Page 81 of Ruthless Moon
But the basement isn’t as deserted as the house. Two guards stand watch, their eyes burning with aggression, and one of them is fucking Noah.
Bast reacts first, lunging at the closest guard—at Noah—with a growl tearing through his clenched teeth.
I hurl myself at the other guard. Recognition flares in his eyes, a momentary hesitation for my advantage. My body collides with his, and for an agonizing second, it seems like I might actually knock him down.
But luck has a cruel sense of humor, and before I can pull back, the guard snatches at my leg. My world spins, and I’m brutally introduced to the unforgiving chill of the concrete floor. A rush of pain shoots through me.
The world slows as adrenaline courses through my veins, the sounds of struggle filling the basement. A chorus of grunts, curses, and thethudsof flesh against flesh. Flesh against concrete.
The guard crawls on top of me and wraps his hands around my throat. Panic prickles at the edges of my vision, dark spots blooming and threatening to swallow the world whole.
Out of nowhere, a feral snarl echoes to my right. A moment later, the suffocating pressure releases abruptly as the guard is sent hurtling across the room. His body slams against the wall with a satisfactorysmack.
My breath comes in ragged gasps and the dark spots recede from my vision. As I struggle to take in my surroundings, a comforting warmth blankets me, all too familiar. Blinking back the blurriness, I see Liam’s face, smeared with blood but alive. “You—how—I saw—”
“Meredith was healing me. I’m good, I promise.”
His words are a soothing balm on my frayed nerves. My fingers ghost over his bloodstained face.He wasn’t good. At least not a little while ago.
My heart clenches with gratitude for Meredith and her coven. We owe them, I owe them, a lifetime of gratitude and more.
Bast and Noah are a blur of motion. Bast’s punches connect with a ferocity that sends shivers down my spine. He’s bigger than Noah and the hits are harder, but the slightly smaller man retaliates with equal brutality. Each impact sends tremors through the basement.
A low growl rumbles through the room, and my heart lurches as Bast stumbles backward. Another vicious punch from Noah sends him reeling, a spray of blood painting the cold gray floor.
Thethudof Bast’s body hitting the floor silences the room.
A triumphant smirk plays on Noah’s lips as he stalks toward Bast, who struggles to rise. Dread pools in my stomach, a leaden weight threatening to pull me under. I’m the one who should pay the consequences of coming into my father’s house. Not Bast.
The distinct thump of boots above us filters through the strange silence. My father’s men. We’re running out of time.
Liam releases me before I can grab a tighter hold on him. He’s going to join the fight. He may be healed, but he’s not at full strength. Noah will kill him.
“Liam!”
“Stop.” Meredith blocks Noah’s forward motion. “It’s me you really want to punish—take me instead. I’m the one that got your brother killed, not them.” Her voice carries an edge of sacrifice that makes my heart twist painfully. The echo of boots grows louder, an insistent reminder that time is a luxury we can’t afford.
Noah freezes, a momentary flicker of confusion crossing his face before it settles into an inscrutable mask.
Bast claws his way upright, his thunderous roar slicing through the noise in my brain. “Get out of here. Now.” His command vibrates through the room, an order none of us want to follow.
Meredith doesn’t move. “This is what has to happen,” she insists, laying her hand on Bast’s arm like a goodbye. “Go with your brother. This is my gift to you, my sweet boys.”
Noah’s gaze is a heat-seeking missile, locked on Meredith with a rage that paralyzes me.
She returns his glare. “I’m the revenge you really want. On me. On Oliver. But you let them go free and I’ll surrender myself to you.” Her voice is cold.
“Agreed.” Noah’s voice is sharp and final.
Oh my God. Meredith. No.She can’t.
Bast stumbles toward us.
“Meredith.”I don’t want anyone to die for me.“You can’t do this.”
“Get out of here, boys. Protect my family. Gen, you belong with them. Don’t ever look back.” Her arm swings out in a final command. The pounding of boots above is a drumbeat of impending doom, each thump a shrinking window of escape. She steps closer to Noah.
Bast shepherds us back to the wine cellar, his frame a shield against the unfolding scene.