The Border Trilogy (Book #1) Enemies to lovers, Forbidden love

Part 6 - EDITED

We ran until we approached a home with blood red roses hanging on the door.

"The mother of this home was at the council meeting, she was ushered to the stone house but her kids are still here. She didn't know they went back home during the meeting. We have to escort them to the stone house."

Zane ran up the steps of the porch and banged on the door.

"Nessie! Rina! Jessica! It's Zane, open the door!"

"Can't you knock down the door?"

"It's bolted with metal on the other side, every house in Theon is equipped with metal frames in case of an attack."

Before I could answer the door unlatched and 3 very young girls stood in the opening with tears in their eyes.

"Come on, we need to go." Zane grabbed the two youngest who couldn't have been older than 8 years old and pulled them with him. He looked over his shoulder at the oldest of the three who looked to be about 11, "Jessica this is Eva, take her hand."

The girl scurried down the steps and grabbed my hand. I latched on to her and we all ran towards the stone house. The fight seemed to be dying down but there were still intruders fighting, the more experienced attackers being the hardest to take down.

A commotion stirred on my right side as one of the intruders killed one of the Theon, their eyes snapping to mine as they ran towards me.

"Zane! To the right!"

As soon as he saw it, he shoved the two youngest at me and ran at him. When he was within arms reach, the attacker pulled out his knife preparing to aim for the heart, but Zane maneuvered himself quickly, moving behind him. I gasped and turned towards the girls.

"Close your eyes!" I yelled and hugged them to me, hiding them from the gruesome scene that would follow.

I heard a sickening squish sound and I didn't have to look back to know that the attacker was killed. But it wasn't over. In front of me two more ran towards us, now it was my turn to move the girls behind me. Zane zoomed past me at one of them and I ran towards the other, at the last moment ducking down, sweeping my leg under him and bringing him to the ground. I jump on top of the man, attempting to grab his arm to flip him onto his stomach, but he grabs my wrist and before I can pull out of his grip, he twists it so hard I hear a snap. I cry out in pain, hugging my hand to my chest as I'm pulled to my feet, and headbutted.

My vision blurs and tears sting at my eyes but I don't let it deter me, because Zane is still struggling with his own attacker and I have to protect these girls. I duck down and ram my shoulder into my attacker's stomach, tackling him back to the ground. Without the use of my definitely fractured wrist, I only have my left arm to help me. He attempts to sit up and twist to the side and that's when I lean over and wrap my left arm around his neck, moving so that I'm now on my side behind. I lock my left hand on the inside of my right elbow, my left elbow under his chin, and wrap my legs around his torso, locking him in my sleeper hold.

I feel his body slack until finally he's out and I let him go, kicking away from him. I look back at the girls whose faces are now stained with tears. Zane comes over to me, repeating the gesture that would make his sleep permanent. Standing up, I face him as he reaches for my right arm and inspects my wrist.

"That'll take a few hours to heal," he looks down at my wrist.

"I'll be fine,"

"I don't think there's many of them left on the residential grounds, but we still need to get the girls to the stone house."

"I'm right behind you," I walk over to Jessica whose eyes are stuck on my wrist.

"Are you gonna be okay," her soft voice asked me.

"I'll be just fine, it's nothing, don't you worry about me. We have to get you guys somewhere safe." I grab her hand in my left hand, and we continue towards the stone houses.

We arrive just in time for Darien to approach with two teenagers, shoving them towards the front he turns to us with nothing short of fire in his eyes.

"What the hell is she still doing here," his question is directed at Zane.

"She helped me save Cassie's girls-" Zane began.

"She's not supposed to be here!" he growled, still not acknowledging me directly.

"I wouldn't have been able to get them here safely if it wasn't for her, she fought a lot of them off with me and got hurt in the process- she's here to help."

Darien's eyes finally landed on me but then fell straight to my fractured wrist where bruises were forming and my hand was hanging in an unnatural way.

"She did good," Zane tried to plead his case of letting me stay.

"We need to check the council grounds," Darien ignored him and looked in the direction he was talking about.

Zane handed the girls over to the guards in the front, I looked down at Jessica and urged her forward. She let go of my hand but stayed at my side, staring up at me. Before I can say anything she throws herself at me and wraps her arms around me in a tight and grateful hug. Darien's eyes fly at us and I'm frozen in place but it's only for a second before I wrap my functioning arm around her.

We slowly let each other go and without another word, she turns on her feet and runs inside.

Zane turns to head towards the council grounds and as I begin to follow, I'm pulled back by a harsh grip on my left arm and pushed towards the guards. I whip my head back to see Darien's hateful glare on me as he shoves me at them.

"Take her inside, she doesn't leave until everyone's cleared. She's not a protector, she's a civilian. Detain her if she attempts to flee, am I clear?" Darien's command is finite.

"What? Why! I can help-"

"You're injured," he sneers. "There's nothing you can do and if you want death that badly I'll oblige myself if you don't get in that house right now."

I'm taken back by his harsh words but I can only stare back as a guard gently takes hold of my arm and walks me into the stone house.

The door closes behind me without another word from either Zane or Darien and I'm left to myself. Walking up the stone staircase, I find a corner and sit down on the floor, hugging my knees up to my chest, careful of my fractured wrist. I lay my head sideways on my knees as tears silently slide down my face.

With everything that happened since I stepped foot in Theon, I haven't had a chance to think of how this will affect my family. By now, they would know that I've been captured, Avery surely ran to inform them as soon as she was back in Kairi. By morning time, they'll hear about the Ra'am attacking Theon. They'll think I'm dead whether it was by sentencing, or from the attack. Either way, they'll be broken... What have I done?

More importantly, what's going to happen to me once this attack is over, and we cleared to come out?