Kings of Anarchy (Brutal Boys of Everlake Prep #3) - Caroline Peckham Page 0,231

she tried to stand so I lifted her off of her feet, cradling her against my chest as a whimper of fear escaped her.

The lake was closest, but I didn't want to risk staying out here any longer. There was clearly something wrong with her and she began to mutter nonsense and sob, while her limbs seemed to hold no strength.

With a growl of determination, I held her closer in my arms and started running for The Temple, turning my back on the fire between the trees and hoping with everything I had that I could outrun whoever was out there before they got that flame near my girl.

The sand slipped and sank beneath my feet and Tatum clung to me as she sobbed and shivered, seeming to at least know that I had her now and trusting me to keep her safe.

And I would keep her safe. No matter what it took, I'd protect her from whoever the fuck was stalking us through the trees.

As my feet hit the path, I glanced back over my shoulder, spotting more flames igniting in the woods, each fire flickering as if they were being laid out to warn us not to turn that way. But I had zero fucking intention of going anywhere near the psychopath between the trees while they held fire and my girl was drenched in gas.

I broke into a sprint as I somehow managed to find a hidden reserve of strength in my exhausted limbs just for her.

She was cold and fragile in my arms, tucked tight against my chest and murmuring things I couldn't understand.

Footsteps pounded down the path behind me, but I refused to look back.

A burst of orange light flared in the corner of my eye and I sucked in a breath as a flaming arrow shot past me and embedded itself in a tree.

Tatum shrieked in fright as she came to enough to spot it and I cursed as I upped my pace with my heart thundering panic though my limbs.

"I've got you, Tate," I swore as another arrow sped through the trees to my right and made my gut lurch.

The spire of The Temple loomed beneath the moon up ahead and I yelled out as I ran, hoping one of the other Night Keepers might hear me and come running.

"Kyan!" I roared, charging up the path and hoping that he was still home like he'd been the last time I'd seen him.

I had no idea how long it had taken me to swim back from the boat crash in the centre of the lake or if any of them had gone to the library to get Tatum when I hadn’t shown up. If they had and they knew she was missing then there was no chance of any of them being out here. They'd all be hunting campus for her, leaving me to face this crazy motherfucker alone.

"Saint!" I bellowed as I turned onto the path which led up to the church doors and another flaming arrow whisked by into the trees.

Either they were a bad shot or they weren't actually trying to kill us. Whatever the reason, I just knew I had to get Tatum the hell away from those flames before any of them got close enough to the gasoline to ignite it.

The door burst open as I raced up the path and Saint lurched aside as I didn't even slow, running straight over the threshold and collapsing on the flagstones with our girl still hooked in my arms.

"What the fuck is going on?" Monroe demanded as he leapt to his feet from the couch alongside Kyan.

"Close the fucking door," I demanded and Saint instantly threw it shut before prowling towards me, his lip curling at the scent of the gasoline which was filling the space.

“What’s wrong with her?” Saint asked as Tatum groaned in my arms, her eyes falling closed.

“I think she’s been drugged. She was being chased and she’s covered in gas-”

"Is someone out there?" Kyan demanded, stalking towards us and grabbing his baseball bat from its position beside the door.

"That fucking Ninja asshole," I admitted as I forced myself to my feet again and heaved Tatum up in my arms. "He was shooting at us with burning arrows-"

The three of them all lurched into action around me, Kyan racing for the door with his bat gripped tightly in his hand while Saint barked orders I couldn't concentrate on and Monroe hounded me to the bathroom.

I was trembling with