Page 161 of Viper

I swirl around to face them. They all stop at once, lined up in a perfect row. Reaper and Striker in the center, Breaker and Viper flanking either side. Just like the first time I saw them all.

That night slices through me, doubt poisoning every moment we’ve shared.

I just need a minute to breathe.

My gaze shifts, focusing on the carriage house, and I take off again.I just need a minute to think.Every day has been so consumed by them, I haven’t had time to process, or really examine everything from all angles.

“You need to be prepared.” Breaker’s voice snaps through my thoughts. “Rune will hurt her if he thinks it will break you.”

The truth of his words rips a growl from my throat.

Fuck Rune.

Fuckthem.

“You know it’s true,” Breaker calls, his voice growing louder the closer he gets.

“Leave me alone,” I say, marching forward, ignoring the needling sensation pricking at the back of my neck, telling me Breaker is too close.

They all are.

“We had to prepare you,” he says.

“Get back here, Delilah,” Reaper barks out, his dark tone making my steps falter. His boots thunder behind me, growing closer, and I break into a run.

“I don’t recommend that!” Striker’s shout cracks through the air.

The dark edge in his deep growl twists an odd combination of fear and arousal in my belly. I shoot past the carriage house, breaking into a full sprint, breaths growing heavier, but steady, all that running with Striker pays off as I dart toward the tree line. The targets blur in my periphery as I fix my gaze on the dark woods.

I tear past the tree line, shielding my face from low branches. Thudding boots close in behind me, and a cry builds in my throat. An arm snares my waist, yanking me backward. Myscream cuts through the air as we tumble. Just before impact, he twists, his body cushioning mine against the cold, unforgiving earth.

“Caught you, pretty kitty,” Reaper growls in my ear, breaths hot and heavy on my skin.

“Let me go!” I scream, struggling to get free. My elbow lands in his ribs, and I dig in, ramming it back into him harder and harder. Reaper’s grip loosens, a guttural sound slipping out of him as I break free of his grasp and scramble to my hands and knees.

“Restrain her,” he grates.

Before I can stand, one of them snatches my left boot into a tight grip, then my right, and my arms give as they drag me backwards. My face hits the ground, and I cry out.

“Stop,” Viper says, irritation making the word rough. “Hold still before you hurt yourself.”

“Fuck you,” I seethe, my cheek raking across the dirt as I scrabble for purchase, but I’m drug backward further, making it impossible. This feels far more brutal than that night in the woods. I’m fighting harder. Iamharder. Stronger. The fight in me driven by raw truth.

A huge body slams onto my back, covering me completely, shoving my breath from my lungs as he pins me to the ground.

“Tiny Thing,” Breaker breathes, his massive hands pinning my arms. His warm cheek presses against mine, and I realize he removed his mask. “Stop fighting us.”

Knees hit the dirt near my head. The black fatigues stretch over his thick legs. The tattoos on the back of his fingers stand out harshly as he grips his thighs, like he’s trying to keep himself from reaching for me.

“You let him win,” Reaper grates. “You allowed him to get under your skin.”

“And you let him insult her,” I spit out. “You let him—”

“You’re not listening, Delilah,” Reaper says. His voice is gutted, rougher than it has ever sounded. “You never fuckinglisten.”

The urge to scream burns my throat. I have been paying attention. I know what’s at stake. I’ve heard, seen, lived and breathed every cruel second of my demise since I woke up on that worn wood floor.

Bucking, I try to get Breaker off me, but he’s so big, so heavy, I can barely move. My pussy throbs in response to his weight, and I swallow a frustrated growl. The way I respond from being pinned down by them again, surrounded by their brute force, sends fire raking across my brain like sharp talons.