arrested.”

Okay, that was good news. My spirits lifted once more. “Really?”

“Yes, and my sources tell me that he is singing like a canary to the police,” Chase said. “It won’t be long now until they bring down everyone who ever touched that horrible website.”

I smiled at Asher, and he gave me his own tiny grin in return.

I couldn’t help but be uplifted.

If they had arrested the Vice President, then surely Joseph would be next, right?

Yet fear still clawed at my heart.

Or would this only make Joseph more desperate?