THE CLAIMING (The Chosen Series #1)

THE CHASE

"Fuck, Ava," Liam shouts into my ear, firm hands on my shoulders and squeezing me, attempting to draw my attention back to him as my body shakes with fear. "Ava, love, we can't hold him. His beast is in complete control, FUCK! He's found a way out of his bindings and somehow managed to get past the secure door. Ava, he's already taken down several of my men. We can't stop him!" Releasing me and taking my hands in his, Liam pulls me up until I'm standing, placing a set of keys in my palm. "Ava, take my truck and get as far away from here as you can get. We'll hold him off for as long as we can, but Ava. Fuck, I'm so sorry lass, he's too strong. His Beast, we can't stop him when he's fully in control."

"Liam, what's happening?" I sob. Griffin's voice, the Beast's voice, was so wrong. I felt no love or warmth coming from him, the pain he has experienced over since he was a child, and then the shooting... OMG, it's caused him to revert, all sense of humanity gone. He's going to kill me!

"Ava, it was never meant to be like this, we were meant to buy you more time, but his Wolf, his Beast, is stronger than any of us imagined. Griffin's no longer in control. Nothing and no one will be able to stop him from getting what he wants."

Liam cups my face with his palm, his face sobering with resignation. "And Ava, what he wants is you. We'll try and hold him off as long as we can, but you're going to have to make a choice."

Liam trails off, his gaze becoming unfocused again before clearing, the amber in his eyes glowing as he curses, "Ava, you need to run. He's taken out more of my men. There's no time left. You have to go."

Moving towards the door, I turn back toward Liam, "Where Liam, where do I go?"

"Ava, you need to go. NOW. Go anywhere, get away while you can." Liam pleads, his hands pushing at me, forcing me out the door.

"Liam, please," I beg, planting my heels, "I don't know what to do. I didn't want this. I just wanted to be free to make a choice. I never wanted to hurt him."

Liam swallows deeply, his adam's apple bobbing, he raises his yellow eyes to mine, sadness burning within their depth. "I know, love, just go Ava and hope that we can hold him off long enough for his humanity to come back. If he gets you now, FUCK! Just go. Please, Ava."

<Let me in.>

Chills run down my spine at that voice. I'm cold all over. My heart, I swear it's stopped. Blinking several times, my vision starts to cloud as the pounding in my skull becomes overwhelming, the Beast trying to push through my walls.

"Ava!" I hear Liam's voice again, but it's muffled, white noise filling my head as he tries to put my jacket over my shoulders and my feet in my boots. "Ava, love, you need to go. NOW!"

I'm frozen, panic overwhelming me. Liam stands before me. His figure is blurry as I struggle for air. Grabbing my shoulders, he pulled my face to his and smashed his mouth on mine, our lips meeting and pain immediately lancing through me—the excruciating jolt of electricity knocking me out of my stupor. Shocked, I try to push him away but only find air. Shaking my head, I see Liam standing several feet away, his arms raised in surrender. "Had to do something, had to snap you out of whatever was holding you frozen. Now for the love of all things good, RUN!"

The fear still fills my every cell, but the lingering pain of our kiss, makes adrenaline pump through my veins. The additional energy is assisting in pushing me forward, my feet moving as I exit the room, breaking into a run. Moving down the passageway, I can see the women rushing about, worried looks on their faces as they head towards the lower levels. Passing several of them, I bound down the staircase and out the front door. Twisting my head, I can hear panicked voices coming from all angles as fighting, shouting, and more screaming comes from the direction of the barn.