SWNOVELS Alluring Darkness: Chapter 44
My heart pounds in my chest as I run through the forest. But it’s not because of any physical exertion. No, my heart is thrashing for one reason and one reason alone. Raina. If the bastard who took her has touched a single hair on her head, I’m going to fucking tear him apart. In fact, I’m going to do that regardless. Because he dared to put his filthy hands on her at all. She’s mine. And no one touches what belongs to me.
“Left!” Jace suddenly screams from behind me.
I barely have time to whip my head to the left before a man crashes into me from that direction. A jolt shoots through my bones as we collide.
The speed with which he’s moving, combined with mine, sends both of us toppling to the ground. Pain flashes through my shoulder as I slam down on a root with the guy on top of me. Rolling sideways, I try to shove him off me before he can get the upper hand.
He cracks an elbow into the side of my jaw, snapping my head to the right and slamming my cheek into the ground. While blinking to clear my vision, I blindly swing at where I assume his head is. I’m rewarded by a grunt as my fist connects with his cheek.
All around us, chaos is unfolding.
From the corner of my eye, I can see my brothers fighting three other people as well.
Rage and frustration flash through me. Why the hell did we have to get attacked by another team now? And I didn’t even see them coming. I had been so focused on those tracks before me, and on that terrible thought that someone might be hurting Raina right now, that I hadn’t even noticed that another team was closing in. Hadn’t even been paying attention to my surroundings. That was dangerous and stupid. But Raina has a habit of making me dangerous and stupid.
I slam my elbows down into the crook of my attacker’s arms, making his hands shoot downwards instead right before he can wrap them around my throat. He lets out another grunt of pain, but doesn’t falter.
Because of how we landed, he is straddling my chest and trapping my body underneath him. It also makes me unable to reach my guns. I need to get out of that vulnerable position. Fast.
Twisting my hips, I throw all of my power into a punch to the side of his ribs.
Air explodes from his lungs, and he sways to the side while pain flickers in his brown eyes. But the bastard still doesn’t topple over. I draw back for another strike.
Right then, he lunges forward and locks his hands around my throat.
My breath gets stuck in my lungs as he squeezes hard.
Alarm crackles down my spine.
Fuck. He intends to choke me out. If I pass out, I will lose. And if I lose, I won’t be able to get to Raina.
I ram my elbows down into the crook of his arms yet again, trying to break his grip. But he’s ready for it this time. Gritting his teeth, he weathers the pain and keeps his arms straight as I pound my elbows into him. My lungs protest as he tightens his grip on my throat.
Switching tactics, I drop my arms to the ground, as if I don’t have the strength to keep going. Victory sparkles in his eyes, pushing out some of the pain. With my hands on the ground, I blindly reach for the knife in my thigh holster.
In order to keep his attention on me, I blink repeatedly as if I’m fighting to stay conscious.
At last, my fingers close around the hilt of the blade.
I yank it out.
And ram it into the side of his chest.
He cries out in pain, and his hands disappear from my throat as he snaps his gaze down to his side.
I yank out the knife and then plunge it towards him again.
Panic flashes across his features.
Throwing himself sideways, he barely manages to escape the hit.
While sucking in deep breaths of air, I shoot up from the ground and roll over while raising my other hand. My attacker hasn’t even gotten back to his knees when my fist connects with his temple. His eyes roll back into his head for a second, and he crashes down on the ground.
I swing my leg over his body and straddle his chest while he’s busy blinking stars from his eyes. And before he can recover, I slam my fist into his jaw again.
Another grunt rips from his lungs as his face snaps sideways. I hit him again. And again. And again. Until blood bursts from his split lip and pours from his broken nose.
He raises his hands as if to protect himself.
I ram my knife into his shoulder.
A cry tears from his chest, and his right arm drops back to the ground completely limp after I no doubt severed some important tendon.
“Stop, please,” he presses out in a strained voice.
“Eli,” Rico’s voice suddenly comes from my left.
I blink, remembering that I’m not alone here, and turn towards him. One of the people they were fighting is lying knocked out cold by Jace’s feet. The other two are on their knees while Rico holds them at gunpoint. Kaden is standing next to them, watching me with those observant eyes of his.
The rage roaring like wildfire inside me banks a little.
Dragging in a deep breath, I try to compose myself as I study the faces of the people who attacked us.
Surprise and confusion replace the fury as I realize who they are.
“This is Connor Smith’s team,” Kaden says, echoing my exact thoughts.
For a second, I just stare between the four people who are now at our mercy. Yes, this is indeed Connor’s team. But he is not among them.
What the hell is going on here?
I turn back to the guy panting in agony beneath me. “Where is Connor Smith?”
Defiance flares in his eyes as he glares up at me.
Holding his gaze with hard eyes, I twist the knife that is still buried in his shoulder. He cries out in pain. I twist again.
“Not here!” he calls. “He’s not here!”
I keep twisting. “Then where is he?”
Only screams answer me.
“Shelley has him,” another voice blurts out.
I stop twisting the knife and turn towards the source of the voice. One of the people in front of Rico, a girl with loose brown curls and brown eyes, looks back at me.
“She took him in that direction.” She nods towards where I know a cave is located. “Only a few minutes ago.”
“Then why are you attacking us instead of going after them?” Rico asks, nudging her head with his gun.
“Because she paid us a ridiculous amount of money to betray him.” Guilt flickers in her dark eyes. “And to stop anyone trying to follow her too.”
Rico groans and then slides his gaze to me. “She comes from a very wealthy family.”
And Raina poisoned Shelley just a few days ago. This can’t be a coincidence. The tracks from the person who abducted Raina lead here, and now Shelley has taken her brother in that same direction as well. Whatever is going on cannot be good.
Fear stabs through my heart. I have to find Raina. Now.
“Where did she take him?” I grind out.
I already know about the cave because I’ve spent a lot of time training in these woods. But I need to know if she is going to tell me that as well or if this is some kind of elaborate ambush for us.
“There’s a cave a short distance that way,” she says, jerking her chin towards where the cave is located.
I yank my knife out of the guy’s shoulder. He moans in pain while I use his shirt to wipe off the blood. Then I brace my hands on his chest and push to my feet while sliding the knife back into its sheath.
“If you follow, you die,” I announce.
Without even bothering to check if they nod in acknowledgement, I pull a gun from the back of my belt and start in the direction of the cave. The sound of footsteps behind me inform me that my brothers are following as well.
I don’t know what the hell is going on here, or who the guy is who took Raina, but I know one thing for certain.
Whoever they are, they’re going to pay in blood.