Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101147 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 337(@300wpm)
“Get away from him!” Beck’s command roars through the tent.
The woman snarls as she looks to the king of the Seelie Fae. “Låt mig gå, eller ska jag döda honom.”
My head throbs, and there’s something about the hand at my throat that is bringing out the beast in me. I look up at the slender feminine body crouched in a dominating fashion, and I feel something break. Too much. It’s too much for me to take. First my father, then Beck, and now this slip of a woman thinks I’m less than a man. My heart begins to pound. My fangs lengthen in anger rather than arousal, though I will admit that’s present as well. I can smell her now. My senses are heightened by the adrenaline, and I smell past the filth to the woman under the dirt. The smell is strangely familiar, as though something primal in me recognizes her on a base level.
Beneath the filth, there’s a sweetness. It’s there, hidden under the dirt and bravado. She thinks she can hide it from me? A dark need begins to twist in my gut. It’s totally foreign and a bit frightening.
And it is far too powerful to ignore.
“Dante, stay calm, and I’ll get you out of this.” Beck’s words are meant to be reassuring, but all I hear is that Beck intends to get between me and her.
She attacked me. She put me on my back and laid her hands on my throat as though I am some submissive, soft thing to bargain with. I don’t know exactly what her words mean, but I understand. She’s using me. She’s threatening to kill me if Beck doesn’t back down and allow her to flee. I’m her pawn, her weak pawn.
She’s afraid of Beck, but I want her afraid of me.
My claws pop out, an ancient gift from my royal ancestors. Almost no vampire uses them now except in the arena when they fight for a mate. It’s considered impolite to show one’s claws, but there’s nothing polite about this situation. My fingertips hurt where the claws burst, but I make no sound. I feel my vision expand and know my eyes have bled out, filling the orbs with a deep green as my irises grow. All of my senses open up. I can see the heat pouring off my opponent, and I know she’s different. She isn’t vampire or human or Fae.
But she is mine.
Her hands tighten around my throat. She doesn’t bother to look down at her prey. “Jag vill döda honom.”
She sounds in control now. The frightened girl who pleaded with me is gone. Her brilliant blue eyes are still on Beck. Beck seems to be the only thing in the room she finds worthy. I need to make a few things clear.
The growl that comes from my throat is both foreign and deeply satisfying. My people left our primal selves long ago, but now I allow instinct to take over, and it feels good.
Shocked blue eyes glance down, as though she’s surprised I’m still there. I open my mouth and bare long fangs. In a single move, I flip her over on her back and straddle her hips. I don’t try to hide the erection I’m sporting. I grind it against her, further intimidation I can use. I genuinely enjoy the fear in her eyes. It means she’s finally aware of me.
“Don’t try that again, sweetheart,” I say harshly through my fangs. She squirms under me, getting me harder. Her hips buck up, and I grind her down. “I’m a little on edge. Let’s try to start over.”
She kicks up neatly, catching the edge of my cock as she shoves me to the side. Pure agony blooms across me and I gasp, falling over.
She’s on her feet in the blink of an eye. Through the pain I hear Beck shouting and the clang of metal against the iron of the cage. Ignoring the pain in favor of the righteous anger that now burns through me, I follow. I hiss at the ache in my groin, but I’m on my feet. She runs through the cage, seeking her freedom. I follow, knowing I’ll never permit it. She’s not going to get away from me.
Beck’s face is savage as he draws the sword over his head.
“No!” I scream the command in a voice that doesn’t sound like my own. Beck freezes. The sword in his hand hangs in midair. The entire tent seems to still as though time itself is taking a short break. I stare at my prey. “I will handle her.”
The woman looks between me and Beck. Her eyes dart between us as if she can’t figure out who is the bigger threat.
“I can’t let her go,” Beck says quietly. Every bit of Beck’s focus is on the woman. “Meggie and Ci are out there. I won’t take any chance that she hurts them.”