Page 82 of Diamond Kisses

Then adrenaline poured like gasoline, igniting every ounce of rebellion.

Falling on him, I slapped and punched and kicked.

He cried out as I became an unhinged animal. I raked my nails over his face. I tried to knee him in the balls. I managed to punch a few soft places, but then he gathered a lifetime of cultivated power and threw me off him like I was a damn mosquito.

“ENOUGH!” Struggling to his feet, he loomed over me. “Fuck’s sake, do I have to do everything myself?” Grabbing me around my blood-slicked throat, he pushed his thumbs into my larynx. “I should’ve done this the very first night you arrived.” His eyes flashed with evil insanity. “Au revoir, little pain in my ass.”

I tried to scream. I kicked. I scratched.

No use.

No use!

He cut off my air supply.

He coated me in blood, his and mine, blending, dripping…

Black spots danced in my vision.

My already tortured body faded far quicker than it should, thanks to so many nights of horror.

No.

Henri.

I gasped and choked.

I tried to hold on.

He went hazy, ghostly. The world faded and—

Victor bellowed as a bullet cracked from the hedges.

Rolling off me, he staggered to his feet and hopped on his left leg. Cursing with feral French, he looked down at the fresh bloom of blood on his trousers by his calf.

Scooting backward on my hands, I tried to put as much distance between us as possible.

My elbows wobbled and failed, sending me sprawling onto my back. Too weak. Too damaged. Souseless!

Fuck!

My head roared. My empty stomach ached. My muscles were hopeless in this fight.

Limping toward me, Victor ducked to finish my murder, only another gunshot and a rustle of branches sent him reeling back. He spun and faced Mollie as she stepped out of the orchard, holding a scary-looking gun and pointing it right at Victor.

He froze.

She smiled.

She raised the muzzle to point at his heart. “Give the devil my regards—”

A horrifyingpopsent Mollie tumbling backward. A spritz of blood erupted from her forehead. She fell like a brick wall, landing straight on her back.

“Sir,run!” a guard on the wall shouted in their loudhailer. Anotherpopreleased, kicking up dirt by my feet.

Snipers.

No.

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