Not A Small-Town Girl

Just then, a woman in a crimson dress appeared before Danielle. Her chestnut waves cascaded down her back, and she radiated a captivating, almost sinister beauty.

"Danielle, we finally meet," the woman said, her red eyes gleaming with malice. "What a pity about your little experiment subjects. You will join them soon enough."

Danielle clutched her head, staring at the woman in front of her. The mask-wearers had been her doing—this woman’s, that is. Her blood-red eyes were filled with a hunger for destruction.

With a swift movement, Danielle charged toward her, aiming to strike her face with a punch. The woman, however, gracefully dodged, a cruel smile curving her lips. "I must admit, Danielle, I’m impressed. You’re still so quick despite the poison clouding your mind."

Danielle, her mind a blur but her senses sharp, analyzed the woman in front of her. She didn’t recognize her, but the woman seemed to know her all too well. Her fighting skills were formidable, but Danielle cared little for that now. The woman’s minions had hurt Xavier, and she was going to make her pay for it.

The red-dressed woman launched a sidekick aimed at Danielle’s head. Danielle sneered, easily evading the strike with a tilt of her head. In one swift motion, she reached out, grabbing the woman’s leg and yanking it sharply. The woman wobbled, almost losing her balance. But with a quick spin, she aimed her other foot at Danielle’s chest.

Before the kick could land, Danielle reacted instantly, kicking the woman square in the chest. With an explosive push, the red-dressed woman was sent flying fifty feet away.

again, but just as she moved, the woman

the air, was Matthew—bloodied

in Danielle’s mouth as the poison in her system

of desperation and grief. Xavier, unconscious and soaked in blood, lay motionless nearby. Matthew was on the brink of death, and Danielle herself was on the edge of losing

herself together, Danielle felt her vision swimming. Her body trembled. She quickly grabbed a silver needle from her pocket and pressed it

red laughed cruelly. "I didn’t think you’d last this long. Looks like you know exactly what kind of poison you’re dealing with, don’t

Every bone

not just you, Danielle. The Darling

only just found Danielle again, and now she was poisoned. He swore to himself he would find a cure, no matter

a distance away, could already smell the heavy

Stay sharp," Nathan