Serena's POV:

Nick had been right, the bond had definitely settled down since yesterday. I was actually able to go to the washroom without Darien getting riled up because he couldn't see me, even though he knew where I was and could see the closed door. We both still craved contact, but it wasn't as severe as it had been before.

Darien still hadn't let me sit on the couch yet, and he always pulled me onto his lap. I had slept like that all night, leaning against him as they talked well into the night. Apparently, Tarulk didn't need much sleep.

To Nick's surprise, Darien's strength and speed hadn't waned any. The three Tarulk were tolerating me better now, although I knew they weren't much for humans. Nick still refused to actually speak with me and Tristan still made no secret of his dislike of me.

Simply because I was human. Just like with my job at the café, I had remained steadfastly polite regardless of how they treated me. I had played a game of chess with Clair earlier today, so there was hope. Either way, we wouldn't be here much longer.

I put some flowers in a vase and arranged them as Darien spoke with Nick about the best way for us to leave this place. My supposed kidnapping by an asylum patient was still plastering our faces all over every news channel. The second someone recognized us, we would have unwelcome company on our trail.

The best thing for us to do was to leave the country. Preferably going to the other side of the world where such broadcasts would never have aired. Darien and Nick were going over which private flights could cross the ocean without an extensive background check or going through customs. I had never realized how fussy the airports were when it came to international travel. It may not even be possible.

I went into the backyard again to get a few more flowers. The rustling of the wind through the leaves was relaxing and the smell of the numerous flowers was refreshing. I was tired of being cooped up inside so it was nice to enjoy the sunshine.

Nick's backyard was huge with tall stone walls, but I wasn't about to wander far from the backdoor. I crouched down to look over some orange flowers and carefully cut one that was almost fully opened. I stood up and looked towards the house to ensure that I could still see Darien.

He was sitting where he could see out the glass door. His eyes met mine and I smiled softly in an automatic reaction. A smile graced his face before he turned back to look at what Nick was trying to discuss with him. The heavy bass of some sort of rock and roll music came out of the window.

I suspected that the music was probably Tristan's attempt to keep the romance at bay. Tristan really did not like me, and he was not pleased that Darien was my soulmate either. The loud music hadn't had any effect on how Darien or I reacted to one another, and I wondered how long it would take before he gave up since I knew he didn't like that type of music either.

I collected a few more flowers and went to collect a few green branches from some sort of decorative cedar tree that was growing beside the house. The sharp smell of cedar was a scent that I never grew tired of and I cut off several small branches in places where their absence wouldn't show.

I cut several pieces and carefully arranged the delicate flowers, the fragrant cedar branches, and the small pruning scissors in my hands so I didn't damage anything. I turned to walk back towards the door when the sound of fabric brushing against tree branches made me look back in alarm.

I hadn't even turned my head completely before a gloved hand covered my mouth to silence me. I tried to twist away, but Clair was much faster and stronger than me. Before I could completely comprehend what she was doing, she had me mostly tucked under one arm as she swiftly headed towards the nearby gate.

The gate opened even before we got there and I struggled in Clair's grip when I saw it was Tristan. The bond stirred and started to twist slightly as my fear grew. I tried to call out to Darien, but all that came out was faint muffled sounds. My blood ran cold when I realized that there was no way Darien would hear it over the loud music inside.

Tristan didn't linger in the gate and Clair picked up her speed. I tried to pry Clair's hand off my mouth, but she shifted me so that my arms were pinned. Clair passed through the gate and I saw that Tristan had left to open up the door to a car. I fought to fill my lungs with air as I attempted a scream but it was also muted to a whisper of noise.

Clair swiftly slid into the back seat, still holding me securely. She immediately slammed the door closed behind us, and the car instantly started reversing the moment the door was shut. I tried to twist out of her grip using my feet against the back of the seats for leverage. It was to no avail though; my struggles were no good against the stronger Tarulk.

Once we were several blocks away, she released me before climbing into the front seat. I sat up and looked around wildly as dread and terror belatedly started to set in. Tristan was driving while Clair sat in the passenger seat. I quickly reached over to open the door, but the handle just clicked as I pulled on it.

Clair looked back at me as she spoke, "The doors have child lock on. You won't be able to open them."

I looked at her with wide and frightened eyes, "What are you doing?"

I could have sworn I saw a trace of guilt cross her expression, but it swiftly disappeared. "The lab has my email address since it was on Alex's phone. They emailed me. They want a trade, you for Jessica and Alex."

My jaw dropped, "And you actually think those liars will release them?"

She shrugged, "Even if they don't, Darien will go after you, and we can just follow him."

Tristan's phone buzzed and he glanced at the text before hitting the gas for even more speed, "Darien knows we took her. We have to move fast."

Darien was coming for me. I wasn't sure he could catch a car that was moving this fast though. There was no way for him to know which road we were taking either. I looked out the window, but didn't recognize anything. We were on a highway at this point and flying past cars like they were standing still.

If we crashed at these speeds, we were all as good as dead. The speed scared me and I felt the bond twist lightly in response to my emotions as the pull grew stronger, urging me to return to Darien. As if I had any choice.

"Put your seatbelt on." I glanced at Clair, but her words held wisdom. I put the seatbelt on. There was no way I could jump out of a car at highway speed if I planned on living, so attempting to preserve my life seemed like the best avenue to take at the moment.

I kept trying to think of a halfway decent plan, but I was coming up short of something I could pull off with these two present. At least I had time. We were some distance from the city with the lab. The lab was not on the edge of the city, so the traffic lights would add to the delay.

The thought of the lights gave me an idea though. All I had to do was run the next time we stopped and hope that neither of these two were willing to chase me in public. All that stood in my way was the child lock. A child lock. A child lock was meant to be easy to lock and unlock for anyone who cared to move the lever from where it was hidden on the inner edge of the door.

I hadn't felt cold since Darien had taken me from that lab, but without his nearby presence, the chills once more entered my heart and body. I crossed my arms like a petulant child as I focused on the door.

I started lightly humming as I tested out the notes. I hit the correct note barely ten seconds later. I had only needed one note to unlock it. The easiest part was done, but it would be some time before I would get a chance to run.

We drove for almost two hours without stopping. They were some of the longest hours of my life. I missed Darien terribly. My heart was physically hurting from the separation. I now realized what Nick meant when he said that soulmates didn't do well if they were apart for long periods of time, although I knew some of it was because the bond hadn't fully settled.

Tristan detoured around all of the cities as he kept to the highway. I recognized the names of these places. We were getting far too close to the city that held the lab. I was starting to get really nervous. The thought of going back into that lab terrified me.

We approached the edge of the city and I watched as we approached a traffic light. It turned orange. I waited with a pounding heart until we had come to a stop at the mostly empty intersection. I unclicked the seat belt and threw it off as I pushed the door open. My feet started running the instant they hit the pavement.

I heard another door open and seconds later Tristan grabbed me before tossing me back into the car with a growl. He hit the child lock again before slamming the door shut and jumping behind the wheel. He hit the gas as he ran through the red light at the currently-empty intersection.

Clair was already climbing into the back seat, and I leaned away from her as if her skin would burn mine instead of the other way around. She wore a light sweater and gloves to keep my skin from touching hers. There was a coil of thin cord in her hand and I tried to push her away, but she swiftly grabbed my wrists and wasted no time in binding my hands in front of me. She used another length of rope to tether me to the emergency brake.

She was mad as she tied the knots more roughly than was needed, "Don't try that again. You can't outrun us."

She put the seatbelt back on me and had the gall to actually tie the seatbelt to the seatbelt clasp. With a huff, she climbed back into the front seat. The ropes hurt my wrists and the faint prick of tears came as I realized just how swiftly my escape attempt had failed.

I looked back, but no vehicles were following us. Even if anyone bothered to report what they saw, it wouldn't help my situation. I had barely made it ten steps before they had caught me, and my escape had taken them by surprise since they had not known that the door would open.

Fear snuck into my heart. Sure, I could undo the knots and unlock the door again, but it wouldn't do me any good if I couldn't outrun them. I needed a different angle. 

I started humming lightly, just a general call for assistance like the one I had done in the parks so many times before.