Page 22 of The Devil's Hunt

Lacey's eyes flared with anger, but her face softened as she looked over my shoulder. "He's not flirting with any of them. He's staring at you, Mila."

She was right.

My eyes met his, and his were filled with a burning intensity. My pussy throbbed at the thought of him, craving his hands on me. I didn't want to seem like some desperate, love-sick virgin who was obsessed with him after some heavy petting and tonsil hockey, so I broke my gaze and moved farther into the group. Maddie, the blondewho was Kai's girl, had made her way into the mass of bodies, and beckoned me toward her.

I looked in Archer's direction and saw Kai and another man in a heated conversation, distracted from watching me. I threw myself into the music, dancing and having a good time. I let the alcohol loosen my inhibitions, and when Maddie offered me a white pill with a smiley face, I took it from her without question.

"Let loose, little virgin girl," she whispered, pulling me toward her. "It will be our little secret."

Everything became a blur as we danced. I was drunk and high as I swayed with her and Lacey, feeling free as a bird. I felt a hand on my hip, and I turned with a grin as a man with dark hair and blue eyes approached me, offering me a shot of tequila. I tossed my head back, swallowing the alcohol in one gulp as he moved behind me, pulling me to him.

"You look good enough to eat," he murmured in my ear as he grabbed my hips and ground his dick against my ass. His words sent a shiver through me, and I turned, wrapping my arms around his neck and moving my hips with his. I felt his hand run up my thigh, his fingers teasing the hem of my shirt. I yanked his shirt out of his jeans, raking my nails along his back as we danced. I usually wouldn't behave this way, but I was feeling sensual and free. And I had to admit that it felt good to feel wanted.

"Archer has good taste. I can't wait to take you from him," he whispered in my ear.

I pulled away from him. "What? Who are you?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

I felt Archer's presence before I saw him. He appeared in a blur of movement, forcefully pushing past me and delivering a brutal punch to the dark-haired stranger I had been dancing with just moments ago. The sound of bones cracking filled the air as two large men pulled Archer away, but he continued to struggle against their grip. Meanwhile, Kai and the other man who had been speaking with Archer earlier stood their ground, fiercely battling a group of goons who seemed determined to protect the dark-haired stranger at allcosts. Chaos erupted around us as punches flew and bodies collided, leaving me frozen in shock.

"What are you going to do, King?" the stranger spat, his bloodied mouth making him look even more menacing. His jaw was swollen and bruised, his lip was split, and his right eye was swelling.

"I'll fucking kill you for touching her," Archer bellowed. "You made a mistake showing your face here."

"That's funny because it looks like you're outnumbered. The time of your reign is coming to an end."

Archer fought against the men, and when he broke free from them, he lunged for the stranger again. The crowd tried to disperse, pushing me farther toward the cliff's edge.

"Mila, let's go!" Lacey's scream pierced the chaos around us, her nails digging into my arm as she desperately tried to pull me away from the edge.

Maddie had been pushed back with me, and she clung onto my other arm, her eyes wide with terror as we were shoved and jostled by the frenzied crowd. I wasn’t sure how it happened, but one of the goons ended up in front of me and pulled out a gun. The sound of gunfire echoed through the air, and I felt hot blood splatter across my face as the body of the goon fell heavily onto me. I stumbled backward, my feet slipping off the edge. In a split second, we were all tumbling over the side of the cliff, falling and floating simultaneously. The last thing I saw was Maddie's terrified expression as she fell over the side with us.

The icy water enveloped us, stealing my breath and numbing my body. It felt like I was falling for hours before I hit the bottom, the dead goon pressing down on me at the floor of the quarry. I tried to fight against him, but it was no use. His body was too heavy, and I was too weak. My lungs ached for air, and I fought against the need to breathe in the water. When my body stopped moving, and the bubbling sound of my gasps for air stopped, I saw the blurry images of a white light. It was the light I had always been told I would see when I died. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished into a sea of darkness.

And then there was nothing.

No pain, no movement, just endless emptiness as my consciousness slipped away from me.

Was this death?

Or something far worse?

9

NINE

ARCHER

My vision tunneled into a blinding rage. That motherfucker Alexander Benson, the leader of The Collectors, had the audacity to set foot on my territory and lay his filthy hands onmyrabbit. He was signing his death warrant, and I would relish in watching him choke on his blood as he gasped for mercy that would never come. Revenge would be mine, and it would be sweet. In a flurry of adrenaline, I broke free from his henchmen and watched him stumble backward, swallowed by the frenzied crowd. My eyes darted around, searching for Mila, finally spotting her and Maddie clinging to each other near the cliff's edge.

One of the goons aimed a gun directly at my heart as I fought my way through the chaos to reach her. I didn't care about the weapon or the pain it could inflict. Nothing would stop me from getting to Mila. The sound of gunfire erupted, and a blinding pain moved through my shoulder. Kai appeared a second too late, but he fired his gun with deadly precision, and Alexander's bodyguard's brains scattered through the icy wind. The force of his body falling took Mila and Maddie right over the edge with him.

When I reached the edge, I didn't hesitate. I took a leap of faith and plummeted into the icy depths of the quarry water below. Thefrigid shock engulfed me, and I fought to avoid gasping for air. I had a better chance of survival if I slowed my heart rate and conserved my energy. With every stroke, I dove deeper, feeling the pressure of the water building around me. My lungs screamed for oxygen as I strained to search through the murky darkness to find my queen.

My vision blurred as I frantically scanned the depths of the quarry, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Finally, I caught sight of her dark hair, tangled and floating lifelessly just a few feet away. My veins surged with adrenaline as I swam toward her, forcefully shoving off the lifeless body of her attacker that had pinned her to the bottom. Wrapping my arms around her limp form, I kicked off with all my might, desperate to break through the surface and save her from drowning. Every muscle in my body burned with exertion as I fought against the weight of both our bodies and the pressure of the water pulling us down.

I broke the surface, gasping for air and kicking toward the rocky shore. I thrashed out of the water, frantically clutching her to my chest. I finally reached the jagged rocks and laid her limp body down on the flattest surface I could find. Her once vibrant skin was pale and frigid like ice. I pressed my ear to her chest, and my own heart almost stopped when I didn't hear a heartbeat.

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