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“No fucking way,” he yelled, jerking from our buddy’s hold. “No one will be left on this mountain. Do you fucking hear me?” Riggs threw himself into the wall of flames, another blast of heat singeing my skin.
“This can’t happen!” I snapped, trying to go after him. I made it through the furnace blast of heat, struggling to be able to see anything. Jesus Christ. I turned in a full circle, unable to make out anything but huge balls of orange. I could hear Riggs calling her name, yelling it over and over again.
I barreled through another section of forest, my lungs on fire from the lack of air.
“Jesus. We’re can’t get through this,” Colt yelled from somewhere close. Everything was disorienting, the hissing sounds drowning out everything else. As I heard a massive cracking sound, I banked to the right, barely avoiding the falling limb. It crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom, igniting another fire.
“Fuck,” I yelped, wiping my eyes as I tried to focus.
“I can’t… I tried… No. Use.” Ricardo’s voice was filled with agony.
“We have to. I can’t. I won’t.” There was nothing like the agonizing sound of Riggs’ voice, the sadness and anger exactly the way I felt.
I couldn’t allow this to happen. No, I wouldn’t. I rushed forward, locating Riggs and Colt, refusing to allow her to die. No one was going to die on my watch.
“Fuck, no. Get out of here. I’m not coming back until Belle is found. Do you fucking hear me?” I snapped out the words then headed into the thickest part of the forest.
And directly into another explosion of flames.
“No! We’re not losing you too. We’re getting the fuck out of here,” Riggs called after me.
“No. No…”
Six boys had trudged up the mountain acting like kings of the hill. When they’d come back down, they’d been forced to turn into men because of a horrible tragedy.
Phoenix refused to use his given name of Riggs Wentworth, preferring the moniker earned while in the Marines. Ricardo Garcia had left a broken man, now using the name of Snake, returning after being held a prisoner of war then lost in the system. Houston Sowers refused to use the earned nickname of Jaguar, acting as if he didn’t deserve the title. Colt Rivers had been a damn good helicopter pilot, earning the label of Falcon, but he’d gone from the Marines to Nashville without looking back. Only Gage Beckham had remained in Missoula, facing the ugly criticism for the horrible event, almost landing himself in prison while spiraling out of control.
Then there was the Wolfman, a guy so riddled with guilt that he hadn’t been able to have a normal relationship with anyone. I wasn’t proud of it, but it was something I thought about from time to time. I’d been told it was time to exorcise the demons. I didn’t have the skills to do that.
But the stir of need in my system was undeniable, even if it terrified the hell out of me.
As the wretched vision faded, I slowly turned my head in Lily’s direction. There was no way of knowing who this girl was or why she was here, but I refused to allow anything to happen to her.
Fuck anyone who tried.
CHAPTER4
Lily
Warmth.
Comfort.
Licks.
What? I shifted, feeling as if my body was floating on a sea of pillows, a warm breeze floating across my skin. I sensed I was smiling, basking in the moment. Then I heard something, a slight sound that seemed so far away.
Suddenly, my skin tingled from another series of wet… wet? Hold on. As a rush of heat blasted across my face, I struggled to comprehend what was happening to me. My eyes couldn’t focus, my mind fuzzy.
Woof!
A dog?
“Sam. Come here. Now.”
The voice was gruff, dark, and foreboding, yet sensual all at the same time. When I felt another slice of wetness, I finally let off a moan, the sound startling and unrecognizable. I jerked up, finally able to open my eyes. And I was staring into the face of a huge… beast. “No!” Every muscle ached, my head pounding. I struggled to take a deep breath, rolling over, still unable to focus enough to figure out where I was.
“Leave her alone, Sam.”
