Chapter 725
His chest pressed flush against hers, their heartbeats colliding through the fabric.
Jarred leaned down, cradling her face once more, his eyes churning with agonizing reluctance and pure torture.
This was the moment he had dreaded most in his life, a moment of sheer helplessness where he had no choice but to let go.
His lips brushed against her ear, his whisper lighter than the wind. “Sienna, this time, even if you hate me to death, I have to go against your wishes p>
As soon as the words left his mouth, he lowered his head and pressed a brief, feather-light kiss to her lips.
It was so fleeting that the warmth barely registered on her skin before he pulled away.
But as he stepped back, Sienna heard a profoundly soft sigh escape from the depths of his chest.
“Remember.” He rested his forehead against hers, his eyes locked onto her beautiful face.
“When you get to the village, figure out a way to contact your people. Don’t let anyone see your face unless you personally confirm it’s them p>
This was the last escape route he could pave for her.
It was his final act of protection.
Sienna shook her head frantically, her eyes brimming with red as she struggled inarticulately. “No! Jarred, don’t go! Let me go p>
Jarred gently stroked the top of her head, giving her one last, profound look.
Suppressing every ounce of his longing, he pulled her in for one final, crushing hug.
Then he turned and sprinted toward the other side of the cliff without a second of hesitation.
“Over there! Get him p>
Sienna heard a furious roar erupt from the woods.
Instantly, the entire mob shifted direction, charging madly after Jarred’s silhouette.
Gunfire exploded through the trees, a dense hail of bullets tearing through the night sky, chasing that solitary figure.
“Jarred p>
Sienna screamed, her eyes completely bloodshot as she desperately fought against the knot, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.
She watched as he used himself as bait, charging headlong into a death trap just to carve out a path for her survival.
Sienna thrashed violently against the tree, the coarse hemp rope tearing the skin from her fingers until they bled.
She couldn’t feel the pain at all.
Her eyes were fixed on the direction where he had disappeared, his name lodged so deep in her throat she couldn’t even force it out.
The knot finally gave way.
She stumbled forward, scrambling wildly in the direction he had run for barely three hundred feet.
Then she heard a shout echo ahead: “Let’s see where you can run now! It’s a dead end p>
Sienna froze in her tracks.
She pushed aside a thick cluster of bushes.
Bathed in moonlight, a barren stretch of cliff face revealed itself, and standing right at the edge was his arrogant, unyielding silhodette
He was holding someone in his arms—Sienna couldn’t see the person’s face.
But she saw that the person was wearing her jacket, the hood pulled down to obscure their features.
Her jaw dropped. Finally, she understood why he had taken her jacket.
Dozens of men fanned out in a semicircle, every single gun barrel aimed squarely at them.
The leader raised a walkie talkie, his voice vicious. “Orders from the top Everyone except Dr. Sloan is authorized for a kill shot p>
Standing against the howling night wind, exuding a chilling, murderous aura, larred let out a low, mocking laugh, his voice laced with pure arrogance.
“Then your boss is going to be severely disappointed p>
He slowly lifted his head, the moonlight illuminating half his face, the curve of his lips as sharp as a blade.
“He will never have her in this lifetime p>
Before his voice even faded, a deafening gunshot cracked through the air.
The bullet ripped into Jarred’s right shoulder.
His body jolted violently, a muffled grunt bitten back and swallowed down his throat.
Countless muzzles were trained on him.
Jarred took a half-step back, his heels already suspended over the crumbling rock at the very edge of the cliff.
Blood soaked through his clothes, sliding down his arm and dripping into the bottomless abyss.
His gaze bypassed the guns and landed perfectly on the shadow of a specific tree behind the mob.
He knew she was standing there, knew she was watching everything.