Page 156 of Blood & Snow
By now Xander will be looking.
Arkady releases my hair and stands.
He paces the room, his hands clasped behind his back.
The other men watch him, waiting for orders.
"She is useless," he says finally.
"Kill her."
The blond one pulls his gun.
"Wait," I scream.
The desperate word tears out of me with raw energy.
I feel I might be sick again as I plead, "Wait, please."
Arkady turns.
He looks at me with mild interest, as if I am a bug that's not yet been crushed.
"You’ve something to say?"
I nod.
My heart pounds so hard I think it will break through my ribs.
My hands shake.
I press them to my stomach, trying to steady myself.
I have nothing to say.
Nothing to offer them that they may want but I need to buy time for him to find me.
He has to come.
"I'm pregnant," I whisper, and my confession feels like betrayal.
I'm using my one vulnerability to buy myself time to figure something out.
I'm no fool.
I know they'll kill a pregnant woman just as quickly as anyone else, but the look on his face shifts and I feel hope surge.
Arkady stares at me.
The blond one lowers his gun.
The older man with the scar takes a step closer.
"Say that again," Arkady says.
"I'm pregnant," I repeat.
My voice cracks. "With his child."
