Page 148 of Santiago's Conquest (Four Dark Horsemen 1)

Racing through the field, another gun points at me. When he’s killed, I notice Callum standing behind him.

And then Arson drops the lighter on another set of guys, and I understand they came to save me, even though I didn't ask. Did they spy on me?

But I’m so fucking glad they did.

Octavius and Florian continue to kill everyone, although with Arson blocking the guards’ way with the fire, we don't have many more people to kill.

Turning away, I start to run as fast as possible toward the blurry vision in the distance where two men grab shovels, the air sticking in my throat and my lungs burning for oxygen, yet I don't stop.

No, I speed up even more as the wind slaps me and birds squawk loudly above me.

The last time I ran so fast was when I escaped Edward’s mansion, chasing my freedom with two boys who wanted to live as much as I did.

As if on cue from both my sides, the same two boys who are now men appear, matching my speed and running alongside me toward my woman who my life depends on now.

If she dies, my darkness will swallow me whole, and no one will ever be able to bring me back.

Just a little more and we reach it, Callum shooting the guards, and I see the coffin already covered a little by the sand.

Grabbing the ropes they lowered it with from one side and with Arson holding the other, we pull at it, groaning at the weight.

Callum quickly stands by my side, pulling with all his strength as we slowly, too fucking slowly as every second is gold, get it out and shift it to the side where it drops roughly.

The fucking coffin has a lock on it. Gripping a shovel, I hit it several times before it breaks, and we flip the lid open.

“Briseis,” I whisper, finding her lifeless, and drag her body outside, lowering her to the ground. “Briseis.”

Arson pushes me away, telling Callum, “Hold him,” before he kneels over Briseis.

Callum wraps his arms around me as I try to get away, but he doesn’t let me, keeping me in place where all I can do is watch my friend trying to save her.

Arson places his hand on her throat, and not feeling the pulse, he starts to do CPR on her. I shake my head, lunging toward her, but Callum’s arms are strong. “Let me go.” All my pleas are unheard though. The pounding in my chest is so rapid I hear my heartbeat in my ears and wish to share it with her so she will finally wake up, alive.

He continues to perform compressions on her, but she has no reaction, and I’m ready to roar at the injustice of it all.

How could life be this cruel again after giving me her?

So I do something for the first time in two decades, something I thought I’d never be able to do again, because I didn’t believe in it, and they all fell on deaf ears anyway.

I pray.

I pray and hope this time around God hears me.

Chapter Twenty

“Bring love to my darkness, and I promise I will never make you regret it…”

Santiago

Briseis

The beeping sound irritates my ears, surrounding my head and pressing on it so hard I wince, only to groan when pain travels all over my scalp as if thousands of goose bumps rush through me, over and over.

My eyes snap open, closing again when the blinding light streaming through the window cascades down on me and burns them.

Lifting my arm to block some of it, I try to peel open my eyelids again, and finally, slowly, my vision adjusts. I gasp in surprise when I see a heart monitor attached to me showing my accelerated heartbeat and an IV stuck inside my other hand that is asleep because of the person lying on my arm.

My insides warm as I study Santiago, exhaustion written all over his features, and he’s wearing a rumpled sweater that has so much dirt on it I’m surprised they allowed him inside the hospital room.

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