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“Stop it!”
I shoved my body between them, twisting to maintain my balance and expose my unprotected back. No blows came. Apparently the man wasn’t interested in me at all, his vengeance was directed solely on Bryce. Even now he was raising his arms again, preparing to rain down additional blows.
“I said STOP!”
In the middle of his next punch, the man disappeared. One second he was standing there, the next he was totally gone.
What the—
I looked sideways and there he was, rolling across the gravel-strewn cobbles. Camden had tackled him from one side, so fast that I’d missed it simply by blinking. He was in the process of kneeing the guy between the legs when Roderick’s hands locked themselves possessively over my upper arms.
“Are you alright?” he cried, shaking me frantically. His eyes scanned me up and down.
“Yes!” I shouted quickly. “But… Bryce!”
He knelt to check on his friend, but only long enough to get Bryce’s slow nod. He was still holding his side, his face grimacing in pain. But he was getting up. He was still moving.
“Unnngghhh!”
The next cry came from the man in black, and it was a cry of frustration mixed with pain. Camden had hit him already, knocking the mask crooked across his face. His eyeholes were no longer lined up. His mouth, twisted into a snarl, was half covered by the thick wool fabric.
“Hold him down,” Roderick growled, kneeling beside the man’s head. “Pin him tight!”
Camden did exactly that, shifting his entire weight until he was screwing his knees into the man’s shoulders. It was over and he knew it. The man stopped struggling.
“Now, who the fuck—”
In the middle of taking the mask off, Roderick stopped talking. His face went white with surprise, as did Camden’s, and Bryce’s too.
“What?” I said weakly.
They were all frozen, staring down into the man’s face. He was young and nondescript. No one I recognized. Aside from being twisted in pain, his face was almost handsome.
I was so angry I went to slap him.
“No.”
A hand caught mine, wrapping itself around my wrist. It was Camden’s.
“Leave him.”
I looked again, and the man on the ground no longer looked angry. And his pain wasn’t physical. It was emotional, for sure.
“Ryan…”
Camden stood up, and Roderick helped the intruder to his feet. His lip was quivering. He was crying openly. Practically bawling.
Then they were hugging him tightly…
And he was hugging them back.
Fifty-Two
KARISSA
I was beyond shocked. Completely at a loss. This man had crept up on us and attacked us and kicked Bryce so hard I heard his ribs crack. He’d shown up at our gate in the dead of night. Set fire to our supplies, most likely.
And now we were… hugging him?
