Page 29 of Dead to Rights
No one tried to help, though.
Orrin and Rune stood at the front of the group, posture tense as they tried to reason with the female.
At the other end of the dock, toes pressed right to the edge of the faded boards, Karleigh stared back at them, her eyes wide and crazed. She waved her left hand around in animated gestures as she shrieked her demands, which mostly consisted of someone bringing Finn to her.
In her right hand, she held a fistful of Keegan’s black tee as she dangled him out over the water.
Cursing under his breath, Finn hurried after his mate, pushing his way to the front of the crowd until they came to stand with their friends. Rune, naturally, was losing his fucking mind. A volley of snarls and growls poured from his lips, his chest heaving with barely contained rage.
Orrin, on the other hand, just looked…sad.
“Do something!” Noah demanded, tugging on the sleeve of the prince’s robes.
“What would you have me do?” Orrin responded, his voice thin and brittle.
“You have magic, don’t you? Just poof him over here!”
The elf shook his head. “If the timing is off, even by a heartbeat, he’ll fall into the river.”
“I’m going to kill her,” Rune promised, every word saturated with venom.
“Noah?” Taking his mate by the shoulders, he pulled him around until they stood toe to toe. “It’s okay. I’m going to get your brother back.”
“What? No! What if—?”
“Do you trust me?”
His lips pressed together into a thin line, and his shoulders sagged. “That’s not fair.”
Maybe not, but it was the only card he had left to play. “Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Then give me the bottle.”
He hesitated, his knuckles white as he clutched the glass vial. “I hate this.”
“I know you do. Now give me the bottle.”
With a resigned huff, he slapped it into Finn’s palm and looked away. “Ireallyfucking hate this.”
“Hey.” Gripping his chin gently, he turned him back, hating the tears that glistened off his lashes. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“You don’t know that.”
Since he couldn’t refute that, he dipped his head and brought their lips together in a brief but blistering kiss. “Wait here.”
“If you get yourself killed, I’m going to murder you.”
There was a lot to unpack in that statement, starting with the fact that not a damn word of it made sense. “When I get back, we’re going to have to work on your threats.”
Then he kissed him again to cut off his protests before squaring his shoulders and marching down the pier.
“Finn!” Karleigh sang. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me. Everyone told me you were gone, but I knew better. That’s why I waited for you.”
“Karleigh, let him go.”
“Donotlet me go,” Keegan argued, his face pale with fear and panic as he stared down at the water.
