The authority in her tone has me cautiously getting to my feet and as I do, I get a small glimpse of the woman hidden beneath the cloak. Her face is scarred and dirty and her lifeless blue eyes look as though she’s ready to turn the gun on herself. “Who are you?” I question again.
“Last warning,” she spits. “They’re not yours. Go now, or you’ll leave me no choice but to make you run.”
They’re not yours.
Who the fuck is this?
I shake my head, the determination pulsing wickedly through my veins. “No. I’m not going anywhere,” I demand. “You don’t scare me. You’re just a bitch in a cloak. There’s nothing you can do to me that they haven’t already done.”
“Have it your way,” she says before turning the gun on Marcus as he lays peacefully in my bed. “You leave me no choice.”
I dive toward her. “NOOOOOOO,” I scream, Marcus’ eyes snapping open and looking right at me.
BANG!
The bullet plunges deep into his chest as I body check the girl into the ground and tear the gun right out of her goddamn hands. Marcus groans and I find myself flying up from the floor, scrambling across the bed to get to him. His eyes are wide and blood pours from the bullet hole in his chest. “MARCUS,” I cry, tears filling my eyes as I drop the gun to the bed and try to press down on his chest.
His eyes grow heavy, the blood pooling over my fingers as Levi comes barging into the room. “WHAT DID YOU DO?” he roars, gaping at his brother in horror.
I look up, violently shaking my head. “No, I …” my eyes flash around the room but the hooded girl is nowhere to be seen. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t. I …”
“MOVE,” he roars, barging into the room and scrambling to get to his brother. He grabs me by the arm and throws me across the room before shoving his hands down hard on his brother’s chest. “DON’T YOU FUCKING DIE ON ME, MARC.”
Panic sets in and I find myself creeping back toward the door.
He thinks I did it.
He thinks I’m responsible for killing his brother.
If Marcus dies, I’m fucking dead. They won’t stop to ask questions or give me the benefit of the doubt. I’m their number one enemy.
The woman’s words circle my head as I continue backing up, my eyes wide and my heart racing. ‘Go now, or you’ll leave me no choice but to make you run.’ She knew exactly what she was doing.
My back slams against the frame of my bedroom door and as my eyes focus on Marcus and see his life slipping away, I know that without a doubt, my days are limited.
I have to run.
Levi’s gaze snaps up and seeing that decision in my eyes, fury tears through him. He reaches for the gun in a flash of lightning and I don’t dare look back. I race from the room just as another bullet plunges deep into the doorframe, right where I’d been standing only a moment ago.
My feet slam against the old floors, racing through the fucking castle like a bat out of hell. I hit the stairs in no time, fumbling down them as the fear rockets through my body. My heart thunders in my chest, beating faster than ever before.
I have to get the fuck out of here.
I reach the lobby and race toward the massive front door, feeling the stitches in my legs pulling and splitting apart. She said the door was open.
“WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?” I hear Roman’s furious roar tearing through the castle, telling me that he’s seen exactly what Levi has, and unlike Levi, his hands aren’t buried deep inside his brother’s chest.
“SHE’S RUNNING.”
FUCK.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I’m dead.
My clammy hands grip onto the door handle and I tear it open as I hear Roman bounding through the castle, flying over handrails like a fucking ninja and dropping down levels with ease as he tears after me.
I break out into the cold night, the chilly breeze slamming upon my skin like a wicked assault as rain pours down around me, but I push through it, skipping down the grand entrance steps two at a time. I can barely see shit and it’s not lost on me that both my father and the wolves should be out here somewhere.
I see the car in the distance but Roman is quickly gaining on me. I have to reach it before he reaches me. It’s my only hope.
Hitting the bottom of the stairs, I run toward the car with rain pelting down against my face, hearing Roman breaking through the door at the top. “STOP,” he roars, seeing my perfect getaway. “I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN FOR THIS.”
No. No, no, no, no.
Grabbing hold of the car door, I tear it open and throw myself into the driver’s seat. More than aware that this thing could be traced, just like the fucking tracker in my arm, but I have to try. I’ll tear that thing out of my arm with my teeth if that’s what it takes.