Page 124 of Kept

He shrugs. “She’s a free spirit. We should go and find her, though. It’s cold out.”

The cool air hits my face, and I frown, looking out to the forest before I turn to follow him. I don’t like the feeling that just came over me.

We run into Maverick coming out of his office, and he flicks his eyes between us. “Where are you going?”

“To catch a naked Zella,” Ryder says promptly. Maverick opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

Instead, he follows us outside. The three of us fall into step, and Maverick clears his throat. “Do I ask why she’s out here with no clothes on? Inwinter?”

Ryder whistles lightly. “Probably not.”

“Right.” Ignoring them, I pause at the edge of the trees. The forest doesn’t sound right. Too quiet. And then I catch it, just barely.

“Wait.” My voice is sharp enough that they both silence. The atmosphere changes in a moment.

“What is it?” Maverick says in a low voice. Ryder comes up silently next to me, his head cocked at an angle as he listens. His mouth tightens into lines, and he nods at me.

“She’s not alone,” I breathe. Maverick turns his head, listening too.

The faintest sound of a male voice can be heard in the distance.

Maverick curses quietly. “Moore?”

“Maybe.” I stare out into the darkness, and a smile curls at the edges of my mouth. I take a deep breath, anticipation filling my lungs like oxygen.

“Keep him talking, little prey,” I murmur. Ryder and Maverick spread out, the three of us silent as I take the lead. “We’re coming for you.”

48 – Zella

Ethantriestopullme up, but I slump to the ground. The act feels all too real. The shaking in my legs feels violent, too violent for me to get up.

A thick black boot kicks the ground, right next to my head, and I flinch. My aching cheek presses into the cool soil, and I breathe it in, praying for something.

Anything.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ethan says dismissively. “I didn’t hit you that hard, Zella.”

I let out a pitiful groan. “My head…”

Heavy footsteps move away from me, and I blink my eyes open, flicking them around the ground. A snapped off branch sits a little out of my reach.

A hand wraps roughly around my arm, trying to drag me upright. “Get up,” Ethan snaps. I crane my head to look at him under my lashes, blinking feebly, and see him looking back over his shoulder.

“It would be an awful shame if that pretty house burned to the ground, Zella.”

Icy cold washes over me again. “Don’t.”

“Don’t test me,” he hisses. “Come with me now, and I’ll leave your little trio alone.”

“I will,” I whisper, and he pauses. “I’ll come with you. Just… let me get myself up. Please.”

When he drops my arm, I make a show of trying to push myself up, tipping myself forward before I try it again.

“Enough of this,” he snaps.

“Wait!” I cry. “I- I think I’ve got it.”

I push one last time, grunting as my knees scrape over the ground. But the fingers of my right hand close around the branch, my eyes sliding shut in relief.

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