Page 2 of Dangerous Promises

He pulls back and shows me the hatred in his eyes, too. His slick black hair is wet and dripping from the rain, but his eyes are more troubled than ever. I've seen his rage firsthand many times since I've known him. This is a look reserved solely for me. The way he looks at me, I've never seen him give that look to anyone else.

"It's going to be slow," he says, satisfaction bleeding from his lips. He takes the knife and runs it across my belly, cutting the fabric of my top. His wicked smile is all teeth as he runs the knife over my flesh, though not hard enough to break the skin. "I will slowly carve you up, princess. A fast death isn't a mercy you'll get from me. I will make you regret every moment alive since the day you were born. I'll ruin your life."

My breath hitches, eyes prickling with tears.

"You already have," I say, counting on the way his eyes snap to mine. With fast hands I rip myself out of his grip, pushing him off me and running for the front gate. I do my best on my bleeding leg to get there fast.

I wiggle the gate, but it's locked up tight. Security still in place and lessons learned from the past year. I'm going to have to climb it.

I scale the iron the wayheshowed me once and promptly make it to the top.

I gasp when my leg is pulled back suddenly. I turn around to find Alexei's hand wrapped around my ankle. I shake as muchas I can until I dislodge him, climbing up the rest of the fence until I'm straddling the top. I look down to see Alexei paused and waiting patiently below me.

"You're only delaying the inevitable," he says. "One day, I'll get you."

I don't even know what to reply. He may be right. And maybe I don't mind.

He flips the knife in his hand again, this time throwing it right in my direction. My eyes widen as it sails towards me, and I duck to get out of its path.

Alexei still watches me, arms folded and not making a move. "Go ahead. Jump. No one left to catch you."

I look down at the ground. It seems far higher from up here. But he's right. There's nobody left to catch me anymore. All there is to do is jump.

So I do.

Sadly for me, my jeans hook on the fence's intricate iron accents, catching me at an awkward angle as the ground rushes up to meet me. As I spiral towards the earth it is Alexei's cruel laughter that clouds my senses.

His voice is the last thing I hear before my pants rip, my head smashes on the gravel, and the world goes black.

Chapter

One

Sage

It's not the blinding sun that wakes me, but rather the happy singsong tones of birds chirping as they fly overhead. A shrill whistle in my ear, they startle me awake. I'm in a pathetic position, as difficult as it is to admit.

My leg is stuck, with my foot precariously hanging outside the fence and my ankle sprained from the pressure. Dust from our front driveway covers my clothes and I'm lying in my own dried blood. Everything hurts as I groan and try to sit up.

I reach up and touch my head, feeling the sting from the large bump that is forming there. I grab my leg and try to yank it free from the fence, sending myself ass over head when I finally get free.

Flashes of last night come back to me. Chasing Alexei Rushkoff. Finding Alexei Rushkoff. Fighting Alexei Rushkoff. Then ultimately losing and running away with my tail between my legs, hitting myself on the head to a knockout when I tried to climb over the fence to escape him.

I stand up and begin a very pathetic limp up the front driveway. I'm still bleeding a little from the swipe Alexei got at me with his knife. The blood drips down my jeans and onto the path behind me like a trail of breadcrumbs.

I never realized how long this driveway was until having to walk up it with a bleeding and near-broken leg.

I make it to the front steps before I can't take it any longer and collapse, sitting there and letting my legs sink beneath me. The view of the estate is beautiful in the morning. Freshly mowed grass still coated by the reminder of raindrops from the night before. Clear blue skies, a warm sun and the view of the tree line on the horizon.

All largely ruined by the trail of blood I've left behind.

It's been six months since I made a death promise with Alexei. And yet it hasn't reached its conclusion. Not for either one of our lack of trying. Alexei takes nearly as many shots at me as I do at him. A victor still to emerge.

The scars on my back are much older than the many new ones Alexei has given me. I can't shake the thought that he is playing with me. Last night he chased me all the way across his territory and here into mine. The look on his face was wicked and predatory.

I cringe thinking of how doe-eyed and scared I must have looked. And how right he was. There was no one to catch me. There isn't anyone to catch me.

The door swings open suddenly, making me jump, and Freddie comes rushing out.