Page 33 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

He looks even worse than I remember. Most of his teeth are rotting, and several have already fallen out. He has numerous scars ripping across his face, going into his scalp. A bug weaves its way through his scraggly beard. His leathery, wrinkled skin and white flecked whiskers indicate he’s well past twice my age.

Gunnar clearly hates me since this is the man he picked for me to marry. I can only hope he treats my sisters better—they’re his own daughters.

Harek bursts out of the nest, his bow at the ready. He turns it in different directions until he sees Vog and aims it at his head.

A slow smile creeps across Vog’s face, exposing even more missing teeth. There’s even a bug in his mouth.

My stomach lurches.

Harek nudges himself in front of me. “Don’t move!”

Vog laughs, spittle landing in his beard.

The others turn around, all four of them. My stepfather and one other man aim guns at us.

Gunnar’s brows draw together, making him look like he has only one long eyebrow. “I could throw you in prison for running away, you ingrate!”

I hold the sword higher. It still isn’t even close to glowing. “You wouldn’t.”

“No?”

“It wouldn’t earn you any money!”

The other gun wielder laughs. “She’s got you there, ol’ Gunny.”

“Shut your trap.” He doesn’t move his attention from me. “Get over here. You’ve been sold to Vog, and I’m going to make good on my word.”

“I’ll never marry him!”

The group erupts into laughter. Vog looks at me with hungry eyes and licks his lips. “I don’t usually go for dark meat, but this time I’ll make an exception.”

A shudder runs down my back, and anger runs through me.

I swear a growl comes from Harek. No, that must be from somewhere deeper in the forest.

He pulls back his arrow, the string of the bow making a stretchy sound next to my ear. “You’re going to have to go through me first.”

“You’re just a kid.” Gunnar looks him up and down. “It wasn’t that long ago your mother changed your diapers.”

An arrow soars through the air with a whoosh. It barely misses Gunnar’s ear.

He snarls. “You missed.”

“It was awarning, you good for nothing shyster.” Harek replaces the arrow with another. “Next goes between your eyes.”

More laughter.

Vog races around the bush and lunges for me.

I swing my sword. It bounces off his beefy arm and doesn’t even slice a hole in his sleeve. What kind of useless piece of junk is this?

His mouth curls up in amusement for a moment before his pupils expand, making his eyes appear black. He balls his fists. “You’ll learn your place, little girl!”

“Over my dead body!” I hold the sword tighter this time, aiming for his chest.

Something like fabric tearing sounds behind me. A growl so fierce echoes through the woods. Fear chills my blood, and I drop my only weapon.

A wolf brushes past me and slams into Vog, knocking him to the ground.

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