Page 105 of Recurve Ridge

“But my life—” I struggled with the concept, knowing my eyes bugged out of my head and that he was watching me suffer for his pleasure again.

Stop, I can’t?—

Miller—

His name was the cry that formed on my lips, knowing after our training how deadly and cold he would be against this worst of enemies when Robe’s obsession over us both would blind him, but my throat closed at the critical moment.

Help me?—

“You didn’t beg. You know I can’t forgive that, don’t you?” he said conversationally as acid seared my veins. “You were supposed to beg, pretty little Mari. It was twelve.” Gideon tucked my phone away as he rose and brushed at his leather jacket like I’d sullied him with my presence alone.

“Twelve what?” I croaked.

I have to warn Robe.

He’ll throw me out.

Or Miller would end me on the spot, and he’d be right to do it, righteous fury burning in his strange yellow eyes.

“Twelve men.” Gideon watched me, emotionless, un-anything. “Twelve men you entertained before we were interrupted.”

“Stop—” I gasped on a desperate note I knew he wouldn’t heed.

Gideon paused, running his fingers over the zip on his leather jacket. The scent of it made me want to puke.

“It could have been worse.” His lips turned up in a soulless smile. “It could have been me.”

He walked away and left me lying on the forest floor, retching at the memory of a dozen ghosts I’d never escape.

30

ROBE

“Forget the bounty.Let’s concentrate on more important things.”

Like removing Blackthorne from the face of the earth.

Miller grunted, keeping pace at my side, though I knew the Mari-sized steps killed him. Given the choice, he’d be over the treetops and back again by now. Sitting still had never been his forte.

“Ignoring the obvious will bite you one day.”

“So will your temper.” I nodded to the large tree that came into view. “Once we catch up, you’re free to do whatever you need.”

“I’m not.” He bared his teeth in a grimace to the forest beyond. “You know I won’t leave until you’re both inside the house.” He paused. “Preference on alive.”

I grinned. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

“She does.” He gestured to where Mari appeared between the trees, darting out from a different path than I expected her to take.

It took me all of a half second to realize something was wrong.

So fucking wrong.

Miller took a quarter of that time and wrapped her in his arms, cupping her whitened cheeks. He stared into eyes filled with the same emotion that had been written across her face the day she crashed into me months ago in this exact spot.

“What happened?” His voice trembled with underlying rage.

“Nothing.” She threw a smile on her face that might as well have cracked straight down the middle for the lie.

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