SWNOVELS Chapter 43
Chapter 43
It suddenly hit me how she was able to anticipate my arrival- the crows. Cressida was smarter than I had given. her credit for; she had created a system where she could be perfectly hidden while anticipating the arrival of anyone thereby giving her enough time to prepare a good defense strategy.
She walked over to Kiara and I saw fear fill her features as Cressida stopped in front of her. The duct tape was brutally ripped off Kiara's mouth and my first instinct was to stand up and go to her but Dana pointed the gun at her head reminding me of my position and I reluctantly sat down. When all this was over, I knew I would derive the utmost pleasure from killing Dana slowly.
Kiara whimpered as the duct tape was pulled off but she didn't dare make another sound. Next, Cressida ripped the knots on her hands off and I couldn't help but watch in confusion as I tried to realize what exactly she was doing. If didn't know any better, I would have said she was releasing Kiara but I didn't see what she would stand to gain from it. Releasing Kiara would defeat her entire purpose of hurting me and it was the only thing keeping me from attacking her.
Once she was done untying Kiara, she smiled at her. "You have one job. I want you to go into the forest and find your daddy. If you find him, you get to go home safe and if you don't, the wild animals will have a field day with
you."
"No," I said immediately as I rushed to my feet. "That wasn't the deal, You said you were going to keep her safe. It was supposed to be me for her and I am here now. You have to let her go!" Cressida laughed cruelly. "I don't have to do anything but regardless of that, I am keeping to my word. I never said I was going to return her to the palace, I said I was going to let her go."
She crouched down until she was eye to eye with Kiara. "You have five seconds to leave or I will blow your pretty
brains out and I would hate to hurt a child."
Kiara risked one glance at me and I nodded. As soon as she received the mark of approval from me, she took off. I heard her footsteps echo through the house and I heard the front door slam as she ran out, I knew she was terrified but I couldn't help but pray that she was able to find Jaxon.
Guilt wracked through me as I thought about what she could encounter but I knew a.chance at life was better than obvious death. If she did not leave then Cressida would have not hesitated to kill her there and then and it would have absolutely wrecked me. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath while forcing myself to imagine Kiara safe and happy. I knew it was the only thing that would keep me sane. Once I had a semblance of calmness, I opened my eyes only to see Dana pointing the gun in my face. They must
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have realized that now they needed a new way to keep me immobile and calm because Kiara was no longer here. As I watched them, I tried to conjure up any form of emotion but there was nothing save for disdain and anger. There was something else brewing in my chest that was much darker than anything I had ever felt before.
"Were you the one who sent all the letters or did the rogues actually sent some?" I asked trying to stall while I thought of a way to free myself.
"Are yo
you still naïve enough to think there were rogues?" she asked sarcastically. "There is only so much rogues will not do for a little money. I knew Jaxon was not going to agree to mate with Dana so I kept what was left of
solk your inheritance and I paid off the rogues to attack the pack. I sent all those letters."
It actually made sense now that I had thought of it. Rogues were solitary creatures and the only way they would have attacked is if there was something that they stood to gain and before, there was nothing bu now I could see that Cressida had given them money.
"You went through all of that just to spite me? Or did you actually have plans to kill me?"
She walked over to me until she was leaning directly in front of my face. I resisted the urge to burn her face with my silver shackles and instead stayed watching her while she stared into my eyes as if she was trying to analyze
1. me.
"You really want to hurt me," she mused as she watched me. "I guess it is a mutual feeling because I want to do the same but the difference between you and I is that I can actually do it."
She pulled me to my feet by my upper arm and before I had the chance to even get my bearings, Dana drove the butt of the gun deep into my side. I crumpled to the ground with a groan and when I tried to rise, she used it to hit my nose once more and the metallic scent of blood filled my nose.
"Get up," Cressida snarled. “You are not allowed to go out like a coward when you have been the reason for my family's misfortune for years."
"You caused your own misfortune all by yourself," I snarled and Dana responded by hitting my temple with the butt of the gun.
My vision blurred and for a split second I saw stars dancing around my eyes. I struggled to rise to my feet but my arms gave out and I fell back on the floor. Blood was gushing from my nose, my temple and the back of my head that I had slammed into the wall earlier. I knew if something didn't change fast, I was going to bleed to death.
Cressida hooked her hands into my pits and pulled me to my feet. I stumbled and almost fell but she pushed me over to the wall I could brace myself there. The next few actions happened so fast that I couldn' even brace myself for it. The door flew open and I felt rather than saw Jaxon. My vision was blurry so I couldn't see clearly
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but my body reacted like he was in the room.
I wanted to warn him about Dana with the gun because out of my blurry vision, I could see that she had raised it in his direction but when she pulled the trigger-nothing happened. I could have laughed if I wasn't in so much pain. They had been threatening me with an empty gun and I had no idea.
Jaxon let out a ferocious growl that shook the entire room. It was so scary that even I stumbled back a little and tripped over my own feet. That action brought everyone's attention towards me and Cressida rushed over to me and hid behind me. If I could speak I would have told her that it was a stupid idea because she had now dragged Jaxon's attention towards her. Jaxon was like a predator and now that she had touched me, she had *unknowingly made herself prey.
"If you promise to let me go then I will also let her go," as she spoke she brought out a knife from her pocket and held it to my neck. "If you don't, I will kill her where she stands."
My vision had cleared although there was still blood streaking down my face which obscured my vision a little bit. I could see Jaxon and he cocked his head to the side as if he found her amusing and he took a step into the
room.
"You left your own daughter unguarded just to save your life," he nodded towards Aiden who I saw was standing behind him and Aiden grabbed Dana who scream so loud that I felt my ears blister. "You have never cared about anyone but yourself."
Jaxon smiled cruelly. "Let me make you a deal that you cannot refuse. If you kill my mate then I will assure you that I will drag out every single aspect of your death and I will make sure you suffer years of agony but if you let her go now then I will make your death quick."
Cressida hesitated and that was all Jaxon needed to swoop in. In one quick move, he had grabbed her hand and broken her grip on the knife. He pulled me into his chest and her eyes were wide as if she just realized the kind of
trouble she had gotten into.
"I was going to let her go," Cressida began but Jaxon ignored her.
She was pulled away by some of the guards and at that moment it felt like all the energy had been leeched out of my body. I slumped against Jaxon and he pushed my hair out of my face. It had stuck to my skin due to the blood and despite my bloody features; he pressed a ki*s to my forehead.
"Kiara," I mumbled trying to alert him but he shushed me.
"We have her, sheis safe,"