Page 82 of Kissing the Villain

“Wake up,” a man grumbled.

Following his command, I opened my eyes, shocked to see a dark street lined with shops.

“Run,” he ordered.

I glanced to my left, then to my right.

No one was there.

What the fuck?

Am I losing it again?

I pressed my palm to the pavement, using every ounce of energy to pull myself up. My fight-or-flight mode kicked into high gear, adrenaline coursing through my veins like gasoline.

“Get up,” a male voice shouted. “Run!”

Panicked, I bolted down the street, desperate to find my way home. Four sets of footsteps pounded the pavement behind me, following me into the heart of Beacon Bay.

I darted past deserted storefronts, my legs aching as I rounded the corner. Ignoring the groan of my muscles and the throbbing at the base of my skull, I ran faster. Passing a hair salon, an indie bookstore, and two boutiques, I eventually stopped at The River Styx.

The rundown bar was at the end of the block, with its red and black sign dangling from the metal hooks.

Like it was taunting me.

All the devils are here.

I needed a break, a second to refill my lungs. But with the men seconds from catching up to me, I had to keep going.

A group of men tumbled out of the bar and walked toward me dressed in dark jeans and short-sleeved T-shirts.

“Help me,” I yelled, waving my hands.

Instead of rushing to my aid, they stopped, wicked smirks turning up the corners of their mouths. Under the lamplight, I glimpsed their painted faces.

Snakes.

The Serpents.

My mouth dropped in horror as fear rocked through me. The tallest of the group had golden scales. Another man had yellow scales with white chevrons. The dark-haired man at his side had greenish-yellow skin, and the last man looked like a black mamba.

“You want answers,” the black mamba hissed. “We can’t give them to you. Not until you remember what you did.”

I attempted to run in the opposite direction, but the men who followed me to The River Styx were only a few feet away. To my left were The Serpents, and to my right were the four Salvatore brothers.

No, no, no…

I closed my eyes and blinked several times to clear my vision, but they were still there.

Four Serpents.

Four Salvatores.

Shifting my gaze between them, I breathed deeply through my nose to calm down. My lungs worked too hard, the air draining from them with each shallow breath I took.

Five, four, three, two, one.

I chanted the words in my head, telling myself it would be over soon.

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