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I shake my head, but deep down part of me understands.
Gripping the dagger tightly, I push to my feet to stand in front of Bryce.
“Kneel.” The authority in his voice mixed with everything that just happened sends an unnecessary -and highly inappropriate- amount of heat through my body.
Without hesitation, Darian kicks out Bryce’s knees, forcing him to land on the ground with a grunt.
I twirl the dagger in my bandaged hand and flip it back and forth from handle to blade as guilt and anger war in me as Bryce glares at me with pure malice.
I’ve never killed anyone before.
It doesn’t mean I haven’t wanted to.
My eyes lock with Darian’s fierce gaze. The support and burning emotion I find within them reassures my decision, and I give a single nod.
Almost completely in sync, Darian tilts Bryce’s head backward, exposing his neck and in one swift movement, I drag the sharp metal deep into his flesh until it slices through the cartilage of his throat.
He makes desperate gurgling noises, but my gaze remains locked onto Darian’s as Bryce collapses to the forest floor.
I really should be more bothered about what I just did, but I feel nothing but relief.
Yet another thing I can never tell Claire.
My attention turns to Darian as he nonchalantly steps over Bryce’s fallen body, positioning himself in front of me. His head tilts slightly to the side and excitement brims within his mismatched eyes as they reflect the minimal light available in the forest.
“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” he says, searching my face.
I jerk my head back, “You’re sick.”
His dark chuckle sends heat through my body.
This is so wrong. I’m getting turned on when there are five dead bodies around us.
And here I called him the sick one.
My gaze slides over to the corpses littering the forest floor and bile rises in my throat. My stomach apparently not as iron-laden now that my rage has subsided.
Darian’s voice breaks my train of thought, “We should clean up and head back to camp.”
He’s also surveying the corpses around us as he speaks before his gaze lands on me, “There’s a small body of water near the camp, we should use it to clean up first,” His eyes trail down the length ofmy body, then Val’s before he looks himself over. “Not that I mind blood but I have a feeling you don’t want to sleep like this.”
Now that the adrenaline has worn off my body is heavy and simply nodding takes a conscious effort, but I manage one.
At this point, I’d be fine to sleep in anything.
Waking up, though? That’s when I’d regret it.
He gestures toward Val and I feel his gentle touch on the small of my back, guiding me to turn and follow in that direction.
After what feels like an hour the dense brush begins to thin, revealing a small clearing with a deep stream flowing downhill. Val confidently approaches the water, positioning himself near the point where it plunges further down. Without hesitation, he dives in, submerging his entire body, causing the water to turn a dark shade, even in the moonlight.
I walk over as he resurfaces, moving his soaked body to the edge to shake the excess water out of his fur.
Disregarding any concern for modesty, I strip my tattered clothing off and wade into the frigid water. The chill causing my teeth to chatter uncontrollably as the water rises to my navel. I take a few steps further until the water reaches my shoulders before I submerge my head fully vigorously scrubbing my face and scalp, disregarding the discomfort in my jaw.
Once satisfied that I’ve cleansed all traces of blood and dirt, I pull myself out of the water into the night air.
The cold penetrates my already frozen skin and my limbs tremble uncontrollably. With immense effort, I move where I had left my torn and bloodied clothes, realizing I’ll have nothing clean to wear.
