Page 23 of The Devil's Hunt

Her chest was still.

Wrapping my mouth around hers, I breathed my life into her. Her chest rose, but she still wasn't breathing. My heart pounded furiously against my ribcage, and I pressed my lips back over hers, breathing for her again.

I wanted to howl.

I wanted to rip the sky apart.

I wanted to kill every last person who had caused this, and let their blood spill over my feet.

I wanted to wrap her in my arms and kiss her until the sunset enveloped us.

I wanted her to fucking breathe so I could punish her for touching that fucking cunt, Alexander.

It didn't matter that she didn't know who he was.

She did now.

I would remind her that she belonged to me. I would bathe in her tears while I left my mark on her ass.

When I was done with her, she would never look at anyone but me.

I pressed my hands against her chest, right above where her heart should be, and pumped hard. The icy water soaked every part of my body, the cold quickly draining my strength.

With shaking hands, I pressed down hard on her chest, willing her heart to beat again. I leaned down and covered her lips with mine, forcing more air into her water-filled lungs. Her body convulsed as she coughed up water, gasping for air. As she struggled for breath, I held her tightly against my chest, desperate to keep her safe and alive. My lips pressed against her forehead, begging whatever god was listening to spare her life. Finally, she drew in a ragged breath and coughed again. Relief flooded through me as I collapsed beside her, trembling with exhaustion.

Her eyes flew open, and I let out a choked laugh. "It's okay, Mila. You're okay," I whispered, clinging to her desperately.

But she couldn't stop shivering.

"Archer?" she managed to utter through chattering teeth. My heart clenched at the sound of her voice, weak and vulnerable.

"I'm here," I replied fiercely, wrapping my arms around her even tighter.

"Where's Maddie?" she said, looking around frantically.

"I'm here, Mila," Maddie replied, running toward us.

Kai followed her, drenched and shivering.

"We need to get out of here and get warm fast," I told Kai, my tone urgent.

"Cold," Mila whimpered, her body trembling.

Summoning all my remaining strength, I lifted her into my arms and began trudging up the rocky path to the clifftop. She burrowed her face into my shoulder, still shivering violently. Each step was a struggle, and my muscles burned with exhaustion.

As we neared the top, most of the partygoers had scattered inpanic, but I saw Lacey still standing there crying, tears streaming down her face. When she noticed us approaching, she rushed over to us.

"Oh my God, Mila. Are you okay?" Tears flowed freely down her face.

"She's alive. But we need to get her warmed up quickly. Did you drive?" I asked her.

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, my car’s parked in the clearing."

"Kai, grab some of those blankets and follow us," I instructed over my shoulder.

Lacey led us into the clearing, jumping behind the wheel, while I climbed in back with Mila to keep her warm. Kai climbed in beside Maddie, and I covered them with blankets before taking Mila into my arms again.

"Should I drive to the hospital?" Lacey asked worriedly.

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