Page 107 of Alluring Darkness

Shaking my head, I move over to the spot behind where Raina’s footprints are still visible in the soft grass. My heart is beating erratically in my chest as I crouch down and study the ground. “Because it wasn’t a team. It was just one person.”

I stare at the barely visible set of prints coming this way. The ones going back the same way are more defined, which means that the motherfucker who did this was carrying Raina when he left.

Cold fury sears through my veins.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Jace says. “Who would leave their team in the middle of the tournament to abduct one person? It would jeopardize their team’s entire shot at victory.”

Pushing to my feet, I flex my fingers on the gun and clench my jaw in an effort to stop myself from setting the whole fucking forest on fire. My brothers join me, flanking me as we all stare at the tracks leading away between the trees.

“I don’t know,” I reply at last. Cracking my neck, I roll my shoulders back and squeeze the gun harder. “But once I find them, I’m going to fucking kill them.”

43

RAINA

Pain shoots up my elbow and ricochets through my arm as I’m thrown face first down on the hard stone floor of the cave. I barely had time to raise my arms to stop myself from smacking my head into it, which is why my elbow took the hit instead. I grit my teeth as my forearm and fingers tingle from the lingering pain of it.

I fought the entire way here, but my captor didn’t budge. He kept his hand firmly across my mouth and his arm around my body as he ran through the forest until he reached this cave. I couldn’t even turn my head to look at the bastard’s face. But now, it appears as though we have reached our final destination. I can feel him looming over me behind my back.

Pushing myself into a sitting position, I rub my elbow in an effort to make that prickling sensation in my arm stop. With my back still to him, I try to decide how to play this. I only have a few seconds at best before my captor no doubt loses patience. So I make a snap decision.

One second, I’m sitting there rubbing my elbow. The next, I’m whirling around, jumping to my feet, and darting in the direction we came. All at the same time.

Air explodes from my lungs as a fist crashes into my stomach.

The force of the punch is strong enough to send me flying backwards, and more pain flares through my body as I smack back first into the cave wall before crumpling to the ground. Wrapping an arm around my stomach, I curl in on myself while trying desperately to suck air back into my lungs.

A contented sigh sounds from above me. “I’ve been wanting to do that for weeks.”

The voice is familiar. But for a second, I can’t place it. After forcing a few breaths into my lungs, I blink to clear my vision from the haze of pain that is clouding it. Then I raise my head to at last face my captor.

For a few seconds, it’s as if my mind can’t comprehend what I’m seeing.

“Gabriel?” I blurt out.

My classmate Gabriel towers over me where I’m still lying on the ground, and he is staring at me with such hatred, such contempt, that I lose all sense of what the hell is going on.

His easy smiles are gone, and his all-American boy-next-door look has been twisted almost behind recognition by the rage now pulsing across his features.

“Raina Smith,” he replies, his voice laced with venom.

“What’s—”

Pain erupts in my side, cutting off my words, as Gabriel slams his boot into the side of my ribs. The kick is hard enough to make my body slide the short distance to the wall before crashing into it. I gasp again, feeling as though fire is licking my side.

“Did I give you permission to speak?” Gabriel demands above me.

Since I still haven’t been able to catch my breath, I just lie there, sucking air into my lungs instead of replying. When I’m able to breathe somewhat normally again, I start pushing myself up on my knees and then climb to my feet.

My knees have barely left the ground before Gabriel rams his fist into the left side of my face. More pain pulses through my jaw and cheekbone, and my head snaps to the side as I collapse back to the ground.

“Stay on your knees,” Gabriel orders.

Black spots swim in my vision. I blink hard and work my jaw for a few seconds. Then I drag furious eyes up to the bastard above me. “Would you stop hitting me and just tell me what the fuck is going on?”

In hindsight, I should probably have worded that better. Or better yet, not said it at all. But I was already running dangerously low on fucks to give before this damn asshole decided to drag me into this cave, and now I simply cannot muster a single fuck anymore.

The moment the words are out of my mouth, Gabriel’s blue eyes turn colder than the arctic ocean in the middle of winter. I see the hit coming, but it doesn’t matter because there is nothing I can do to stop it.

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