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)
I hear the crackle of the radio, and then Khalil’s voice comes through loud and clear. “Everything cool, Seth?”
“No.” Seth’s gaze flicks toward me and then he speaks into the radio again. “Thorin…you’re going to need the tranquilizer.”
Again, Seth doesn’t bother to explain, but maybe he doesn’t need to with them because I hear Thorin cursing through the radio a moment later before confirming he’s on his way.
“What’s going on, Seth?”
“You have to stay away,” he pleads when I try to come closer again. “You’re not safe with me.”
His words are a landmine that stops me in my tracks. I can see how much the admission pains him and find myself rebelling against it.
“Don’t say that. I don’t believe you,” I immediately deny. “You—” My eyes blow wide, and the rest of my words disintegrate like ash when Seth pulls his gun. “What—”
A twig snaps behind me.
Before I can turn to search for the source of the sound and whatever new threat has descended upon us, I spot movement in the trees behind Seth while he stares behind me at whatever put him on his guard.
Surrounded.
The grim, silent men dressed in tactical vests and helmets and armed to the teeth have us surrounded, and even worse, they have the high ground. We’re fish in a bowl. Sitting fucking ducks.
“Sunshine.”
I obey the unspoken order and return to Seth’s side, pulling my mask back over my face. Seth doesn’t resist when I free my bow from his back. We have a shot in hell of fending off the death squad, but neither Seth nor I will go down without a fight. I nock an arrow, and the forest itself stills.
It’s survival of the fittest, and it looks as if the mountain is about to test us once more.
SETH | EKEZ
They’re here for Sunshine.
I know it the moment another merc appears inside the dell while the rest of the death squad stands sentry above us. It makes my trigger finger a tad less itchy to see their rifles pointed at the ground and not at Sunshine, but it won’t change their fate.
The mercenary blocking our way home holds up his hands in mock surrender and stops ten feet away while slowly reaching for his helmet. The moment his head pops free, revealing a mop of short brown curls plastered to his forehead, blue eyes, and a full beard, I immediately get the urge to shoot him. The look on his smug face says he already thinks he’s won.
I can’t wait to turn his intestines into a neck scarf.
Maybe we’ll use his bones for our Halloween decorations this year.
In a weird twist of fate, Thorin, Khalil, and Ezekiel have been waiting for this day for ten long years. They’ve been waiting for the day Isaac hunted us down and tried to take Zeke back. And now I’m starting to wonder if we’ve been waiting all this time in our self-imposed exiled for this.
To protect our fallen star.
The commander keeps coming with his gaze locked on Aurelia, and I feel Bane’s rage rising to amplify my own as I shift to stand between the mercenary and Aurelia. If I let Bane free, this thing gets infinitely more fucked because he’s not just a danger to the mercenaries but to Sunshine, too—so I push him back down while keeping a close eye on the merc.
The commander’s grating smile widens, and then he shifts like he might try to come closer—to get within grabbing distance—but Aurelia lifts the bow, stopping the commander with an arrow aimed at his face. He really shouldn’t have taken off the helmet.
“You can take that mask off now,” the douchebag orders. “We know it’s you.”
He doesn’t say her name, so maybe he’s bluffing. Either way, Aurelia keeps it on, her annoyed gaze staring back at the mercenary through the holes in the mask. It reminds me of the day we met. Only this time, I’m not on the other side of her ire.
“Who are you?” she inquires coldly.
Having no doubt that she can handle that asshole, I let her do the talking while I survey the situation, marking each of the mercenaries’ positions on either side of the stream bed.
If I’m quick enough, I could maybe take out two of them and send them all into a frenzy since they won’t expect such a rash and stupid move. It will give Sunshine and me just enough time to run and take cover in the trees, but I find myself hesitating.
It’s too huge a risk.
All of their bullets will be focused on me, but if one should find Aurelia, even by mistake…
“Patrick Finnegan,” the leader replies. “At your service.”
“Okay, Finnegan. I don’t mean to be rude, but what the fuck do you want?”
My hackles rise when the commander doesn’t answer immediately. It feels like he’s weighing his words, and why the hell would he need to do that unless he plans to lie? “We’re here to find you and return you to your uncle. Aurelia.”