I pounded out into the clearing and kicked Gabriel’s AK47 outta his reach. Mae had curled up on the ground, her hands protecting her head, eyes down. I walked straight to Gabriel, lifted the f**ker by his long hair, took my Bowie knife from my boot and sliced open his throat, watching him flop to the ground and choke on his own blood.
I spat on his shocked face and signed, Burn in Hell, ass**le.
Mae was still on the grass so I bent down beside her, gently running my hand down her back. She stiffened and scrambled to the side, wolf eyes huge; until she caught sight of me. Her big blues instantly filled with tears. I stood and jerked my chin. I needed my woman back in my arms.
“Styx?” she whispered in disbelief. Standing up on shaky legs, Mae suddenly ran right at me and jumped, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist. Her nose tucked into my neck and she sobbed, her tears dripping onto my skin.
I clutched her to me as tight as I could, breathing her in. Mae reared back, wiped her cheeks, and met my eyes. A huge f**kin’ watery smile spread on her lips and she crushed her mouth to mine, her tongue plunging into my mouth, frantic, desperate… relieved.
Breaking the kiss, Mae pressed her forehead to mine and placed her palms to my cheeks. “I knew you would find me. I knew you would come. I love you so much.”
I nodded in agreement, unable to find my voice and squeezed her closer.
With a knowing smile, Mae whispered, “I understand, baby…you love me too.”
I groaned at the sight of her f**kin’ beautiful face and crashed my mouth to hers.
“I am going to take that as a yes.” She giggled against my mouth as I pulled back. She could take that as a huge f**kin’ yes.
“Err… Mae?” Mae turned her attention to Ky. Brother Noah lay at his feet, a knife sticking up from his heart. I looked next to Flame who was walking back from the edge of the forest, blood spatter on his leathers, his black eyes crazy f**kin’ wild. He gave me a curt nod and smirked. Moses was with the boatman. I dipped my head to see the clear path to a large tree set a few yards inside the forest. Moses was staked to the trunk, four knives in his torso to keep him off the ground.
Flame: f**ker always got inventive.
“They friends of yours?” Ky’s question to Mae caused my woman to gasp. She shimmied down my legs and ran to the low stone cell.
“Lilah, Maddie!” she shouted. “Are you okay?”
We all watched, fascinated, as four hands reached outta the cell toward Mae.
Ky moved next to me. “Who the f**k’s in there?”
I went to answer, when Mae turned to face us. “Can you get them out? They are trapped! I do not have the key!”
Bull stepped forward, holding the wire cutters he’d used to rip through the perimeter fence. “These’ll cut through the lock.”
Mae moved outta the way as Bull snapped open the lock. His eyes widened and when he walked back toward us, a look of approval spread across his face. Tank, Smiler and the psycho trio moved in to join me and Ky—we were all watching the cell like f**kin’ hawks.
Mae yanked open the stiff gate. “Come,” she coaxed soothingly.
Nothing happened.
Mae cast a nervous look at us and crouched to kneel. The brothers and I were completely silent.
“They will not harm you. You have my word. You need not be afraid. They look different from us, but they are good men.” Mae shuffled back, then stood, holding out her hands.
Nothing happened for several more seconds. Then a small hand was planted on the dried mud, then another, and a cult bitch came into view. Mae bent down and helped her stand. The bitch immediately turned to face us.
“Fuck. Me…” Ky hissed from my left. I looked at my best friend. The brother’s mouth was hanging wide open as he stared at the blonde. She was one stunning bitch: blue eyes, long blond hair, though not a patch on Mae—in my eyes.
Then the blonde glanced down and screamed, pushing back into Mae, horrified at the sight of the elders slaughtered and bleeding out, on the ground.
Mae caught her in her arms. “Hush, Lilah.”
“The elders,” she whispered, the same f**kin’ strange accent as Mae tripping from her lips.
“They had to be killed, Lilah. That or they would have killed us. The Hangmen saved our lives.”
“My c**k just got real f**kin’ hard,” Ky informed me, his voice sounding like he was in pain. I rolled my eyes. Of course the horny bastard was feeling Lilah. She was exactly his type: damn supermodel looks and stacked tits.
Lilah stared us down like she was looking at the devil, but her eyes flared and her lips parted as they landed on Ky.