Page 108 of Ensnared

Facedown in the dirt,Ichoke on air.Mybody aches and stings, andI’mshaking so hard against the groundIwonder if it’s possible for one person to cause an earthquake.There’sheavy pressure on my back and a hand—maybe?—on the back of my head.

I’mtoo stunned to even try to wriggle away.

Thenthe pressure eases.I’mflipped over, andDomcrouches over me, glowering down with ferocious fury.Movementdraws my eye, andIlook over to seeBeau, white to his lips, staring down at the pistol in his hand.

Grabbingthe front of my jacket,Domhauls me to my feet.Hismouth is moving, and his golden eyes spark like flowing lava.Deafand numb,Irecognize with a detached kind of curiosity that he’s probably yelling at me, but the whining, ringing sound in my ears drowns him out.

Iwas almost shot.

Myteeth start chattering.Itry to make them stop—the jolting is annoying—but they won’t obey.

Beaualmost shot me.

Domseems to realize thatIcan’t hear him or, at least,I’mnot listening.Iwatch interestedly as his brows lower.Scowling, he wraps his long, warm arms around me and holds me tight against his hard chest.Onehand grips the back of my hair, pressing my forehead to his chest.Therims of my glasses press into my skin.

Whydidn’tIrealizeIwas so cold until he wrapped me up?

Hisspicy male scent curls inside me like smoke and slowly, so slowly, underneath the almost too-intense pressure of his arms, my uncontrollable shaking fades, then stills completely.Warmthstarts seeping back into my limbs.

“...should be far enough away.It’shours yet before we’d see them on either route based on their pace so far.”

Thewords fight with the ringing inside my head, butDom’svoice is much nicer than that piercing wail.Lowand deep and rumbling, it shivers through my numbness.

“Isshe okay?”

Inod againstDom’schest, and he stiffens, then yanks me back.

“Youcan hear?”

“Youhugged me.”Istare up at him as his eyes narrow.

“Iapplied pressure.Itcan help with panic attacks.”

“Uh-hu—”

Beaugrasps my shoulder and spins me around to face him. “WhatinSatan’sholy asshole are you doing here?”

IfIthoughtDomwas mad before, it has nothing onBeaunow.He’sstill pale under his tan, and there’s a harsh tension around his eyes and mouth.

Iopen my mouth.

Hefists a hand in his short hair. “Ialmost shot you.Icould havekilledyou.Inwhat idiotic corner of your brain did you think sneaking up on two trained,armedRangerswas a good idea?”

Frowning,Itry to speak again.

“Wetold you to stay put.Youagreed.Youlyin’ to us for fun now?Youthink we tell you to do things to make us giggle?It’snotsafeout here,Eden.Doyou have any idea what—”

Enough.Icross my arms over my chest. “No.Idon’thave any idea what is happening out here.Ifyou hadn’t lied to me—again—thenIwouldn’t have followed you.Whoexactly are you trying to track down?What’sreally going on,Beau?Becausefrom whatIhear, you’re not exactly gearing up to fix up some cameras.”Iglare at him, then atDom.Takinga deep breath,Iforce myself to calm. “Yousaid you would be honest with me.”

Domcocks a brow. “WhatIsaidwas—”

“‘Goingforward.’”Mymouth twists. “Yes,Irememberedthatpart earlier.”Isigh, looking around at the underbrush. “Ijust wanted to help.I—Ithought ifIshowed you thatIcould keep up, thatI’mnot a liability out here, then you’d see...”

“Youarea liability out here.”

Theacerbic tone fromBeaumakes my insides curdle, butIraise my chin.Thisis partly my fault, but it’s partly theirs too, andI’mexhausted with all the lies.

“Don’tworry about it.I’llmake my own way back.”

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