Page 61 of Villainous Fate

Deacon realizes it the same time I do, and he whispers something into her ear so quietly it doesn’t travel even with my enhanced hearing. Amira shifts in his hold, turning her back to the platform, and pulls her sweatshirt up to her head.

I trust Deacon. He has proven his ability to read a map, and he knows if we choose the wrong exit, it will cost us dearly. We would run into another team or head back to someone’s starting point.

Deacon scans her back, looking up and down several times before pointing to the opening directly to our right.

The clearing has five openings. Four of them sit on what could be argued are the points of the compass, equidistant from each other. The last cuts between the south and east openings, and my gut tells me this is right.

It’s closest to us, which makes it the easiest to reach; however, it’s also immediately behind the east team, where they stand at the platform. One look behind them. One misstep. One snapping twig and Amira dies.

As I turn back to Finn to see if he is paying attention to Deacon’s instructions, a blood-curdling shriek rings out from the platform.

My head whips back in that direction as my body coils to respond. That kind of scream doesn’t come from fear. That sound can mean only one thing: pain.

It takes a second for my brain to catch up with what my eyes are witnessing.

On the platform, Saint uses his sharp, clawed hand to carve out the skin containing the map tattoo from the woman’s back.

I can’t breathe as fury radiates through me, and I begin to shake. Amira’s strangled cry is lost among the screaming and crying from the other two women on the platform.

Kill him.

My wolf pushes for control, and I know if I’m not careful, he will win.

Fuck this, I can’t just stand here and let him mutilate her; I have to do something.

Assessing the area, I see Sullivan casually waiting for Saint to finish, and Kent looks ready to lose her lunch, her eyes firmly planted on the floor. Neither are paying attention to their surroundings. I step forward, ready to charge Saint and take him out from behind before he has an opportunity to fight back, when a hand grabs the back of my shirt, twisting to pull me back behind my cover.

What the …

My head turns, and I see Finn shaking his head, placing his finger on his free hand to his lips. He then gestures to Deacon, who is now carrying Amira quickly to the opening.

They want to leave them. They want to sneak away rather than take a stand and fight. Every cell in my body is screaming for me to take out Saint. Protect the women. Eliminate the threat.

The screaming dulls to raspy sobs, and I chance a look back at the center.

“Here, Kent, why don’t you give this a read? Sullivan, help me with the others,” Saint commands, casually tossing the bloody flesh at Veronica, who steps out of its way, allowing it to land on the wood platform with a splat.

“We can’t take their maps,” Brad says. “Rules are clear.”

“I have no intention of taking them. I just plan to… make them unreadable.” He shrugs, and as he finishes his statement, he steps behind another woman and slashes his claws clean through both her hoodie and into her back in a single swing. This causes another ear-piercing yell as blood pours out of the shredded skin, completely soaking the fabric scraps around it.

NO!

I almost yell the word, and Finn tightens his grip, forcefully pulling me back this time before whispering quietly, “There’s nothing we can do for them now. We have to go before we lose Amira. Even if we defeat them, we lose her. Wehaveto go.”

With a final tug, he steps back, slowly moving to follow Deacon to the exit.

Part of me shatters in this moment, knowing that I’ve failed. I’m walking away from innocent people instead of fighting for them. My moral compass begs for justice even as logic tells me that the only one I can save right now is Amira.

I promised her I would save them all.

Guilt wells in my chest as my feet make the decision my heart can’t, and begin quietly following Finn. Resolve builds, and I make it my mission to make Saint feel every second of pain he caused them. He will not get away with this.

As I reach the opening, I take a final moment to remember exactly how this feels. The crying still permeates the air as the women lay bleeding onto the wood. I memorize the sound before turning and walking away.

Chapter 31

Deacon

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