I screamed in fright as they loosed the arrow, diving off the path and a blaze of fire in my periphery told me that it had barely missed me. I raced into the trees, my shoes sinking into the mud as I climbed the hill that led deeper into the forest, desperate to get away. Oh fuck fuck fuck!
"Taaatuuum," that awful voice sounded again, the cracking of twigs behind me telling me I was being followed. And for a second it sounded like there was more than one set of footsteps.
A whoosh of another arrow made me scream again and this one slammed into a tree to my left, the flames hissing as it sank into the wet bark. Holy fuck.
Terror gripped me as I pushed myself harder, climbing the hill and finally making it to the top before hurrying down the other side. I stumbled down the steep ground in the dark, unable to see where I was going and my foot suddenly caught in a root. I gasped as I tumbled, falling forward and crashing down the hill, getting caked in mud.
I sank into the wet bog at the bottom of it with a groan, shoving myself up onto my knees as I prepared to keep running. A fiery arrow slammed into the ground just beside my hand and I jerked backwards, staring up the hill where the figure stood, another arrow aimed down at me and their bone white mask covering their whole face, the light flickering over it.
"What do you want?!" I snarled, forcing power into my voice so I didn't sound like a scared little mouse as they pointed that arrow at me.
My muscles were coiled. I was ready to leap out of the way the moment they loosed it, but if I moved too soon, they'd predict it and I'd be dead.
They spoke and their voice came out through that horrible voice changer, making a shudder of fear roll through me. "Justice." They shot the arrow and I screamed, diving aside but it scored across my forearm, taking a chunk of skin with it before it hit the earth and the fire went out.
I was on my feet about to run, but a fierce shout cut through the air. "Tatum!?" Monroe bellowed followed by the rest of the Night Keepers calling for me. My phone was buzzing in my pocket and as I looked up, the asshole on the hill turned into the woods and fled.
I started running up the bank, desperate to get to my men, my teeth clenched in fury as hot blood ran down my arm, mixing with the icy rain. As I reached the top, a weight collided with me and I screamed as someone tackled me to the ground, finding myself looking up at Blake. "I got the Justice Ninja!" he cried.
"It's me you idiot!" I snapped and he lifted his head, turning his phone towards my face so the flashlight on it illuminated me.
"Oh, fuck," he growled. "Are you okay? You're covered in mud. And shit, are you bleeding?" He got off of me, dragging me upright and aiming the light at my arm, tearing my sleeve open to get a better look.
I hissed as I saw the uneven slice through my forearm just as the other three guys arrived. The look of abject rage in their eyes as they spotted the blood turned into a violent energy that cloaked all of them in hate.
"Someone was hunting me. They had a fucking bow and arrow," I explained, my voice unsteady as they circled around me like wolves.
"Which way did they go?" Saint hissed and I pointed before he and Kyan immediately took off in that direction.
Blake tugged me into his chest, crushing me close for a moment as a dark growl escaped him.
"Did you get a good look at them?" Monroe snarled, venom pouring from him as he stood there, his eyes saying he wanted to rip me out of Blake's arms and hold me himself.
I shook my head. "They wore dark clothes and a white mask."
"Bait?" Blake snapped immediately but I shook my head.
"It was a full mask," I said. "And they weren't too big, but it could have been a guy or a girl. I'm not sure."
"Fuck," Monroe spat as Blake's hand curled over my wound and gripped tight to stem the bleeding. "Let's get back to the path."
They walked either side of me like warriors marching me down the hill and back onto the path beyond the trees. Being in the light of the lanterns made me feel a bit better, but I was thoroughly shaken. Had that asshole been trying to kill me? Or just scare me?
I shuddered, leaning into Blake, while aching to reach out and drag Monroe closer too. Saint and Kyan burst out of the trees a minute later, their eyes full of fury.
Saint strode toward me, fixing me with a hard stare. "Who knew you were at the library tonight? Who saw you?"
"There were plenty of people at the library. Pearl and Georgie were there." I shrugged. "I was working with Mila, but she left."
"Was Pearl still there when you left?" Blake snarled and I nodded, pretty sure of it.
"Pearl hasn't got the braincells to pull this off," Saint hissed. "But Mila...why did she leave before you?"
"I don’t know…she left kind of abruptly. But that doesn’t mean anything,” I said. "It could have been anyone at the library or someone else who saw me heading there earlier." It was still raining and even with my four guys surrounding me, I'd rather have had this conversation while we were walking back to The Temple, but it was clear they weren’t going to just let this go. And it wasn’t like I wanted to either, but standing out here in the freezing rain wasn’t doing us any good.
The four guys shared a look that made my stomach churn.
“So she just happened to leave before you did, for no good reason?” Saint gritted out.
“You can’t actually be suggesting she’d do this,” I demanded. “It wasn’t Mila.”
“Seems like there’s only one way to be sure,” Kyan murmured darkly, turning and heading off down the path at a brisk pace.
We all marched along behind him and anger curled through me at the insinuation that Mila could be responsible for this.
“Listen to me. It wasn’t her,” I impressed, but none of them responded.
We headed up the path to Beech House and Kyan practically kicked the door down as he shoved his way inside. We were close behind him and my lips parted at the sight of the muddy boot prints in the hall, but whoever had been wearing them had evidently taken them off, perhaps carried them away. Even the fact that they were fresh prints didn’t prove anything though. Someone could have just gotten back from a run or detention.
Kyan led the way upstairs and Blake kept me close as they marched up the stairs and stormed down the hall to my old room. Kyan hammered his fist on the door and Mila tugged it open a beat later, her eyebrows shooting up as she found us all standing there, suddenly under the intense scrutiny of the Night Keepers. She had a silver robe wrapped around her and her hair was damp like she’d taken a recent shower…or been out in the rain.
"What's going on?" she gasped as Kyan shouldered her aside and started tearing her room apart. "What the fuck are you doing!?"
I pulled away from Blake, catching Mila's hand and she took in my bedraggled appearance in alarm.
"What the hell happened, Tatum?" she asked, her eyes glimmering with worry as she saw the cut on my arm.
"Some asshole attacked me," I hissed. "They suspect it was you." I rolled my eyes and her jaw dropped in fright as Monroe and Saint headed into her room too, their filthy football cleats trailing mud everywhere.
"I didn't! Why would they think that?" she gasped in horror.
"I'm sorry." I shook my head, my heart tugging. "Just let them search the place and they'll realise it wasn't you, okay?"
Mila agreed, moving closer to me just as Danny came jogging up the stairs, soaked and carrying a rose between his teeth. It fell from his mouth as he spotted us there and Blake turned to him with his eyes narrowed. "Go back to your room, Danny."
"What's going on?" he asked, walking closer instead of listening to Blake’s order.
Blake moved in front of him, barring his way to Mila. "Go the fuck home."
"It's okay, Danny," Mila pressed. "They'll be gone soon."
Danny's jaw locked and he stared at Mila with need in his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. What the fuck is going on?"
"Where did you hide them?" Saint stepped out of the room, his eyes narrowing on Mila, his express
ion terrifying.
"Hide what?" she gasped.
"Saint, she didn't do it," I snapped, my blood heating. "Let's just go."
"We're not leaving until we get an answer," Kyan growled as he stepped out of the room behind Saint, cracking his knuckles. "Where did you hide the mask and the boots, Mila?"
"What are you talking about?" Mila clung to my arm, evidently thinking I could save her from them, and I hoped I could.
I moved forward to shield her, glaring between the four of them. "She didn't do it. I trust her."
"Says the girl who trusted the Unspeakables." Saint sneered and my upper lip peeled back. "Get her, Kyan."
“Wait!” I cried. “You can’t do anything to her, it says so in the rules. I can have one friend you can’t target. And that’s her.”
Saint considered that and Kyan snorted, but he waited for Saint’s answer all the same.
“Needs must, Tatum,” he growled. “Whoever hurts her can be punished afterwards when it’s done.”
“No!” I screamed as Mila backed away in fear.
Kyan strode forward, pushing me into Monroe’s chest and he treacherously locked his arms around me to keep me from interfering again. Kyan pushed Mila towards the stairs and Blake moved to her other side before Saint took up position behind her like they were arresting a prisoner of war.
"Stop it!" I yelled and a couple of doors opened along the hall as girls ducked their heads out to see what was going on. As soon as they spotted the Night Keepers, they shut their doors again and locks clicked firmly into place.
I wriggled in Monroe's hold and he twisted me around in his arms, holding me close so I was forced to look at him. "They're going to do this, princess. We need to be sure. Let it be."
"She's my friend!" I shouted, yanking out of his grip and running after them.
Monroe was hot on my heels, but he wasn’t fast enough to catch me as I made it downstairs and sped outside.
Mila was on her knees in the mud before Saint, Blake and Kyan, the light from the dorms pouring out onto the ground as students gathered at their windows to watch. Mila's robe had fallen half off her shoulders, revealing part of a strappy leather outfit I guessed she'd bought to wear for Danny. Danny was being held away from her by Blake, curses streaming from his lips as he fought to get free.
"Stop it!" I screamed, running forward, but Monroe caught up with me, latching an arm around my stomach and the other across my shoulders, locking his muscles tight so I was immobilised against him.
Kyan unbuckled his belt, staring down at Mila while Saint stood beside him with his arms folded.
"Tell us the truth and you can save yourself a golden shower," Kyan warned and I gasped.
"Kyan!" I screamed as he freed his cock and started pissing on the ground in front of Mila, moving the stream towards her like a damn laser in a James Bond movie. "You fucking asshole, stop it!"
Saint walked behind Mila, resting his hands on her shoulders as she tried to scramble away from the flow, holding her still. "The truth," he snarled. "Or trust me, you will face far worse than a bath in Kyan's piss before the night is through."
"I didn't do it, I swear - I swear it!” she cried and I hated seeing her like that.
“Then why did you leave the library so fast, huh?” Kyan demanded.
“Because…” She glanced at Danny then back to Kyan as she slid her robe further off her shoulders, revealing the leather outfit she was in which was made up entirely of complicated straps. “I wanted to surprise Danny in this. But I knew it would be a bitch to get on.”
Kyan laughed darkly and Saint shot him an icy look.
“Can anyone prove you were here the whole time?” Saint demanded.
“I was in the shower five minutes ago. Nancy saw me." She turned her head to scream up at one of the windows. "Nancy! Tell them!"
We all looked up at the building and Danny took the opportunity to jam his elbow into Blake's gut, breaking free of him and tearing towards Mila. Kyan didn't even stop pissing as he turned and floored him with a furious punch to the head, knocking him flat on his back.
"No!" Mila screamed, reaching for Danny but wincing back as Kyan pissed in her direction to keep her away from him.
He sighed as he finally ran out of juice, tucking himself away and beckoning Blake over. "I'm out bro, and there's no sign of Nancy who-fucking-knows."
Blake rolled his zipper down and I jerked against Monroe's hold, stamping on his feet as I tried to force him to let me go, but he just wouldn't.
"We're going to find out who did this to you no matter what it takes," Monroe breathed in my ear. "If it's not her, then she'll be able to prove it."
Blake started pissing on the ground, picking up where Kyan had left off and Saint watched impatiently, clearly irritated by waiting for Mila to be punished.
A window suddenly pushed open somewhere above and a blonde girl stuck her head out. "Mila was in the bathroom a few minutes ago, I saw her!" she called down. "We were talking for like ten minutes before that too."
My shoulders sagged as relief filled me.
Blake stopped pissing and all the Night Keepers shared a look. Saint nodded, stepping back as he released Mila and she lunged towards Danny on the floor as he groaned.
"He'll be fine, he's being a pussy," Kyan said to Mila as if that counted as an apology somehow.
Monroe released me and I rushed forward with a snarl on my lips. Kyan opened his arms as if he actually expected me to dive into them and I threw a hard punch into his face, sending him stumbling back a step.
He stretched out his jaw, rubbing at the mark I’d left on him with a look of surprise on his face.
"That's for Danny," I growled, then grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the stomach. "And that's for Mila." I stormed past him towards Blake and he opened his arms as he accepted his punishment before I slammed my fist into his gut and he wheezed.
When I turned, hunting for Saint, I found him and Monroe waiting behind me, ready for their punishments too. I frowned, but didn't hesitate as I punched Saint then Monroe as hard as I could in the chest. I stood panting between them all as they circled around me again, nursing their wounds.
Mila had gotten Danny on his feet and the two of them were kissing like there was no tomorrow.
"I'm sorry," I called to them as they broke apart and Mila looked to me, her features softening.
"At least they trust me now, right guys?" she spoke to the Night Keepers, her jaw tensing.
"Yeah," Blake agreed. "We trust you.” He looked to Danny. “Sorry dude." He clapped him on the back and Danny scowled at him.
"Don't be butt hurt about it," Kyan mocked, flexing his fingers which were bruised from the punch. "And you're welcome for the best sex of your life by the way. That's what being a hero earns you." He winked and Danny almost smiled as he snatched Mila's hand and towed her back into the girls' common house to cheers from the watching students.
Saint's hand curled around my arm just below the wound left there by the arrow. "This is unacceptable," he hissed. "When I find who did this, I'll have no mercy."
A shiver went through me at his words and the nods from the others said they agreed. The Justice Ninja was a dead man walking. And so help them, when me and my Night Keepers found them, they were going to bleed.
T he rest of the week passed without any more signs of the Justice Ninja and little to nothing of interest taking place either. I'd had my night with Tatum but she'd been on what she had named 'the period from hell' so instead of me fucking her brains out, we'd cuddled up and watched some shitty romance movie which made her cry 'in a good way' and had demolished an entire carton of chocolate ice cream.
I'd literally never even come close to doing something like that with a girl before and it had been one of the weirdest and sweetest evenings I think I'd ever had. She'd curled up with a hot water bottle tucked against her belly, snuggled herself beneath my arm and practically purred when I'd rubbed her back for her. I should have been piss
ed about her making me act soft like that, but I had to admit that it had actually been pretty nice. She'd even told me some stories about her and Jess as kids and though I hadn't shared any soft and fuzzy stories back (mostly because my most prominent early memories involved me watching my uncles torture people while letting me know the best places to inflict pain without actually killing them) it was nice to hear about her life before all of this.
Not that I would have changed anything about what had happened to get her to this place. We were only where we were now because of all of it and even though that made me a selfish motherfucker, I wouldn't change a damn thing.
But by the time it rolled around to my turn to have her in with me again, I was more than happy to take on the challenge of doling out double orgasms to make up for the ones she'd missed.
To make matters even better, it was a Saturday so she could totally go without sleep tonight and make all of my dreams come true.
I had half of my mind on coming up with ideas for that and the other on defeating a hoard of zombies on the Xbox when the sound of my phone ringing interrupted me. Monroe, Blake and Saint had all gone for a run, leaving me and Tatum here alone but as she wanted to catch up on some of her assignments, I'd been left to entertain myself.
The call rang out while I continued to play my game then instantly started ringing again and I cursed as I hit pause, fishing it out from between the sofa cushions and checking the caller ID.
"For fuck's sake," I muttered as I saw my grandpa's name and I sighed as I tried to school my temper enough to be able to talk to him without cursing.
Tatum looked up from her work at the table with a questioning frown and I flashed her a look at the phone before sighing and answering it.
"Good afternoon, lad," Liam's rich voice came down the speaker and my gut tightened in response.
"Afternoon, Grandpa." Fuck, I hated calling him that.
"There's been a little problem with the clean up you ordered for all of those bodies you left in the woods," he said, getting right to the point and I stilled.
"What kind of problem?" Damn, I could have used a cigarette right about now. I didn't know why, but I only ever craved them when I had to interact with this motherfucker.
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