“I am hungry. Balen would only stop for bathroom breaks and snacks,” I admitted. “Thank you, Hannah.”
Hannah kissed me on the cheeks then straightened abruptly, her gaze turning toward the window. “God, I must be really tired. I’m hearing things. I’ll be right back. I just need to check something.”
“Do you need some help?” I asked. Not that I could help a Scar.
Hannah opened the side door. “No. No. Just relax. Sometimes when I’m overtired, I have trouble blocking sounds out. I’ll just check it out.”
I helped myself to more tea and decided I’d get started on making something to eat for me and Balen.
I found the frying pan in the drawer beneath the stainless-steel stove and grabbed the carton of eggs out of the refrigerator. I was about to place them on the counter when a loud crash next to me sent the eggs flying and I stumbled backward into the barstools. The window above the sink shattered, sending shards of glass everywhere.
Something flew through the air and landed under the stool and began leaking green smoke. What the hell? I coughed and gagged at the smell and quickly covered my nose and mouth as the pungent smell filled the room in a dense cloud.
I stumbled from the kitchen and plowed into a hard chest. “Balen what is . . .” I looked up and saw the man was wearing a balaclava and holding a knife.
I spun around to run in the other direction when a hand locked on my arm and yanked me back. I slammed my elbow into his stomach and the guy grunted then hitched my arm up behind my back until I cried out.
“Got one,” the man said.
I screamed as he jerked up harder on my arm and I fell to my knees. I struggle against his hold, but he flipped me onto my back, straddled me and wrapped his hand around my neck, crushing my windpipe. I pulled and pried at his fingers, my lungs screaming for air.
Then I saw it. A needle. He bit off the cap and thrust it toward my neck.
I kicked my legs as I felt the pinprick.
Suddenly, he was thrown off me and fell beside me; a knife plunged into the side of his neck. He made this strange gurgling noise as blood spewed from his mouth before his eyes went dead.
“Oh, my God.” I scrambled to my hands and knees, trying to get away, when someone grabbed my elbow and jerked me to my feet.
“No. Let me go!” I clutched the doorframe.
His fingers dug into both my shoulders and he gave me a vicious shake. “For fuck’s sake. Stop being a bitch and stop fighting me,” the man said in a deep graveled tone. He knocked my hand away from the frame, lifted me up and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“No,” I screamed. “Put me down.” I pounded my fists into his back, but it had no effect as he ran out the front door.
“Shut the fuck up before I shut you up for good.”
I stilled.
He darted across the yard then down the side of a steep hill into a wooded area. He skidded to a stop, threw me off his shoulder and I landed on my butt in the snow. I scuttled to my feet and was about to run back toward the house when his words stopped me.
“Run and I’ll kill you.”
I looked up when I heard a click.
The guy pointed a gun at me and he was staring at me like he’d pull the trigger if I even considered moving. He had to be over six-foot-two with jet black eyes and severe features. There was no forgiveness in this man’s expression and I had no doubt he’d shoot me if I pissed him off.
He strode over to a large rock in the side of the hill and pressed something on the rough surface. My breath hitched as a door creaked open. “Inside,” he said.
My chest tightened as I stared at the small darkened door. No way in hell was I going in there. I’d take my chances with pissing him off.
He dove for me before I even made a step in the opposite direction. “Don’t. Even. Try it.” He grabbed my arm and shoved me ahead of him into the cave. The door rumbled and slid closed behind us and I tried to scream but my throat was so tight I wheezed. He pushed me forward and I stumbled into the wall, palms scrapping against the harsh surface.
“Move,” he said.
I couldn’t. My limbs refused to function.
Dampness. Water dripping, echoing. The musty scent. Damn it, why wouldn’t this shit go away? I struggled to block it out, fight the panic that encroached.
Suddenly, my feet left the ground and I was picked up and thrown over his shoulder again.
After a few minutes, he stopped, dumped me on my ass again and strode away. Darkness turned into a flickering soft haze as he lit several large white candles, which were perched on a ledge. We were in a small clearing inside the cave.
“Are you fuckin’ stupid?”
I jerked at his abrupt harsh tone. “What?” For a split second, my anger lessened the panic trolling my insides.
“If you had any fuckin’ sense, you would’ve pulled that knife from your back pocket and killed that guy. What the hell were you thinking?”
“Who are—”
“Shut up so I can think.”
“I can’t be separated from—”
“Balen. I know. You’re Bonded.” He strode toward me and I noticed the stark black tattoo on the back of his hand, a hand that was holding the gun.
“Who are you? What do you want with me?”
He grunted. “I want you not to be so fuckin’ stupid next time. And the name’s Kilter.” He saw my surprised expression and laughed. It was a mean laugh and I didn’t like it at all.