Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69098 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Ronan huffs in frustration. “No, Rae, he literally just told me!”
“He should have told us together!” Tears of hurt prickle at my eyes, but I refuse to let Ronan see them. I turn my head upward toward the overcast skies and let out a bellow of rage. “You two always have your secrets and you make each other come!”
Ronan makes a garbled choking sound. “You promised you’d keep that quiet. Rae, calm down. This is why no one ever tells you anything!”
His words strike me and I stumble backward. Anger flickers in his eyes, but he’s also ashamed and afraid. Ronan reminds me of a cornered animal, shaking and baring his teeth like he might bite.
“Ronan?” a deep voice calls out. “Can you help me, man?”
Ronan pins me with a hard stare before turning on his heel, not saying another word to me. I helplessly watch as he makes his way over to Logan. Logan mentions something about Ronan helping him get Kristen back to his tent where he can keep a better eye on her.
And just like that, I’ve been abandoned.
My heart aches something terrible. I want to drop to the ground, curl into a fetal position, and cry. Ronan snapped at me and Ryder’s leaving. Oh, and my parents might be related to each other. A tidal wave of crushing sadness threatens to drown me. For a moment, I almost let it.
But then anger prowls in like a rabid predator, salivating and hungry to sink its teeth into something or someone. I tap into that emotion, letting all the sad, helpless victimized feelings erode completely.
I want blood.
There’s only one person who can handle it.
Coincidentally, he’s also the person I’m most angry with.
Ryder.
I take off running on a mad search for my older brother. He’s not in the big house that’s crawling with concerned people. He’s not in his cabin or Ronan’s. He’s not in the chicken coup or in the goat pen. He’s not by the fire where Wild, Sadie, and Chet are laughing.
He’s gone.
Not permanently, though. At least not yet.
I slip out the gate past one of the men who does a shitty job staying on watch and take off to the stairs that lead to the river. If he’s not here, he’ll be at Rowdy’s cabin. I’m almost at the stairs when I see him leaned against a tree, scowling at the earth at his booted feet.
Resignation paints his normally admittedly handsome features and I hate it. I want to punch the look off his face and replace it with the fierce, determined expression he gets when we fight. So I charge at him, not giving him a second to react.
“Oof!”
We both go down into the brush as I tackle him at a full speed run. He doesn’t have a chance to even know what hit him. I wrench my knife from the sheath and dig it into the soft, fleshy part of his skin under his chin.
“You’re leaving,” I cry out. “You’re leaving and you never planned to tell me!”
His eyes narrow and flash. I love seeing the pissed off look he gives me a lot of the times. It’s much better than the sad, woe is me one he’s been sporting lately. “I didn’t have a chance.”
“Liar!” I smack his cheek with my free hand while keeping a firm grip on the hilt of the knife. “You could have told us together!”
He grabs hold of my smacking hand, gripping so tight I know I’ll never get away unless I hack through his wrist with my knife. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s it? You’re sorry? Aren’t you even going to try to fight them on this?”
“What can I do, Rae?” Ryder snarls. “Dad’s word is law.”
“Yeah, and he’s a hypocrite!”
“It’s done,” he mutters. “I’m sorry, but the decision has been made.”
I struggle to free my hand to no avail and opt for pressing the tip of the blade harder into his flesh. He grunts in pain and then a droplet of blood races down his neck.
“It’s stupid,” I choke out. “You’re not going to get me pregnant! You don’t even like me. You’re too busy making Ronan come!” A sob catches in my throat and I hate its very presence. “You two have shut me out.”
With lightning speed and complete surprise to me, Ryder flips us. It happens so fast, I don’t realize it’s happened until I’m staring up at him, his heavy, muscular body pinning mine. He grabs hold of the knife and tosses it several feet away.
“I don’t like you?” Ryder hisses, disgust lacing his words. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
I glower up at him because it’s better than crying. “I said what I said.”
He shifts his body until his lower body is pressing against my pussy through our clothes. During our struggle, he’s managed to wedge himself between my thighs. The sudden realization of our position has heat flooding through me and making my core pulse with need.