Page 32 of Hunted by the Headless Horseman (Roars and Romances #5)

“I’ll give my soul before I let her heart die.”

JACK

Idon’t know how long I’ve been shut in here. Feels like days.

No matter how many times I’ve kicked and shoved at the coffin, it’s useless. It’s too strong. I’m in a goddamn black hole.

I know it must be closer to dawn since the drug has worn off to give me mobility.

Belle consumes my thoughts. Every last fraction of hope within me believes she is safe with the town, the Council, and the county authorities.

But a dark, crawling horror has me envisioning her with that bastard demon from the depths of hell. Some cold, deep part of me whispers it’s already true. He has her. He’s doing unspeakable things to her.

I grit my teeth, jaw aching from all my grinding. Fury gnaws at my insides. My fists clench so tightly that my fingernails dig into my palms, leaving bloody crescent marks. I can feel it in my bones—he’s taunting me, pushing her, breaking her. I have to get out. I have to get to her.

The sudden scrape of dirt above me jolts me from my spiraling thoughts. I freeze, my ears straining. It’s faint, but the sound is undeniable—a faint, metallic shift followed by the unmistakable sound of soil being disturbed. Someone is digging me up.

Hope flickers, raw and frantic, kindling my blood and strengthening my limbs.

The shovel clinks against the wood of the coffin. My breath hitches. After an eternity, the lid is pried open, and the splintered light from the harvest moon above the trees engulfs my vision. I squint, my muscles screaming as I sit up.

And there she is—Mrs. Kravitson, standing over me like some guardian angel in her flowery, flouncy dress, her weathered face lined with determination. Her hand grips the shovel, her knuckles white.

“Took you long enough,”

I rasp, my voice rough from disuse.

She raises a brow.

“Don’t get snippy with me, boy. You’re lucky I found you.”

I swing my legs over the edge of the coffin and rise, my legs weak. Thankfully, it doesn’t take long to regain the feeling in them. I take stock of my surroundings—trees loom on every side, twisted and gnarled, the godforsaken woods stretching endlessly in every direction. I recognize this thicker patch. It’s not on my land, but it’s close to the diviner’s crumbled home.

“How did you find me?”

I ask, my voice still gravelly. Before she answers, a familiar shape weaves its way through the underbrush—Mortimer. I shake my head in disbelief, laughing breathily as the feline slinks toward me with his usual affectionate grace. He rubs my leg, just like always. I’ve never felt more grateful to see that damn cat.

Mrs. Kravitson huffs.

“Like my diviner ancestor, me and cats? We’re on good terms.”

I glance down at Mortimer.

“Remind me to buy him a steak,”

I mutter, briefly lowering my hand to scratch behind his ear before looking back at Mrs. Kravitson.

“Where’s Belle?”

Her face darkens, the casual smirk slipping into something grave. All my muscles stiffen.

“That’s why I was so desperate to find you.”

She shakes her head, a burden weighing her down.

“The Covenant took her. In the middle of all the chaos with the bookshop burning… the firefighters stopped the flames, but when the smoke cleared, Belle was gone.”

The words hit me like a hammer to the chest. Confirmation of my suspicions. As my muscles tremble with rage, the monster inside me surges to the surface, and I growl, “Where? Where did he take her?”

Mrs. Kravitson grimaces, glancing back at the rising mountains in the distance.

“I have an educated guess of where she is now, but her future location is far more probable. Regardless, the county police are stepping in. They’re mobilizing, but they’ll need search warrants. It’s taking time. The Covenant is well-armed. They own the land and protect what’s theirs.”

I let out a low snarl.

“Belle is mine.”

She nods.

“I knew I needed to find you first. Forgive me for my interference earlier… and my pride, thinking I could control this. All I’ve wanted is to protect her. But I’ve known for years how unstable Thaddeus is. I should have dealt with him long ago.”

“He won’t be unstable for long,”

I growl, my voice venomous.

“He’ll be dead.”

When I clench my hands into fists, Mrs. Kravitson lays a hand on my arm, her grip firm.

“You can’t just charge in. That’s exactly what they’ll expect. And if you’re caught again…”

She trails off, and we both know what my fate would be.

“I know where Thaddeus will take her, and I know another way in. A way that won’t raise alarms.”

I stare into the forest, my thoughts a whirlwind of violence and desperation. “Tell me,”

I demand, steeling every bone in my body. Veins throb to the surface.

Despite the darkness, Mrs. Kravitson meets my gaze. As the diviner’s descendant, she has the luxury of looking upon my face as opposed to all others.

“My family’s old farm,”

she says quietly.

“The one bordering the compound. There’s an old tunnel Lizzy and I used, a secret tunnel used for an old mine shaft before the Covenant even owned the land. It’s dangerous, but it’ll get you close without detection.”

A flash of rage tightens in my chest, but beneath it…hope. If she knows a way in, then there’s a chance. A chance to get Belle back, to rip Thaddeus apart for every twisted thing he’s done.

“Lead the way,”

I say, my voice like steel.

Mrs. Kravitson nods, glancing at Mortimer. The cat’s eyes gleam in the low light as if he knows what’s coming next.

God help anyone who gets in my way.

The smell of damp earth and decay fills the tunnel.

Every step echoes against the stone walls. My cane resounds most, and I’m grateful to Mrs. Kravitson for bringing it.

Her lantern flickers, casting long, twisted shadows along the dark and dank rocks. My breath feels heavy, the weight of what’s coming pressing down on me like the walls themselves. Tension grows thicker by the second.

Like Mrs. Kravitson stated, I cannot simply charge through. Surprise will be my greatest ally. Thaddeus Thorne is my sole focus. Take out the leader, cut off the head of the snake before he can sink his fangs into my Belle. I cannot fail.

As we near a turn in the passage, Mrs. Kravitson stops and sets the flashlight down on a rock, her expression hardening. She reaches into her pack, pulling out something very familiar.

The knit pumpkin head.

She hands it to me, her voice low and steady.

“Dawn’s coming soon,”

she says.

“You’ll want to cover your head, either way.”

I take it from her, and the material seems to pulse in my hands—like the knitted wool echoes the tender care and love Belle wove into every thread. My senses heighten, my awareness sharpens. I secure it over my face since Belle ensured they were large enough for the task. The connection is instant, primal. She feels closer than ever.

Closing my eyes, I sink deep into our bond, seeking the invisible threads of her mind entwined with mine. Our tether, bound by blood and magic, thrums with life.

I can feel her—the fear that claws at her chest, the dread coursing through her veins. But beneath it, something deeper lingers—longing. A desperate ache and a hope that withers by the moment. Fuck, I feel her trembling, hear her whimpering in the fabric of her mind. It’s raw, visceral, impossible to ignore. She is terrified, yes, but her heart still searches for me.

I’m coming, Belle. I will the message to reach her, hoping it makes its mark.

“Thaddeus won’t wait much longer,”

Mrs. Kravitson continues before I can do more, her tone grave.

“He’s planned a blood ritual to “redeem”

Belle in the eyes of the Brothers. It’s… It’s twisted. They see her as tainted, and he means to purify her through violence and his…masculinity.”

My jaw clenches, fury rising like bile in my throat.

“What kind of ritual?”

Mrs. Kravitson’s lips press into a thin line.

“He’ll brand her with his circle and crest, claim her as his in front of them all. Rape her, Jack. It’s a perverse show of power, of ownership. He means to degrade her before taking her.”

The rage inside me roars to life, and I grip the pumpkin head tighter. I can barely hear anything over the pounding of my blood.

“Over my dead body,”

I snarl, my voice thick with venom.

“He will break her down in a trial by fire. I’ve seen it done once—by Thaddeus’s father—but their purpose that night was death. Their victim, a woman who tried to escape the Covenant…she did not last the night. No, that is not Belle’s fate, but her heart…”

She doesn’t need to finish. I grip my cane handle harder, cracking the leather of my gloves.

“I’ll give my soul before I let her heart die.”

Mrs. Kravitson looks at me, her eyes shadowed with concern.

“You’ll be outnumbered, Jack. There are more of them than you can fight off alone. The Covenant is well-armed, and you know they won’t hesitate to kill you.”

I grit my teeth, my breath coming in ragged bursts. The thought of Belle, defenseless, branded by that monster in front of those beasts…it’s more than I can bear. I have to save her, even if it means burning the entire Covenant to the ground.

“I’ll do what I can,”

she says softly, a hint of something deeper in her voice.

“But I need you to let me go first.”

I turn to her, disbelief and anger bubbling up.

“No. I won’t have you walking into that lion’s den alone. How can you guarantee they won’t kill you as well?”

She squares her shoulders, meeting my gaze head-on.

“I need to do this, Jackson. I’ll be the diversion. They won’t expect an old woman like me to cause trouble. I will claim I am advocating on behalf of the Council, which is not wholly untrue. And…”

A resolute expression forms as she finishes, “It’s time I right a wrong.”

A cold knot forms in my gut.

“What wrong?”

Something dark and old crosses her eyes.

“You’ll know soon enough,”

she says, her voice tight.

“Everyone will.”

I stare at her, the weight of her words hanging between us like a noose. What the hell is she talking about? How is she tied to this nightmare?

She picks up the lantern and glances down the tunnel, her face unreadable.

“Let me do this. It’s the only way to buy you time.”

I want to argue, to stop her, but it would be futile. She’s not asking for my permission—she’s telling me her plan, and she’s going through with it no matter what I say.

Finally, I nod, my jaw clenched.

“Just…don’t get yourself killed.”

She gives me a faint, bitter smile.

“I’ll try my best.”

As we near the end of the tunnel, the air turns colder, the faint glow of the bonfire is visible in the distance beyond the thin gaps of the thick trees. Mrs. Kravitson halts, her voice a whisper as she motions for me to stop.

“We’ll be to the west of the bonfire,”

she says, pointing to the faint light flickering in the distance.

“There’s a few old crypts, half-buried under rubble, just past the exit. Use them as cover. The Covenant will be too busy with their ritual to be watching it closely; they think no one knows about it anymore. It’s the perfect place to hide while I create a distraction.”

She turns to me, her eyes determined.

“I’ll approach from the east, draw their attention. Then you move in. Target Thaddeus.”

I nod, formulating the plan.

“Make no mistake, Jack,”

Mrs. Kravitson adds with a glance over her shoulder, “they’ll be expecting blood tonight. Just make sure it’s not yours.”

Without another word, she moves forward, the soft glow of her lantern fading as she disappears into the dark tunnel ahead.

My jaw turns to stone. No matter what happens to her, I’ll make damn sure that Thaddeus pays for every second Belle has suffered. For every mark he plans to leave on her, I’ll carve ten into him.

And when I get my hands on him, there will be no coffin. Because there will nothing left to bury.