He watches me with wide eyes. “Spit it out, Lakyn. What the fuck happened to you?” He leans forward, keeping his hand tight around my arm as he pokes his head outside. Slipping back inside, he shuts the door, locking it before looking at me. “Fucking talk to me, Lake!” he roars.
I swallow down my panic. “Attacked,” I pant.
His brow furrows. “Attacked? Attacked by who?”
I shake my head. “I… I don’t know,” I cry, lifting my arm, showing him the bloody slash on my skin. “I think someone just tried to kill me.”
Pure rage takes over his face, and I can see the red spread up his neck and to his cheeks. “Where was he?” he barks.
“What’s going on?” Archer asks as he rounds the corner. He has a beer in his hand, his swim trunks on, chest bare.
“Lakyn was attacked,” Creed snaps.
“Attacked?” Posie asks as she races down the stairs. Her feet pound as she rushes toward me. “Who attacked you?”
I let out another cry, bringing my good hand to my bad arm, feeling the blood seep between my fingers. “I don’t know,” I cry out. “I couldn’t tell who it was. He had a mask on.”
Archer barrels down the hallway, and Creed turns toward me, his brow furrowed. “Come on,” he growls, his hand wrapping around my waist. He pulls me into the kitchen, attempting to anchor me, though I feel like one swift breeze and I’ll fall to pieces.
Someone just tried to kill me.
Glancing toward the living room, I see both Kyler and Reign with their headsets on, killing zombies on the big screen. They both glance toward us before looking back at the TV. Then they do a double take, ripping their headsets off, tossing them onto the couch and rushing toward me.
“What the fuck is going on?” Kyler barks.
Reign is silent as he stalks toward me, his eyes narrowed, steps purposeful, as he cuts between everyone, stopping once he stands in front of me. His strong fingers reach for my wrist, and he pulls my arm toward him, inspecting my injury with murder in his gaze. His jaw clenches, and when his eyes raise toward mine, I see the barely controlled rage fracturing by the second.
“Tell me,” he growls.
As if on command, my lips pop open, and I tell them everything.
“I woke up alone in the pool,” I murmur, then raise my eyes to them, narrowing in accusation. They’ve done it a million times, and usually it’s not a big deal, but for some reason, right now it feels like they left me to the sharks.
“You fell asleep in like five seconds, Lakyn. I didn’t want to wake you up. You looked exhausted,” Posie says with wide eyes.
I watch her with tears in my eyes, knowing it’s the truth, but it doesn’t take away from how terrified I felt in that moment, to be completely alone.
“Where are Eloise and Vienna?” I ask, fear knocking against my bones. Are they safe, or did the masked man get to them?
I start breathing heavily again, and Creed presses his hand over my chest, right against my heart. “They’re upstairs sleeping. Fucking relax, Lakyn. I was just with them.”
“So, wait a fucking second. Where was this guy?” Archer asks.
Reign walks off, and I narrow my eyes at him until he comes back a minute later, a first aid kit in his hands. He gestures to the bar stool in front of the island, and I move over to it, wincing as I lay my hand on the granite counter. Reign gets to work, opening the kit and cleaning off my wound. I let out a hiss as he presses a wet cotton ball against it, cleaning up the blood.
“Lakyn,” Archer snaps, and my gaze shoots to his, seeing concern in his eyes. “Where did you see him?”
A shiver rolls over my body as I nod toward the corner window. “He was off by the bar, hidden in the dark. He didn’t step out until I sat up. He chased me around the pool and cut my arm when I was hopping the fence.” My breath strangles in my lungs, and I let out a whimper. “He was about to kill me.”
Reign’s fingers press into my wrist as he wraps my arm, and I glance up at him, seeing him watching me in a way that makes me want to sob.
Reign was always my protector.
Until he wasn’t.
A warm blanket wraps around my shoulders, and I see Posie standing over me, worry in her eyes, and it loosens the terror inside of me, releasing it like a floodgate. “Someone wants to kill me.” The sob breaks from my chest, and Posie steps closer, her arms wrapping around my waist. She squeezes me, and I bury my head into her chest.
“This is fucked up, guys. Maybe we should call the police,” she says once she straightens, her voice shaking.