“Okay!” I shout over the rising rabble. “I agree, it’s fine. Let’s go.”
“The hell it is!” Galen yells, grabbing my arm. Cade quickly grabs the other.
“You aren’t going alone, bro,” Cade says. “No fucking way.”
“It’s a trap,” Galen adds.
“Of course it is,” I answer. “I’m still going.”
“No,” Galen tightens his grip, and Cade shakes me.
Rage builds in my blood, heating me from within. Every death I dealt in Grandfather’s rule plays out inside me, and the growl that spills from my throat echoes through the crowd like thunder. My friends step back in a hurry.
“Stay here,” I command, glaring at them. “All of you, stay here!” I yell, making sure everyone can hear me. “Nobody follows me!” I shout, looking around at their faces.
All of them look upset, some of them scared, and Galen and Cade just plain fucking mad.
I give them a final glare, then turn to walk towards the old man.
“Let’s go, asshole,” I bark. “She better be alive.”
He cackles. “Oh, of course she is. The princess is a tasty sweet, and she belongs to the beta. I assume he’s claiming her right now.”
The demon I tried for so long to tame rises its ugly head inside me, and instead of fighting it, I let it consume me.
“I will kill you,” I say in a low voice. “And I will enjoy it. If you’re very lucky, it will be quick and in the heat of battle. If you’re unlucky, it may take days.”
“My luck always holds fairly well,” he chuckles. “Let’s be off, then. Wouldn’t want you to miss the show!”
I refuse to respond to his taunt, and he turns away from me, shifting into his wolf form and running into the forest. Even though he’s old, the wily wolf is still fast, and I have to race to keep up.
Good. Get me there as fast as possible, old man. That way, I can kill you and all your kind that much quicker.
Chapter 25 - Lexa
The soft chirping of a bird traces across my consciousness, bringing me out of the darkness. At first, I don’t know where I am. The first thing I expect to see is Kit.
Then I hear rough voices around me, and pain lances through my skull, making my stomach lurch. I try to force myself back into the comforting darkness, but a sharp blow to my guts stuns me and makes my eyes snap open.
“Wakey, wakey, princess.”
“If you do that again,” I gasp, “I’m gonna barf.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” Father says, leaning over to glare into my eyes. “But by all means, do what you gotta do.”
As I look up into his pale, silvery eyes, it strikes me that our eyes are exactly the same color but absolutely nothing alike.
I glare right back at him, my lips pressed together to stop myself from screaming. I know he thrives on fear, and I refuse to give it to him.
“Going quiet, hey?” he says. “I don’t much care. I didn’t miss your whining a single bit.”
I know he’s baiting me, so I still don’t speak. He grins down at me, and I keep my face impassive, determined to keep my cool.
That’s when someone touches me from behind. To my shock, I realize I’m not restrained, and I try to leap up from my feet so I can run. The person behind me grabs my shoulders and yanks me back to the ground.
“Hey, baby,” a rough voice growls in my ear. “I missed you, honey.”
“Vince,” I hiss, struggling against him. He grips my upper arms, digging his fingers painfully into my flesh. Panic floods through me, destroying my resolve to stay calm. I thrash against him, kicking wildly, but he holds me down with ease.
