Snippet Saturday – Every breath you take.

The first thing El noticed was the pain lancing her side. She was lying on hard ground, sharp jagged edges digging through her clothes into her ribs and hipbone. The second thing she reacted to was the cold. She shivered as her senses came more awake. Moaning, she tried to move her legs and couldn’t. Something held them together.

Her eyes popped open, her vision unfocused at first but as it cleared she took note of her surroundings. She also took note of the fact her ankles and wrists were tied together with rope. The quiet indicated no one was near and remaining perfectly still, she concentrated on listening for any clue she wasn’t alone.

Nothing.

Not even the raspy sound of breathing.

She had no idea where he’d taken her or where he’d gone. The ground around her had been cleared of snow, small mounds of white sat in front of her and it covered the trees and shrubs in sight. A rock or stick dug into her thigh as she twisted to look behind her. The view was the same. He’d left her outside, in the forest somewhere.

Urgency grabbed hold. She needed to get away before whoever had taken her came back. El had no idea who the man was or what he wanted but the thought of him returning sent ice rushing in her veins and fear exploding in her gut. If he’d left her here, he’d meant for her to die alone. If not, he planned to come back. El didn’t like either of those ideas.

Clouds covered the sky, blocking out the sun so she couldn’t make out what time it was or which direction he’d taken her. The freezing temperature made her numb, but the rope around her limbs added to the sensation by cutting off her circulation. She wouldn’t be able to get away with her hands and feet tied. How could she get free? The nylon cords were biting into her flesh and she hadn’t tried to loosen them yet.

She needed to think, clear her mind of the panic and fear then work out a way to get untied and back to Rowan. El didn’t know what had happened at the house but she was pretty sure the guy who’d taken her had hurt her friend. Had Brogan and Quinn come back from their meeting and found Rowan hurt and El missing? Were they out here looking for her?

Pain streaked up her arms and pulling them in front of her for a closer look took effort. Biting her lip to stop from crying out, El studied the knots at her wrists. It didn’t look as if she’d be able to undo them. Her abductor hadn’t been kind enough to leave her with a neat bow to loosen them. She pulled the ropes to her mouth and used her teeth to tug at dirt-covered fibers.

They didn’t give and the movement rubbed the raw skin already circling both her arms. She needed something sharp. There was no hope of getting through the thick rope with her teeth. Frustration bubbled and a growl slid up her throat. Muscle and skin stretched and her teeth lengthened.

Her teeth.

With renewed hope, she brought her hands to her mouth and sank her coyote teeth into the knots. El gnawed at the ropes, felt them give a little. She could do this. Wiggling her hands and fingers to bring back the circulation, she bit down harder. One strand snapped, fell from her wrist. It gave her room to move and soon a second and third piece of rope fell away.

El breathed through the pain as blood surged back into her fingers. She shook her hands, clenched and unclenched her fists to try and ease the throb. She gritted her teeth and used her stiff arms to push herself up. The agony in her ribs eased but there would be bruises. The dull ache was manageable and she didn’t appear to have suffered any other injuries. Her legs, numb and weak from lack of blood, hurt but she drew them up to examine her ankle restraints.

She was greeted with bigger and more complicated knots than the ones on her wrists. She growled and bent double, thanking her lucky stars for years of gymnastics and yoga. Flexibility had always been her strong point. Her back and shoulders ached as she stretched to reach the knots with her teeth. Sensing victory within her grasp, El ripped at the ropes with teeth as sharp as any knife.

You can find all the info on Coyote Wild HERE!

The list of participating authors-

Megan Hart:Read in bed!

Rhian Cahill

Eliza Gayle

Jody Wallace

Mandy M Roth

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Myla Jackson

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

HelenKay Dimon

Shiloh Walker

Shelli Stevens

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane