Page 178 of Theirs to Ruin

Without looking back, I bolted back to the front of the building, aiming for the quad. But my path was blocked by another masked figure.

“Help,” I screamed, but everyone seemed to have disappeared.

"Calm down, baby," the second man sneered, taking a step toward me. "Just come with me, and it'll all be over."

My eyes darted left and right, trying to find a way out, but there wasn’t one. I feigned a step towards him, then quickly pivoted and sprinted in the opposite direction. But he was faster, tackling me to the ground. I grunted from the impact but retaliated by twisting around and driving my knee into his gut.

When he rolled to the side of me, I tried to get up, but another masked figure appeared. Three of them, one of me. But I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I tried every self-defense move I'd ever learned. A block here, a kick there. A punch to the face, a jab to the eyes. My attackers didn’t hold back either. They landed blows meant to incapacitate, some that left me reeling.

Suddenly, I felt a vice grip around my wrist. I struggled, trying to twist out of the guy’s grasp, but his hold was strong. As we wrestled, though, his grip loosened slightly. I heard his labored breaths turn into harsh wheezes.

At that exact moment, I managed to pull off his mask.

Silas.

His face was contorted, eyes swollen, gasping for breath. An allergic reaction. My mind raced back to that day in the student union, when theconciliantishad stood next to Silas and he’d coughed and quickly left.

She’d been wearing a wool dress. Just like I was wearing a wool coat right now.

Another realization hit me: the blanket. The one Ava was knitting. It had been made of a cotton and silk blend. Not wool.

For Silas?

Seeing him momentarily incapacitated, I wrenched my wrist out of his grasp, dug into my coat pocket and grabbed Ava’s sheathed dagger. I yanked the dagger out of its sheath and tried to strike, but Silas’s hand clamped around my wrist again. We were locked in a tense standoff, his eyes filled with panic and mine with determination. I didn’t get my wrist free, but I used my other hand to rake my long acrylic nails across his face, leaving angry red marks in their wake. His howl of pain hurt my ears.

"Fuck you!" I spat out, ripping myself out of his grasp. Only another hand shot out, pulling me back. Strong fingers gripped my wrist, twisting it painfully. I cried out and dropped Ava’s dagger. Then I was trapped in a vice-like grip from behind.

“Let me go!” I screamed. I reached up, scratching at the back of my captor’s neck with everything I had. His skin broke under my acryllic nails, and I felt the wet warmth of blood.

"Shit!" he yelled, releasing me.

Before I could capitalize on my momentary freedom, a fist connected with my face, sending me sprawling to the ground. My vision blurred and stars danced in front of my eyes.

Silas was on me in an instant, hands wrapping around my throat, squeezing the life out of me. I gasped, choked, my vision growing dim, spots of light blinking before my eyes. His wheezing was right in my ear, but his hold on me was relentless. His words, filled with malice, were sharp and clear.

"You bitch," he hissed, pressing down harder. "Just like your sister, and your friend Ava. She was a fucked-up mess, though. Made it so easy for me to waltz back into her life after dumping her. And that's why she's gone now. All she had to do was give me that gold bar, and I would have made her death painless, but?—"

A deep, thunderous bellow echoed around us just as someone flew into Silas, knocking him off me.

I wheezed and gulped for air, then managed to crawl to my knees. My vision cleared just in time to see Kage and Silas. They were standing, wrestling for dominance. Silas landed an elbow to Kage's ribs. Kage grunted in pain, momentarily loosening his grip. They circled each other and I saw the fire in Kage's eyes, an unyielding resolve that said Silas was a dead man.

"You think you're going to protect her?" Silas spat, swinging at Kage. But Kage dodged the blow, his movements fluid and precise, and countered with a swift punch to Silas's gut.

“You’re not going anywhere, you worthless piece of shit.”

At the sound of Dante’s voice, I staggered to my feet in time to see him grab one of the fleeing masked men by his collar. The guy's feet flailed, desperately seeking purchase even as he swung at Dante, his blows landing on Dante's sides and face. The hits barely seemed to faze Dante. It was like watching a child trying to hit a mountain. Dante countered with several punches that made the guy’s head loll, then he picked him up and flung him. The bastard collided with a tree, the sound of the impact a sickening thud. The guy slumped on the ground, trying to suck in air. Dante leaned in, his voice dripping with menace. "You fucked with the wrong girl," he growled, the promise of more pain in his eyes.

I turned, my gaze landing on Kage and Silas again. Kage had Silas on the ground, Silas’s arm wrenched behind his back. Kage ground Silas’s face into the dirt, even as he called, “Ty! Watch out!”

I whipped my head around and caught sight of Ty, who turned just in time to face the masked man rushing him. He dodged the guy’s punch easily, then he pivoted, caught the man's arm and twisted, throwing him to the ground.

“Get up, asshole,” Ty shouted. “Get up or I’ll fucking stab you in the throat.” Ty threw something on the ground right next to the guy. A knife.

“Ty, no!” I screamed as the man grabbed it and clambered to his feet. Ty waited until the man stood and lunged for him, then Ty delivered a sharp chop to the guy's neck, causing him to crumple to his knees.

An agonizing scream pierced the night. I watched, horrified, as Kage, his face contorted with rage, wielded a blade. Ava’s blade.

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