Page 80 of Saved By the Marines (Soldiers Of Misfortune)
A thrill raced over my spine and I gave them a smile before I spun and ran. The sun was slowly sinking down below the horizon and the forest created shadows that danced across the path I ran along. My heart was racing and my breathing was choppy, but I was excited, too. They were right. I needed to replace the memories of running through the woods—terrified for my life—with something that had a better ending.
I didn’t want to make it too easy on them, so I turned off the path, away from the lake, and ran through the trees. The sounds of birds and small animals filled the air around me as I went.
Once my lungs started burning, I was forced to take a break. I hadn’t been running too long, but it was just going to be a short breather. I leaned against a tree, hands on my thighs.
My head lifted as a rustling sound came from my left. No way they would have caught up already. Right?
Wrong.
I squealed as Kip came barreling through the trees toward me. Darting off to the side, I managed to avoid his long-armed reach, but slammed directly into Wolfe.
“Game’s over, Little Bunny.” He hefted me up and tossed me over his shoulder.
“What now?” I asked, breathless from his shoulder digging into my stomach and from the running.
Jas’s eyes flashed and he gave me a wicked grin. “I told you. We’re going to do anything we want with you.”
“Everything we want,” Kip corrected, with a big toothy grin.
I couldn’t help the answering smile that tugged at my lips. That’s what I was hoping for. Nothing was going to keep me from playing games with my Marines for the rest of our lives. Throughout the years, even after all the kids we planned on having, nothing would force us apart. They were my world. My loves. And I was theirs. I knew that no matter what, they’d always be there to save me.
