MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

45. ARIANA: ABUSED

"If we get arrested, I'm telling them that it was your fault," I whispered as I followed closely behind Eva.

We had broken in through a window at the back of the house. I shouldn't really be surprised by how easily Eva had managed to unlock it, but I guess I should be happy that no alarm had been triggered.

My hold on Eva's shirt tightened as we stepped out of the empty room into a small hall. She paused briefly before she turned left and continued. The hall opened up into the living room where I noticed was where the man was.

Every muscle in my body froze. I waited for him to turn around and notice us. A loud snore filled the air, making my shoulders sag in relief. He was asleep—probably passed out if all those beer bottles were everything to go by.

My stomach twisted as we slowly made out way up the stairs. I wasn't sure whether it was from worry for Lucas or the fear of getting caught.

Like Eva had been bugging me to do, I'd listened to my instincts when they told me that Lucas was in trouble. I had woken from a nightmare only to find that Lucas had not returned and the nagging feeling that he was in trouble.

Eva stopped at the top and glanced from left to right. The upper floor had fewer options to search, and next to no hiding places, I noticed with dismay.

My eyes snapped back to Eva when she sniffed the air. All I could smell was beer.

"Come on."

She led the way to the right and to a door on our left. My fingers twitched when she reached out and gripped the door handle. The door didn't budge but I heard something from inside the room that had me pushing her aside to press my ear to the wood.

"Move you idiot," Eva hissed.

I reluctantly stepped aside and watched as she dropped to the floor, but my eyes didn't stay focused on her for long. Turning slightly, I stared at the stairs. I couldn't help but fear that the man would wake up at any minute and catch us.

"There."

My eyes snapped over to Eva when she pushed the door open. Without waiting to make sure that it was Lucas inside, I rushed passed her and came to a shocked halt.

"Lucas," I whispered as my eyes took in the trembling form on the floor.

Lucas was curled into a ball, dressed in only a pair of grey sweats which left his upper half uncovered. Tears filled my eyes as I stared at the nasty gashes on his arm.

Swallowing, I hesitated a moment before I closed the space between us and dropped to my knees. My hand hovered over him, unsure of where to touch. Up close, I could see the severity of his wounds. Not only was his arm covered but so was his back and parts of his abdomen.

A whimper fell from my lips which made him stir. Lucas slowly lowered the arm that was covering his face and blinked up at me.

There was a nasty gash that ran from the corner of his lips and up over his cheek bone.

"You shouldn't be here," Lucas breathed. "You need to leave before he—" he broke off with a loud gasp.

I shook my head, unable to utter a word. There was no way that I was just going to get up and walk away from him. He was bleeding profusely.

"We need to stop the bleeding," Eva said in a voice that was so unlike her own.

My eyes shot up to her when she walked pass me to kneel behind him. Our eyes locked for a few seconds before she looked away.

"Let's get him up and closer to the light so I can see how bad it is." Eva's hand hovered over him for a few seconds. "Lucas, can you move?"

He didn't answer but he slowly started to turn onto his stomach. For a few seconds he paused like that and then pushed himself up onto his elbows. I moved closer, ready to help him if he needed any. Lucas's breathing sped up as he slowly moved.