"Well, go on, girl." Dimitri’s voice sounds from behind me.
She shuffles forward, draws abreast with me. Pauses. Extends her pale arm and cups his concave stomach.
My heart stutters and my guts clench. A fierce burning sensation ignites inside of me. OMFG! How can I be so jealous, when it’s not as if I have any claim on this man? She glides her arm around his waist.
Anger squeezes my rib cage.
She pushes her face into the hard plane of his chest. My muscles tighten. I raise my head and his amber eyes glare at me; the skin around his mouth creases. Something is writ into his features. What? What is he trying to tell me?
He flicks his glare at the woman kissing his midsection, then back at me. He jerks his chin and I lean forward, encircle his dick with my fingers.
A groan ripples up his chest. He doesn’t move. I squeeze his cock and the muscles of his groin jump. His shaft pulses—hot, throbbing. My mouth waters. I don’t know what the hell he wants me to do, but I finally have my hands on him.
So what if he's tied up?
I have him, in front of me, at my mercy… Kind of. Don’t argue semantics, hmm? I massage the base of his dick and his nostrils flare. Drag my hold up to the head and his muscles heave. His biceps bulge; the tips of his ears extend. Oh! I drop my head, lick the oozing slit that bisects the head of his dick, and his jaw tics. A vein throbs at the side of his temples. The muscles of his arms flex. Oh my, God! It’s unbelievable how much power I could wield and just by…. I close my mouth around the head of his shaft and he growls.
All of my nerve endings pop. I bob my head, take him further inside.
His thighs spasm;his chest heaves.
I peer up at him from under my eyelashes. He peels back his lips and his canines extend. His biceps seem to expand in front of my eyes.
He opens his mouth and a roar pours out. I flinch, pull back. He swipes his arms forward; the bonds fall way. What the hell? How did he get free?
"Get out of the way, Charley."
I skitter aside, fall on my bottom. The woman swirls the other way, folds into herself, cowers on the floor.
There’s a shout, the sound of the chair crashing to the ground. Dimitri lunges forward—one step, another. Hawke, bends, slashes at the bonds that restrain his legs… How did he get ahold of a weapon? A moan sounds; I jerk my head up… Her. The girl seems to curl in on herself. Her arms encircle her thin body, legs drawn up to her chest.
She blinks and a snarl twists her lips. She glances up and I follow her gaze to find Hawke shaking his legs free. How did he get the weapon? How…? I glance toward the girl. Is that why he asked for her to…to pleasure him? My stomach clenches. It’s okay, it was all an act. Why the hell am I so…so possessive about this man? He means nothing to me… He’s the asshole I’ve been crushing on, that’s all.
Dimitri raises his arm and the tips of his fingers flash. The collar around Hawke’s neck lights up; the stench of burning flesh fills the air and Hawke’s big body shudders. He sways, then finds his footing.
"I’m going to kill all of you." Dimitri leaps forward. I shove out my leg. Oops. He stumbles and his body lurches toward the ground, only Hawke’s there. The big alpha Fae slams his fist up, catches Dimitri under the jaw. Dimitri howls. His head snaps to the side and his gaze alights on the girl. No, no. NO. I move, but Dimitri is faster. He leans down, grabs the girl by her neck and flings her at Hawke, who catches the weight of the girl square in the chest. He doesn’t flinch. Simply grabs the girl and places her on her feet, moves both of them to the side as Dimitri crashes past him.
He yells at me. "Go."
"Not without you."
He pivots, fixes me with a glare, "Take her and go."
I hesitate.
"Now."
I spring up on my feet, grab the girl, and tug. She’s so light that her body seems to spring up on its own accord. I race for the door with her in tow. Behind me, there’s a crash, a growl, the sick sound of bones crunching. Another thud that shakes the entire room. Cracks appear in the door frame. I pause. Damn it, I can’t leave. Not without the big oaf. Of course, he’s going to give me an earful for disobeying him. Whatever, I'll deal with that later.
I shove the girl out of the room, almost trip over the body of the guard sprawled there.
I blink, then glance at the girl who's staring at the fallen body.
"Did you do this?"
She jerks her chin.
O-k-a-y. "What’s your name?"
"Lauren." She whispers.
"You had a weapon." I scan her features, "Why didn't you try to escape earlier?"
She hesitates, then angles her face, "I... I wanted to kill him first."
"You wanted to take revenge on Dimitri for what he did to you?”
"He murdered my family." Her chin wobbles, "He tortured me... I had nothing left to live for."
"And now?"
"Now," Her lips twitch, "I am going to try my best to survive."
I turn to go; she calls out, "Will we meet again?"
I shoot her a glance, "If you make it out, find your way to Singapore… Ask for Charley." Then, I pivot, race forward, "Hawke!"
12
Hawke
Fuck, fuck, fuck. Clearly, I am more wounded than I thought. The bloody collar around my neck flares again.
Pain slices down my spine and all of my nerve endings seem to short circuit. Sweat beads my brow and my chest squeezes until I am sure that I am going to suffocate right there.
I raise my knife; the bastard knocks it aside.
He buries his fist in my gut. I huff, put up my arms to protect my face. He follows up with a hit to the right side of my torso, the left, the right again.
Flashes of red and white sear my brain. My knees knock together. The fuck is happening to me?
He crowds me; I shuffle back, trying to put space between us. My shoulders bump into the wall as he lands another hit in my solar plexus. A groan spills from me. Pathetic. Can’t even protect myself. When did I become so useless? So ensnared in something else…in someone else...in her. She’s occupied my every waking thought, crawled under my skin, until all I can do is think of her, scent her, taste her… The coppery tang of my blood fills my mouth. He raises his fist again; I wince. There’s a howl, then Dimitri snarls.
He shakes his shoulders, as if trying to shrug something…someone…off.
Her. It’s her.
"Let go of him, you monster." Charley wails.
She raises her fist, buries it in his neck. He stumbles, then kicks out with his leg, catches me in the shin. Pain grips me; my skin feels too tight. Fuck. I need to put an end to this. I swipe out, miss. He lands another punch in my gut. A low grunt emerges from my lips and blinding pain sparks my neck again… Jesus, fuck.
The goddam collar is killing me. I grab hold of the offending device, tug. It tightens farther.
Dimitri lowers his head, charges, then huffs.
"Stop it. Stop it." Her arm rises and falls; a flash of steel catches the dim light. Hell, she got hold of the goddamn knife. Too bad it can't cut the tensile metal the collar is made of.
He straightens, yanks at her arms. The next moment— "Charley," I howl as her body arcs through the air. She hits the wall, crumples. No! Anger crowds my senses. My vision tunnels. All of my pores pop. I charge, the collar around my neck flares, and pain crowds my brain. My stomach churns. Bile coats my tongue. I don’t stop.
I hit him with the full weight of my body. He staggers, then rights himself and charges.
The fuck?
He crashes into me. My spine curves and the breath rushes out of me. My legs seem to give way under me. I wobble, find my footing, brace myself. He buries his fist in my side and pain explodes up my spine. He follows it up with a jab to the other side, another to my center. My head spins. My arms and legs go numb. My lungs burn with the effort of breathing. I am as fucking weak as a puppy. Fuck.
Dimitri kicks out, catches me in the chest. Something snaps
; it’s as if a burning hot sword has been plunged into me. I stagger back and my hip nudges against the wall.
He lowers his head, charges. No, no I can’t let him hit me. If I do, that will be the end. A groan from the other side of the room reaches me. I jerk. My heart stutters. I need to get her the fuck out of here. All of my muscles tense. I curl my fingers into fists. Wait. Wait. I draw on every last reserve of energy in my body, drop down, swerve to the side.
A slight breeze fans my skin. Dimitri barrels past and slams into the wall...headfirst. Bits of rubble fall from the ceiling. His entire body twitches, then he collapses.
I stagger to my feet. Darkness closes in from the sides of my vision and I shake my head. Keep it together. Gotta keep going. I lurch forward to where Charley is curled up on the floor. I drop to my knees next to her, touch her face. "Babe…" my voice cracks.
She moans; her eyelids flutter. "Ha…Hawke?" Blood trickles from the side of her mouth. Something hot flares in my belly. Fuck, she’s hurt. I should ensure that the bastard dies for this so he can’t hurt anyone else. I angle my body toward Dimitri’s silent figure and Charley groans. "Don’t leave me."
I swallow down the ball of emotion in my throat. Something hot presses at my temples. Fuck, no. Can’t lose it, not now. Not when she needs me. The fucker, Dimitri will have to wait.
"Hold tight, Charley. I’m getting us out of here."
I survey the space. Where's the knife that girl smuggled in? The fuck is it? There!
Lurching to my feet, I grab it and slide it under the collar and tug; the fucking thing doesn’t give.
My fingers tremble and my knees threaten to buckle. I draw in a breath. Focus, focus. I firm my muscles, tilt the knife, crane my neck, then yank.
The wire parts with a hiss. The organic metal uncurls and slithers to the floor, then dissolves into a pool of translucent liquid.
Dragging myself across to Dimitri, I strip him of his pants, and shrug them on. They’re tight across the thighs and come to my ankles. Zipping up the pants, I shove the knife into the waistband at the small of my back. Then lurch toward Charley.
I scoop her up and pain sears my chest. My vision tunnels and my thigh muscles spasm. I dig my heels into the floor, hold her close. I will not let her go. No way.
She groans and I tuck her head under my chin.
"Hold on, darlin’."
I pivot, stagger to the door, and shoulder it open. Turning, holding her close, I lean over and close the door. Dimitri’s lifeless body is the last thing I see as I lock the barrier behind me. It’d be too much to hope that the fucker is dead. Sooner or later, someone in the building— Where are we, anyway? —will, no doubt, find him. Still, this should buy me enough time… I hope.
I quicken my footsteps, move toward the stairway. My head spins and sweat beads my brow. I focus on the steps. Keep going; don’t stop. I reach the landing below. It’s deserted. I make it down to the ground floor, peer out of the entryway. There are two guards, not a few feet away. Fuck. I need to teleport the fuck out of here.
I drop into myself, pull on the telekinetic energy inside of me...but there’s nothing. The sheer effort sends a pulse of pain shooting up my spine. A headache begins to pound at my temples. Fuck. I am in no shape to teleport. I’ll have to do this the old-fashioned way. I steady myself, take a deep breath. Then turning, I whistle.
"You motherfuckers turned into pussies or do you wanna fight this one out?"
13
"Hold me down, tie me up, spank me, punish me, use your tongue, make me moan... don't stop, until I'm shaking."
-From Charley's secret diary
Charley
A gust of wind blows over me. I crack open my eyelids and the world tilts. "The hell?"
I turn my face and swear aloud.
Two tall men clad in fatigues, train their organic guns at us.
"Come on now, where’s the fun in that?"
Hawke’s voice sounds above me.
I peer up, stare at the underside of his jaw, sporting a weeks-old growth of beard. A nerve throbs at his temple. His pulse flickers at the hollow of his neck.
The sound of metal thudding to the ground reaches me. I turn and terror bubbles up. The same two men approach us.
"Two versus one? I see you guys love to play fair."
"Fuck you, asshole. Hand over the woman and we can call it quits."
"So fucking gentlemanly too. Remind me to write a thank-you letter to Dimitri." Hawke retreats until he reaches the staircase… the one he’d presumably walked down…of which I have no recollection. The last I remember is…being thrown by that monster. I shudder and every bone in my body seems to vibrate with remembered pain. My jaw hurts; my left arm throbs. I must have moaned or made a noise for Hawke tucks me closer. "Hold on, doll."
Right. I grip his shoulder, dig my fingers in and brace. Brace.
He springs forward and I can’t stop the squeal that emerges from me. I should squeeze my eyes shut and wait it out, but bugger that… I’ve never been the shy retiring kind.
I force myself to turn my head, watch as the two men— What are they, anyway? Fae? Human? —approach. They increase their speed in unison, bend from their waists, and charge as one. Hell, are they twins? Do they do everything in such perfect coordination? It should be fascinating to watch…except this is my life and Hawke’s at stake. I tighten my hold until my nails break his skin… Too bad… Alphahole here, will simply have to deal with the scars.
Hawke springs forward. His muscles coil and unfurl. He charges forward and plows through the men. They tumble to the ground. I peer past Hawke’s shoulder to find they are already back on their feet. Shit. They race forward. "They’re gonna get their guns."
Hawke speeds up. His chest muscles harden under me; his big body seems to grow in build. He reaches the tree line, avoids the path to lunge through the trees. Tall shrubs snatch at my hair, scratch my skin. Hell.
I close my eyes, scrunch my body into as tiny a ball as I can possibly make it. I hunch into Hawke’s chest, practically crawl into him.
Shots sound behind us. I squeak, burrow closer.
"Hold on, babe."
"The hell am I doing, you think? And by the way, that was a dumb move."
He chuckles. "So much sass, babe? I think I liked you better unconscious."
"Oh, please, bet you missed me when I didn’t give you lip."
"All that fire; you need to hold onto it. You are going to need it."
"Why?"
He doesn’t answer.
My heart begins to race. The sound of rumbling reaches me. "What’s that?"
Hawke runs faster. The trees overhead zip by. Shit, how can he put on so much speed, carrying me as if I weigh nothing? Something wet blots my side, I hold up my fingers… It’s blood. Hawke’s blood. "You’re injured?"
"It’s a scratch."
"Bloody macho man."
"Not to worry, darlin’. I make sure that little girls who crush on me live to see another day."
"Crush on you...?" I splutter.
"Ye-ap." He snickers. "It's good for my ego."
I open and close my mouth. "Why you...you obnoxious toad-head."
"Toad-head?" he laughs. "Your insults need brushing up, darlin'. Besides," he braces his body, "where we are going, the blood will wash off."
The sound of thunder grows louder.
"If you’re gonna do what I think you are— Hawke..." I screech.
"You know how you melt into me when you think I am not looking…"
"I do not."
"You do, and now would be a good time to replicate your koala bear act."
"Did you call me a koala—?"
Drops of water splatter us. Thunder breaks overhead. I jerk my chin up. A cloud of moisture hangs in the air, and a rainbow graces the sky above.
My throat closes.
"Don’t you fucking do it… Ha—AWKE!" I scream as the ground drops from under us. Then we are falling, falling. We hit the waterfall, and my enti
re body screams in protest. My bones throb and every pore in my body blares to life…then goes numb. Tons of water embrace us, pull at us, draw us in. I slam into what feels like a steel wall.
Then silence.
My eyes snap open, the air whooshes into my lungs, and I cough. Water spurts out of my mouth; my eyelashes are all stuck together. I try to swallow and my throat burns. My stomach churns and more water screams up my gullet and out between my lips. I draw in a breath, and another.
"Thank fucking God." Hawke’s amber eyes burn into me. His features are drawn, hollows under his cheekbones. Dark circles surround his eyes. His hair is wet and clings to his forehead. It outlines the shape of his scalp. Absurdly, it also makes him look younger, more vulnerable… As if. There’s nothing weak about this man. Ever. Moisture glimmers on his cheek. I reach up a finger, touch the trail of water that creeps down his cheek. He jerks his head away. I pull my hand back. Something hot stabs at my chest, and it’s not because my ribcage is pressing down, or that every time I draw in a breath, my chest hurts… Why can’t I learn that this man doesn’t want me? He doesn’t. And yet everything I have done since the day I set eyes on him…is to please him. To catch his attention. Only… He doesn’t want me. His eyebrows scrunch. "Charley?"
I peruse his features.
"Char, sweetheart."
He touches my shoulder and I flinch.
He retreats. A nerve tics at his temple. "You're feeling better then?"
I blink, roll onto my back and my stomach seizes. Hell. I swear inwardly, close my eyes, take a deep breath, then another. The taste of bile recedes, thank God.
"Who… What happened?"
"You almost drowned."
I force my eyes open and my gaze finds his automatically. Damn this need to constantly seek him out, to want to be in his presence. To soak in his warmth, reach for him, melt into him and crawl under his skin. To become one with him… To hell with this. "You should have let me."
Kidnapped by the Fae: Paranormal Dark Fae Romance (Fae's Claim Book 5) Page 6