Page 55 of Kiss for My Kraken
Terror raced through her at the sight of the vial. Sedatives—the same ones they’d used on Sister Rebecca when she’d had her “nervous breakdown” after questioning Elder Matthias’s teachings.
“You can’t do this,” she gasped, redoubling her efforts to break free. “This is kidnapping.”
“It’s salvation,” Jed corrected, attempting to uncap the vial one-handed. “Philippians 2:12—'Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.’”
Somehow she managed to knock the vial from his hand. It shattered on the floor, filling the air with a sharp, medicinal smell.
Jed’s expression hardened from righteous to dangerous. “The hard way, then.”
He yanked her towards the door with such force that she stumbled, nearly falling. Matthew moved to help, grabbing her other arm.
“SAM!” she screamed, abandoning any pretense. “SAM!”
“Shut her up,” Jed hissed to Matthew, who clamped a hand over her mouth.
She bit down hard. Matthew yelped, jerking his hand away, and she used the momentary distraction to kick at Jed’s knee,connecting solidly. His grip loosened just enough for her to wrench free.
She darted towards the door, but David blocked her path, his face grim but determined.
“Please,” he said, almost apologetically. “Don’t make this worse.”
“Get out of my way,” she demanded, backing towards the window instead. “All of you, get out of my home.”
“This isn’t your home,” Jed said, advancing on her again, limping slightly. “Your home is with us. With me. Your intended husband.”
Her back hit the wall. There was nowhere left to run. Jed reached for her again, his fingers closing around her wrist like a vise. With her free hand, she grabbed the nearest object—a heavy ceramic mug—and smashed it against the side of his head.
He staggered back, blood trickling from a cut above his ear, his expression stunned. Then fury transformed his features into something barely human.
“I’ve been too lenient with you,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “That ends tonight.”
“SAM!” she screamed again, louder this time. “SAM, HELP!”
“Who the hell is Sam?” Jed demanded, pressing a handkerchief to his bleeding temple.
As if in answer, a sound came from outside—not a splash, but a roar. Deep, primal, earth-shaking. The windows rattled in their frames. The floorboards vibrated beneath their feet.
All three men froze.
“What was that?” Matthew whispered.
Ozzie, who had been struggling against David’s hold, suddenly went still, his ears perked forward, tail wagging frantically.
Another roar, closer now, accompanied by the sound of churning water—as if the river itself was rising up in fury.
“The Others,” David breathed, backing towards the door. “They’re coming.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Jed snapped, though his voice wavered slightly. “It’s just some trick to?—”
The rest of his sentence was drowned out by a thunderous crash as something massive struck the porch outside. The entire shack shuddered. A glass fell from a shelf, shattering on the floor.
She smiled, a fierce, triumphant expression that made Matthew take a step back.
“You wanted to meet the monsters of Fairhaven Falls,” she said, her voice steady now, charged with a power she’d never felt before. “Well, here’s your chance.”
CHAPTER 23
Sam had spent the day keeping watch. He’d slipped out of the shack and into the water as dawn arrived, mist curling off the river’s surface and shrouding the banks in ethereal white. As the light strengthened, he saw Nina emerge onto her porch, coffee mug in hand, her face tired but resolute. She didn’t call for him or even look directly at the water, maintaining the pretense that she was alone and unprotected. But the small smile she directed at the river, ostensibly admiring the morning mist, told him all he needed to know. She was ready.
