Page 216 of Under an Endless Moon

“Finish it,” Gideon growled. “They’re finally gonna feel our pain.”

Dusty spat a curse, and she almost breathed out in relief when he edged back, until she saw the flash of metal when he pulled something from the back of his jeans.

A knife.

Horror raced through her when he came forward, going for her throat, and she flipped around just in time to deflect it, trying to push up from the floor to get away.

“You bitch.”

She clawed at the slick tile.

Desperate.

Praying for one more second.

For River and Otto to bust through the door.

Only a scream tore from her when that relief didn’t come, but instead, a hot blade was thrust into her side.

FIFTY-EIGHT

RAVEN

Okay,fine, so maybe sleeping on the hard floor in the back of my shop wasn’t the best call I’d ever made.

My body was stiff as all heck as I blinked my eyes open to the gauzy morning light that filtered in through the small window on the door that led to the alley at the back of the building.

I lifted my head, scowling at the drool that soaked a small spot on the scratchy embroidered pillow that I’d snagged from the gift display out front.

Awesome.

But at least I’d had it and the matching throw blanket. They’d been my only saving grace—that and the tee and shorts I’d had stored in a drawer for emergencies.

The accommodations might not have been comfortable, but at least I hadn’t had to sleep in leather and lace.

Not that there’d been a whole lot of sleeping.

The entire night had been fraught with anxiety. Tossing and turning on the unforgiving ground as my mind had played through the way things had unfolded last night.

The accusations River had thrown out.

Ones that Otto had received as if he were deservingof them.

He’d warned that River was going to kill him when he found out, but I’d chosen to believe that on some level River would understand. That he’d accept us.

But what had hurt the most was that Otto had just stood there mute.

Head slumped with shame between his shoulders.

As if loving me was a sin? A mistake he’d made? As if I were some crime that he’d committed?

A brand-new scar marked on his heart when I was supposed to be helping heal the ones he’d already had inflicted.

Standing, I rubbed my palms over my face to break up the conflicting emotions as I shuffled barefoot into the tiny bathroom. It didn’t help much at all, so I splashed cold water on it, instead, praying for the clarity I couldn’t find.

Blowing out a sigh, I grabbed a hand towel and blotted my face, then I looked up to my reflection in the mirror.

“Look at you, Raven. Look at who you are. If you could only see the way I see you. You are brave and strong. So goddamn beautiful. A bloom in the middle of the darkest night.”

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