Run!

Ella's bare feet slipped and slid on the rocks and leaves as she raced through the forest. She could hear the men crashing through the trees behind her.

Oh God they were going to catch her!

"Ella."

Her breath sawed in and out as she tried to run, her lungs burning. She felt like she was trying to run through quicksand, her legs like lead and each step too slow. They were gaining on her; she wasn't going to make it.

"Ella!"

No matter how hard she tried to run, it wasn't fast enough. She could hear them right behind her, their footsteps pounding and their breathing harsh.

Something swiped at the back of her dress, and she screamed.

"ELLA!"

Ella's eyes flew open as she screamed again.

Wolf was leaning over her, his hands on her shoulders as he shook her awake.

Still lost in the terror of the nightmare, Ella gasped and scrambled back to the other side of the bed, slamming against the headboard. Adrenaline flooded her body, her limbs shaking and her heart thundering in her ears.

"Breathe, Ella," murmured Wolf in a low voice. "Just breathe, little one. You're safe."

He stood perfectly still, his hands by his side and his eyes locked on her. "Easy, easy, you're ok. It wasn't real."

He slowly lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. Ella watched him with terrified eyes from the other side of the bed, keeping her distance.

Wolf made no move to come closer; he just sat quietly watching her. His intense dark eyes were impossible for her to look away from, her gaze fixed on his.

"Breathe. Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly," Wolf ordered in a quiet voice.

Ella felt herself responding to the command, taking a deep breathe in through her nose and letting it out slowly through her mouth.

"Again."

In through her nose, out through her mouth.

In, out.

Without even realising it, Ella slowly matched her breathing to Wolf's, following him.

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice deep and soft.

Ella didn't know why, but his praise made her feel warm. She instinctively seemed to follow his directions, the command in his voice and the look in his eyes making her body move before her brain could even process his words.

Eventually Ella became more aware of her surroundings, noting that the sun had gone down and the bedroom was now lit by a small lamp on the bedside table next to where Wolf sat. The warm glow and the soft colours of the room took away some of the darkness clouding her mind.

She looked towards the door and noted the other four men gathered near the doorway. They were watching her carefully, making no move to come closer and she was grateful for that. She needed space to clear her head and get her body back under control.

"You were having a nightmare; we could hear you screaming from downstairs," Ryder spoke up from across the room. "Can you tell us what it was about?"

Ella shook her head, unable to meet his eyes. She wasn't going to talk about any of it; she just couldn't take the risk. The only person she could trust was herself and it would have to stay that way because more than just her own safety was at stake. She'd made a promise, and that meant keeping her mouth shut until she could figure out how she was going to keep that promise.

Wolf and Hunter shared a look, their silent communication sending a prickle of unease down her spine. She didn't like not knowing what was going on, the unknown was terrifying after all she'd been through.

Hunter nodded before turning to his brothers, "Wolf's got this." He began herding them back out the door, leaving her alone with Wolf once again.

Wolf slowly stood up and her heart started to pound again. God he was huge, nothing but solid muscle that showed under the black t-shirt he wore that was stretched tight across his chest and biceps.

"Ella, look at me." That voice, that commanding tone. Why did it have such power over her? Ella raised her eyes to meet his.

"You safe here, no one is going to hurt you." Wolf kept her gaze locked on him. "You need food, when was the last time you ate?"

It took a moment before she realised he'd asked her a question, "I'm not sure. Maybe two days ago?"

Wolf's jaw tightened, before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"There's a bathroom through that door there," he said, indicating behind her. "Take a shower, use whatever you like. There should be a spare toothbrush and some plastic wrap in one of the draws. Storm said to wrap the bandage in plastic to keep it from getting wet. I'll leave some clothes on the bed for you. When you're ready come downstairs to the kitchen."

He turned and walked to the door before pausing and looking back at her, "I meant what I said, little one, you're safe here." With that he turned and walked out, leaving her to shower in peace.

Confused, tired and feeling like she'd been run over by a truck, Ella waited a moment to ensure he was gone before walking to the bathroom and closing herself inside.

The bathroom was clean and tidy, just as the bedroom had been, and was done up in simple neutral colours in a rustic style. There was a toilet, single timber washstand with a large mirror, a hamper for dirty laundry and an enormous shower.

Ella went to stand in front of the mirror, she looked about as bad as she felt. Her face was filthy and streaked with tears, and her eyes were dull with black circles under them that showed how tired and stressed she was, even after her sleep. Her long blonde hair was full of leaves and twigs and was so knotted that she was worried she might have to cut it. The simple white shift dress that those bastards had put her in was ripped and stained; there'd be no saving it, not that she would ever wear it again anyway. It was nothing but a horrible reminder of what she'd been through.

Looking through the cupboards under the sink, Ella found a large white fluffy towel and the promised toothbrush and plastic in the second draw. She then started to strip off her clothing, taking in each and every bruise that was revealed until her stomach churned with the horror as memories flashed through her mind.

Examining her naked body in the mirror, she tried to calm the panic building inside her.

"It could have been so much worse," she whispered to herself. "I was lucky, I escaped. Unlike the others."

God, the thought of all the other girls that she had left behind, the thought of Cassie, almost brought her to her knees. But she couldn't afford to feel regret for leaving them, she had a responsibility now. Cassie and the others were counting on her to help them and she was damn well going to do it.

Ella gripped the edge of the sink, her knuckles white as she looked herself in the eye and whispered, "I'm coming, Cassie. Just hold on."

With her renewed sense of purpose and a reminder of what she was fighting for, she wrapped her bandaged ankle, turned the taps on and stepped into the shower. It was enormous, with multiple showerheads and great water pressure. The hot water pounded the muscles in her neck and shoulders, helping to relieve some of the tension and stress.

She helped herself to the body wash, shampoo and conditioner she found in the little alcove in the shower wall. The body wash had a rich masculine aroma, warm and clean that she found soothing. After plucking out all the debris in her hair that she could find, Ella washed her hair twice with the shampoo in order to get all the dirt out. This was followed by two rounds of conditioner as she patiently worked out the knots in her hair; thank goodness she wasn't going to have to cut it after all.

Eventually it was time to get out, and she did so reluctantly, turning off the taps and snagging the towel she had left on the counter. She dried off quickly, wrapped the towel around herself and then brushed her teeth with the new toothbrush she'd found.

Feeling more human than she had in a while, Ella cautiously opened the bathroom door a crack, making sure the bedroom was empty before stepping out. There was a small pile of clothes lying on the bed and she went over to investigate. Wolf had left her a pair of cotton drawstring pants that were so long she had to roll them up almost a dozen times before they were short enough to walk in without tripping over. He'd also left her a soft cotton long sleeve black shirt that she slipped over her head. Unsurprisingly there was no underwear, so commando it would have to be for the time being.

She gave her hair one last rub with the towel and left it out to dry. Hanging the wet towel up in the bathroom, she headed out into the hallway and down the stairs. After a few wrong turns she managed to follow the murmur of voices to the kitchen.

"What did you find out?" she overhead Hunter ask.

"Cade's FBI and he was able to dig around the national Missing Persons Database and came up with a match. Her name is Ella Quinn, she's 24 years old and appears to have no immediate family," came Ryder's reply. "A guy named Jake Simmons reported her missing, says she's his girlfriend and has been missing for almost four days."

Ella's heart stopped. They knew who she was. They'd been investigating her. She should never have told them her name! And Jake wasn't her boyfriend, he was the bastard who had befriended her and then abducted her for those psychos!

She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't move. They were going to find her again, they'd said they could find her anywhere she went and now these guys had been asking around about her. They'd hear about it and come after her. She had to leave, get as far away as she could. Blood roared in her ears as she heard the conversation continue.

"Well it's a start, although it doesn't tell us where she's been for the last four days or what happened to her," came Storm's reply.

Wolf's deep voice spoke up, "We need more information. We'll see what Ella can tell us and in the meantime see what else you can dig up. Keep this to yourselves for now; we can't risk her running again."

They weren't going to let her go, she'd been right. She'd gone from one prison to another. They were going to keep asking around and put her in more danger by leading those bastards straight to her, and they were going to lie to her about the whole thing. She had to get out, now.

Taking a deep breath she took a cautious step back, slowly inching along the wall behind her before turning and silently retracing her steps back to the front entrance. She carefully opened the front door, making sure to close it behind her softly, and stepped quickly and quietly across the porch and down the front steps.

Looking back just once, she turned, and ran.