expecting to see all four hybrids descending on her at once, but they only stood there, claws flexing as they stared at her.
Kendra didn’t think her heart could beat any faster, but it went into overdrive. She’d been scared before, but now she was freaking terrified. Thinking she was going to be killed while luring these bastards away from the man she loved hadn’t taken much courage. But the thought of what these creatures had in store for her now—before they killed her—filled her with fear. What if they raped and tortured her to make her tell them where Declan was? Was she strong enough to hold out?
The hybrid leader came forward, his red eyes glowing in her NVGs. Kendra scrambled to her feet and lifted the rock she was holding. She wasn’t sure if she should throw it or wait until he got closer so she could bash in his head. She decided to wait. If she pissed him off enough, he might kill her quickly.
But he stopped just outside her reach and stood there silently regarding her. She tried not to let him see how afraid she was, but it was damn hard. He was absolutely terrifying. His whole jawline was twisted out of shape, no doubt to make room for all those long, curved teeth. His ears were higher on his head, too, pushed there by the muscles on his shoulders. The thing’s neck was equally thick, and she couldn’t help but think of a huge saber-toothed tiger. The thing looked as if it could eat the rock she was holding as a weapon.
She lifted her chin and hefted her rock higher. “What are you waiting for? Come and get me, you freak!”
Her barb had no effect on the hybrid. He just kept staring at her. That was when she saw the blood running down one side of his chest. Damn, she had hit something with all that shooting. She supposed it was too much to hope the thing would suddenly drop dead.
“Where is the big man?”
Kendra was so shocked that the hybrid could speak with that mouth full of teeth, it took her a second to come up with a lie. All the time she’d spent with Ivy, Clayne, and the other shifters at the DCO had taught her that they could sniff out a liar. She had to assume that a hybrid could as well.
“He’s dead.” Even though it was a lie, the words were enough to cut her to the core, and her voice shook. She swallowed hard. “He died when your friends attacked us this morning. I’ve been hiding ever since.”
She expected the hybrid to call her a liar or ask where Declan’s body was. Even ask for details of exactly when and where he’d died. But the second-in-command did none of those things. He simply turned and motioned to the other hybrids.
“Bring her,” he ordered.
Then he walked off.
The three hybrids were on her and had ripped the rock out of her hand before she even saw them move. She pounded at them with her fists and kicked at them with her boots, but they ignored her struggles. One of them simply picked her up and slung her over his shoulder like she was a bag of potatoes.
Kendra would have continued to pummel him with her fists, but then he started running, and it was all she could do to grab hold of his shirt to steady herself. Hanging over his shoulder made her feel dizzy, and she had to close her eyes.
Where the hell were they taking her? And what were they going to do to her once they got there?
She had no answer to either of those questions. But one piece of knowledge comforted her at least. They were moving farther and farther away from Declan with every step.
Kendra was practically unconscious by the time the hybrid threw her to the ground. She wasn’t sure how long he’d been running. She only knew it had been too long. It felt so good to have the pounding in her head stop that she didn’t even complain about the pain when she hit the stone floor.
She didn’t know what was coming next, but she couldn’t muster the strength to care. All she wanted to do was lie there until the earth stopped spinning. She reached up to touch her head and realized her helmet and goggles were gone. She must have lost them while that jerk was hauling ass through the jungle.