Page 133 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

“Listen to me! There are too many of them. None of us are getting out of here.”

At least, not alive.

“Yes, listen to your little mate. None of you are leaving here.” King sneers.

“Fuck you,” Jax roars, knowing how true King’s words are.

“We can’t leave you, not again,” Luka says, pleading with me to trust them. But I can’t lose them. I know what King will do to them. I know how far he will go to get what he wants, and I can’t let that happen. For now, they need to leave. They need to live.

“Well, I can’t lose any of you, and you staying here will just get you all killed. He’s going to kill you all.”

“He can fucking try,” Kai grits out in warning.

“Don’t be stupid. I can’t die!” I plead with them to listen. The stubborn fools. “There are much worse things than death.”

Rion gives me a look, telling me of how much they don’t know. Of what I’m going to go through with, but I can’t think of that right now. I need them alive and safe and far away from here.

“I’m not asking you to say goodbye… just goodbye for now.” I turn, ready to give King my ultimatum, hoping he’ll let them leave if I go quietly, but Kai grabs my arm, stopping me.

“No.”

“Kai—”

“No, Kiarra. I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. If there’s even the slightest chance that we can somehow get you out of here, I’m going to take it. I’ll burn in hell before I let you go back to that monster.”

The guys give me fierce, determined looks, agreeing with everything Kai said.

“Looks like your men have other ideas. I can’t have that now, can I?” King laughs, nodding to his men. Without warning, the shifters closest to us attack. The guys jump out, ready and waiting, not letting any of them get close to me.

It’s too late to see the shots before they hit, knocking each of them down.

My hearts stutters and stops, seeing each of them on the ground.

“No!”

I drop to the ground beside Kai, his eyes wide, but everywhere else is unmoving. Checking his pulse, I relax a little when I feel it, strong and sure.

“Just a little twenty-four-hour paralysing spell, nothing to worry your little mind about.”

I watch on as the guys struggle to move or speak, their faces turning purple from trying.

“I can kill them now, or you can come with us quietly. Your choice.” The guys beg me with their eyes not to go with him, but I can’t let anything happen to them. I love them, have always loved them. If it was between them and me, I would pick them, every time.

“Times up.” King’s lackeys aim at the guys. “What will it be?”

With my mind made up, I take a step toward King.

“I’ll go.”

Once I’m close enough, King grabs me, smirking down at me. Nodding to one of the guards, I feel a small pinch just as the world tilts and shadows cloud my vision.

Before I fall, one of King’s men picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder.

“Kiarraa.”

My head whips up at the sound of Kai’s raw voice.

Kai is moving. How is he moving?

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