Page 87 of The Last Sanctuary

Raven didn’t think. She sprinted straight at the Headhunters. They were going to kill Luna. She had to stop them.

“Go!” she screamed at Luna. “Run!”

Luna made a sharp right, off the path, and streaked across the grounds.

Vaughn fired at her. The gunshot boomed.

Luna kept going. A pale white streak in a sea of black shadows.

Vaughn shifted his weight, planted his feet, and leveled the rifle, about to fire again.

Raven ran faster. She lowered her shoulder and slammed into his side. It was like smashing into a brick wall.

The rifle went off. The sound of the gunshot exploded in her ears. Vaughn had barely moved, but she’d struck his arm, shoving the rifle aside as he’d fired. Vaughn cursed loudly.

Raven staggered, dazed. Pain radiated up and down her shoulder, her right hip.

Luna loped north, headed between the enclosures, for the rear gates. She vanished into the darkness. Unharmed. Still alive. She’d made it. Outside the refuge, Shadow gave a long, high-pitched howl, followed by a swift yip of excitement. They’d found each other. Luna had reached Shadow.

Raven turned to flee. Her legs wouldn’t work properly. She wasn’t fast enough.

Another gunshot exploded. The round whizzed past her ear and struck the wall of the tiger house in front of her with a dullthunk. The sound thundered in her ears. Everything went distant and tinny.

“Next time, I won’t miss,” Dekker said. His voice sounded like it was underwater. “Stop right there!”

Raven kept going. Her only chance was to escape. Her pulse roared in her ears. She stumbled, righted herself, and ran again. It felt like running through Jello.

Footsteps pounded behind her. Angry shouting voices.

Someone seized her arm and jerked her backward. Hauled her off her feet. She nearly collapsed, but the hand on her bicep dragged her upright.

Scorpio spun her around to face the others. Vaughn slung his rifle over his shoulder and held a flashlight, pointing it at Raven’s face. Scorpio tightened his grip, cutting off circulation.

Black soot filmed his enraged features. “You set fire to our food!”

“You owe me a wolf,” Vaughn growled. “Not just any wolf.Thatone.”

Raven lifted her chin. She said nothing. Tears stung her eyes. The fear was a winged black thing beating frantically against her chest, her ribs, her throat.

Dekker got right in her face. His eyes flat and dangerous. “You killed my brother. You stabbed him and left him to die like an animal. Admit it. You did it.”

She refused to give them the dignity of an answer.

Scorpio shook her hard. Her brain felt like it was rattling around in her skull. “You dumb as well as stupid?”

She clenched her jaw, bit back the scream of terror clawing at her throat.

Dekker sneered. “Tiger got your tongue? I can get you to talk. Give me five minutes, and I’ll get you to squeal like a stuck pig.”

Treacherous tears burned the backs of her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She wouldn’t give them anything.

Dekker leaned in close and spoke softly, his breath in her ear. She could smell his sour sweat, could see the pores in his skin, the knife-sharp angles of his face. “When I’m through with you, you’ll be begging me for mercy.”

Raven repressed a shudder. She raised her chin, afraid but defiant.

Dekker smiled. It was an ugly, dead thing. His eyes held no mercy. He gestured for Scorpio to release her arm.

As soon as Scorpio let her go, Dekker punched her in the mouth.