“Thank God,” I breathe, already reaching for her second wrist.
“Jump!” she yells, pushing off the cross, and we fall to the ground. She slaps at the flames on my pants and hauls me to my feet.
She tries to inspect my wounds, but I push her hands away. “We don’t have time for that right now!” I yell as the chaos erupts around us.
Gunfire erupts from the cult’s ranks—bullets slicing the air inches from our heads. Civilians run and scream from every direction.
“We have to get to cover!” I grab her by the arm and yank her toward the woods.
We’re nearly to the tree line when she jerks free of my grip.
“No! We end this tonight! I will not run now.”
I look past her at the chaos still happening and let out a breath.This is it.“I guess if we die tonight, at least it will be us dying while fighting for what we have been up against all these years.”
I hold out my hand for her to grab, and we return to the group.
“Over here!” Jennifer yells as we come into view, and we both rush to her side.
She hands me a loaded gun and an extra magazine loaded with bullets. I place the extra bullets in my back pocket.
She gives Rory a bow with a satchel. Rory swings it over her shoulder and nocks an arrow.
“You guys ready?” A woman asks, walking up behind me.
I look at her over my shoulder as bullets whiz past the rock we kneel behind. “Yeah, let's do this.”
Rory starts to rise, but I yank her back.
She opens her mouth to ask what but I press my lips to hers. I kiss her like it’s the last time—because it might be.
When we break apart, we don’t wait.
We charge. All of us. Straight into hell.
Chapter 35
Rory
I never thought I would see the day the cult would get what they deserved. I take a deep breath and steady my bow, aiming directly at the group of members and fire. The arrow lands—clean through the throat of one of the memebers.
One down.
“Go!” someone shouts to my left.
I nod at Ryven, and he returns it. No words are needed. He moves without question. Soon, the space between us and themis closing rapidly.
Arrows fly past my head and sink into the ground below as I dodge them one by one. I set my eyes on my first target and charge, bringing my knife out in front of me. As soon as I’m close enough, I jump, landing on his chest and bringing him to the ground. Quickly, I slice his throat as he scrambles to gain traction enough to stand. He slowly bleeds out, and I move to my next target.
Bodies and bloodshed litter the ground as each one of the cult members starts to die. I see Ryven ahead of me, and he has only one person in sight: Cedric.
Cedric attempts to fall into the shadows of the forest out of sight, but Ryven gets to him first and tackles him to the ground. As I rush toward him to help him, someone throws me to the ground with an attack from behind.
I struggle to get my bearings, and it feels like the air leaves from my lungs. Then they drag me by my hair, and my hands instinctively reach to relieve the pressure.
“Get the fuck off of me!” I scream and kick, attempting to hit my assailant. But it’s no use; he has me in a vice-like grip.
I can feel the person’s hot breath on the back of my neck as he leans in close. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Rory.” The man’s voice makes my skin crawl. He yanks my head and places a cold, metallic blade across my neck. “Not so tough now, are you?” he growls in my ear.
