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His eyes snap to mine, and his impassive demeanour shatters as he snarls. “I don’tcarewhat you agreed to. I’m taking something he loves, and he’llneverget it back.”
I blink rapidly. “I don’t understand. You can’t just take me away from him. We’re in love, Archer. We’re going to get married when we’re old enough.”
I tilt my chin defiantly at that last bold statement, feeling the truth of it in my very bones. But Archer cocks his head to the side, his eyes dropping down the length of my body before slowly returning to my face.
“Oh, little deer. Don’t you see? I have you exactly where I want you. The game of Truth or Dare. The GHB that Layla gave our Cade here means he’ll be out for quite a while—he probably won’t even remember what happened today.”
His eyes flash with delight while my breaths come in short bursts. My mind is whirring to catch up to everything he’s laid out before me.
“Daring him to swim so that you’d beg me to save him…” He laughs, his smile similar but oh-so different from his twin. “You both played right into my hands. And now you’re here, alone, and ripe for the taking. The same way Caden here took everything from me. Oh–I know we share. Our mother made sure of it from an early age. But Caden here is the golden child. He pisses sunshine and farts excellence—the boy can do no wrong.”
He snorts darkly before rising to stand, and my knees almost buckle when a bolt of fear roots me to the spot.
“It’s all because he was so sick when we were little. Almost died from blood poisoning…pity he hadn’t.”
I shake my head in bewilderment. “Caden almost died?”
Archer presses his lips together in a semblance of a smile that looks more like a grimace. “Yup, he sure did. Stole all their attention and then stole all their love, leaving me in the fucking cold. If it hadn’t been for Layla…she’s the only person who ever loved me—or as close to love as her parents ever taught her.”
He steps forward, one foot then the other, and his grimace turns into something else entirely. His eyes take on an almost manically gleeful look that scares me to the core.
“Butyou, little deer, are the one thing my brother loves more than anything or anyone else. A blind man could see that he thinks you hung the fucking moon, as well as all the stars in the damn sky. So, when I fuck you—when I steal that pussy he thinks is his—that love will be tainted. He’llneverlove you the same way he did, and I’ll have ruined his life the same way he’s ruined mine.”
I swallow roughly as he comes even closer. “Please, Archer. You don’t have to do this. I will sleep with you willingly…I’ll explain to Caden—”
He barks a laugh. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m going to fuckingruinyou. I’m going to hurt you so bad that you won’t be able to stand his touch or the touch of any man. It’s the only way to make sure he can never have what he wants.”
My hand moves of its own volition, flying out to strike him harshly across his smirking face, and as his head snaps to one side, I spin on my heel to run. But he’s too fast.
He reaches out, grasping my long hair in his fist, jerking me back, and my scream pierces the air around us.
“Not so fast, little deer. The fun is just getting started.”
His words at the top of my spine are the impetus that my adrenaline needs to fight back. I pull my head forward just enough that I can throw it back with force. The back of my skull connects with his face, and I see stars from the impact.
Archer reels backwards. “You fuckingbitch. I think you broke my damn nose!”
I stagger forward, shaking my head and blinking repeatedly to dispel the dizziness that threatens to consume me. My feet find purchase on the flower-covered meadow beneath me, and each step I take is easier than the last until, after what feels like an age, the earth has steadied.
Glancing back, I can see Archer is holding blood-soaked hands to his face, but despite his wounded state, his eyes scream violence and unhinged hatred. As he lets his hands fall away, a huge gash across his brow, with another across the bridge of his nose, is revealed.
“You’re fucking dead now, little deer. I’ll kill you for that.”
And the look on his face makes me believe every word, so I turn and run as fast as my shaking legs can carry me. My heart is in my ears, but even louder is the sound of his feet on the long grass, closing the gap between us. He’s almost upon me when I veer sharply to the right, heading closer to the river, desperate to put the water between us.
He’s bigger and stronger, but I’m the better swimmer.
I make it to the water's edge and dive in, kicking as though my life depends on it.
Because it does.
The splash behind me tells me he’s followed me in, but between the swift slowing current and my superior ability, I put the much-needed space between us, reaching the Mill in under two minutes.
“Give up, little deer.”
Archer’s shout behind me makes me kick my legs even faster, and soon, I’ve rounded the bend in the river just beyond the Mill. When I’m out of sight, I edge towards the riverbank and pull myself out before ducking into the nearby foliage.
Holding my breath, I lay amongst the overgrown grass and brambles, thorns ripping through my delicate skin, but I don’t make a sound. If he finds me, I have no doubt in my mind that he’s mad enough and clearly troubled enough to do more than just physical harm to me.
