Page 84 of Glitter Rose
He emerges from the bushes, covered in black blood and mud.
Relief crashes through me so hard my knees buckle. “You?—”
“What part of ‘stay behind me’ was unclear?” He stalks toward me, fury radiating off him in waves.
“The part where we all die because you’re being stupidly overprotective.” I straighten my spine, meeting his glare.
“You nearly?—”
“But I didn’t.” I gesture to my still-intact body. “See? All here.”
His mouth crashes into mine, his hands cradling my face like I’m made of something precious while his lips tell a different story—hungry, desperate, alive. I taste blood and dirt and fear, and god help me, it’s disgustingly delicious because it’s Knox. My Knox. I twist my fingers in his hair, needing him closer, deeper, my body arching into his like we’re magnets finding true north.
He breaks away first, breath ragged against my lips. “Don’t ever fucking do that again.”
I nod, dizzy from his kiss, from surviving, from everything.
“We need to move.” Miller’s eyes dart nervously around the forest. “More will come. And the compound?—”
“Right.” Knox intertwines his fingers with mine. “Let’s go.”
We continue down the slope, stepping carefully over fallen branches and exposed roots. The morning light filters through the canopy in dappled patches, making the blood on my hands look almost black.
Miller hurries ahead of us, eager to reach safety, whileKnox and I maintain a steadier pace. The forest thins as we approach our destination, and through the last line of trees, I catch a glimpse of metal.
Freedom.
The SUV stands at the base of the hill, nestled between trees.
Finally.
A shadow detaches from behind the vehicle.
Mike.
I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing ever is.
His massive frame towers like a mountain, an axe gripped in one meaty hand, swinging it toward Miller, who runs right into him.
“No!” I reach out uselessly.
Miller throws up his hands. “Wait! I did what Gabriel asked! I led them to you!”
The axe freezes mid-swing, suspended in the air like a guillotine awaiting release. Mike’s face splits into a cruel smile. “I know.”
The blade completes its journey, severing Miller’s head with a sound like an axe hitting wet wood. Blood spatters the fallen leaves with crimson, and Miller’s body crumples to the ground, his head landing beside it with wide eyes and his mouth forming a perfect O of surprise.
“You’re next, sweetheart.” Mike heaves the axe onto his shoulder, turning his attention to Knox. “After I deal with your boyfriend.”
TWENTY
PARIS
“You’re not touching her.” Knox shields me.
“I will.” His eyes pore over me in that way that makes me want to scrub my skin raw. “And Gabriel wants his sister back. Didn’t say what condition she needed to be in, though.”
His words curdle in my gut. There’s a promise in them, the same one I’ve seen in his eyes—that sick anticipation of hurting me while calling it protection.
