Page 108 of Wicked Trials (Boys of Briar Hall 2)

They might forgive him for that, in time.

“Make your choice, girl,” Diesel snarled, his tension rising as the others closed in. “Do it now.”

I inched closer to the ledge and a piece of stone chipped off under my foot, falling down to smash into another rock protruding from the waves below.

“And if I survive?” I asked, swallowing, my blood singing with what I was about to do.

Diesel tipped his head to one side, not understanding.

“If I survive, will you stop trying to kill me? Will you give me a real shot at passing these trials?”

He frowned, considering my requests, and maybe, my chances of survival.

“Perhaps.”

Fuck.

It would have to be good enough. There was no time left.

“There!” someone shouted, and I sheathed the crow blade, backed up, took three running steps, and launched myself from the edge of the cliff.

The ground vanished and my body dropped like a stone, hurtling through chilled night air, my hair flung back from my face. I tried to right myself, knowing feet first was the only way that wouldn’t result in injury, but at the last second, the wind shifted and I turned, flipping until I was face down, staring at rock and water and my impending death.

During the last hunt trial,Foley was dead within thirty-five minutes.

I jammed the side button on my phone, displaying the time and a text message from one of my contacts in Lennox. A drug dealer who’d sold to me when all the ones in Thorn Valley were threatened away by my brothers.

Dan the Man: Sorry man, no one with that description or injuries. I’ll keep my ear to the ground though. Can I get you anything? I got some real good Columbian shit. Pure.

My mouth dried at the offer, and it took me a full minute before I forced myself to delete the message without replying. Keeping the knowledge in my back pocket for if Ava Jade…

No.

It was after midnight now. She’d been gone for over two hours.

It was either a very good sign, or a very bad one.

Happy fucking birthday to me. Putting her in the ground on the day I was born would just be the cherry on the bad memory pie. I already wanted to expunge this date from existence. Wipe it from the calendar completely and pretend it was never there. I didn’t think it could get any worse.

As usual though, I was wrong.

Corvus had a drink in front of him, and though he hadn’t touched it, it was the closest I’d seen him come to drinking in years.

Grey was a fucking wreck, getting up to pace every few minutes, only to sit back down. I knew the feeling. The sense of being absolutely useless dug deep into the marrow of my bones. Festered there.

Corvus had been right. There was nothing we could do but wait.

Ava Jade needed to prove herself, just like all the other Saints had to. Just likewehad to. I could hardly blame Diesel for going harder on her given her history, but I would blame him if something happened to her. If she didn’t come back…

I couldn’t even imagine it.

Couldn’t let myself go there, or else I’d lose control.

No one would be safe until I saw that she was with my own eyes.

Another drink. Another minute of blissful numbness.

Wait. And drink. And wait some more.

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