Page 79 of Love in the Wild

The group in the shallows froze. Holt spun in Thorne’s direction, pulling Eden in front of him as a shield, one hand around her throat and a gun pressed into her side. She was beautiful, defiant, brave, even in the face of such danger.

Thorne leapt down from the trees, landing gracefully in a crouch, then standing slowly. Perhaps fifty paces separated them, twenty strides, but Thorne didn’t mind the distance. It was the men who held all the guns that gave him pause. There were twelve in total. Too many for him to attack alone. But the others were coming, and they too were armed.

“You want the girl? You know my terms. Surrender yourself. Take me to the cave, and I’ll let her go.”

Eden struggled in his hold. “He’s lying!” Eden shouted before Holt squeezed her neck. She gasped as he choked her into silence.

Thorne took another few steps, his hands raised.

“I will surrender if you let her go.” Thorne would take his chances once Eden was safe, but he knew Holt had every intention of killing them both.

“Come closer. My men will bind your hands, and then I’ll set her free.”

“No!” Eden choked, her face red as she thrashed. Thorne stepped into the shallows of the river, his gaze never leaving Eden’s face. Her green eyes were full of fear, not for herself but for him. She shook her head at him, pleading for him to go. He held her gaze, speaking to her without words.

You are the mate of my heart, the mate of my soul. I would die for you.

“Bind him!” Holt ordered. A pair of mercenaries approached Thorne cautiously with a short coil of rope. Thorne held still as his wrists were bound in front of him.

“Walk ahead of me, slowly now,” Holt ordered.

Thorne waded past him in the shallows. The closer he came to Holt, the stronger that feeling of destiny grew, a crying out, pleading to him for help. He could hear it so clearly now, just as he could hear and understand the animals.

And it was coming from Holt.

More specifically, it was coming from Holt’s vest pocket. He could almost see it glowing through the fabric.

Thorne stopped and turned around. “You did not choose to come here.”

Holt frowned, not understanding. “I think you have that the wrong way around, monkey boy.”

Thorne shook his head. “You were called here to return something that does not belong to you.”

Holt laughed. “Again, you have that the wrong way around. I’m here totake. When I found the cave, I only got a taste of what it had to offer. I’ve been trying to get the rest for more than twenty years.”

Thorne shook his head. “No. You took something from here, long ago. This land is alive, and you took its heart.”

At that, Holt’s laugh froze, and his hand almost unwittingly reached toward his upper vest pocket. He opened the flap and pulled out a bright uncut stone that seemed to glow in the sunlight. The voices in Thorne’s head were no longer whispers. They were now a steady chant, and he was certain that Holt could hear their words as well.

“You have been called here to return it and to answer for your crimes.”

The expression on Holt’s face turned from one of confidence to uncertainty, and then to desperation. He knew he wasn’t being led to his fortune, but to his execution.

Thorne pointed in the direction they had to go. “Come. The cave awaits you.”

As soon as his back was turned, Eden screamed, warning him just in time, but he turned a second too late. A cold blade sank into Thorne’s side. Holt held the lethal dagger in him for a long second before pulling it out, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

“I’ll not let you win, you hear me? The treasure in that cave is mine, and I will get it, either from you or from someone else!” he snarled as he held Thorne close in a deadly embrace.

For a second, Thorne could only stare at Holt. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. The cave was supposed to deal with him.Destiny.What about destiny?

Eden rammed her elbow into Holt’s stomach, and he grunted, releasing her. She swung, punching him in the jaw even as he reached for his gun. Through pain-fogged eyes, Thorne watched helplessly as the gun fired.

Eden cried out, falling back into the water, a bloom of red spreading across the water. Thorne broke through the haze of pain and splashed toward her, but they were too close to the edge of the falls.

“Eden!”

She struggled to stand. “Thorne, look out!” Thorne knew Holt was coming for him, but it didn’t matter—only Eden did. She was on her feet now, barely holding her ground against the pull of the water as it vanished over the towering falls.

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