"You, for the phone?"
THREE
THE GATE ORDER
The three of them stepped toward me. I didn’t think, I just moved. I flung my portfolio at them, a useless weapon but the only one I had, and bolted. But I wasn’t fast enough. Almost immediately, powerful arms locked around me, gripping me tightly. As I sucked in air to scream, Cillian grabbed me and clamped his hand over my mouth.
I wished I had taken a karate class or kickboxing, something that would help me fight them off. There was none of that. Art and ballet. Why did I get made to do shitty ballet? That wasn't going to help me now. It was never going to help me. Nevertheless, I twisted, kicked, and tried to break free, but they were so strong, too strong for little old me.
Cillian threw his damp jacket over my head. I struggled furiously but felt myself lifted into their arms. The jacket muffled my screams. I felt panic as I struggled to breathe. The more I resisted, the tighter they held me.
"There's nowhere to run, Tilly," Torin whispered tauntingly against my ear.
"You belong to us now."
They began to run. I was blinded and almost deafened by the jacket over my head. My hearing was reduced to the muffled gravel crunching and the torturous sounds of my own breathing.
I had no idea where they were taking me or why. I felt every jolt jostling my body, and each one sent my panic levels a little higher. I felt like I couldn't breathe properly, and I struggled to get a grip on myself.
Panicking wouldn't help me now.
My heartbeat erratically, spurred by panic. I wriggled and writhed but my efforts only prompted them to grip me until I was completely immobilised.
I had to think. But I couldn't. How could I think straight when I was being abducted? How could I apply any sort of logic to a situation so far removed from anything I would have thought possible before today?
My mind refused to focus on escape. All I could think about was the darkness in Fionn's eyes as he kissed my hand. What did these men want with me? God, I didn't want to die, I wanted to live.
The muffled, grave sound of the road transformed into the cushioned sound of open land and finally, the crunching of leaves and branches as they fled deep into the forest.
***
"Did you hear that?" Fionn whispered to the others.
They came to a complete halt and stood so motionless I couldn't even hear them breathe. A subtle shift in the air raised the hairs on my neck. I made no attempt to struggle.
I was lowered to the ground, and the jacket was removed from my head. The first person I saw was Torin. Before I could react, Torin placed his fingers on my lips and shook his head ever so slightly. A silent command. His head tilted, just slightly, like he was daring me to disobey.
Cillian and Fionn had already begun scanning the area. As I watched their every move. I noticed something that freaked me out, their pupils were blown wide, swallowing the colour of their eyes. I became even more alarmed when they sniffed the air like wild animals on the hunt.
Cillian took a few silent steps forward, scanning the shadows between the trees. Once again, I noticed the eerie silence.
The rising sun gradually broke through the thundering clouds and banished the morning chill. Even so, I felt an unpleasant cold seep into my flesh. I wanted to run. I desperately wanted to be anywhere but here with three men who truly frightened me.
Fionn retreated, aligning himself close to his brothers. I felt eyes on me and noticed the intent way Cillian watched me.
My stomach twisted. I could feel his scrutiny, analysing, assessing, as if deciding what I was worth.
"They're here," Fionn murmured.
Cillian’s head snapped toward him, his mouth a sharp line of irritation. “Are you sure?”
Fionn didn’t answer, but his gaze flicked to me for a fraction of a second, just long enough to make my pulse spike.
Torin, however smirked, his earlier intensity slipping into something more playful, more taunting.
“Looks like you’re out of luck, Tilly.”
Who?Whowas here?I hoped someone might yet come to my aid. I was more than a little irritated at myself, that I had managedto lose my phone, my only means of communication, through my carelessness.
