Page 50 of Silent Vendetta (Vendetta Duet)

“Luna!” Hunter’s frantic voice came from below me this time as my legs dangled in the air, nearly twenty feet above an unforgiving landing.

Unable to let myself drop, I tried to pull myself up, but my lack of upper body strength made it all but a joke.

“Luna!” Hunter said.

“Hold on!” a voice shouted from above me.

Grayson dangled his upper body through the window. He grabbed the makeshift rope and tried to pull me up, but the knot loosened once more. The little tip of fabric was now only an inch away from slipping through the middle of the binding and sending me into a free fall.

I gritted my teeth, my fingernails stinging from gripping the fabric, my feet kicking around wildly, trying to find a position to help me.

When I reached up again, time seemed to stretch infinitely. The tip of the sheet hesitated at the edge of the knot, leaving me suspended in fate’s hands for an eternal second. Then, as if the universe had made its decision, it slipped free.

The world became a blur, colors and shapes melting together in a dizzying whirlwind. I braced for the jarring impact, but instead, a warm, solid embrace halted my descent.

Gradually, the chaos ebbed, and I became acutely aware of the rhythmic heartbeat against my chest, the comforting grip of strong arms encircling me.

My vision cleared, and I was met with Hunter’s intense blue eyes, full of concern and something deeper. His hand cradled my cheek, his thumb grazing my skin.

“Luna,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with concern. “Are you okay?”

Hunter’s steely gaze was filled with alarm as he scanned my body.

“Did you break anything?”

The intensity of our combined stares sent a flash of heat down my spine, and I shook my head, unable to find the words.

He sighed in relief, his gaze softening as his lips grazed my temple, sending sparks through me before he pulled back and allowed me to stand up on my own.

“Hunter, you got her?” Grayson shouted from above.

Hunter looked up and nodded and then locked his eyes with me. It was haunting, really, watching them darken like this—from relief to boiling hot anger.

“What were you thinking, Luna?”

I clenched my fists. How dare he snap at me like that after all he’d put me through. And did I seriously need to point out that my only chance of helping my dad was if I got away?

I pivoted and took off running to my right, ignoring the screaming pains of my body, but Hunter snared me in his arms and turned me around to face him.

“You could’ve been killed!” Hunter snapped.

“What choice did I have?”

“If you died hurling yourself from that window”—Hunter swung his arm toward the broken glass—“what would happen to your father, then?”

I bit my lip, my throat swelling.

Hunter’s bare chest heaved up and down as a gentle breeze wiggled his dark hair, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass. He stared at me silently, putting his hands on his hips, and looking at the ground.

A bird’s happy song sliced through the air between us, and after a few seconds, Hunter swung his gaze back to my face. He licked his lower lip and pulled it between his teeth before finally asking me a question in a frustrated tone.

“You’re just going to keep trying to escape, aren’t you?”

Silence.

“Come on,” he sighed, motioning toward the mansion.

CHAPTER24

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