Page 191 of Darling Wildfire
Demetrius stepped forward and put a hand on Vetticus’ arm.
“A show of good faith,” he said.
He aimed his own gun at Nyx and before anyone could move, he pulled the trigger.
Nyx fell backwards into Viktor and Kon and then chaos ensued. Atlas lost his mind. I viciously fought the men holding me—fury and panic rising.
No. No. No.
Atlas was yelling, the look on his face equal parts anger and agony. It took an additional two men to restrain him. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Graham putting up a fight but then go limp as they drugged him. Lachlan was colorfully cursing Vetticus out and struggling against his attackers but he soon was drugged as well. The Bratva obstructed the view of Nyx as Vetticus’ men continued to drag me towards the door.
“I’ll kill you!” Atlas raged. “I’m going to fucking kill you!”
I watched Vetticus shake Demetrius’ hand, ignoring the yelling and general upheaval he’d just caused.
“Pleasure doing business with you. I’ll see you soon.”
Demetrius’ hand snaked out, his eyes cold and dangerous. “Looking forward to it.”
Atlas’ raging fell silent as he was drugged and I watched as Nyx was dragged away. I felt a prick in my own neck and as everything began to go dark, there was only one thought running through my head:This wasn’t part of the plan.
FLASHBACK
THERON
THE WARREN
I still hadn’t bid on anyone. Greg, Johnson and Roger had all already selected their women and were eyeing me with various looks of curiosity mixed with apprehension.
“I remember my first time,” Johnson chuckled as Cooper spoke about the last woman he was going to bring out.
“So many choices,” Greg said. “It’s hard to choose isn’t it?”
I shrugged, swirling my nearly empty glass of whiskey in my hand as it dangled over the edge of the chair.
“Cooper will accommodate you with other options if—” I didn’t hear the rest of Greg’s sentence because a guard was leading the last woman onto the platform and I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Her eyes were so green I could see them from where I sat and they were filled with fire—more than the other women whose eyes were already dulled with defeat and abuse. I went still as the bidding started, enthralled with watching her fight against Cooper. His hands were all over her but the minute they slid into her pussy was the minute I pressed the button, my jaw clenching.
No one should be touching her but me.
I didn’t know where the fuck that thought came from, but a feral feeling rose in me that demanded I make this woman mine. I felt like I knew her. Or something about her called to a part of me I didn’t understand or had long laid dormant.
I sat up straighter in my seat, watching her struggle against Cooper. I wanted to be the one she fought against. I wanted to see what she looked like when she was made to come undone. I wanted to get burned by her flame as I coerced her into submission.
I hadn’t felt like this about a woman in…over a decade. Maybe Whitney? But even she hadn’t touched this primal desire to claim.
The thought that I shouldn’t get distracted from what I’d come here to do popped into my head but even that couldn’t calm the obsession building within me.
I was going to make this wildfire mine.
I stood in the forest, watching her take it all in.
She hadn’t noticed me yet and was looking like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to bolt or stand around and see what happened next. I stepped out into the clearing.
“You’re supposed to run.”
She turned quickly, her gaze sweeping me from head to toe and back again, her eyes alight with fire and apprehension. I could smell the fear on her but also the anger that radiated off her in waves. I took a step towards her and she stepped backwards.
