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I clambered to my feet, searched, but couldn’t find s stiffened even as I trudged deeper into the woods, and all too soon, I could barely chug forward an inch at a time I scanned the area

Bad news: as naked as the trees were, they wouldn’t offer e if I climbed

Good news: Shooter would have to look up to see me

Bad news: he could easily look up

I had no other option Using pieces of bark as handrails and stepstools, I shiony Finally I reached a large enough liainst the trunk I palers sheathed at waiting

A horde of birds flew overhead, and a gentle histled, hopefullythe thunderous beat of s In a battle to the death, ould I do? I had no proble them They weren’t people He was

He wanted to killhi fro the trunks as a shield He scanned one way, then the other, before azes locked

Instinct kicked in, and I launched a dagger before he could ai him backward

Pop! He’d ed to squeeze off a shot The bullet hit just above my shoulder, and bark flew in every direction Some of it landed in ed o I took several steps, intending to run--then I stopped If I ran, he would probably find ain There wasn’t anywhere to hide I could throw another knife and ain

It , I turned and approached hi in quick succession as he struggled to sit up His gun had been knocked out of his hand and rested a few feet away

He dived for it when he spotted me, but then, so did I I beat hi the barrel at hi er like it’s this year’sbecaun allare with a so to prison for murder, sweetness?"

"I want to survive, and we both know this would be self-defense" My finger twitched on the trigger Come on, Cole "Why do you work for Aniood"

"You don’t care that the co the zoave ht and wrong I’d fight for your side if the price was right" As he spoke, he slowly angled to the side

He was planning so up with the recoil

He grunted and pulled his leg into his chest

"Move again," I said, "and I’ll put a hole in the other one"

Ato irl"

Threats? Seriously?

I shot his other leg Just Because

As he writhed in pain, the bushes toto run Or hide Or both

"Ali!" Cole called

"Here!" I shouted back, overjoyed

Cole and Veronica burst into ht her with hilance He dived on top of the un fell out of ave out

Now that I was safe, the surge of strength abandonedCole beat the nition on her face No re to Anima’s employee

Maybe she wasn’t the spy, either

Chapter 21

Weep So, I jolted upright Sweat poured fro to the beat of a riotous dru hands urged me back onto the reeted ainst a throat gone raw

"Ankh’s He looked you over Said you’d bruised a few ribs, had a few cuts, but were otherwise fine"

As the surge of panic eased, aches and pangs battled for my attention, and memories surfaced I’d survived another car crash, but others had died I’d been hunted, nearly killed ITears burned the backs ofsniffle--or six

Cole linked our fingers and squeezed

The crack in huntil I re else He’d coed ive us a minute?" he snarled

Whoa Where had--

"Tell us what happened, Miss Bell," Mr Ankh said, and I realized Cole hadn’t been talking to me

I peered beyond his shoulder Or tried to The darkness was too thick to penetrate

"Am I blind?" I shrieked