Page 79 of Alluring Darkness

With that hard look still in his eyes, Eli throws a shovel at me and then jerks his chin towards something behind me. “Dig.”

Since I’m not the world’s most coordinated person, I barely manage to catch the metal shovel before it slams into my chest. I shoot Eli a glare as I straighten it in my hands. Then I turn to look behind me.

Surprise flickers through me.

There is a shallow grave behind me, no more than a foot deep.

With my eyebrows raised, I turn back to meet Eli’s gaze. Does he actually think this will scare me?

“Dig,” he orders again.

I lift the shovel.

And then swing it at his head.

He yanks up his arms, blocking the strike with his forearm and using his other hand to rip the shovel from my grip. Lightning flashes in his eyes as he locks them on me. I just grin back at him.

For a second, he almost looks a bit impressed. Then he tosses the shovel at me again and pulls a gun from the back of his waistband. I catch the shovel while he raises the gun and aims it at my head.

“Dig,” he repeats yet again.

“If you want a grave, dig it yourself.” I throw the shovel to the ground before his feet. “In case you didn’t know, I’m not a fan of manual labor.”

Something flickers briefly in his eyes again, but then he lowers his gun to his side and scoffs. “Fine, a shallow grave it is then.”

Because of the cool night air, and since I’m not wearing a bra, my nipples are hard and poking at the thin fabric of my shirt, so I cross my arms over my chest as I raise my eyebrows in an exasperated gesture. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit?”

“No.”

“It was just a little poison.”

“It’s not about that.”

“Then what’s it about?”

Cold fury seeps into his eyes like ice. “You dragged my brothers into it.”

I frown at him. “I didn’t poison any of them.”

“Youhumiliatedthem.” The carnal rage in his voice sends a pulse through my chest. “You made them get down on their knees and beg.”

Oh. Sothat’sthe problem. Clearing my throat, I start a sentence that I don’t know how to finish. “I, uhm…”

“No one humiliates my brothers like that. No one disrespectsmy familylike that.”

Aw, crap. I almost heave a frustrated sigh because I know exactly where he’s coming from. If someone had done that to Connor, I would have reacted in the same way. It’s the entire reason why I’m here doing all of this, after all. To protect my brother.

Oh well. Too late for regrets now.

As if his words alone had summoned them, another Range Rover pulls up next to Eli’s. Car doors are opened and slammed shut. Then they’re walking towards us, their bodies only dark silhouettes in the light from the headlights.

“So now you’re going to kill me, huh?” I say, sliding my gaze back to Eli. Flashing him a smile, I lift my shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. “Best get on with it then. Because if not, I have somewhere else to be.”

“Oh, princess.” A cruel smile curls Eli’s lips. “I’m not going to kill you.”

The words should have been comforting, but the expression on his face sends an involuntary spike of alarm up my spine and tells me that I should be very worried. I let my arms drop back down to my sides, readying myself for whatever is about to happen.

From the corner of my eye, I see his brothers arrive and flank him on both sides, but I keep my eyes on Eli because it feels like I’m going to miss something important if I blink now.

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