Page 27 of Finn
I couldn’t bear to see him lying there like that, couldn’t stand the weight of what I’d just done.
“I’m heading back to headquarters,” I said.
I stepped forward, intending to brush past Scar, but his hand shot out, fingers clamping around my arm like a steel trap.
I froze, the hairs on the back of my neck prickling.
Every instinct screamed danger as I looked into his eyes, which had shifted, turning the same gleaming yellow of his lion form.
A bead of sweat trickled down the back of my neck, my skin tingling with a sudden, all-consuming fear.
“What’s the rush, little hunter?” he asked, his tone light, almost playful.
But there was nothing friendly about it, and I didn’t trust it for a second.
He leaned in close, the smell of blood and sweat filling the air.
“This is a cause for celebration. Why don’t you let me buy you a drink?” Scar added.
“Thanks, but I need to head back,” I said firmly, forcing a smile as I tried to pull my arm from his grasp.
His fingers tightened, and my stomach twisted with the sudden realization that something was very, very wrong.
Scar’s face twisted into a mockery of a smile, something predatory gleaming in his gaze.
“You know,” he murmured, almost casually, “I was going to treat you nice before sending you to join your boyfriend in the underworld.”
My blood went cold. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my voice steady.
“We have a contract,” I said, my words tight. “I completed the objective.”
“Gage told me no loose strings,” he interrupted, his voice turning hard as iron. “We’ll tell your Elders you finished the job but died in the process. How does that sound?”
Before I could react, he lashed out, claws emerging from his fingers as he swiped toward me.
I barely ducked in time, the sound of his claws slicing through the air sharp and vicious.
My exhaustion from fighting Gabriel weighed on me, slowing me down just enough to put me at a disadvantage.
Scar grinned, sensing it, and closed in.
I managed to dodge his next strike, slipping to the side and swinging the knife toward his ribs.
But he was faster, twisting out of the way, his claws slicing down my arm in a swift, brutal motion.
Pain flared up my arm, but I gritted my teeth, refusing to let him see weakness.
“You’re not looking too good, little hunter,” he taunted, his eyes gleaming. “Did fighting your precious vampire take it out of you?”
I ignored him, focusing on each breath, each beat of my heart.
My knife flicked out again, and I managed to graze his shoulder, drawing a thin line of blood.
He laughed, seeming more amused than angry, and lunged at me with renewed ferocity.
His claws ripped across my chest, tearing through fabric and skin, and I stumbled back, gasping at the sting.
Every instinct screamed at me to keep fighting, but my limbs were heavy, my movements sluggish from exhaustion.
