Page 454 of Coal Hearts

Tears stung my eyes as the connection between us snapped free.

Emptiness flowed from him.

Vacant emotions and bone-icing nothingness.

Kyle cut me deeper. “I’ll do it. I’ll fucking—”

Henri flew.

One second, he stalked us. The next, he knocked me backward, using my weight to crunch Kyle to the ground. With cold, vicious hands, he tore Kyle’s fingers off my neck, ripped him off me, then dragged him away, kicking and screaming.

Coughing and choking, I scrambled to my feet, swaying a little at the onslaught of so many pounding bruises. My skin glowed with crimson paint, but beneath the red sludge, my flesh already welted with purple and black. A morbid rainbow of bruises that marked me as the chosen one.

Rachel and Mollie charged to my side and clutched me close. “Are you okay? Did he—”

“Don’t.” Pushing past them, I limped forward, needing to keep my eyes on Henri.

He felt all wrong.

Lost.

Broken.

Kyle kept yelling obscenities and curses, all while Henri tossed him onto his back and planted a foot against his chest.

“Get off me, you cunt.” Grabbing a handful of pebbles, Kyle threw them into Henri’s face.

With a grunt, Henri fell back. Clawing at his eyes, he gave Kyle a split-second window to shoot to his feet.

He launched himself at Henri.

The two men went wheeling back, fists flying, bodies twisting.

Kyle might be smaller, but his temper kept him evenly matched.

“We have to go.” Rachel tugged my arm. “We’ll follow where the other Masters went. I know them. They’re sick, but they’re afraid of Victor, so they won’t touch us now the game is over.”

“I agree.” Mollie took my hand. “Let’s grab Peter and—”

Henri bellowed as Kyle kicked him in the balls, then charged to the fallen knife.

“No!” I raced toward him, desperate to get the blade before Kyle did.

We arrived together.

I ducked for it.

Pain as he backhanded me and sent me flying.

In a blur of tears, I watched as he fisted the knife and bolted toward Henri.

“Watch out!” I screamed.

Lowering his hands from between his legs, blinking past grit, Henri braced himself just as Kyle launched through the sky and stabbed him.

The blade sank into Henri’s bicep, the tip vanishing into his arm.

For a moment, nothing happened.