The moon shimmered ahead of her, and she realized it was reflecting from the water. A small pond had been formed by water trickling from the mountain. Much to Ryder's relief, it was crystal-clear pure water. She filled her flask and tasted it.
Delicious.
Ryder realized she was finally alone, something she’d wanted ever since Afana’s men had taken her. She felt something missing as well, at least for a minute.
She took one last look around and then removed her clothes, leaving on only her undershorts and the bandages around her breasts. She stepped into the crisp clear water, and she inhaled sharply. It was freezing and refreshing at the same time.
She submerged her entire body, including her head, and let the water seep into her mouth. She felt like a new person. She popped up for air and then lowered her body back under the water. It both gave her a buzz and quenched her thirst.
I'm going to take these damn bandages off! I don't need them anymore. I'm free. My boy look is over, thank fuck! Ryder took a swig of water to celebrate her liberty and came back up.
A large male figure stood at the edge of the water, holding a flaming torch, and another man stood beside him. They didn’t appear to see her, so Ryder lowered her head under the water and watched until the flame had gone away.
She could just make out what they were saying. They were hunters from Afana’s bunker, Eric and Jones, and they were searching for her. Ryder knew they wouldn’t stop until they found her.
They’d just stolen her moment, and they were going to pay for it. She drank some more of the water and slid out silently behind a rock. She got dressed and picked up her bow and arrows.
It’s time to go hunting.
She could see the torch ahead of her. Ryder took aim, released the arrow, and missed. Shit, shit, shit! I never miss, except when I’m drunk. She was hammered again.
Eric had seen the arrow fly by him, and he turned to face Ryder as she got another arrow ready. He ran toward her, straight into the path of her next arrow. He jerked as it hit him in the shoulder. That one slowed him down, and the next one stopped him cold. It struck him in the heart.
Jones ran toward Ryder. She didn’t have a chance to get another arrow nocked as he closed the distance between them. She retreated to the pond and hid behind the trees.
The ground crunched as Jones got closer to Ryder. She took a deep breath to steady herself, knowing she would only get one chance at this. She darted out from behind the tree and threw her knife at him. The blade buried itself in his neck, and he grabbed the wound, then fell backward into the water. Ryder waited a moment to make sure Jones wasn’t coming back up for air.
She took a swig from her flask, and then refilled it in the pond. She stopped and realized what she was doing. Did she really need a drink that badly? Was she willing to drink water with blood in it? Hell, no.
She upended the flask.
Leandro stretched out his paws. He’d fallen asleep, and for a moment, he wondered where the hell he was. After a few seconds, he remembered that he had decided to stay and watch over the mystery girl. He got to his feet and quietly padded over to where he’d left her asleep. She was gone.
You damn fool! So much for guarding her. Leandro raised his muzzle and sniffed around for her scent. When he found it, he could tell she wasn’t alone. There were two males with her, and he caught the coppery tang of blood.
Leandro panicked and ran toward the smells.
The girl was at the edge of a watering hole, filling her flask. Surely, she’d had enough for one night? Then, she turned the flask upside down and dumped the water out. Leandro wondered why she was doing that.
The metallic scent of spilled blood was strong here, but the girl didn’t look injured. And where were the two males?
Leandro moved to get a better look, still using the trees as cover. With the new angle, Leandro could see why the girl wasn’t drinking the water. There was a tint of red to it. There was also a dead man in it. She must have killed him in the watering hole.
Yuck, I’m glad she poured the water out.
Leandro looked around for the other man and spotted a body a few yards away. Looks like she’s been busy while I was sleeping. Also, looks like she doesn’t need my protection. Her actions just made Leandro more intrigued, and he decided to stay around a little longer.
Chapter Thirteen
Sergei had a new target.
Terrier was hiding somewhere in the bunker, and Sergei was going to find him, cut his head off, and present it to Afana on a fucking plate. Then, he would go after Ryder.
He was still shocked that Ryder—the little prick—had turned traitor. Not because the jerk was loyal, but because he was a soft-ass without his weapons. Ryder still looked like a little boy, as if time had skipped over him.
Sergei had sent Pavel, Yegor, and Nestor to get information on Terrier’s location. The bunker was a big place, but it was difficult to hide anything in there for long, especially a huge, dreadlocked man like Terrier. Someone would have seen him.
Yegor and Pavel returned and filled Sergei in on their findings. “Decso saw Terrier moving down the levels, and he also saw him talking to Vera. He thought something was up because Terrier never returns without a kill and Ryder wasn’t with him. He asked me where Ryder was.”
Sergei got in his face. “And what the fuck did you tell him?” If they betrayed him again, he’d have their heads.
“That he’d done a runner,” Yegor responded.
Sergei punched Yegor in the face. “You dumb
