Page 1 of Protect Me

Chapter1

Sway

Breath wheezes in and out of my lungs as I hobble down the empty street. This particular section of No Man’s Land is a stark void compared to the crowded party I’ve left behind. Trees surround me, the soft dirt muting my footsteps, slow as they may be.

Every step sends pain shooting up my limbs and ricocheting through my skull, but then sitting still isn’t much better.

I’m a wreck.

Robert was drunker than usual, and shit, maybe I should have known better than to refuse him when he was so far gone, but I couldn’t do it.

Not anymore. Never again.

I’ll die first. As evidenced by the sheer number of bruises on my body and the fact that I’m only barely clinging to consciousness. Every pump of blood from my pounding heart is an anvil dropped on my brain.

When I ran, I had no destination. Hell, I’ve spent the last four months telling myself running was only going to make things worse.

But then I realized it couldn’t get much worse. Not while I still breathed. So, I ran. And somewhere along the way, the circus became my end goal.

I have no idea why I chose it.

No Man’s Circus isn’t exactly the haven I need right now. Hell, the Ringmaster is known for being cutthroat and merciless. But he’s also reputed to be a fair businessman. If I can appeal to his logic or at least to his love of money, then maybe, just maybe, I have a shot at escaping this nightmare of a life.

It’s the only chance I have left. I can’t go back. I won’t.

Up ahead, the trees part enough that I can see a large tarnished archway beckoning me. The Big Top is in the distance, the top of it barely visible behind the crumbling apartments and trees still standing between me and my salvation. I pick up my pace—which isn’t saying much considering my left leg is probably broken, forcing me to drag that foot a bit. The closer I get, the harder my heart pounds. Fear is a lump in my throat and a brick in my stomach.

I’m so damn close to what I can only hope and pray is asylum.

And if not? Well, then at least, I won’t be suffering anymore. One way or another I’m escaping Robert once and for all.

Somewhere behind me, a male voice roars my name, “Swayyyy!”

The fear snakes through my insides, sending my bones quaking. I stumble and fall. The ground scrapes into the palms of my hands, but it’s nothing more than a whisper of an ache compared to the rest of the agony.

Tears spring to my eyes, burning on their way down my bloodied cheeks.

More pain. So much pain that I nearly give up right here. But the sound of voices murmuring urgently somewhere among the trees sends me surging to my feet.

I push on, pleading with whatever gods or goddesses are out there to let me live through this night. I may not deserve it, but I can find a way to make up for what I’ve done. There has to be a way.

The voices of my pursuers grow louder. Closer.

My pulse hammers.

Finally, I lurch forward, landing in the soft dirt beneath the large iron archway. It’s covered in vines, but I can make out what used to sayGarden View Apartments. Just ahead, the Big Top looms, a tall tent that stands in what was once the courtyard enjoyed by the humans who likely inhabited those buildings prior to Portland’s fall fifty years ago.

Portland, Oregon is nothing like the city the humans once built. Now, decades of supernaturals vying for power and warring for their own corrupt causes have left it a shell of what it once was.

New boundary lines were drawn, and thanks to the portal that opened up here, Portland became yet another No Man’s Land. It’s ruled by no House, which is why I ran straight here rather than back to my own people—or his. None of them would have allowed me my freedom. At least here, I have a fighting chance.

I may not have the protection of a House, but there will be no one to turn me over either.

For most, the circus signifies entertainment. A way to pass the evening. But for me? The crumbling walls of these apartments combined with the red and white stripes of the Big Top signify hope.

Magic prickles along my skin as I pass through thin wards that most others likely don’t even notice. My magic gives me an advantage there because I can sense things others cannot. I hold my head up just a bit higher, knowing that the Ringmaster has likely been alerted to my presence. The last thing I need is for him to see just how weak I am.

I know it won’t be long before he shows up to investigate the after-hours breach, but I don’t stop to wait. As long as I am out in the open, I’m still in danger.