Page 111 of Alluring Darkness

Twisting my hips, I throw all of my power into a punch to the side of his ribs.

Air explodes from his lungs, and he sways to the side while pain flickers in his brown eyes. But the bastard still doesn’t topple over. I draw back for another strike.

Right then, he lunges forward and locks his hands around my throat.

My breath gets stuck in my lungs as he squeezes hard.

Alarm crackles down my spine.

Fuck. He intends to choke me out. If I pass out, I will lose. And if I lose, I won’t be able to get to Raina.

I ram my elbows down into the crook of his arms yet again, trying to break his grip. But he’s ready for it this time. Gritting his teeth, he weathers the pain and keeps his arms straight as I pound my elbows into him. My lungs protest as he tightens his grip on my throat.

Switching tactics, I drop my arms to the ground, as if I don’t have the strength to keep going. Victory sparkles in his eyes, pushing out some of the pain. With my hands on the ground, I blindly reach for the knife in my thigh holster.

In order to keep his attention on me, I blink repeatedly as if I’m fighting to stay conscious.

At last, my fingers close around the hilt of the blade.

I yank it out.

And ram it into the side of his chest.

He cries out in pain, and his hands disappear from my throat as he snaps his gaze down to his side.

I yank out the knife and then plunge it towards him again.

Panic flashes across his features.

Throwing himself sideways, he barely manages to escape the hit.

While sucking in deep breaths of air, I shoot up from the ground and roll over while raising my other hand. My attacker hasn’t even gotten back to his knees when my fist connects with his temple. His eyes roll back into his head for a second, and he crashes down on the ground.

I swing my leg over his body and straddle his chest while he’s busy blinking stars from his eyes. And before he can recover, I slam my fist into his jaw again.

Another grunt rips from his lungs as his face snaps sideways. I hit him again. And again. And again. Until blood bursts from his split lip and pours from his broken nose.

He raises his hands as if to protect himself.

I ram my knife into his shoulder.

A cry tears from his chest, and his right arm drops back to the ground completely limp after I no doubt severed some important tendon.

“Stop, please,” he presses out in a strained voice.

“Eli,” Rico’s voice suddenly comes from my left.

I blink, remembering that I’m not alone here, and turn towards him. One of the people they were fighting is lying knocked out cold by Jace’s feet. The other two are on their knees while Rico holds them at gunpoint. Kaden is standing next to them, watching me with those observant eyes of his.

The rage roaring like wildfire inside me banks a little.

Dragging in a deep breath, I try to compose myself as I study the faces of the people who attacked us.

Surprise and confusion replace the fury as I realize who they are.

“This is Connor Smith’s team,” Kaden says, echoing my exact thoughts.

For a second, I just stare between the four people who are now at our mercy. Yes, this is indeed Connor’s team. But he is not among them.

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