Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
Seth looks like a rabid dog.
Khalil keeps trying to edge around me to grab Pete.
And Thorin still hasn’t lowered the compound bow.
“Don’t hurt him. Please. It’s my fault.”
“Of course, it’s your fucking fault,” Khalil snaps. “We warned you.” Grabbing my neck, he yanks me away from Pete and shoves me into Seth’s waiting arms.
“Please! Don’t hurt him!” I turn to Seth when Khalil and Thorin ignore me. They’re closing in on poor Pete who’s trembling like a kitten staring down two pissed off mountain lions. “It’s not Pete’s fault. He was just trying to help me.”
“Pete, huh?” Seth’s eyes seem greener than ever.
“Are you fucking serious?” I gape when I realize he’s actually jealous of me simply saying another man’s name.
“Are you serious?” Seth yells back in a rare show of anger. “Him?” He flings a disdainful hand toward Pete and then takes my arms in both hands. I almost can’t believe my ears when he shakes me and says, “How could you hold his hand, Sunshine? How?”
I should have known Seth was the last person capable of reason.
Hearing the first punch land, I plant my hands on Seth’s heaving chest and shove him away. He lets me but only enough to turn around so I can see what’s happening, and then he wraps his arms around my waist like we’re lovers taking in a beautiful view instead of a murder scene.
“Be a good girl, and we’ll make it quick, Sunshine.”
“Like hell we will,” Thorin barks. “Khalil.” Khalil stops pummeling Pete long enough to look over his shoulder at Thorin, who unsheathes his big, scary hunting knife and tosses it into the snow next to them. “Take his fucking hands for touching our girl.”
“What?” I scream and renew my struggle. Seth curses and tightens his hold when I nearly get free. “Are you insane? You can’t do this!”
“Yes, the fuck we can,” Thorin says while staring at Pete. “You have a lesson to learn, and since we’re not willing to give up any part of you, Pete here will rescue you after all.”
“I’m sorry! Please. I won’t try to run again. I swear! Just leave him alone!”
“You know the harder you fight for him, the worse we’ll make it, Sunshine.” When I kick Seth in the shin, he grunts and then huffs out a frustrated breath. “Fuck it. I’ll do it. Give me the knife.” Tossing me down in the snow, Seth stalks over and picks up the knife.
Pete manages to land a punch that loosens Khalil’s hold on him, so Thorin steps forward and aims the crossbow before he can even think about getting away.
This is real.
This is happening.
They’re really going to torture and kill an innocent man and all because they won’t hurt me.
So many people dead because of me.
Tyler. Cassie. Harrison. Susan. Ronnie. Jonah. Sam. And soon, Pete.
And those are just the names I know. There are also the pilots and the rest of my security team whose names I never learned. How much longer will the list get? How much blood do I need spilled before I’m satisfied?
No.
It ends here.
I have to do something.
Their focus is on Pete right now as Seth decides which hand he wants to cut off first. The psycho is actually reciting, “Eeny meeny miny moe.” When the knife lands on Pete’s left hand and Seth frowns his displeasure before choosing the right one, I know it’s because it’s the hand I grabbed when I ran from the meadow and from him.
“Are you watching, Sunshine?”
Hell no. I already feel like I’m going to pass out, and they haven’t even begun. My eyes are heavy, and I feel so sleepy, but I can’t. The only way to save Pete from being mutilated is to take their focus off him, so I burst to my feet and start for the lake. Even though running is what started this and is the last thing I should do, it’s the only way.
“Aurelia!”
I ignore Thorin calling after me, as well as the temptation of the van. There’s no time.
Besides, this isn’t about getting away. I’ll never outrun them. I just have to distract them long enough for Pete to save himself.
If he can.
I make it to the shore of the frozen lake, and even though the edges of my vision are darkening and my bones feel heavy for some reason, I keep going. I stumble my way onto the ice and ignore the terrifying sound of the subzero water moving beneath the surface. God, I hope the ice is still thick. Spring is just around the corner and the snow has already begun to melt.
“Aurelia! Aurelia, don’t! It’s not safe!”
They’re the ones who aren’t safe.
Somehow, I’d forgotten that, and I can’t even recall when it happened. I just stopped fearing them and started craving their darkness, but this…this is too much.