Rage (Scarlet Dawson Book 3)

by Nicola Chadwick

  I turn to walk out the door when Bastian grabs my wrist. He leans down and whispers in my ear. “I don’t know why but I finally thought we were past all our problems. I thought that after the blood oath you’d tell me if you’re in trouble. I thought you’d know I would do anything to help you.”

  That was the problem, I know he’d do anything to help me, but if he did then he’d die. They all would.

  I had to do this alone.

  Chapter Thirty

  As I walked over to where all the food had been laid out, I wondered to myself if the future I’d seen could be changed. If it was set in stone and if I didn’t carry out Tera’s wishes, would they all die anyway?

  I watch Silas as she sits eating with Lykos and feel that pain hit me right in the centre of my chest. How could I do this to her? How long did I have left to pretend everything was okay?

  “You’re looking rather pensive?” Zeke says at my side. I look at him and realise I’ve stopped walking a few feet from the benches and I’m staring intently at the others.

  I shake off the thoughts and instead ask, “How long would you say it’s going to take us to reach the star?”

  “Aah, you’re wondering how long you have left in the games?” Zeke says.

  “Something like that?”

  “I’d estimate another couple of days, depending on which team wins the last clue and how they use it?” he says, his eyes boring into mine like he knows exactly what I’m thinking and what I want to do.

  He smirks at me and shows me more of his tusks than I’d seen before. “I don’t need to read your mind to know you wear your heart on your sleeve.”

  “And that means what, exactly?” I say, feigning indifference.

  “I see your inner struggle but have yet to work out the why of it.”

  I roll my eyes, but I know he can see through it. So, I flash him a smile and head over to get some food, all the while pretending that everything is right with the world.

  I walk around the table laden with food and select a boring selection of Fae vegetables. I sigh as I take my plate over to the table where Silas is sat.

  “What’s the matter, Scarlet? You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Silas asks me.

  “She’s mourning the loss of her favourite food, pizza,” Trenton tells Silas as he sits down opposite me and places a can of pop in front of me.

  I wondered exactly what the twins did and didn’t know at times. I knew they were covering for me and I was thankful, so I play along and pretend to cry.

  “There, there,” Jackson says as he sits on my other side placing a chocolate bar on the table while rubbing my back.

  “Why doesn’t anyone ever bring me chocolate?” Silas moans at my side.

  “Scarlet may be willing to her share hers with you when she sees what we’ve made for her,” Trenton says, then produces a plate from behind his back that has a thick slice of toasted bread on it that is covered in oozing melted cheese and topped with chopped fresh tomatoes.

  My breath catches in my throat and a lump starts to form.

  “Is she actually going to cry over cheese on toast?” Silas says to no one in particular then says to me, “Are you crying?”

  “Silas, you can have this whole bar of delicious chocolate if you shut the hell up and let me enjoy this pizza-like concoction,” I say to her while reaching out to grab the plate from Trenton’s outstretched hands.

  Silas shuts up, but I don’t miss her hand creeping over to the bar of chocolate and sliding it into her lap.

  I start to devour the cheesy goodness in front of me, and it hits the spot far better than the boiled vegetables would have. I barely notice the rest of our group joining the table as I shovel the food in my mouth. It doesn’t escape my notice at how normal this feels and, at this moment, it’s easy to forget that in a matter of days I could potentially lose all this.

  “Where did you get that from, Red?” Aylesbury asks me.

  I refuse to speak while my mouth enjoys the food, so I point at Trenton. Phoenix reaches around Aylesbury and smacks his brother on the side of the head.

  “What was that for?” he moans while rubbing his head.

  “I despair sometimes, I really do,” Phoenix moans into his hands as he rubs his head. He then looks at Bastian and says, “You know if you want to kill him, I won’t stop you.”

  I frown at Phoenix and say, “Why, what did he do wrong?”

  “Do you really not understand how this whole mate thing works?” he says with his mouth hanging open.

  “Nope.”

  Phoenix throws his hands up in the air and says to Bastian, “Good luck, Bas, if she’s anything like these two,” he points his thumb at the twins, “you’ll need it.”

  Bastian catches my eyes and smirks at me. I almost feel as if all is right in the world again.

  As we all eat, Zeke moves to stand in front of the three tables and announces, “The next round of fights will begin in fifteen minutes, you will have ten minutes to confer with your teams before you need to arrive in the arena. Today’s fighters are Aaron and Rockley from the Unseelie team.” Cheers sound from their table until Zeke silences them with a glare. “Bryn and Bronwyn from the Unseelie team. And finally, Scarlet and Phoenix from the Guild Team.”

  I hear Bastian swear as I get up and follow Phoenix to our team room. As I move past Vex, he looks at me silently and I understand that to mean this is my chance to kill Bryn for him.

  As I enter the team room, I barely notice the others enter as my mind thinks about killing Bryn. I don’t even entertain the idea of fighting with anyone else, my sights are firmly set on Bryn.

  “Scarlet,” Jared says, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I shake my head and pay attention to the others as they pass me my sword.

  “What do we know about the other fighters?” Bastian asks.

  “Bryn can control what you feel, and Bronwyn has the power of illusion,” I say, looking at Phoenix.

  “My brother, Aaron is able to control metal like me, so expect him to manifest any armour or weapon he can think up depending on what metals are around him,” Adam offers. His eyes also plead with us not to kill him, but he doesn’t voice the words.

  “Anyone know anything about Rockley?” Phoenix asks.

  Heads shake as Bastian pulls Phoenix to one side. “Protect my mate,” he says, Phoenix nods then grabs my arm and drags me out to the arena.

  We stand in the square that’s been marked out in sand in the middle of the mountain floor. I watch as the other teams take up the perimeter of the arena and smile as Trenton and Jackson heft their sofa out and make themselves comfy.

  Phoenix paces at my side and I can tell that his inner animal is at the surface ready to launch. Bryn enters the arena with Bronwyn meekly following on his heels. The two Unseelie stand casually but I can tell they are trying to read their opponents without giving away their own emotions.

  Zeke enters the arena and his deep voice resonates around the hollow mountain. “You know the rules, so I won’t rehash them. Let the games begin.”

  Phoenix surges forward as Rockley knocks Bronwyn out. My gaze turns and locks on Bryn as he stalks forward to me. He flashes me that evil smile as I advance towards him my sword raised in front of me.

  “Scarlet my lovely, I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Bryn tells me as he stops a few feet in front of me. “Do you know what it’s like to be cut off from your power? You wouldn’t would you because you don’t have any.”

  He raises his hand up and an intense desire burns through my body. I take a step forward and say, “We’ve tried this once before, remember. Throwing those emotions at me doesn’t work because I’m mated.” I feel the desire dampen only to be replaced by a mixture of love, lust, desire, and other things I can’t describe.

  I take another step towards him, fighting the sensations he was sending me. Nothing he made me feel came close to anything I felt when I was near Bastian. I smile at him and
advance again.

  “I had hoped to make you beg for me to take you in front of your mate, but I suppose I’ll have to switch tactics instead,” he tells me as I advance the final step and pull my sword back ready to swing.

  Before I can release my sword to swing at his head, he throws out his other hand and a torturous pain so intense floods my body and I drop to my knees, crying out in agony. When he last used his powers on me, he must not have used the full strength because this was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Not even torture by Rozen had been this intense.

  I drop my sword and hit the ground, the pain devouring my body is relentless. I lay on my side facing the rest of my team as a tear leaks from my eye. Even the trail of the tear burns as it tracks down my cheek.

  Bryn sits at the side of me and leans over my body, as he places his hands on my shoulder and arm, the pain intensifies. “How does it feel now, Scarlet.” He moves his hands up and down my arms revelling in the pain he causes. “Once I’m done with you, I’ll start on your friends over there.”

  My eyes never leave the rest of my team. I watch as the twins watch on immobile, their eyes wide. Silas buries her head in my brother’s shoulder as she tries not to watch. Aylesbury stands with his fists clenched and his mouth set in a flat line. More tears fall down my cheek as I watch Bastian struggle against his father and Adam who hold him back. He tries to break free, his body straining against their grasp.

  Bryn changes tactics and laces fear in with the pain, or is this real fear? I can no longer tell. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. Vex was meant to die first. I couldn’t sacrifice myself so that everyone got to live if I was already dead.

  “How does it feel knowing you’re only a pawn?” Bryn taunts as the pain intensifies further.

  I’m finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the pain, but his words reach me and make sense. I am a pawn but, at this moment, I didn’t have to be. I feel a spark of anger at his words. Tired of being everyone’s puppet I reach for that spark of anger, reach for the power that I had inherited from Tera, the power that was so closely entangled with my Nymph magic.

  I try to push it out like Lykos had shown me. I direct the power outwards and I feel Bryn’s powers stutter. I push a little more out and the pain stops. Bryn stumbles back from me as I roll onto my back. Dragging in gulps of air, I feel the pain subside then breathe a sigh of relief.

  I feel the life force being pulled from Bryn as he tries to stand and stumbles, landing over me. As soon as his skin touches mine, I lose focus and his powers begin to work again. He gains composure but doesn’t move off me.

  He grins, his face inches from my own. I feel his hand move to brace himself as his other inches towards my throat and I know I only have a moment until his power strengthens. I position my hand in front of his head and whisper, “Neria.”

  The minute her hilt is in my hand I push the sword forward cutting into his neck while pushing him off me. It isn’t enough to kill him, but it gives me enough time to stand and swing my sword one last time at his neck as he lays choking on his own blood.

  The force of my blow severs his neck and his head wobbles around from the momentum as his body becomes limp. His blood now coating my body.

  I lift my head up and see Phoenix knock out his final opponent as Zeke enters the arena. I don’t listen to what he says instead I stalk away from the arena towards my designated room, dragging my sword at my side. Feeling the blood of my enemy drip from my skin.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  As I pace the room trying to calm myself, I hear a door slam behind me and the rumble of a very angry alpha. I turn around to face Bastian. He stands a few steps in the room vibrating with fury, his fists clenched at his side making all his muscles tense and bulge.

  “You gave up,” he says through clenched teeth.

  I frown at him and say, “No, I didn’t.”

  “I watched you,” he says, advancing on me until I’m flush against the wall. “You were going to let whatever he was doing kill you,” he says, slamming his fist into the wall near my head.

  I don’t flinch. Instead, I say, “But I didn’t.”

  He’s dead, finally.

  I killed him.

  “I thought I was going to lose you,” he says, calming slightly. Placing his forehead against mine. “I couldn’t help you.”

  That’s why he was so angry not at me but at himself because he couldn’t help.

  I slide my hands up his side to his face and push him away slightly until I can place a small kiss on his lips. I pull away and his eyes turn black, and he growls then his lips crash against my own. As his lips claim my own, I feel his frustration and his fear of losing me.

  I push from the wall making sure my entire body is fused to his own. I could easily get lost in his kisses, the world and my worries disappearing until there is only me and my mate.

  “I need you,” he says against my lips as his hand moves to my ass, pulling me closer to him.

  “But I’m covered in blood.”

  “I really don’t care,” he says as he presses his hard length against my belly, causing a wave of desire to settle in my core. I can tell the moment he senses my arousal as he growls and captures my lips again in a bruising kiss.

  My hands cling to his biceps as his hand moves to unbutton my trousers. In a matter of seconds, my trousers are around my ankles and my panties are in tatters somewhere.

  “Really,” I mumble against his lips.

  I feel him smile against my mouth as he pulls his erection free of its constraint. I’m about to ask what he’s doing when he lifts my right leg slightly and sheaths himself inside me.

  I gasp, wanting to move my leg but between my boots and trousers and his grip around my knee, I can’t move. I quickly forget about my legs being trapped when he thrusts in deeper and begins to move, his movements almost frenzied as I lean forward and bite his shoulder to stifle my screams of pleasure.

  He groans as I clutch onto his arms as he relentlessly takes me against the wall. I release his shoulder when I feel my pleasure ready to erupt. His eyes watch me as I throw my head back in a silent scream as wave after wave of bliss explodes in my core.

  Bastian follows me seconds later when he buries his head in the crook of my neck and groans.

  My body relaxes and sags against Bastian as he holds me in place against the wall. As he pulls out, he rests his forehead against mine, his breathing still laboured. I whisper, “I love you.”

  “If you truly loved me, you’d tell me what you’re hiding,” he says so quietly I wonder if I’ve heard him right.

  His words are like a bucket of cold water. I push him away and bend to pull my trousers up, so I’m completely covered.

  Narrowing my eyes at him I say, “And if you love me, you’ll trust that if I’m keeping something from you, I’m doing it for a reason.”

  His eyes narrow on me, his jaw clenching. “Get cleaned up, you have training with Lykos,” he says before zipping himself up and stalking out of the room.

  After washing away Bryn’s blood and dressing in a fresh set of clothes I head in the direction of our team room in the hopes of finding Lykos. As I walk through the door, I not only find Lykos but also Trenton and Jackson.

  “What are you guys doing here?” I ask, curious.

  Lykos throws me an exasperated look then quickly engages the Faraday cage. I roll my eyes at him and motion for the twins to answer my question. Instead, I face an identical set of grins.

  I roll my eyes at them and face Lykos. “The stone’s not important right now, what I need is to control the death power that I already have. I can’t keep passing out every time I see the dead—

  “You also keep trying to suck the life out of our team,” Trenton interrupts.

  “Quite literally,” Jackson adds.

  Shit! I hadn’t known that. How was I meant to use this power to destroy Vex if couldn’t control it? While I could no longer feel the stone around my neck, I could feel the
icy magic living inside me.

  “Don’t worry, we are immune,” says Jackson when he takes in my horrified expression.

  “Would I be right in believing you know how to access the stone?” Lykos asks.

  I whip my head slightly to the left and meet Lykos’s eyes. How the hell did he know? Before I can make up an excuse or lie my way around his question he says, “Since yesterday I’ve been observing you for signs that the power in the stone is corrupting you. Before we reached the tower today, I noticed something has changed within you. I also know you’re holding something back. Knowing my son, he’ll have noticed too. Whatever your reasons are for keeping this to yourself I don’t care. It’s your secret to tell.

  “Now, with that said, for now, we need to stop you trying to drain the life out of your friends. The twins are here for that reason.”

  “But if you stop me from accessing the power how will I stop Vex,” I say, trying to process what he’d just said.

  “The twins are your new shadows, where you go, they go. When the time is right, they’ll release their hold on your power, and you can do what needs to be done, but until then you’re better off not having control,” Lykos tells me.

  Lykos walks through the Faraday cage leaving me with the twins.

  “Told you we’d be with you to the end,” Trenton says with a smirk.

  “Does that mean you’re also going to confess to me your secret weapon powers?” I ask hopefully.

  “No, we're going to let you simmer a little longer,” Jackson says, trying to sound smug until he winces in pain and stumbles slightly.

  Jackson walks over to the big comfy chair that’s in the centre of the room and throws himself into it groaning loudly as he picks up his injured foot.

  Ignoring Jackson, I turn to Trenton and ask, “So, how does this work?”

  “It’s quite simple really if you feel any form of anger just hold one of our hands and we will do all the work for you,” Trenton says with a sly smile.