Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100470 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 502(@200wpm)___ 402(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Three soft taps of a stick against a tree trunk have me abandoning my heavy thoughts and searching the darkness for Rowdy. He motions with the stick to himself, then to the tent Destiny is in. I motion to myself and the tent Ronan is in. We both nod in understanding and rise to our feet.
This is it.
It’s time to get them.
The plan is to quietly slice through their tents, locate our siblings, and extract them without carnage. As much as I’d love to cut the throats of everyone here except them, it’s too risky.
Rowdy disappears to the left and I start toward the right, both of us walking the perimeter of the camp toward our destinations. I listen carefully for any sounds of Michael returning but don’t hear anything as I pass one of the tents.
A stick snaps beneath my boot, causing me to freeze. My heart thuds heavily in my chest as I wait for some sort of indication I’ve been heard. Nothing. Good. I continue my prowl until I reach Ronan’s tent. I’m unsure of the sleeping arrangements, so this part will be tricky. My best bet is to slice the tent material from top to bottom and then peek my head inside to locate them. The zipper would be too loud, but I can slowly cut the tent soundlessly.
Barely breathing, I press the tip of my knife to the top of the side of the tent. My backpack and gear are heavy on my back, making me sweat profusely despite the chilly air surrounding me. With the patience of a saint, I slowly cut through the material, wincing at any soft sound it makes.
No one comes after me, so I’m off to a good start.
When I reach the bottom, I grab hold of one side, readying myself to push my head inside. Before I get there, a hand pokes through the opening, grabbing onto my wrist. For a split second, I freeze, unsure what to do.
A face peeks out and I immediately recognize it.
Ronan.
His grin is the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen. I lean my forehead to his for a moment and then I gently help him out of the tent so as not to make any noise. Once he’s out and I’m ready for him to bolt with me, he jerks his hand out of mine before turning around to face the tent again.
What the hell is he doing?
He reaches inside and then pulls out a woman I recognize as Kristen. I guess we’re rescuing her too. I give them both a nod and then gesture to where Rowdy is. Ronan takes Kristen’s hand and follows after me. Another spike of jealousy shoots through me.
I should be holding his hand, not her.
Ignoring the bitter, green monster inside me, I make my way over to Rowdy. He has Destiny by the bicep, pulling her through the tent opening. She’s almost out when suddenly she’s jerked back.
Fuck.
Jace is awake.
In the moonlight, I can see his jaw muscle ticking as his hold tightens around Destiny’s ankle. Rowdy makes a soft grunt as he tries to extract Destiny from Jace’s grip. She’s jerked again, this time completely disappearing back into the tent.
Rowdy growls and dives into the tent.
The whole tent trembles and quakes as a struggle ensues. Then I hear the wet, tearing sound of a knife piercing flesh.
Over and over and over.
I take off running in an effort to help Rowdy. By the time I reach the tent and am crouching down, I’ve heard that sick stabbing sound probably twenty-five times or so.
Please let Rowdy be the one doing all the stabbing.
I can’t stomach the idea of losing him to that fucker, Jace.
Before I can stick my head inside, Rowdy emerges from the tent. Destiny is limp in his arms, covered in blood. He’s also wearing it splattered all over his face. His feral expression meets mine and then he nods.
It’s done.
We’re getting the hell out of here.
He takes off at a clipped pace, carrying Destiny like she’s a sleeping princess in one of the fairy tales Mom used to read to us. Rowdy’s more like an avenging dark angel, dangerous but protective.
Glancing back, I notice Ronan squinting at me. That’s right. He can’t fucking see a thing. I grab his other hand, happy to have an excuse to touch him and soothe some of my jealousy, to guide him in the right direction. The three of us follow after Rowdy, struggling to keep up with him. For someone carrying another human, he glides through the forest like he’s a soulless wraith, not a man with a size thirteen boot.
All that can be heard as we rush through the forest is our harsh breathing. Each step away from that fucked-up camp feels like one step closer to eventual freedom. We just have to get far enough away that we won’t be discovered easily.