Page 170 of Down Knot Out
“You think you can fight me?” He crawls up my body. “You’re nothing without your precious Alphas.”
I twist onto my back, bringing my knee up hard between his legs. Simon howls, doubling over, but recovers faster than I expect. The knife flashes as he slashes blindly, catching my arm, and fire races along my skin as blood wells from the cut.
He lunges for me again. “I’m going to carve those Marks right off your neck!”
I roll away, my hand closing around a fallen branch. I swing it with all my strength, catching him across the temple. The wood splinters, but Simon barely flinches.
His fist connects with my cheek, sending me sprawling. The world spins, dirt and pine needles filling my mouth. Before I can push myself up, Simon’s weight crashes onto my back, pinning me to the ground.
“I was supposed to have everything,” he pants, his breath hot on my neck. “The girl, the fortune, the legacy. I did everything right.”
His fingers tangle in my hair, slamming my face into the dirt. Blood and dirt fill my mouth, and Istruggle to breathe as his weight compresses my lungs. “You ruined it all. Now I’m going to ruin you.”
The weight shifts as he flips me over, straddling my hips. The knife reappears, the blade sharp against my throat. His face looms above me, streaked with blood from his nose and hatred twisting his narrow features.
“Simon,” I gasp through the pain, “don’t do this.”
“Too late for begging.” A sting comes from my throat, followed by a trickle of warmth that runs down my neck. “No one’s coming to save you this time.”
As his weight shifts, and he adjusts his grip on the knife, movement comes from the darkness behind him, glowing eyes reflecting the distant firelight.
A guttural growl splits the night, so deep it vibrates through the ground beneath my back.
Simon freezes, knife still pressed to my throat. As the growl comes again, closer this time, his head turns slowly. “What the?—”
The shadows behind him coalesce into a massive form, teeth gleaming in the darkness.
Sprinkles launches through the air, a black shadow of fur and fury. His massive body slamsinto Simon with enough force to send both of them tumbling. The knife flies from Simon’s hand, disappearing into the underbrush as Sprinkles pins him to the ground with two hundred pounds of Newfoundland muscle.
Simon shrieks, a sound so high and thin it sounds inhuman. His arms flail as Sprinkles’ massive jaws close around his shoulder, not piercing the skin, but holding him in place with tremendous strength.
I scramble backward on hands and knees, my body moving before my mind can catch up. Blood drips from the shallow cut on my neck, and each breath burns from smoke and exertion.
“Sprinkles,” I rasp.
The dog’s ears twitch, but his focus remains on Simon, who lies frozen beneath him. Sprinkles’ growl continues, a continuous rumble that vibrates through the forest floor.
“Get it off me!” Simon’s face contorts with terror. “Please! Call it off!”
I push myself to my feet, legs trembling. “Sprinkles is trained not to bite unless commanded. Unlike you, he can control himself.”
Despite my words, Sprinkles’ chest heaves with labored breaths, and I’m not sure how long the dog can hold Simon.
A small movement in the trees catches my eye. Quinn crouches behind a broad tree trunk, her scared face pale in the darkness.
“Quinn.” I move toward her with my hands outstretched.
She bursts from her hiding place and flies into my arms. Her small body collides with mine hard enough to steal my breath.
I hold her tight. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”
Her arms wind around my neck, holding on so tight it hurts. “I ran to find help. Uncle Blake and Uncle Dom are coming.”
As if summoned by her words, flashlight beams cut through the trees. Voices call my name, growing closer with each second.
“Over here!” I shout, the effort sending me into a coughing fit.
Footsteps crash through the underbrush. Dominic appears first, face twisted in fear. Blake and Nathaniel follow close behind, with uniformed officers at their heels.
