“I want to help,” I rushed to try to reason with his demon. “I know you’re hurting. Let me try to fix it.”
He laughed a horrible laugh. It made my stomach turn upside down. “You already are.”
I gave him a confused look.
His dark blond hair fell over his forehead as he circled me. “Let me fill in the blanks. I’m going to hurt Chase where it counts.”
Oh for crying out loud. Did everyone have to seek revenge on Chase through me? “This is crazy, Travis.” I wiped my sweaty palms on the back of my jeans. It was a cold sweat.
He lunged.
It was basic instinct. I ran. I screamed. And I fought as he tackled me to the ground.
I landed on my shoulder and white-hot pain lanced down my arm. His strength was shocking, brutally, even though I knew he was ridiculously fast and inhumanly strong. One-handed he pinned my wrists to keep me from striking out. They throbbed under his capture, and I stared as little puffs of cold air wheezed out my lungs.
“Travis, don’t do this,” I pleaded.
With his other hand he covered my mouth, silencing my screams of protest. “Don’t scream. You’ll wake the beasts,” he warned in a biting command.
I think I already had. Travis was definitely a beast. I felt my whole body tighten.
No. No. No. This was not happening.
My mind wasn’t able to wrap around the fact that Travis was hurting me. Travis. The same guy I spent hours upon hours playing video games with and pulling all-nighters during a game release. I couldn’t keep my wits afloat as a rush of thoughts flooded me.
The flesh on my back scraped raw as I struggled to break free, twisting my head back and forth. My heart pounded in my chest, demanding oxygen. His eyes were blazing, illuminating the dark cover of the purple shadowy trees. “He stole my life from me.”
Anger poured through me, and I pushed aside my fear. That wasn’t true. It wasn’t Chase who stole anything. It was Eric and his ludicrous ideas. He had to know that. Suddenly, it became clear that I needed to make him see that.
I absolutely hated feeling helpless and defenseless. It sucked. Forgetting that this was Travis, I twisted, trying to kick my legs loose, but nothing I did seemed to budge him. My cries were muffled under his hand, but it didn’t stop me from trying to be heard. With some unfound strength, I bucked under his crushing weight. He was so much bigger than my small frame, but I managed to free one of my hands.
For one stunned second, I just lay there, unsure what I was going to do to get myself out of this situation. I knew that by now Chase would have felt my panic and would be on his way. But he had to find me. And at this rate, Travis might suffocate me or something equally as harsh. Totally not part of the plan. I started causing a ruckus again. My flailing hand stumbled over the icy ground until it came in contact with something solid, a rock under the freezing snow. I grabbed it as if it was my lifeline.
In an arch, my arm swung at Travis with the stone in my hand. I had no idea exactly what I thought I was going to do, but I continued to be a pain in his ass. We were both dumbfounded when I actually hit him on the side of the head. A gash immediately split open, pouring sticky red goo. The rock tumbled from my fingers.
Inside, my heart had gone numb, but the numbness didn’t last long. Travis shook me—viciously. My brain rattled and pain stung my eyes, gathering with tears. I was desperate to see his charming aqua eyes, not the glower of his demon, to break through to my friend.
But I was beginning to think it was hopeless.
Blood trickled down the side of my cheek. Tiny flashes of blue danced behind my eyes. “I can make her forget,” I said between clamped teeth, welcoming the pain. It meant I was still alive, yet for how long? I knew my body would heal quicker, but at what point would the damage be too much?
He stopped and stared at me.
Then I heard a familiar growl behind us. It was music to my ears. I never questioned how he found me. I was just eternally grateful he had, and it hadn’t been too late. Travis was lifted off me and flung through the air. Just as soon as Travis hit the ground, feet first, he crouched, snarling. Chase was in front of me, putting himself between me and danger. Typical. But it was a welcomed sight. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved. I took a moment, staring at the sky to inhale the crisp winter air and enjoy the ability to breathe again.
But it didn’t last long. “What took you so long?” Travis asked, in a voice that lacked his carefree charisma.
Chase snarled with bared teeth. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I knew they were glowing like a jack-o-lantern on Halloween night. “You’ve reached a new low, cuz.”
“No thanks to you.” Travis glowered just as I pushed myself into a sitting position.
A bolt of guilt stabbed me in the gut, and I knew that it was Chase feeling hordes of regret. “I can’t change the past. I did what I had to do to protect my family,” he defended.