Font Size:

Iwatched as Hluti strode toward us, Harper thrown over his shoulder with her upper half barely hanging over him.

She looked so small compared to his massive size. Like she was a toddler.

“What are you doing?” I nearly screeched, my heart racing and my gaze flicking around, making sure no one was watching us.

Hluti pinned me with a haughty look. His gloved hand on the back of Harper’s thigh slipped so his fingers curled more on the inside of her thigh in a more sexual way of holding her still from all her squirming. Like a man on a mission, he took long strides toward us. He didn’t budge despite how much she fought him, kicking her legs and beating at his back. Didn’t even wince or show any signs of pain. His eyes glowed instead.

Slátra and Hlíf followed behind, not bothered by what Hluti was doing. My heart sank when I realized that all of them were okay with kidnapping a woman—Hlíf most of all. He had been so sweet to me and seemed like a man who cared about my feelings—women’s feelings—so seeing him with a hard expression and glowing eyes made my stomach drop.

I knew it shouldn’t surprise me, but it did. They were okay with snatching me from the beach and taking me along for the ride until I told them about Rune. But it felt different having them here in my realm with other people watching.

Slátra had a swagger to his steps and a lopsided smile as his bright-green eyes kept shifting to the full-figured woman over Hluti’s shoulder. His smile turned into a smirk when he looked at her as his eyes glowed a little brighter. I didn’t want to look anywhere but at his face, but I noticed the hard outline of his erection on one side of his thigh.

As much as Hlíf looked annoyed, his eyes held lust as he watched around us, straggling behind the two men. I knew now from my experience with the group that he was the bodyguard and was always aware of everything and everyone while the rest of us were busy.

“She’s coming with us,” Hluti grunted, his voice lower and gravelly.

I glared at him, my heart pounding as pins and needles rushed through my body. The adrenaline made me tremble as I took a step toward him. The words I wanted to scream at him were stuck on my tongue. Rune pulled me back into him, tucking me to his side with his arm wrapped around my waist, preventing me from shaking out of his hold. I struggled against him, clawing at his arm to push him away, but he didn’t budge.

“Isa, stop it,” Rune warned.

“She can’t! She won’t be safe!” Tears stung my eyes as dead brown ones popped into my mind. It was all I could see for a moment. My breath caught in my chest, my stomach churning until I was close to gagging. I shook harder in Rune’s hold, biting back my scream to let her go. To let her live. Only a whimpered plea came out instead, with my wide eyes on Hluti and my lip trembling. “Please, don’t do this.”

Harper stopped squirming and cussing.

“Isa?” she asked, confused. “What the hell is going on?” She cursed at Hluti as she pounded her fists on his back, snarling, “Let me down, you fucking Neanderthal.”

Slátra snorted a laugh and rolled his eyes. Harper was forced to meet his lustful stare as he bent closer to her with a smirk.

“He may be a Neanderthal, female, but he’s the one that will rip a man’s eyes out if they so much as look your way. Hell...” He chuckled while straightening, and rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip as he gazed at her with desire flaring in his glowing green eyes. “He’ll cut off their cock and balls and feed it to the buzzards if their lips so much as twitch at you.”

My heart dropped to my stomach and twisted until it felt like I was about to throw up. I jerked against Rune, wanting to go to her, but he kept his death grip on me.

What the hell were they doing to her?

“Stop,” I murmured when I wanted to scream.

It was like I was in a nightmare. Like I was back in the In-Between and couldn’t use my voice or find any strength to move. My throat was tight as I struggled to speak and not lose the razor-thin composure I had left before I started really screaming.

Thunder clapped, and lightning flashed from outside, catching our group’s attention. Hluti, Slátra, and even Hlíf’s eyes went past my shoulder to where the entrance of the store was.

“What?” Harper snarled, wiggling and unintentionally rubbing her wide hip against his neck and cheek. His amber eyes glowed with brimming desire, and his eyelids drooped. His gloved hand slipped up to her ass, not squeezing, but he definitely copped a feel. She jerked away from his touch but wiggled closer into him with a whimper.

“That doesn’t help him at all! That makes him look worse, you fucking idiot,” she growled at Slátra, who was watching her with a smirk, his eyes brighter.

His gaze went to the back of Hluti’s head, looking for something with his smile faltering before he smirked at Harper and chuckled.

“I think he looks just fine. What... are you scared of a few scars?” he teased, then laughed as Harper lunged at him with her outstretched hands. She windmilled at him, huffing and growling. He stepped away, laughing huskily and tsked.

“What’s going on?” someone asked off to the side.

I darted my gaze to the Walmart employee with a phone in her hand, ready to call the cops. My stomach dipped, and I shot Rune a look that he didn’t pay attention to as he scowled at Hluti and Slátra before he dragged me outside with him.

“Are we really bringing her with us?” My voice sounded far away while all I could hear was my thundering pulse and sawing breaths.

Glossed-over brown eyes flashed in my vision.

“We have no other option at this point,” he said roughly. He looked down at me as we stepped outside into the night, rain pouring down and drenching us. I jumped as lightning crackled, followed by booming thunder that made my heart stutter over a beat before it pounded. “Nothing will happen to her. I promise.”