AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What is this? She’s not to be touched,” he sputtered.
“I’ve done much more than touch her,” Luce lazily taunted. “You still want her back?”
He made it sound as if we’d done something worse than kiss. From the way my face flamed, I knew Kevin would believe it. When I met Cam’s gaze, he gave me a wink and it dawned on me that he was in on whatever was happening.
“Yes,” Kevin nearly hissed. “What happens once she’s home isn’t up to me.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” the man standing on the steps expressed.
“Why don’t we let my little dove decide for herself?” Luce queried.
Every eye in the room settled on us. I’m sure the acolytes were watching too, behind the creepy masks they all had on.
“Do you want to go with them?”
Was this a trick question? A test?
I glanced over at Cam, and his eyes seemed to say, “It’s okay.” Luce tightened his hold on me, and I took it to mean the same. I shook my head and peered up at him. “No. I don’t want to go.”
“There’s your answer. Now, which one of you lucky three wants to be my messenger and relay that to your bullshit leader?”
The three guerrillas seemed to melt into each other, understanding that this situation had just gone extremely bad for them.
“Not a single volunteer?” Cam asked.
“Astraea. You know if you don’t come with us now how much worse things will get for you,” Kevin tried to reason.
Bella suddenly appeared on the other side of the man on the steps. “Has anyone told you that you’re not only rude but also incredibly stupid?”
A twisted grin spread across her pretty face. “She said she didn’t want to go. I heard her from the top of the stairs. I guess you missed that. I think that should disqualify you from being messenger.”
“That’s a good point, Bell,” Cam agreed.
The look Kevin gave me could have inflamed the entire Badlands. It appeared I was to blame for this.
“What the fuck was that?” Luce gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and then dropped his arm. Everything thereafter happened within seconds. He nudged me towards the steps and both Bella and the man who randomly introduced himself as Ice moved me up to stand alongside them.
By then, Luce had already wrapped his hand around Kevin’s throat.
He was only about six feet tall, making him a few inches shorter. That didn’t hinder his ability to lift Kevin off the ground. The muscles in his back visibly flexed from the strength he was using, but even as he reached into his rear pocket and removed a glistening blade, he kept his hand easily secured around Kevin’s throat.
He drove the pointed tip clean through his right eye, going deep enough that I was positive nothing could repair it, but not so far as to kill him. The scream that tore through the air had goosepimples erupting across my flesh. I had never heard a man scream like this.
My lips parted at the first sight of blood. It trailed down his face without a discernible pattern, dripping onto the floor.
This was more satisfying than his fear. It was nice not to be on the receiving end of brutality for once.
Luce pulled his knife out and grinned. “There. Now you and your new roommate have something in common.”
Still holding him by his neck, Luce handed Kevin off to one of the acolytes. “Take him to meet Butcher.”
The guerillas that had come with him watched on helplessly as two acolytes silently did as they were told.
Who was Butcher? That was the second time I’d heard that name. No one else in the room batted an eyelid. This seemed to be normal for them. Given their faction, it wasn’t all that shocking behavior.
Kevin was carted down the hall I’d initially been down, his wails carrying through the house.
The remaining guerrillas made no effort to stop anything that had just happened. They remained seemingly frozen in place, the terror on their faces unmistakable.
