Eleven

Pov

Tessa

"Maybe instead of worrying about my shit with Mason and Bennett, you should worry about your shit with Emerson," I practically spit the words, and I see in his eyes that provoking him didn't deter him the way I thought it would. I only managed to make him even more furious than he already was. He grabs me and is fully prepared to throw me into the truck, and only halts his movements when the driver's side window shatters.

"Grey Bishop, you let her go now!" I hear Emerson's voice, but all I see when I turn to look back is the top of her blonde hair and the tip of the baseball bat she used to break the window.

"What the hell!" Grey throws me into the truck and says, "Don't cut yourself, damn it," before slamming the door. I hear him mutter to himself, "My little nightmare," as he steps away from the truck. Emerson may be small, but she's fast. She drops the bat, opens the door, and climbs into the driver's seat, slamming the door behind her and locking it.

"Are you okay? He'll leave you in the forest and…" Emerson starts to tell me, but Grey reaches through the broken window and unlocks the door. "Ow, motherfucker." She turns to slap him, but he's pushing her to the other side of the seat, and I know she must have cut herself on the broken glass. I think he's going to push her to sit on my side of the truck, but instead, he pulls her to sit on his lap so that her legs are stretched out towards me. I can see blood on her hands, and I'm sure she's cut her legs too. I could unlock my door and run to her, but this is Raven territory; they'd find me in less than an hour, no one would risk hiding me. I've accepted my fate. Maybe he'll really try to teach me a lesson and take me down the mountain. He thinks I won't survive, but I'll prove him wrong.

Grey grabs Emerson's heart-shaped face by the chin and forces her to look at him. She smiles, and I don't move to intervene because he won't hurt her. "Spying on me?" he grumbles.

"You were being suspicious, and I wanted to know what you guys were up to. Let Tessa go." Emerson removes her fingers from her face, one by one, and I don't notice how she shifts in his lap. It's only then that Grey moves his fingers to her hip, forcing her to stay still.

"You need to remember who's giving the orders around here," Grey tells her, and she rolls her eyes, letting out a sigh that makes her sparse bangs flop onto her forehead.

"I know, I know. You're the fucking legend." She leans back against him, laughing, her whole body moving.

Grey shifts in his seat, moving his hand up to remove his hat from his brown hair and then putting it back on before shifting the truck into gear.

"At least let me have my own seat. I've experienced your driving and really don't want to be your personal airbag," Emerson demands.

"As if I'm going to give your psychotic ass a chance to roll out of the truck while I'm doing eighty. I'm your seat, get used to it," he grumbles as he speeds off down a gravel road. He definitely won't be taking me down the mountain. I look at the door handle because I'm starting to wonder if getting hit with rocks might be better than whatever he has in store for me.

"Don't worry, Tess. I'll tell Rhett as soon as we get home, and he'll put their asses in slings," Emerson says sweetly, but she pouts when Grey laughs.

"You think the old man doesn't know what we're up to?" Grey asks, and I watch how his eyes move along her profile instead of the road. He may hate Emerson, but he sure likes looking at her. His attention is back on the road just in time to turn onto a heavily wooded dirt road. My stomach knots because I have no idea how I'm going to get out of this.

"Don't leave her here," Emerson says much more softly this time, and then her eyes fall to her hand. I follow suit and realize she's bleeding much more than I thought before.

Grey must have noticed her hands are cut because he slams on the brakes, sending me flying into the glove compartment. "Jesus. Fucking hell, Emerson." He stops the truck in the parking lot and shifts position, tearing the sleeve off his flannel and wrapping it around her bloody hand.

"I'm fine," she says, but the way she's melding into him tells me maybe she's feeling lightheaded because the Emerson I know would still be poking him, hoping to set him off.

"Get out," he tells me before grabbing her chin and telling her, "Look at me." He must not like what he sees in her eyes because he redirects her attention to me and yells, "Out now, or I'll drag you out."

"Leave her alone, Grey," Emerson murmurs, resting her head against his chest, which he clearly finds concerning because the way he looks at me tells me he'll have no problem slitting my throat if I don't obey.

I jump out of the truck, barely closing the door before he starts driving.

"You son of a bitch!" I yell as I watch Remington's truck's rear end sway and tear up the grass. I really hate my cousin now. I'm not stupid; he swore a blood oath to protect me. He'll get his ass handed to him by the older Ravens if he puts me in a situation where I get hurt, but his head is so far up Emerson's ass that I'm not sure he's remembering there are other dangers in Hollow Hill besides the Ravens. My stomach churns as I think about Daniel and how Mason and Bennett saved me just in time. What if something like that happens tonight? And they're not here to intervene? I'm not sure if Grey is just trying to scare me into calling Mason and Bennett for help so we can patch things up and move on, but he left with my bag still in the garage, so I can't, even if I get desperate enough to call them. I wrap my arms around myself as the wind blows through the line of trees I'm facing. I need to stay calm and figure out how to get back to the main road. If there's one thing the Ravens have taught me, it's that panicking will only make things worse. I slowly turn in a circle, trying to determine which direction is my best option, but my whole body shivers when I hear a male voice. It's close enough to fill my entire body with dread, but far enough away that I can't tell if it's one of the Ravens fucking with me or if I'm in serious danger.

"Literally fuck you, Grey. I hope your dick wrinkles and falls off before you get a chance to fuck Emerson. If I die, I'll haunt your ass," I breathe the words softly to myself, trying to let my anger fuel me as I run from where I think the voice was coming from. All I can do is pray that it's the Ravens chasing me through the forest in the dead of night because right now, that's my best option.