His Mating Mark by Alicia White Page B

straight.
    Nicole sat down on the floor, pulled her legs up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. She rocked back and forth, trying to think of a plan. She was only wearing a T-shirt, she didn’t have a phone, and there was only one small window in the bathroom. “How am I going to get out of here?” she whispered frantically to herself. Her head was pounding, and she knew she was on the verge of a major meltdown.
    A knock on the bathroom door scared her, and she jumped, biting her lip, trying to prevent herself from crying. The doorknob jingled, and there was another knock. “Nicole, are you okay? What’s going on, baby? Are you feeling sick?” Gabe’s voice calmed her down a little, and she shook herself. He had already gotten inside her head.
    “P–please go away,” she begged. She needed more time. She had to find a way out of the bathroom and out of their house. She wanted to be home. Nicole got up and went to the window. The only way out was to break it, and she paced around the bathroom, playing the different scenarios in her mind. She wouldn’t let them kill her. She would rather try to escape and fail than not try at all.
    “Nicole? Honey, what’s going on?” he asked, but she didn’t trust him. How could she, when all along they were wolves. Did he know what happened to her two years ago? Nicole stopped and stared at herself in the mirror. Two years ago, that’s what the girls had said. They had been waiting to meet her. Why? She looked down at her arm. The bite mark pulsed, and she wondered why.
    “I–I want to go home,” she whispered.
    “Baby, what happened? Are you sick? Did someone scare you? Talk to me,” he demanded, and she wanted to. She wanted to tell him everything, but she couldn’t.
    “I just want to go home!” she yelled. Nicole picked up a heavy, decorative weight. She scoffed when she realized that it was a wolf. She was such a pathetic fool. Her vision blurred, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
    “Nicole, tell me what happened. I can’t fix it if I don’t know,” he pleaded.
    Nicole wrapped a towel around the weight, hoping that the sound of glass shattering wouldn’t be too loud. She stood in front of the window, ducked her face down, and hit the window as hard as she could. Small pieces of glass shot back, cutting her hand and arm.
    “What the hell was that? Nicole? Nicole!” Gabe beat on the door, shook the handle, and screamed her name. She didn’t stop. She ignored the pain and the blood. She hit the rest of the glass out, hoping that she would be able to squeeze through without causing too much damage. She dropped the weight, grabbed the towel, and laid it on the windowsill. Jumping, she pulled her weight up and stared at the ground.
    “Fuck! Nicole, answer me. I will break down this door. I smell blood, are you hurt?” Gabe yelled, and she knew then that he was a werewolf. Of course, he could hear better, smell better, everything. She didn’t have long. She was scared, but she needed to jump and run. She stared at the ground, wondering how much she would hurt herself. Would she be able to run?
    “Answer me now !” he bellowed, and Nicole turned her head. She needed time.
    “I’m fine. Don’t you dare come in here! Do you hear me?” She tried to sound tough but failed miserably. The window wasn’t big enough for her to climb out of, so she turned her body, planning to jump feetfirst.
    “Nicole, baby, talk to me, you’re freaking me out.” He was panting.
    “Nicole. What the hell is going on? Why do I smell blood?” Josh’s voice broke through, and now she realized that she would have to deal with both of them.
    “I don’t know. She won’t talk to me. She’s locked in the damn bathroom,” Gabe told him.
    “Break down the fuckin’ door. What are you waiting for?” Josh asked.
    “I don’t know.” He sounded defeated.
    Nicole knew time was running out. She eased her body out the window, going as slow as she could. Blood