Emerge: The Captive: (Book 3)(95)

Jin Jing’s sudden roar pulled Quinn into the present. He held his hand up to shield his eyes from the smoke. It's the orchard. Just like James said. And his grandmother was fighting Livia.

Something monumental had passed between Quinn and Sasha. Something that would change them forever, but he had to focus. This was Santi’s plan in action and he had some catching up to do.

Santi? Where is she? He scanned the rows of gnarled old apple trees for any sign of her. But the chaos overwhelmed him. His hands itched to fight, but he couldn’t settle his mind on who the enemy was.

“Stay with me.” Sasha stepped up beside him. “I’ll will not leave your side until this is done.”

Quinn nodded, a little unsettled by the cold look on her face. But the sound of Livia’s laughter brought his attention back to the fight. She was the enemy.

The silver-fire in Livia’s eyes flamed in fury, but the look on her face was one of panic. She was cornered. Quinn gazed around the orchard. Most of her team had fallen to his family, and those who remained were fleeing.

No, Livia! He watched in horror as Ming Lao fell to her knees at Livia’s feet. It made no sense. Livia was alone and outnumbered. His father and grandparents had her trapped and his great-grandparents stood at the ready to help.

“Go, son!” Daniel cried, taking up the fight against Livia. He shoved Quinn and Sasha toward his great-grandparents, Ju Long and Lu Li.

He couldn’t watch. His father was strong but Livia would exploit Daniel’s limitations.

“Relax, Quinnton. You are home now,” Ju Long whispered.

But he couldn’t relax. He knew Livia. Quinn knew she wouldn’t back down just because she was surrounded. He could see the power simmering in her eyes. She hadn’t just wounded Ming Lao. She’d done something horrifying. He could sense it in the air. They all could and they each took a step back.

“No!” Quinn sobbed when it hit him. Ming Lao and Jin Jing regarded each other as strangers. Something unnatural and heinous had putrefied their Complement bond. Quinn could sense the decay.

“What have you done, Livia?” Quinn roared.

“Ming?” Jin cried as she dropped her sword, clutching her chest like she wanted to rip her heart from her body.

“Mom!” Chloe burst through the trees, flinging herself between her parents, boldly standing between them and Livia.

“Chloe?” Daniel moved to put himself between Livia and his little sister.

With a sickening thud Quinn would never forget, Livia’s sword came crashing down, sending his father’s hand and his sword to the dusty ground. Daniel stumbled, holding the bloody stump of his arm, trying to stay on his feet.

Quinn cried out in frustration, breaking his great-grandfather’s grip. Livia had hurt Quinn so many times and he took it, but he refused to watch her hurt his family. He needed this nightmare to end. He wanted to go back to not feeling anything. Not caring was better than this.

“Don’t let her win,” Ju Long said. “She can sever their bond but she will never destroy this family.”

“Quinn!”

“Santi!” He turned at the familiar voice, finding her standing among the shadows of the apple trees.

“Come, please, we have to get away. Remember the plan? Please come back to me?” she begged.

“You did it,” he said softly, taking a step toward her.

“Let’s go. While Livia is distracted.” She reached for his hand.

Quinn gasped as his heart clenched in agony. He stared at Santi, but turned back to Sasha. The hurt and confusion on her face tore him up inside.

I’ll never be enough for both of them. I’ll always fall short.

“Listen to the girl, son,” Ju Long said. “You and Sasha go with her now. We will deal with this threat. We have the upper hand.”

“Santi?” Quinn took another step toward the girl he loved, aching at the pain he caused the other girl he loved just as much but in a different way.

“Yes. Remember James and Lennox? They’ll be on their way to us soon. We did it. You did it!” Santi’s smile overwhelmed him. He’d never seen her smile like that before. She was free. All they had to do was walk away, far from this place. But Sasha’s pain caused him to hesitate. He wanted to tell her not to give up on him.

I still love you, Sasha. So much it hurts. But after all this time, somewhere along the way, his love for her had transformed into something he didn’t understand. Rooted to the spot, he couldn’t make a choice between the two most important people in his world.

He saw the hardness sweep through Sasha. The way her shoulders stiffened. Her face grew cold and unfeeling. This was not the Sasha he remembered. She’d changed. Like maybe he wasn’t the only one who’d gone through hell and back.

Without a word, Sasha turned toward the barn … right into the arms of another man.

“Jayesh?” Her voice warmed with hope and a hint of pain. The smile that lit her face rivaled the sun.

The man with the face tattoo watched Sasha with eyes starved for the sight of her. Jayesh had promised he would sever all ties with Sasha. Clearly she hadn’t let him.

Santi’s hand wrapped around Quinn’s. It was a painful moment, watching Sasha cast a last glance over her shoulder at him. But when Jayesh turned and retreated back through the woods toward the house, Sasha followed, taking a piece of Quinn’s heart with her.