Page 53 of Alluring Darkness

With frustration crackling inside me, I sprint away from the useless rock and try another hiding place.

I’ve only spent about a minute covered by some thick low-hanging branches before I hear, “You’re dead.”

I hide behind some bushes.

“Dead.”

I try a massive boulder next.

“Dead.”

Then I try another tree. Peeking out around it after barely a couple of minutes, I find a gun between my eyes.

“Bang.” Eli smirks at me. “You’re dead.”

Anger ripples through me as I sprint through the trees and approach the park section instead. If he’s so damn good, then let’s see if he can figure out that I’ve switched sections entirely.

Connor is standing a short distance away, talking to our instructor. Since I don’t want to get too close to them, I decide on the bushes behind one of the park benches. Crouching down behind them, I narrow my eyes as I scan the area furiously. This time, Iwillsee him coming.

Hope flutters in my chest when another few minutes pass and Eli still hasn’t shown up. I watch the other students practicing throughout the park. Connor helps instruct some of them. Yet again, my heart aches. He’s even helping other people get better, so why the hell did someone have to put him on Eli’s shit list. It’s so fucking cruel and unfair.

A yelp slips past my lips as someone plants a boot between my shoulder blades and shoves me out from behind the bushes. I topple forward and barely have time to yank my hands up and brace my palms on the ground before I slam face down on the grass.

I start to push myself up, but before I can, the boot appears between my shoulder blades again, shoving me back down. I let out a huff.

Turning my face to the side, I look up and find Eli standing over me with his boot on my back and his gun pointed at my head. Vicious amusement lurks on his lethally handsome face as he tuts and shakes his head at me. “Oh Raina, this truly is pathetic.” While holstering his gun, he huffs out a laugh. “Well, at least it was informative.”

Before I can come up with a retort, he abruptly takes his boot off my back, spins around, and stalks away without another word.

Pushing myself up, I get to my feet while brushing blades of grass and crushed leaves off my clothes. The park around me has gone oddly silent. I look up.

Everyone is watching me. Some look confused as they glance between me and Eli’s retreating back. Others look thoroughly amused. My brother, on the other hand, is looking at me with disappointment… and shame.

I swallow down the burning feeling that crawls up my throat.

Connor starts towards me.

For a moment, I can’t decide what to do. I can’t let people know that we’re siblings, so I can’t make it seem like we know each other. But he has been helping the other students too, so it shouldn’t be strange for him to come over and offer some tips after watching this humiliating display of nonexistent hiding skills.

Before I can decide what to do, Connor reaches me. But to my surprise, he doesn’t stop. He keeps walking past right next to me, as if he is heading towards someone else.

However, when he is right beside me, he speaks in a low voice full of pain and embarrassment.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

22

ELI

Confusion creases Raina’s dark brows as she steps out of my car and closes the door with a thud. She frowns up at the forest before her while my brothers park their own cars next to mine on the otherwise empty gravel patch.

“This is where we’re having our team training session?” Raina asks, that dubious expression still on her features as she turns her head to look at me. “In a forest?”

“Yes,” I reply.

“Doing what?”

“Seriously?” Rico’s voice interrupts before I can answer. “You picked upanotherbat?”

---