Traitor (Iron Vultures MC #1)

Ely

T he first thing I feel is the cold. It seeps into my bones, wrapping around me like a second skin, numbing everything but the dull, pulsing ache radiating from every inch of my body. My throat burns, raw and open, every shallow breath slicing through me like broken glass.

I don't know how long I've been lying here. Does it even matter? The road beneath me is rough and unforgiving, the grit of gravel biting into my skin, the weight of my own body too heavy to move. I can hear the distant rumble of an engine fading into the night, the last remnants of Jinx and whatever sick pleasure he got from dumping my body here. He thought I was dead. He didn't want to keep me anymore because I was "dirty", because I gave myself to Bones. It's better I die here. I hope I die here. Death is better than that monster.

I blink up at the sky, the stars nothing but blurred streaks through the haze of pain and exhaustion. The world tilts, the edges of my vision dimming, the ground beneath me pulling me under. I don't fight it. There's nothing left to fight for. No one coming for me. No one left who cares.