Page 94 of Savage Hunter

My world narrows down to seconds.

He looks at me. “I love you.”

And then my mother shoots the man I love.

Nineteen

Avery

Rage and fury are my weapons. I bury my hands in my mother’s hair and pull. Every day I spent locked away in a cage for the Volkovs comes barreling through my mind.

The lashes, the abuse and degradation. I almost lost my inner self worth and nearly gave up on life. I will be no one’s victim. Not anymore.

Vengeance fuels my hands as I grab her chin and pull right as the handful of hair pulls left.

The snap does nothing to relieve the blackness pouring over my soul

My mother crumples to the floor of the Cessna, and I fall to my knees with her. My eyes and chest burn with sorrow unlike any I have ever felt before.

I will never be used again. She will never hurt another soul.

Shimmering water blurs my vision. Stinging tears roll down my cheeks.

Wolfe! I rush to him and try to stop the bleeding.

“Oh, God, don’t you die! Wolfe, don’t die. I killed her. I saved the children. Don’t die.”

His hold on my hands slips. There’s so much blood.

“I told you I would find you. You did good, baby. My pretty warrior.”

I sense the Savages moving in around me. Someone lifts me and the next few minutes are nothing but a blur. The next thing I know I am being shoved into the back of a car and Wolfe is at my side again. Ares is saying something but he might as well be talking to me through a mile of ocean water. Everything is muffled and distant.

“Wolfe, baby. Wake up.” His hand is so cold.

“Someone help. Please.” God, don’t take him. I feel for a pulse. It’s faint and fading fast.

God, if you take him, you better take me too.

My tears fall hard and fast.

“Get ready!”

Riot shakes my shoulder, and I gather my tears for another time. I use the back of my hands to wipe away the tears. It’s hard but I can’t help Wolfe if I am a blubbering mess.

Harlon is at the wheel. Santi riding shotgun with Polaris in his arms. Thank God she is okay. Small miracles. Both men look bloody and like they gave as good as they got. Santi won’t be letting go of Polaris anytime soon.

We pull into the sub-basement of Genesis. Or do we? All the expensive cars are on fire and smoldering. It looks like a different location altogether. Bodies litter the cold cement. Security guards I recognize from Genesis throw open the doors the second we roll to a stop.

“What happened?”

“Your mother.”

That’s Riot. He looks like he went a round with several gorillas and they almost won. They ripped his shirt, blood smears the side of his face from a fresh knife wound. He clenches a hand over his ribs. Lilith will want revenge and she’s one woman who can deliver.

“And my brother. Don’t worry about the details right now. We eliminated the enemy.” Ares takes my hand in his. “Are you okay? Any wounds we need to know about,malyshka?”

BUt there’s another out there, my brain wants to argue. But Ares is right. Later.

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