Page 50 of Nick
Her hand gripped the weapon tighter, knuckles whitening.She was an injured predator, limping through the darkness, driven by the need for retribution.
Her breaths came in shallow bursts, and she silently prayed that they wouldn’t betray her approach.
And then, as she rounded a bend, the scent of him hit her hard—aftershave and sweat mixed with something foul, a corruption of soul that seemed to seep from his very pores.
His silhouette loomed just yards away, his back to her, his attention fixed on something beyond her line of sight.
With a surge of adrenaline, she quickened her pace, each barefoot step soundless against the stone floor.
Just as she drew within striking distance, Percy spun around.His eyes widened in surprise—or perhaps recognition.For a split second, time seemed to dilate, stretching between them.
Then Sarah lunged forward, her fingers tight around the hilt of the knife.Her arm swung in an arc, aimed with desperate precision at Percy’s throat.
“Traitorous bitch,” Percy snarled, dodging to the side with a fluidity she should have expected.The blade sliced through air, grazing the fabric of his shirt instead of flesh.
Panting, Sarah tried to muster her strength for another blow, but her body betrayed her.Blood loss fogged her vision, making the stark walls of the mine swim and blur into indistinct shadows.She swayed, her grip on the knife faltering as dizziness overtook her.
Percy took advantage of her weakness, his hand shooting out like a viper strike to wrest the weapon from her grasp.It slipped from her sweaty palm, leaving her defenseless.
His laugh echoed off the stone, a cruel sound that cut deeper than any blade.
“Did you really think you could take me down?”he asked, holding the weapon just out of her reach.“You’re weak, Sarah.Always have been.”
No.I can’t let him win.
Percy may have taken her weapon, but she still had her will, and she was not done fighting yet.
Blood loss made her limbs leaden.Percy smirked above her, weapon in hand, his presence a mocking insult.
“Get up, Sarah,” Percy goaded, his voice a serrated whisper that threatened to unravel the last threads of her control.
Sarah’s eyes narrowed, her anger a living thing writhing inside her chest.
She would not let him see her break.She focused inward, calling to the beast beneath her skin, but it was like reaching through a fog—thick and unyielding.
Her body refused her silent pleas, remaining painfully human.
“Pathetic,” Percy spat.
A growl echoed through the tunnel, menacing, vibrating the very air around them.It wasn’t hers.
Percy’s head whipped around, his attention snapping to the darkness behind her.
Sarah didn’t need to look to know what—or who—it was.The familiar, beautiful scent flooded her senses, overpowering even the stench of blood and sweat.Nick.
Pushing to her feet while Percy was distracted, Sarah reached into the pocket of the pants she’d pulled on before she’d gone outside to get her phone—God, what seemed like days before, but had probably only been hours.
Her fingers closed around the nail she’d used to break the lock on her chains.
Gathering the last remnant of her failing strength, Sarah launched herself at Percy.
He caught her easily—but he wasn’t expecting it when she slammed the nail into his chest.
Percy huffed an irritated laugh, but Sarah’s move had distracted him yet again.
Just as she’d planned.
Without warning, a massive form barreled out of the shadows, a blur of tan fur and snarling teeth.Nick, in his glorious wolf form, collided with Percy, sending both men crashing to the ground in a tangle of limbs and fury.
