Page 35 of Hades

“Hades, no!”

“Yes,” I insisted. “I’ll be right behind you. Promise.”

She hesitated, but just for a second. Then she nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Good girl.” I pushed the window until it opened and helped her get out before following her out. I could hear voices around the front of the cabin, so hopefully this would give us a head start. We both made it and ran for our lives. The woods were thick and dark, our steps heavier as the rain fell. “Keep going,” I whispered as I caught up to her.

“Running is pointless,” a voice called out from a hundred yards behind us.

“Fuu-uck!”

We continued towards the trees, but the ground was so muddy our feet kept slipping. The footsteps grew closer and I knew we couldn’t outrun them. Not in this rain. I slowed and spun around, finding them closer than I realized.

One smiled. “We just want the girl. You can go back to the house. Pretend this never happened and live a good, long life.”

“Sorry, can’t do that.” I shrugged once, taking in the scene before me. There were two of them, armed better than me but they were arrogant and didn’t see the threat I was. I wasn’t sure where the third man was, but these two were my immediate concern.

“Your death,” the taller of the two said, his tone resigned.

“Nope. Yours.” I pulled out my blade and lunged forward, slicing the tip across his throat in one quick move before he had a chance to react. There was no time to enjoy watching the asshole drop to his knees and fall face first onto the wet, muddy ground.

His buddy shot at me, I saw the motion before his finger squeezed the trigger and moved, skidding in the mud, and ending up on my knees. My pride might have been hurt but at least he missed me.

“Run!” I shouted until my throat burned. Raven had to get away. If this was my last night, I wanted to die knowing she was free.

“She will not get far,” the asshole laughed, pointing his gun at me.

I got to my feet while the barrel of his gun followed me. “You really shouldn’t point a gun if you don’t intend to shoot it.”

He smiled and wrapped his finger around the trigger. “I plan to shoot it.”

“Plan better,” I grunted as I dipped low and introduced his dick to my size twelve motorcycle boot. That agonized grunt was so fucking satisfying, but the big fucker recovered quickly.

The gun fell from his hands but he still wanted to fight. Bare knuckles. My favorite type of fight.

“You are dead, biker,” he spat out.

“We’ll see.” My pulse slowed the way it always did before a fight and my focus sharpened on the details. The man was shorter than me, but he was broad as fuck. He was strong but gym strong, not functional strong and I planned to use that against him.

“Not so chatty now,” he said, his Russian accent thick.

“Don’t need to be,” I assured him, stepping forward with my left foot before I threw a right jab at his nose. When he fell back a step, I pounced with two more punches to his ugly fucking mug.

“Fuck,” he snarled, angrier now as he bent low and charged at me, ramming his shoulder right into my gut.

We both went down and the fucker was heavy, but I was stronger. I flipped our bodies, but the effort tired me out and I was breathless and breathing hard as I knelt on his chest landing blow after blow. He wasn’t getting Raven. He couldn’t have her. She was mine.

The whoosh of a blade pulled me from my thoughts just in time to see him grip the handle and aim it for my side.

I rolled off him and picked up his gun, squeezing the trigger twice as I got to my feet. I stood over him, the gun still pointed at his lifeless form until I was sure he was dead.

Two down, one to go.

Spinning in a circle until I figured out which way was up, I took off at a full sprint in the direction I was sure Raven had gone. I hoped she was still running, that she hadn’t stopped to look or to save me. I wanted to call out to her, to hear her voice, but I couldn’t risk it when I didn’t know where the third man was.

“Get your fucking hands off me!”

My heart seized in my chest at the sheer terror in her voice and I pumped my legs and arms faster and harder, desperate to get to her. Guilt washed over me that I hadn’t put the third man down before he put his hands on her. “Raven!” I called out because I had to know she was all right.