Free Golden Blood by Melissa Pearl Page B

be in
ashes by the end of the night. Persuading the mother of their
rescue attempt was challenging in spite of Ruby’s excellent French,
but the woman moved swiftly when Dom lifted her daughter onto his
shoulder and began trooping towards the door.
    The contingent snuck out the back. The sound
of the violent mob approaching made the hairs on Gemma’s neck stand
to attention. The sun was dropping lower with each passing moment.
Racing through the picturesque gardens the quintet soon skidded to
a halt. The mob had solidified into a ring of fury that was
marching around the outskirts of the property, malice on their
minds, murder on their lips and fiery torches in their hands.
    Gemma’s heart thudded out an unsteady
rhythm.
    “We’re trapped.” Ruby’s face was pale.
    “Not yet we’re not.” Dom lowered the
shivering girl to the ground. He scanned the surroundings, looking
for the safest exit.
    “Il y a un passage souterrain sous la maison.
Il mẻne ả la riviẻre qui se trouve ả environ un mile d’ici.”
    Gemma looked to Ruby for translation.
    Her sister was simmering, she sounded like a
bull ready to charge the way her breaths shot through her nose.
    “Ruby, what?”
    “There’s an underground passage in the house.
It leads down to a river, about a mile east.”
    “Why didn’t she tell us that before?!”
    “She probably didn’t know our intentions
before. Look at the way we’re dressed! She was just chasing after
her daughter.” Gemma pulled some calm into the situation. “Let’s
focus, you guys. Dom, what do you want to do? Soon the house will
be overrun, we don’t have much time.” Gemma was merely stating the
obvious; the fact that it brought bile into her throat was another
matter entirely.
    “Take the girl. She’s the one we came back
for anyway.” Dom shoved her towards Gemma.
    “Dom, what are you doing? We can’t split
up!”
    “What choice do we have, Ruby?” He didn’t
bother masking his anguish. “Gemma’s the fastest. She can make it
with the girl. We can hide out here and sneak Marie out once the
mob has breached the gates. If they catch us, well,” Dom shrugged,
“two of us can still escape.” He looked ashamed.
    Gemma shot the French woman a sympathetic
look.
    “But…” Ruby’s head was shaking.
    “Look, all we need is for Gemma to make it
and then we can all go home.”
    “But what about...?” Ruby nodded towards the
mother.
    “Ma fille est tout ce qui importe. S’il vous
plaît, sauvez-la.”
    Gemma wasn’t sure what the woman said, but
she gave her daughter a fierce hug before placing her in Gemma’s
arms.
     
    She could feel the girl’s tears soaking
through her clothing and tried to ignore the heart wrenching
sobs.
    “It’ll be okay,” she whispered into the
girl’s hair. “Just hold on tight.”
    Shoving her way through the back entrance,
Gemma tried to remember Ruby’s rushed instructions as she crept
down the passageways. The thud of the front door being smashed open
echoed off the high ceiling, making them both jump. The girl let
out a piercing scream and Gemma bolted.
    The roar of the crowd bursting into the house
rose in a crescendo. Gemma tore down the corridor. Ripping back the
door, she descended the stairs at lightening speed. The girl’s
frightened arms nearly choked her as they whipped through the dank
passageway.
    She could hear footsteps chasing her and
tried to even out her breathing. Bursting into dusk, Gemma stumbled
her way towards the river. Tree roots assaulted her, testing her
balance. One eventually succeeded. She tumbled to the earth,
smashing her head against a rock and fought the blur that
threatened her vision.
    The girl beneath her whimpered. Gemma swiftly
rose, pulling her back into her arms. Glancing back, she saw no
figures, but could sense their chase. Ignoring the pounding in her
head, she dashed across a shallow section of the river and up into
the forest. There was no way she could keep up this pace. The girl
was