Page 32 of The Dawning
I tried to speak but couldn’t. I had no words as my eyes grew wider than the gorge I’d seen the other day.
My sister Rianne was dressed to fight a war—black jeans, flak boots, weapons strapped around her waist and legs, bulletproof vest, and a ball cap that had the initials EML on the front. She smiled broadly as she puffed out her chest.
Standing next to her was none other than my cousin Noah. His blackish-brown hair curled around his ball cap. The pompous ass smirked as his dark eyes filled with victory and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. He wore the same outfit as Rianne. The only difference between them was that Rianne was holding a dart gun and Noah had a sword, his weapon of choice when we’d hunted as a family.
I shouldn’t laugh, but I couldn’t help myself. How times had changed. Now I was no longer the hunter but thehunted.
I laughed even harder when Rianne pulled out earplugs. The witch knew my secret weapon.
But her condescending grin faded when her gaze dropped to my stomach.
I gave her a blinding smile as though I had the upper hand, and for fuck’s sake, I didn’t. Especially not when a man dressed just like the stupid duo came up behind Rianne, aiming his dart gun at me.
Raising my hands, I kept smiling because Rianne was still staring at my belly. I shouldn’t be acting like this was a joke or some fun game. But I couldn’t help myself. The shocked look on her face was priceless.
Rianne snapped her fingers. “Noah, take her to Carly. If she fights, cut off her head.” She eyed her guard. “You—with me. I want to find that wolf. She’s hurt, so she can’t have gone far.”
If I had any love left for my sister, it instantly vanished. But one thing was certain: she might’ve won this round, but she wouldn’t win the next.
13
LAYLA
Noah kept pushing me as we trudged through the woods. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been walking. Maybe minutes. Maybe hours. To me, it sure as fuck felt like days. My body was about to give out, my legs especially. My brain, on the other hand, was running rampant with questions galore. But one stuck out brighter than the lightning zipping across the sky. Would my cousin follow orders and cut off my head? Possibly. Noah was enough of a hothead to do something as cruel as kill his own kin—particularly one who was in bed with the enemy. Even more frightening was how easily Rianne had spit out the order. It gutted me that our relationship as sisters was over. I didn’t see how we would ever recover or return to the days where she had my back and I had hers.
The immediate issue was my bastard cousin. I itched to strangle him. If I wasn’t pregnant, I would, despite the sword in his hands. I’d always been quicker on my feet than Noah. I’d also bested him three times, although he had filled out more since he was eighteen. Plus, he had the type of attitude that packed more of a punch than his fists.
The rain poured down, sparking memories of that stormy day in Montana when I’d sprinted to save Sam from the clutches of Noah and Rianne. A wild, nervous laugh escaped me. Now I was the one who needed to be rescued. I had no doubt that Sam would move mountains to save me. However, I worried that the chip in his head might throw a wicked curveball into the mix.
I was also concerned for Rebekah. Hopefully, Rianne didn’t catch her. Not that Rebekah could take down Intech on her own, but I liked the she-wolf. She also knew the mountains and would be a great asset to Sam.
Noah shoved me up an embankment. “Move!” he shouted above the blaring storm.
My arms flew outward to break my fall, and one of my knees hit a dead branch. The pointy piece of wood was sharp as it punctured through my leggings.
Anger as hot as the sun on a humid summer day barreled through my veins. I pressed my hands into the muddy soil. When I did, I grabbed a rock that was lying near my right hand.
“Get up!” he shouted.
I wasn’t supposed to despise family, but the hatred I had for Noah scorched my insides, and a wild need to kill erupted.
I pushed up until I was on my feet, then climbed the hill a foot or two, the road in my sight. The idea of freedom came to mind.
Run like the wind, Layla.
I wanted to, but first I had to slow him down or hopefully knock him out with the rock in my hand, then take the sword and slice off his head. I scrambled up to the road as fast as I could, then glanced both ways. A van with its back doors open was parked about twenty-five yards from where I stood. No way was I getting into another fucking van unless I was the one driving. Maybe they’d left the keys in it for a quick getaway.
“Go ahead and run, cousin,” he said. “I’ll catch you.”
I threw the rock with a somewhat steady hand. When it hit Noah’s head, he floundered, losing his footing, His arms pinwheeled as he fell backward. The sword dropped to the muddy earth as he tumbled down, fighting for purchase, trying to find something to grab to stop his downward trajectory—but gravity was a beautiful thing as he tumbled and rolled.
I watched, smiling broadly as his body was about to ram into the large evergreen behind him. Just before it did, I ran toward the van, hoping the keys were in it. If not, I could hot-wire it. I’d done it before when Jordyn had lost the keys to our dilapidated Nissan.
I huffed and puffed, running for my life. The moment I reached the driver’s side door, the van shook and then there was a boom.
Stymied, I walked backward into the middle of the road and glanced up. It sounded like something had landed on the roof. Shock stole the breath from my lungs as I froze until a peal of thunder boomed and jarred me out of my stupor. What the fuck in tarnation?
Peering down at me, the monster smiled, showing fangs.
