Page 46 of Mastered By Bliss

My arm throbs in stinging agony.Blood seeps from a wound where she cut me.I tuck it into my side, trying to protect it and hoping I don’t bleed too much.

Gage and Dmitri are on their way.I know they are.

“We can stop this, right now.”I keep the branch up, trying not to let it wobble.

Vanessa glowers at me, eyes narrowed beneath her thick, blond bangs.“Why should I stop?I’m taking out every one of the Shinies.Gage Hawthorne is next.May as well take care of his girlfriend, too.”

“What will it accomplish?”I gesture at the wrecked cars.“It’s hurting everyone.Your friend is dead.”

“Cory?”She scoffs.“He’s not my friend.He’s an obsessed fan who wanted to help.”

Damn it.I wanted to shock her into some kind of emotion other than anger.

“It’s hurting you, too.”I point to her face.“You’re bleeding.”

She keeps her knife pointed toward me.With her free hand, she touches the blood at her temple and examines the red on her fingers.“I don’t care.They ruined everything.Just when I’d convinced my dad to give me a part, they filmed that stupid orgy scene and everything got shut down.”

Orgy scene?That wasn’t in any of the AoG episodes I watched.But I stopped at Season Three.

Vanessa clenches her jaw.“They had to kill off the characters.Fans were pissed.The show ended and my dad got raked through the coals.”

Behind her words comes the sound of car engines.People are here.My people?I can’t know yet.

Bright lights shine down from the road above.“Leah?”

I don’t take my eyes off Vanessa.“I’m down here.”

Vanessa glances up, startled.“Who’s up there?”

She doesn’t see the hulking shadow approaching from the other side of us.She doesn’t hear Brody’s running footsteps.She doesn’t expect his tackle, coming out of nowhere, or the way he snaps her wrist and forces her to drop the knife.

She screams.

Brody collapses on top of Vanessa, his face twisted in pain.“Fucking hell.I got her, but this fucking hurts.”

* * *

Dmitri

I’m the first one down the hill.I find Leah, looking like she’s about to go into shock.I immediately tuck her against my side.

Vanessa Billings is squished under an Ironwood bodyguard.Other than the first scream, she’s silent.She’s not even fighting the guard’s hold.She looks distraught.She should be distraught—she killed two people and attacked a bunch of others.

Red, blue, and white lights reflect off the clouds above as Gage and Heath hurry down the mountain.

“Where are you hurt?”I ask Leah.

“Head.Arm.Everything.”She gives a little laugh.“She cut my arm.I don’t think it’s deep.”

“We’ll have someone take a look.”Gage appears at Leah’s other side.He looks like he wants to squish her in a massive hug.Instead, he carefully pries a large stick from her hand and tosses it aside.“You’re safe now, sweetheart.”

She nods, her eyes wide and staring.

“We can talk to the EMTs here,” Gage says, “or I can have a doctor waiting at home.”

“Home.”Showing the most emotion she’s shown since I arrived, she blinks as tears roll down her cheeks.“I want to go home.With both of you.”

“We didn’t have a chance to tell you yet, baby.”I kiss her cheek, tasting her tears.“Home is with all three of us now.Wherever we live, we’ll be together for as long as you want that.”

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