I kept seeing the trickle of blood, oozing and pooling on the floor—unwilling to leave its host, copper and crimson…slowly turning to unwanted rust.

Dirt to dirt.

Ashes to ashes.

Daniel had been raised with diamond spoons and diamond toys. Would his body eventually fuse with the earth, transforming from bone and becoming the sparkling gemstones his family coveted?

Reborn.

Into the one thing his family treasured the most.

Was that karma?

Or serendipitous endings?

Stop it.

You heard what Daniel said. He would’ve raped me until death.

If I had died, he wouldn’t be moping about mourning my loss or regretting his decision.

Straightening my shoulders, I stopped thinking about the murder and dealt with the aftermath.

Jethro moved silently and stealthily. I refused to look at Daniel’s sheet-wrapped body. A bloom of blood was the only sign that beneath the burden existed something sinister.

“Jethro…” I whispered, cursing the remnants of the drug-liquor still hammering my heartbeat. My orgasm had been blistering and explosive, but it hadn’t nullified the urge entirely.

He looked up, stepping through the fence opening, leaving the encampment for the free world. “What?”

“I—I—” I didn’t know what I wanted to say. I’d apologised for killing his brother. I’d let him console me when really I should console him for losing yet another member of his family.

He hasn’t lost Kes…not yet.

I felt responsible. I should be the one to destroy the evidence, not him.

“I want you to go. If Cut—”

His teeth bared. “Don’t bring that up again. I’m. Not. Leaving. I don’t fucking care if he sees me. I’m here for good. I’m with you for good. Got it?”

His gaze entrapped me; I sucked in a breath. The magical question he’d asked filled my mind.

Marry me.

Marry me.

Marry him?

I’d said yes, but nerves tap-danced on my ribcage. I wanted him as mine more than anything, but there was so much we had to defeat before we were free.

Looking over my shoulder, fear tiptoed through my shadow, terrified Cut would find us.

Repositioning Daniel on his shoulder, Jethro held the panel wider. “Come on.” Perspiration and strain etched his forehead. “We have to hurry.”

I didn’t hesitate again.

Ducking through the fence, I stayed by his side, crunching through long grass, keeping my eyes wide and wary. We were no longer in the den of Hawks but entered a much larger one of lions and hyenas. I’d never been to a place where humans weren’t on the top of the food chain. It made me very aware of how vulnerable and edible we were.

A few hours ago, the plains had been shrouded in darkness so thick, my eyes were completely blinded. Now, the black turned pinky-grey, slowly yawning as daybreak appeared.

We had to hurry.

Hurry.

Jethro had to hide.

We have to run.

Trailing in his wake, I didn’t ask about his plan. I trusted him. However, being so exposed out here—visible to both man and beast—I didn’t like it.

I had to pinch myself to believe he was truly here. When he’d run into the tent, I thought I’d finally snapped. That whatever drugs Cut had given me had consumed me whole.

But then he’d touched me and the repellent desire in my blood became an incinerating demand. His arrival was a miracle. And I’d appreciated that miracle by making him fuck me.

He’d helped me forget for just a tiny moment.

The further we travelled, the more numb I became.

Shock was a weird thing.

It had the power to anesthetize even the most horrifying situation. It could dull the most excruciating pain and make it liveable. But it could also abolish instinct and make a bad idea seem good.

Was this a good idea? Or terrible?

Jethro stumbled beneath his dead brother’s weight.

Dashing forward, I reached out unthinkingly. My hand touched cooling flesh. I swallowed the urge to retch. “Let me help.”

Jethro shook his head, pain scrunching his face. “I can manage. Just stay close.” Blood trickled down his side where his gunshot wound had torn. The heat in his eyes wasn’t just from rage but fever. As much as he would deny it, he wasn’t fully healed and should be resting.

Instead, he’s out here…saving me.

We were both in pain. The kick from Daniel throbbed and the hits and scratches didn’t appreciate being ignored. Even the slice on my palm from the ceremony still stung. We both needed to be held together with stitches and bandages.

“Jethro, please, you’re not well. Let me help. We’re in this together. Don’t carry this burden on your own.” By burden, I didn’t just mean Daniel’s death, but the entire situation.

He smiled softly. “Nila, I can feel your urge to help. I feel your love, your fear, your uncertainty.” He sighed. “I even feel your confliction about saying yes to marrying me.”

I sucked in a gasp. His condition gave me no room to hide. No secrets.

“I’m sorry. I can’t—”

He moved forward again, his knees kissing the long grass. “I know you can’t help it. But don’t ask me to lean on you when there is so much I made you survive on your own.” His jaw clenched. “I need to do this. And I would appreciate it if you didn’t interfere.”

“Interfere?”

“You know what I mean.”