Page 87 of Tabitha

I gaze up at him with hearts in my eyes. Bast doesn’t hesitate, just grabs the back of my neck and devours my lips in a kiss that makes the rest of the world disappear. When he pulls away, I touch my lips, then take a step back. With one last look at his gorgeous face, I spin and turn to do what I should’ve done when I first entered town—kill them all.

I stay off the road, clinging to the shadows, and smile when I hear the buzz of a drone pass overhead. Ducking low, I linger in the shadows near the houses in mansion row and pick up my pace. A flash of light brightens the darkness for a second before a boom rocks the small cul-de-sac.

A blast rocks through the air first, then a slight tremble shakes the ground beneath me. I take off at a run before the chaos erupts. Just as I reach the back porch of Banks’ house, yells pierce the night air, and I see the haunting glow of flames in the distance.

I breach the house in the next second and begin my search. An air of disuse clings to the rooms, dust coating the surfaces like no one has been living in the house for months.

It makes no sense.

I clear the house floor by floor, and I can’t get over the sensation that time is running out.

When I finish the search of the basement without finding even the slightest sign of River, my unease only increases, and I push away the flash of fear that I’m too late.

I refuse to accept that.

I enter the kitchen, then cross my arms and lean against the counter, just as the front door is thrown wide. Banks storms inside, fury darkening his face, the first true emotions bleeding through the indifferent mask he usually wears. He stops dead when he spots me, his pupils expanding until his eyes look like black pools of tar.

Raising my brows, I slowly straighten, my chin lifting. “I believe you have something of mine. I’ve come to retrieve it.”

An evil grin spreads across his face, the malicious gleam in his eyes no longer camouflaged. “And you have something of mine. I’m suggesting an exchange.”

My fingers twitch with the need to gut him, and I barely resist the urge to pout that I must be patient and wait to make him bleed.

I laugh at the absurdity of his suggestion…my enjoyment only increasing when a scowl twists his expression. “The only gold in these mountains was pulled out hundreds of years ago. The place is pockmarked with dozens of old mines shafts that were exhausted long ago. There is no gold here and hasn’t been for quite a long while. If you had asked, I could’ve told you that from the beginning.”

“Your men are very protective.” He shrugs, his pissy tone turning vindictive. “Taking one seems to be the only way to get you alone.”

Though a little extreme, I can’t really blame him…it sounds like something I would do. “Where’s River?”

Banks purses his lips, a calculating glint entering his dark eyes. “I’ll take you to him.”

I could fight Banks, kill him now, but it’s too much of a gamble.

I can’t risk not being able to find River in time.

While I normally don’t care about my safety, I have people relying on me now.

There is no doubt in my mind that without me, River would die, and I can’t live in a world without him in it. Though it goes against my grain to surrender, I unsheathe three of my blades, watching Banks tense…then I place them on the counter. “Very well.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

PIERCE

Iremain hidden in the shadows and watch as Banks escorts Tabitha into the whorehouse, clenching my fists to keep from storming after them. We each have our role to play. I’m used to being the one who stays behind, the one who watches.

Normally, I don’t mind if it means keeping her safe, but it’s different this time. She’s in immediate danger, surrounded by people who want to do her harm, and it’s driving me absolutely crazy that I can do nothing but wait and hope she’ll be careful.

Tabitha is special, but most people consider her abrasive and impulsive and quaint…everything that I adore about her. Most people don’t see that she loves too hard, that she’s terrified of opening herself up to others.

Tabitha doesn’t see that she’s absolutely perfect.

I love her quirks.

I love the way she can’t take her eyes off me, especially the way she stalks me.

She is the only girl in the world to make my heart beat, and I have no intention of letting her go now…not to Banks and definitely not to death.

She is mine.

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