Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune, #2)

by Chloe Gong

“Stop,” Rosalind said plainly. Her arm hurt. Her body hurt. “You won’t win this.” One of the men opened fire again. This one—it was aimed right into her chest. Sank to where her heart was, already throbbing and raw and red. She had spent these past few weeks locked inside, told to sit in wait while people who hated her circled like vultures, and what was the point? Her heart had been hurting long before these bullets. It would keep on hurting even after this bullet was pushed out too, landing as emphatically as a teardrop shaped like death. Rosalind touched her chest. Softly traced her finger along the hole that had been torn into her qipao, the fabric singed and soaked in blood. Underneath, the wound pulsated. Ran vivid with red, coloring her clothing. “Fine,” she said. She reached into her pocket. Slowly, she started to walk toward the two remaining men, her posture changing. “For old times’ sake, since you refuse to leave me alone.” She took her coin out. A second passed. Enough time for her attackers to register what the object was. When her thumb caught the edge of the coin, sending it up in the air, the man on the left turned and ran. The one on the right, however, remained a beat longer. Before the coin could finish tumbling through the air, he finally pivoted on his heel, abandoning his mission. It was too late now. Now Rosalind wanted blood. She gave chase, barely bothering to glance down and see what the coin had landed on. There was a voice in her head that told...