Shit!
Sarah had sent the cops after her.
Her heart racing in her chest, Alyx took a step backwards, then stopped.
Every instinct told her to run and hide. She couldn't expose the peaceful little community of Wing Island to the human world. They'd been such perfect hosts. Everyone had tried to make her feel welcome.
And what had she done?
Led the cops straight to them.
Shit! Damn you, Sarah, why'd you do that?
She couldn't run, as much as she wanted. That would just make them more suspicious.
Perhaps, if she told them that she'd become lost and had just walked along the coast...
But they probably traced the call back to Wing Island.
She hadn't thought of that. She'd become so used to Sarah standing by her in any relationship crisis that she'd called her without even thinking of how she had to sound.
Damn, did Sarah think that I got kidnapped and drugged? That I was still in their power and hallucinating dragons?
That probably made more sense than believing that dragon shifters and werewolves were real.
What do I do now?
Alyx swallowed, staring at the approaching lights as the cars raced towards her.
Deal with it. I did this to myself. I did this to them. I have to fix it, no matter what.
The cars came to a screeching halt. Cops with guns in their hands jumped out.
Alyx guiltily raised her hands and gave them a sheepish look.
“Uh, sorry,” she said, trying her best to look harmless and confused. “I got lost. Maybe you can help me?”
As soon as the cops realized that she was alone, they relaxed. One of them lowered his gun and came closer.
“Are you Alyx Chen?” he asked.
Alyx nodded, forcing herself to smile at him.
“Could you take me back to the station? I was kidnapped weeks ago. I don't know who did it. I think they drugged me, so everything was a bit weird. I've been walking for hours to get here.”
“You made a phone call from that island, ma'am,” the cop said and nodded towards Wing Island. “I'll take you somewhere safe. We're sending out a SWAT team to search that place for your attackers.”
“No!” Alyx cried, then flinched.
Shit! How do I stop this?
“They're not on that island. I remember now. I was held somewhere by a mountain. Only then it erupted. I was drugged. I think they flew me out of there. I managed to escape after we'd landed—but their headquarters were by that mountain. I remember that mountain so well. They held me there for weeks!”
“That freak eruption was on all the news,” another cop said. “They said there were no settlements affected—but if they were nearby, they're dead now. You can't outrun lava.”
You can, Alyx thought silently. You can if you're a fire dragon.
Out loud, she said, “I found an empty vacation home with a phone and called my friend. I must have sounded crazy—the drugs wore off during the night, I think. But wherever those people landed was miles away. I walked all day to get here.”