Page 3 of Hysteria Rises
He doesn’t need to tell me twice. Even so, I purposefully give him just that, daring him to do what he needs to do. Things between us have steadily worsened. Malakai likes to buck the system. Has ever since his arrival three years ago. He’s made it very clear he’s unhappy. My teeth grind. The war between the two of us won’t ever be done. Not unless something changes… Something catastrophic. Could this girl be the match that sparks the fuse?
I angrily shake my head, glancing around again as I storm through the trees, searching the shadows for more trouble. Aside from Malakai, Arrow, Cross, and I, most of the others had taken off after Sixteen and Twenty-one because they’re easiest to catch. And as for the rest of them, who knows where they got off to—they’re not my problem and definitely don’t need me to coddle them. The only one who possibly needs looking after is Evren. This was only Arrow’s brother’s second time out. Hopefully, Dragan, Gannon, or Rafe had eyes on him since he’d chosen to follow them.
Every last one of them is smart enough to finish up and head back inside for the night. It’s too cold to do more than what’s required.
I stand stock-still for a moment, allowing the night sounds of the mountains and the valley between to soothe my earlier agitation. Dragging in a breath, I let my mind go quiet as I tip my head back and inhale the scent of the surrounding trees and the storm-soaked ground beneath my feet. Rainwater streams over my face, then flows in rivulets down my neckand over my chest and back. It cleanses me, both literally and figuratively.
With another ragged inhale, I allow myself to stare down at the bundle of unanticipated mischief in my arms. This girl will throw our world into chaos, and I’m not fucking looking forward to it. The Collective… they’ll have a plan in place for just such a circumstance. They’ve thought of everything, of every possible scenario—at least it’s always seemed that way to me. I’ve yet to see any of them at a loss when it comes to shit like this—and around here, it’s always something.
Fuck knows what pandemonium will erupt when she wakes up. But she doesn’t have a choice now. She gave that up the moment she set foot on this mountainside, the second she got too close to our compound. She never stood a chance and definitely won’t be given the choice of whether to stay or leave. I know what the Collective will say. She is destined for us, just like all the others.
The hike back to the compound is treacherous in the dark, but most especially because this storm just won’t fucking let up. It’s miserable. The girl shakes almost violently in my hold, but she’s still knocked out. Completely lost to this world and where I’m taking her.
If I didn’t already know these woods like the back of my hand, the rush of the wide river up ahead is a blatant sign that I’m almost back to the compound. I pause at the footbridge.Well, shit.I eye the ragingtumble of water over rocks that flows just underneath.Don’t like that.It’s higher than I’ve ever seen it.
No sense in delaying the inevitable. I put one foot on a plank, only to have it creak and groan. The bridge has been here for as long as I’ve been alive, parts of it weathered and others completely rotted out. In a rush, I hurry across, taking care to step only where I’m most certain it’s safe. When I finally reach the other side, I glance down at the unconscious load in my arms.
I figure by the look of her she must be around my age. The wheels in my mind spin. If she’s merely a girl, does that make me a fuckin’ boy? Hardly. Male heirs of Dark Falls Hollow are men at fifteen when we’re officially accepted among the elders of our community as more than just another mouth to feed. In exchange for new responsibilities, we’re given certain rights. Privileges. Honors.
Almost as if she senses my perusal, the girl in my hold lets out a pain-filled whimper, drawing my attention back to her. It’s been four years since my first Hunting… and never has anything like this ever happened before. I study her as we reach the densest portion of the forest and I’m forced to slow my pace to complete the trek home. These trees that tower over us were planted years ago upon the arrival of the Collective to protect our home from the prying eyes of anyone who’d seek us out. This area is always gloom-drenched and quiet in the earliest hours, but most especially on a night like this.
With my jaw tight, I skim my curious gaze over thegirl’s curves, her clothing torn and muddy. If I had to guess, she got turned around in the forest. She’s not even wearing appropriate shoes for this terrain, that’s for fucking sure. My mouth goes dry as my gaze drags over her full hips and womanly curves, but she’s still definitely younger than we’re used to.
My inner diatribe is cut off as she stirs in my arms. I peer at her once more. She’s coated in mud and muck, so it’s hard to tell what she looks like. Those eyes, though. They’re intense. When she’d stared into mine at close range, there’d been a wildness in them. Something untamed. Something almost… desperate. I swallow, shifting her weight as I stride toward the glint of light on the other side of the copse of trees.
I expel a heavy breath, nearly sliding down the incline that leads me to the main building of our compound. Proving just how treacherous the rain has made things, at the bottom, I skid in the mud before regaining my footing and hurrying to the massive, high-walled stone building that we call home.
At my approach, one of the heavy doors swings open, and Kiefer steps out, immediately pulling up the hood of his raincoat as he scowls at me like I’m a fucking idiot for being out here. Gotta give him credit there. He’s not wrong. But it’s just my luck that my least favorite of the Collective would be here to greet me. It’s easy to see where half of Malakai’s genes come from. He’s a lot like his old man, right down to the chip on his shoulder.
The broad-chested elder cocks his head to the sideas he studies me and the burden I’m carrying. I say nothing, simply wait for him to stand aside and quit blocking the doorway, but from the look on his face, he’s not going to make this easy. He plants one hand on his hip, the other going to his jaw and roughly scrubbing his fingers through his blond beard. “What took you so long?”
“Nothing much. I came back as quickly as I could.” I gesture to the unwieldy woman I have cradled against my chest.
He snorts loudly then shakes his head. “What in the hell do you have there?” He blatantly eyes the girl before finally standing to the side. “Fuck, kid. Get inside, and you can give me the story.”
I mutter, “Thanks,” my jaw tense. Our eyes lock as I maneuver into the building. Letting out a heavy sigh, I huff, “We found her in the woods. About a half mile outside the perimeter of the compound. She was within our hunting grounds.” There’s a certain area of the mountainside and valley that the Collective have demanded we never venture beyond. It wouldn’t do to have him think we—me or any of the rest of us—were disobeying their commands.
“No fucking kidding.” His lips quirk, and he throws his head back, huffing out an amused laugh. Unsure what to do, I wait for further instructions in the side hall where more than twenty pairs of boots line the wall under a bench. Above that, just as many coats hang on hooks, hats above those. I hesitate to move because I’ve got water already pooling at my feet.I glance at Kiefer, looking for guidance. “Uh. Where should I put her?”
Just then, Henry comes around the corner, eyeing us. “Well,thisis unexpected.”
“You could say that.” Kiefer shrugs, stepping closer to pat the girl sharply on the cheek. She flinches ever so slightly but doesn’t rouse. “Did she see you?”
I stare into his eyes. “Yes. Sort of. Not our faces.”
“Good.” Henry nods his approval as he relieves me of my mask, then calmly surveys the limp girl in my arms.
“Well, what happened?” Kiefer juts his chin toward her.
“She ran from us, jumped, and went headlong down an embankment.” Eyeing the dark red seeping from a split near her hairline, I grimace. “She hit her head.”
Kiefer laughs again before a response bubbles from his chest. “No shit, kid.”
Getting my attention, Henry gestures toward the far side of the house. “I think we should have Nolan take a look. Then we’ll decide how to handle her.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, wondering what’s in his head—hell, what either of them are thinking. “Okay. Where is he?”
Before Henry can answer my question, my brother Dragan comes around the corner and skids to a halt ten feet from us. With wide eyes and a muttered “Whoa,” his gaze pings from me to Henry and back. “Gannon and I thought Malakai was pulling our legswhen he told us.” My jaw grinds as he creeps forward for a better look, hair wet and skin damp from his shower. A curious, dumbfounded look crosses his features, and he murmurs cautiously, “So… you just found her out there?”
