Page 74 of Beneath Her Skin

The scent of beer hits me strongly in the face, no literally hits me. Vanessa and some others begin tossing the alcohol all over me, soaking through my clothes, and until my hair is utterly drenched.

“I heard you don’t like fires,” Brad whispers against my ear. He chuckles, low and vile. “I wonder if the little strawberry will melt or burn to ashes first?”

Where the fuck is Riley? Hasn’t she noticed they’ve taken me?

Through the raging adrenaline and my heart rate about to send me into cardiac arrest, my consciousness fades away, black dots coat my vision, my limbs become slack, and my eyes flutter closed.

5

A BARGAIN FROZEN IN TIME

RILEY

Blood pours from my busted lip. At this point, I’m not even sure who gave it to me. I’ve never felt so strong, so powerful. Everyone who didn’t dare to jump into the brawl, crowd around me in a circle, their phones out recording the mayhem with dumbfounded looks on their stupid faces.

With all of my strength, I kick Amber in the abdomen, knocking her to the ground with an over-dramatic scream. She curls into a ball, whimpering and trying to gain any form of sympathy she can get.

The haze of the madness ebbs as I look around for my strawberry sunshine—my Willow—but I can’t find her. Fury takes hold once more as I tower over Amber’s cowering form.

Stepping on her fingers and twisting my boot until her bones crunch beneath my weight I seethe, “Where is she?”

Amber cries out, whimpering and blubbering while her fingers break under my foot. I pick up my boot and stomp down again like a rampaging beast.

I kneel closer to her, tears racing through the black-smudged makeup on her cheeks. “You’re breaking my fingers!” She squeals like a pig in a slaughterhouse.

“That’s not all I’m going to fucking break.” The coppery scent of blood mixes in the air with alcohol and sweat. It’s intoxicating. And I fear if I don’t find Willow soon, or intact, I may give in to my bloodthirsty cravings. “Where.” I slam my boot into her side. “Is.” My boot meets her ribs once more, her cries of agony never cease. “Willow?”

I bring my foot back to deliver another blow, when Heidi gets up, spitting blood onto the floor from her crimson-soaked mouth. “Your girlfriend is out back getting roasted like a marshmallow. Better hurry, bitch.” She grins sadistically, nodding her head to the back door.

“If she’s hurt in any way, I will kill every single one of you.” All emotion drains from me. My eyes darken a shade as I look upon my enemies faces, converting them all to memory.

Without another word, I dart towards the back door, prepared for another fight. But what I find when I exit into the warm summer air, I could never have prepared for.

There, next to the crackling flames of a bonfire, tied to a wooden stake and unconscious, is Willow. Small flames flicker, eating up the oxygen carried by the wind as the fire begins to lap at the soles of her shoes. Thick, black smoke rises from beneath her.

I’ve never moved faster in my life, going from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye, I race through the gawking crowd tomyWillow. In front of the fire pit, I reach down and grab the switchblade I stashed earlier in my boot, cause you never know what kind of fucked up situation you’ll land in to need one.

Leaping over the flames that try to pull me into their suffocating embrace, I cling to Willow to keep me steady. Her skin is slick with sweat and she smells like stale beer. I lightly tap her face. “Willow, baby, I need you to wake up. I’m here. I’ve got you,” I say hastily.

She slowly comes back, until her emerald eyes pop open in fear of the very real danger surrounding us. She begins hyperventilating watching the blaze inch closer. Heat dances up my legs, the fire getting too close for comfort. “Eyes on me, Will. I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?”

She nods, whimpering and holding back tears.

The blade slices through her rope bindings with little resistance to her wrists and around her waist. Her arms wring tightly around my neck, clinging to me. “Hold your breath,” I choke out as smoke fills my lungs.

My feet burn, and I don’t dare check to see if an orange hue has engulfed my favorite combat boots. The only thing that matters is making sure that she is safe.

I spin us around, grabbing the back of her thighs as she instinctively wraps them around me. The fire has risen substantially, so this might fucking suck.

I back up as far as I can and hurdle through the inferno that wants to swallow us whole. I hiss as my skin cracks and peels on the way out, but we emerge from the fire, like phoenixes rising from the ashes. Only our return fuels the vengeance skating in my veins.

We gasp and choke in precious oxygen as we land safely in the grass. With Willow beneath me, I quickly scan her for any major injuries, and thankfully find none. My feet are scorching, and I scramble to kick off my boots that are very much on fire.

I grab her cheeks, latching our gazes on one another. “They burned my favorite boots. And they tried to take you away from me. This can’t continue, Will,” I breathe, pushing her strawberry blonde hair out of her face.

She makes a sound, almost as if she were trying to speak. “I… I…” her voice quivers as she attempts to talk to me. For the first time.

“Shhh. It’s okay,” I murmur, placing my forehead against hers. “They don’t get to hear your pretty voice. That’s only for me, okay?”

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