prick my eyes that he’s here, that I can feel him, but as happy and grateful as I am that he came for me, he has to leave. I won’t be able to bear it if he gets hurt trying to save me.
“Rook, you have to go,” I urge again, pushing out of his arms and grabbing his hand to pull him to the closest door. I pause, suddenly realizing that I have no idea where I’m going.
“Sunrise, wait,” Rook calls as he pulls me back toward him.
“We can’t wait, Rook! You have no idea what Alpha Bowen will do to you if he catches you here,” I whisper-growl. He has no clue how dangerous the situation is that he just snuck into.
“I’ll take back everything I ever thought about you being a coward and a piece of shit. Your knight in shining armor card will be handed back to you promptly as soon as you get your ass out of wherever we are and get safe!”
“Sunrise, listen to me—”
“No, you need to be listening to me! I care about you, and I won’t let you risk your life for me. Get the fuck out of here!” I exclaim, wincing when I hear how loud I’m being.
Shit. I have no idea how long we have, but someone is bound to hear me if I don’t quiet the fuck down.
Scrambling over to the window, I pull the drapes back to see what floor we’re on and if Rook can get out this way, but I go still as I’m met by pine trees everywhere. Are we in a fucking tree house? I shake away the stunned stupor and start looking for a latch somewhere on this wall of windows.
“Come on, come on,” I say in a panic, my hands grazing over the glass in my desperation to find a way to open it.
“Sinclair!” Rook suddenly shouts, and I turn on him with crazed eyes and leap at him, covering his mouth with my hand. Stupid bastard! I look around and try to listen to see if anyone is coming.
“Are you fucking nuts?” I whisper-yell. “Were you born without a survival instinct? I know you don’t know who he is, but Alpha Bowen will fucking kill you. I wouldn’t be able to come back from that. It would destroy me. Please, Rook…” I beg, my voice cracking with emotion. “If you care about me at all, you will leave right now.”
Rook grabs my wrist and forces my hand away from his mouth, while his other hand comes down to hold my hip. “Sinclair, it’s you who doesn’t know who Alpha Bowen is. I get that you have some preconceived notions about him. It’s understandable. Cockatrices love gossip almost as much as they love a good rock. But—”
I slice my hand through the air, cutting him off. What is he talking about? Why isn’t he taking this seriously? I step back from him and shake my head.
Wait... How the hell did he get in here in the first place?
My mind races as I try to make sense of what’s going on. I take Rook in, really looking at him for the first time since my blindfold was lifted. He’s not in the prison guard’s uniform that I’m used to seeing him in. His shirt is white and crisp, his slacks are ash gray and creased. He doesn’t look like someone who broke into a house to rescue the girl he loves from the big bad monster alpha.
Rook holds his hands out, and I can see the wait, it’s not what you think on his lips. My face scrunches up in disgust. “You work for him?” I ask, my eyes screaming betrayal and my voice wobbly with disbelief.
“What? No!” Rook declares, and I’m instantly confused again.
“What the hell is going on then? Are you here to rescue me or hand me over?” I demand, my voice suddenly reaching dolphin-level octaves as I grow a smidge hysterical.
Rook’s eyes turn pleading, and he takes a step toward me. My body reacts instinctively, and I reach out to take his outstretched hands before I realize what I’m doing. I yank my hands out of his and back up a step.
“Explain without touching me. My body apparently can’t be trusted,” I admit.
He gives me a small, dimple-filled smile, and my brain gives a dreamy sigh against my will.
Goddamn dimples.
“Sunrise. I’m absolutely here to rescue you,” he tells me with conviction.