Letting out a growl, I stop, kicking off my heels, watching as they fling off my feet before I leap over the curb and onto the pebbled shoreline. I can hear shouting from around the trees, and I speed up, my breath wheezing from my chest as goosebumps pop along my flesh. The rocks dig into the soles of my feet, but I don’t pay them any mind as I race toward the sound of the guys.
My guys.
“Archer!” I shout once they come into view. They wade in the water, the waves crashing against their knees as they have a standoff against the tree line. Archer and Zane are head-to-head, both of them poised, their bodies coiled tight. They look as if they’re ready to pounce, tear each other into pieces.
“Archer!” I shout again, and this time he hears me, turning toward me with a fierce glare.
“Get the fuck out of here, Lake!” he snaps.
His black eyes bore into me, and my throat dries.
The demon. His colored contacts make him look malevolent, and when he narrows them, I can’t help but shiver.
My eyes fall to Creed.
The devil. Red-colored contacts and a swath of red paint across his face.
My gaze slips to Kyler.
The dark angel. Dressed in black from head to toe, a jagged pair of wings on his back.
And finally, my chest falls as I see Zane.
James Bond.
Hero versus the villains.
I whip my head back and forth, a shiver working through my body as I step farther into the water, the waves lapping at my shins. It’s bitterly cold, the tide higher than usual tonight as it crashes against me.
“Wait, Lakyn. Fucking wait!” Posie pants, her hand snatching around my wrist. She hauls me away, and I fight against her, but both Vienna and Eloise come next, holding me back as the guys have their standoff in front of me.
“What are you guys even fighting about?” Vienna snaps.
Creed stands a few feet away with his arms folded across his chest, his red shirt molded to his muscles. His red and black face paint make him look lethal. “Don’t act stupid, V. You know the fucking rules. You guys shouldn’t fucking be here.”
“Fuck the rules, Creed! You can’t just have beef with anyone! Zane didn’t even do anything wrong!” Vienna shouts, her arms waving in front of my face.
Kyler glances at us over his shoulder, keeping his back to us, his chest naked, black wings .against his shoulder blades. You think he would be cold, but these guys never show fear, nor pain. They will never break.
“You guys need to leave,” he growls.
I feel at a loss, and my eyes connect with Zane’s, my brow furrowing when I meet cruel, regretful eyes. He doesn’t look like the friendly guy I’ve been getting to know. The guy who makes sure I have a drink before he does. The guy who brushed the hair from my face on a particularly windy day.
Now, he looks angry. Vindictive.
I went for the nice guy, but it looks like he had his own mask on.
“Zane?” I ask him softly, my hands clamped behind my back by my friends. A chill covers my skin, and I tremble in their hold.
He doesn’t say anything, his eyes narrowing as he turns back to Archer.
“Baby Lake.” Archer’s voice is commanding, and as always, I turn toward him, seeing a vicious storm in his eyes. “You know the rules, baby.”
My eyes narrow into slits, not caring about his rules when it comes to Zane. He’s a good guy. He’s innocent. “Let him fucking go, Archer. We’re not even doing anything wrong.”
His brow lifts as he stares at me. “You a little liar now, too?” He turns toward Zane, taking a step closer to him. “Tell me the truth, Zane. Anything going on with my girl over there?”
I want to scream at Zane,Don’t say a word.