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er belly over the log. The same damn log where Beast had made love to her the day before. Somehow, knowing it was the same log made everything worse. He watched her fight. Watched her struggle. Why wasn’t she screaming for him?
Fuck. Did she think he couldn’t save her?
How the hell was he going to save her?
Something caught his eye at the water’s edge, and he could have sworn he was seeing things. A huge black caiman lumbered out of the water. It must have been fourteen feet long. And its eyes were on Belinda and her rapist, drawn to them by the scent of Belinda’s blood.
Beast tried to take another step and landed against the tree trunk, unable to do anything but watch, helpless as the guard struck Belinda across the face and she hit her head on the tree. He had to do something. Anything. The guard threw her back over the log and unzipped his pants. Belinda vomited. Beast felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest and trampled into the dirt.
No. No. No. No. No.
He fought to make his legs work and almost fell out of the tree, watching as Belinda was brutalised, helpless to do anything to stop it.
It was a nightmare.
A fucking endless nightmare.
Beast had to do something. He had to do it now. He tested his legs. They held his weight better this time, but there was no knowing if he’d make it to her in time. The monkeys were going insane above him. Something howled in the distance. He thought he heard Belinda call his name, but it could have been his imagination.
He scanned his surroundings, looking for something, anything, that would help her, and then he saw it. The rifle. He cursed himself. He’d forgotten all about it. His brain wasn’t working properly yet. He was too damn weak to think straight.
He threw himself onto his belly on the branch, snatched up the gun and aimed.
He didn’t hesitate. Adrenalin gave his muscles enough strength to keep steady, and he took the shot.
It was true.
He watched the blood spurt from the guard’s shoulder, saw him jerk back from Belinda. She didn’t move, draped over the log like a rag doll. At least she was out of the line of fire. Beast aimed high and took another shot. This time, he hit the guard in the arm; spinning the man and making him stumble. The guard landed flat on his back, blood pouring from him.
Belinda struggled to stand, leaning her weight on the log. Even from this distance, Beast could see she was shaking. There was blood trailing down her side, her breast and from the corner of her mouth. She watched in horror as her would-be rapist tried to get up. To get at her. His feet slid in the mud and he went back down. He shouted something at Belinda, making her shrink into herself. He was going to go after her again. And Beast didn’t have a clear shot this time.
“Run, Belinda!” he roared.
She stood frozen, watching her rapist. Beast didn’t even think she’d heard him.
The guard got to his knees and reached for her. She was too far away, and he lost his balance. With a furious curse, he slid onto his back in the mud, his arm stretched out at his side.
And the caiman launched at him.
The guard had been so focused on his prey that he hadn’t realised a much more powerful predator had him in its sights. The strong jaw of the caiman opened wide, and sharp teeth came down hard on the guard’s arm. Even from this distance, Beast heard the sound of bone crunching. An unholy scream rent the air, driving the animals hiding in the canopy to silence. Belinda’s hands flew to her mouth as her eyes went startlingly wide.
The guard kicked and screamed and struggled. The caiman was undeterred. He dragged the man straight into the lake. Beast and Belinda stared in horror as the water bubbled up in a cauldron of terror.
And then there was stillness.
Belinda stood immobile, staring at the water. Naked and bleeding. Alone. When she should never be alone.
“Baby,” Beast called. “Come over here. Come on.” He kept his voice soothing, afraid to scare her further.
She didn’t move. He wasn’t even sure she’d heard him. Beast pulled himself up to his knees. He had to get to her.
“Belinda,” he shouted.
No response. She was frozen in place.
With sheer determination and a clenched jaw, Beast half slid, half climbed down the tree, landing on his knees on the ground. He held on to one of the buttress roots and pulled himself to his feet, grateful that he didn’t fall straight back down. On shaky limbs, one agonisingly slow step at a time, he made his way towards her, keeping one eye on the lake in case another prehistoric reptile crawled out to get them.
Beast fell over twice more as his shaky limbs gave way. It took an eternity to get to Belinda. All the while he kept talking to her, letting her know he was coming. Making sure she was, at least on some level, aware of him.
