Part 5 (2/2)

”Just a little bit further.” Julie added, keeping her voice as low as possible.

Just then, a loud roar erupted from somewhere behind them. They all turned. There was a sharp bend in the river about a hundred feet behind them.

”s.h.i.+t,” Candy murmured. ”We need to move. Now.” She began to run.

The stream was no longer a stream but an honest to G.o.d river. It was deep and strong. They needed to be careful not to go in too deep because the currents would sweep them away. Thankfully the pebbled edges were muddy with flat stones. By now she was so cold that she could barely feel her feet. It didn't matter, she picked up her pace behind Candy and could hear Pauline right behind her. They made their way to the bank since they no longer needed to mask their scent.

There was another roar, louder this time.

Julie heard Pauline stop dead. The other woman whimpered softly.

”Keep going!” She shouted, not daring to look back. Candy leapt out of the river and Julie followed suit. The hunt was on and in full force. They were gaining on them. It terrified her but it also fueled her. They all picked up the pace.

There was a loud splas.h.i.+ng noise as Pauline began to run once more. She made more whimpering noises. ”I see them. I see them!” She shrieked. ”Oh G.o.d.” There was another loud splash and then the sound of footfalls on the ground behind her. It sounded like Pauline had also jumped out of the river.

Julie's arms were pumping and the muscles in her thighs burned but she kept on going. It wasn't long before she heard them. The hard pounding of their feet against the ground behind them. The ragged noises as they breathed in and out. She risked a glance over her shoulder and wished that she hadn't. They were huge. At least six and a half feet of raw muscle. There was no way they were escaping this. That bully, Scarlet, had been right. If they were caught, they were going to be torn apart. She glanced back a second time, locking eyes with one of the men. His...o...b.. were pitch black and filled with determination like she'd never seen before. A s.h.i.+ver raced up her spine.

For a moment she thought of dropping to her knees and begging for a life. Screw that. She picked up the pace, coming up alongside Candy. The other woman didn't look like she was going to last for much longer. They had to keep going. The river turned sharply this time to the right and as it did, she could see how the water rushed faster. How it swirled, gurgled and surged. Deep and wild.

In that moment, she realized that there was only one chance of getting away. It certainly wasn't on foot. She would need to give herself over to the mercy of the river. There was only one little problem with that, she hadn't been taught how to swim. It wasn't like swimming was high up on the list of subjects at the orphanage she was from. Foster families were so busy trying to put food on the table or they just didn't give much of a s.h.i.+t. Swimming hadn't featured much. It was a luxury. Sure, she could swim from one side of the pool to the other. Slowly and carefully. Doggy style. But could she actually keep herself afloat long enough to survive the immense power of the surging river?

There was a loud scream behind her. It was bloodcurdling and so filled with fear that it almost had her stopping and turning. Pauline, they had Pauline. There was no other explanation.

”Let go of me!” She screamed. ”What are you doing?” She screamed even louder.

Everything in her told her told her to stop, to help, but it would do no good. There was no way that she could stand up to these brutes. Julie glanced at the river. It was either stay here and face these men, with very little chance of survival or take her chances in the river. She glanced over her shoulder. The other one was right behind her. There were several more of them behind him. If he reached out, he might just be able to touch her. If he missed, there would be more to take his place. It turned her blood cold.

From the corner of her eye she saw Pauline sprawled out on the ground. She continued to scream. There was a man on top of her, his hands were all over her. It angered her. The injustice and the brutality of it all. The savagery. It sickened and disgusted her. She had to remind herself that there was nothing she could do, if she stopped to try and help, she would be next.

On a loud yell, that came out sounding more like a battle cry than a scream of terror, which was what she was feeling, she hurled herself into the river. For the first time, she was thankful that she was wearing so little. At least the light dress wouldn't weigh her down. The woolen shawl had long since fallen in the river, swept away by the current much like what was about to happen to her as well.

The dark eyed brute managed to snag her dress. There was a moment where time seemed to stop. Then there was a tearing noise as her dress ripped free from his grip. The current grabbed her immediately, it pulled her down. Her eyes were squeezed shut. The air forced out of her lungs in a whoosh as the cold gripped her.

Her arms and legs flailed, almost of their own accord. Her lungs burned as the need for air a.s.saulted her. She kicked harder, finally breaking to the surface. There was a splas.h.i.+ng and kicking next to her. Panic seized her. It had to be him. The one with the dark fathomless eyes. She was moving quickly. It felt like she was being pulled under and then spat out. Breaking to the surface for short periods of time to gulp air before being pulled back under. She caught a glimpse of long, blonde streaked hair and realized that the splas.h.i.+ng was coming from Candy. She was in the water with her.

Go Candy.

Although, right now she was feeling that maybe taking a chance on the river was not the best idea after all. Her knee banged against something and she let out a yelp. Probably a rock. Just then the current tugged her under again and water filled her nose and mouth. She coughed as she came up. Her lungs burning. Her muscles shaking with fatigue. She'd never felt so cold or desperate in all of her life.

Almost as soon as she came up, she was being pulled under again. She barely had enough time to take in a breath. Her lungs ached with the need to cough. Using the last reserves of strength she had, she kicked hard, breaking the surface. Julie sucked in a deep breath. Her lungs protested and she coughed.

Oh G.o.d.

She couldn't take much more of this. She tried to look around but there was no sign of Candy. There were rocks up ahead but the currents were pulling her under again. She sucked in another deep breath just before her head became submerged. Her left arm sc.r.a.ped against one of those rocks and she cried out. The noise swept away by the currents.

It was a miracle she had lasted this long and an even greater miracle that she managed to avoid so many of the rocky outcrops. That she managed to keep fighting for air. Otherwise she allowed the river to carry her. Her only consolation was that she was moving further and further away from the enemy. She knew that the currents were strong and that the river was moving fast but she hadn't realized quite how fast. Not until she caught sight of the forest just beyond the steep bank, it rushed past in a blur.

She just kept kicking, fighting, praying. Just when she thought she wasn't going to be able to hold on for much longer, the river turned yet another corner and she was flushed out onto a narrow bank. Just to the right of her, the river continued to surge. Her feet found purchase on the soggy silt covered bed. It was difficult going but she shuffled and kicked and dragged herself until she hit the sand on the edge. Julie threw herself onto the bank. Her feet still dangled in the river but she didn't care. Her chest heaved. Her whole body shook both from cold and fatigue.

After a couple of minutes, she dragged herself further out. To where the ground was dry. If she hoped to stand any chance of survival she needed to get dry and fast.

After about five minutes, Julie turned herself over. She shook and s.h.i.+vered but at least she was alive. Banged up, but alive. Her knee throbbed and her arm was sc.r.a.ped open but she didn't think she'd broken any bones.

She allowed herself a further ten minutes to regain her strength before pulling herself into a sitting position. Julie wanted to call out to Candy but she didn't want to risk giving away her position. Candy could be anywhere. She only hoped that the other woman was alive. Her eyes welled with tears as she thought of Pauline. Poor, sweet Pauline. She grit her teeth, feeling anger well. There was nothing she could do. Right now, she needed to think about herself. She needed to get the h.e.l.l out of there.

Quite frankly, she'd rather die of starvation. She'd rather be killed any day than be captured by one of those ogres. Those dark eyes were all she could see in her mind's eye. They scared the h.e.l.l out of her. So intense. So evil.

Julie spotted some tall reeds growing on a nearby bank. She pulled herself to her feet and slowly walked to them. Let that b.a.s.t.a.r.d with the dark eyes find her. She knew instinctively that he was coming. That he was the one to fear. Let him come, she thought to herself. Let the a.s.shole come, she would be waiting. Lord help him if he tried to touch her.

Chapter 7.

Blast and d.a.m.n!

The crazy females had thrown themselves into the river. Coal did not want a simpering, wilting flower as a mother for his children but neither did he want a crazy person for the position either. Anyone who threw themselves into a river like that had to have mental problems. It was not normal.

He recalled looking into that female's eyes. They were initially filled with fear. Though her gaze had quickly morphed into determination and what he could only describe as hatred. He knew that the move had been calculated. She'd a.s.sessed the odds and had decided that she stood a better chance within the raging rapids than against him. The female with light colored hair had followed suit. She only jumped into the river because the dark haired one had gone first.

She might be slightly crazy but she was also the only human female that held any interest to him. Still small and weak. Still far beneath him, but maybe she would do. It was a big maybe. There was only one way to find out.

He couldn't understand how Flame had managed to secure the other human female so easily. The male had felled one of the warriors and the water prince. As a royal, Torrent was much stronger and should have been the victor. The only thing that he could think of was that Torrent had set his sights on one of the other two remaining females just as he had. With two males closely on his tail, he set out after her. There would be many others following closely behind their little group. They didn't have much more than a two or three-minute lead. He was only a half a minute ahead of the water king, if that. The stakes were rising by the minute. Coal felt power flow through him. The human could run and she could hide, but she would not escape him.

For the first time in days, Coal smiled.

There was no escape. He would go to the ends of the earth if he had to.

Coal ran for about an hour, until he heard the sound of moaning up ahead. It was the female with the light colored hair. She clung to a log, her body was up on the trunk and her legs were still in the water. If it weren't for the moaning, he might think that she was dead.

This was not the female he wanted. Not that he particularly wanted the other one either. Not really. Coal sighed. He couldn't just leave her there, hanging on for dear life. Although the others weren't far behind him, he leapt forward and onto the wide trunk. It was solid and secure. Safe to negotiate. Coal spread his arms to balance himself and moved forward. When close enough, he bent and lifted the female. She weighed nothing.

He was mildly surprised when the little thing began to wriggle in his arms. She actually tried to pull away and to escape his grasp.

”Stay still,” he growled. He was all out surprised when she didn't listen. ”Stop that or I will throw you back.” He meant it. She was costing him precious time. His lead was diminis.h.i.+ng by the second.

That worked. On a loud sigh, she slumped against him. ”Don't hurt me,” she whispered. Why would he hurt her? Why would any of the males hurt her? He wasn't partial to humans himself but the others cherished and adored them. She was quite safe.

Coal deposited her on the bank. Heavy footfalls alerted him to Torrent. The male was fast approaching.

Blast!

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