The Hunters

Chapter Sixty-Three

 It was later than the usual time Ghost and Russ would arrive, the minimal daylight having long faded. With our stomachs full and my hair wet from a shower, König left me snuggled in bed while he showered alone. He'd tucked me in before leaving, and I sat upward against the nice cloth headboard they'd also purchased. I couldn't help myself, flipping back to the pictures of the Swiss towns. Was this where we'd end up?

A knock at the door drew my attention and I giggled, jerking the blanket aside as I leapt to my feet. "I'll get it!" König called from the shower. "Just give me a second."

I ignored him and skipped to the door, opening to see Russ leaning smugly against the doorframe. Although he was a common visitor while I recovered, he always kept me and arms-length minimum. I'd grown used to his snarky comments and wisenheimer behavior. "Heard you were cleared," he stated, and I nodded while nervously shifting on my feet beneath his gaze. How was he so easily able to throw me off?

"All clear," I confirmed, hearing König rushing in the bathroom to get dressed. "I'll, uh, be back to training tomorrow morning."

Russ nodded slowly, his eyes seeming to glow in contrast to his black mask and dark face paint. He'd been training hard; I could see the streams of sweat coming from his forehead and around his eyes. "Get dressed," he ordered, gesturing at the gear on the table. I was dressed in only König's shirt, which was long enough to stop at my upper thighs. "I'll give you a fifteen second lead, 'cause you've been recovering. Remember that I'm going to be rough, but I won't actually hurt you. Tell me immediately if you need me to stop."

I jumped into action, quickly slipping on warm layers before twisting my damp hair into a hat. "Is Ghost coming?" I asked while I tightened my belt, slipping on my gloves in a giddy hurry.

"He's looking into a side project of his," Russ answered vaguely. As I worked on the second glove, he announced, "Your time starts now."

"Dritt!" I cursed and took off running out of the cabin, heading into the woods as my heart pounded in my ears. Why wasn't I expecting this? It was all Russ talked about during my recovery. He wasn't shy about sharing what he planned to do to me once he caught me, revealing such dirty details that I struggled to remain still in bed all night. He loved to use words to get me going, teasing me when the other men refused to do anything inappropriate while I was still injured.

I was quickly realizing that I shouldn't have lied; the cold air and exertion of climbing the snowy mountain were causing me immense pain. My lungs began to wheeze, the whistle sharp and agonizing. My legs began to shake as my head spun, feeling lightheaded with the painful pumping of my blood in my ears. Was I going to pass out?

Russ was quickly on me, having followed the obvious trail to where I was now leaning against a tree. I gasped when his fist wrapped around my throat, his strength flinging me downward until we spilled onto the snowy ground. I struggled to breathe as he pressed into the back of my body, feeling him ripping at my clothes as he made quick work in freeing my rear for his pleasure.

"R-Russ, stop!" I begged, my words barely audible in their breathless state. This wasn't fun; I was in agony as my lungs stabbed me with icy jabs from within. "A-Admi–"

He shoved himself within my mouth, interrupting me as his hard member choked me further. I struggled to stop him, realizing that he'd bound my hands with my own belt behind my back. As my vision began to darken into spots, I bit down in desperation, hearing him wince as he quickly withdrew.

"Fuck! Storm, what the fuck?" he exclaimed, cradling himself while I fell limply onto the snow. "Storm?"

Something clicked in Russ and he quickly began to redress me, listening to my wheezing as he muttered apology after apology. My vision was blurry as I struggled to catch my breath, the crisp air burning my lungs as the snow numbed my face and the front of my body. I didn't see who was rapidly approaching from down the mountain, but I heard the impact as a large body slammed into Russ's.

Russ was flung across the forest by König, who growled as he further pursued the man. I couldn't stop them; I couldn't speak, only able to listen as Russ apologized and failed to run for his life. Was König going to kill him?

I was so distracted with the physical struggle to breathe and the sound of Russ's cries for help that I didn't hear the third person climbing up the mountain. A firm hand pressed onto my shoulders, shaking me until I groaned, before rolling me onto my back. Ghost checked my vitals with muttered curses, and I limply pointed in the direction of the fighting.

Ghost groaned before shouting, "König! Storm needs you. I can't carry her and she's freezing to death!" The sound of the fighting halted and he grumbled under his breath, "You're the only way to get him out of that killer mode. He'll be right here."

I wheezed as I tried to sigh in relief, hoping that Russ was going to survive. "Your doctor told you to avoid the cold, or overworking yourself," he muttered as he tried to warm me, before adjusting my collar to help me breathe. My eyes widened and he explained, "I may have broken into the office that contained your medical history. Doc's report was on the top."

His side project. The jerk. While König rapidly approached, Ghost added, "Now that you're busted, I'm giving you two options. Put yourself in this situation again and we'll report you; get you removed from the mission. Or admit that you're still recovering and remain confined for the remainder of the training, and you'll go on the mission."

"Can I...phone a...friend?" I responded sarcastically, breathless despite his best efforts to help me.

König arrived, shoving Ghost aside before he could respond. I sighed in relief as he lifted me off of the snowy ground, pressing me into him. My nose wrinkled at the smell of blood on his clothing, his blood-soaked gloves gripping me securely. Ghost went to check on Russ, grumbling behind us while König gingerly cradled me to him.