Page 70 of House of Crimson Hearts
“Only if you plan on getting in my way of the crown. Something we both know I deserve more than you.”
Fuck her. The only thing this bitch deserves is my ripping her throat out of her neck. I jerk suddenly, scruffing her by the collar and speeding across the room, slamming her into the wall.
“Octavia!” Mother shrieks. But it’s too late. Dahlia takes a swing at me, driving her fist in an upper cut between my arms. She crunches into my chin, pain splintering deep into the bone, rattling my teeth.
I’m knocked back, dazed.
Dahlia is nothing if not viciously strong. But she can go to hell before I let her get away with that. I charge forward but she dances out of my way. I’ve fought with her enough times to know her moves, though.
I duck low, kicking my leg out, and catch her knee, knocking the joint out of place. She yelps and hits the deck. I jump on top of her, swinging fist after fist. But Dahlia snaps her head around, catches my fist and sinks her teeth into my wrist.
I cry out and punch my other fist through her gut, grabbing a fist full of intestines. She screams as big arms wrap around me.
“Let. Go. Tave,” Xavier says.
I growl at him. But he uses his big arms to clench and squeeze until I feel like my ribs are going to crack under the pressure.
“Xavier,” I say, his name is barely above a whisper.
“Let. Go. Both of you. I won’t tell you again.”
I do as he says, releasing her innards as she dislodges her fangs. He yanks me off her and drags me away, back to the plinths and the remaining group.
“What on earth do you think you’re playing at?” Mother hisses at the pair of us as Xavier, still holding me, deposits me in front of Cordelia. Lincoln helps Dahlia up and she hobbles next to me in front of Mother.
“Do you wish me to punish you publicly?” Mother snarls.
“No, Mother,” Dahlia says, and it takes every ounce of my willpower not to roll my eyes at her and call her out as the arse-licking suck up she is. But I bite down on my tongue until I can taste iron to keep the words from spilling out and igniting another fight.
“I swear to the Mother of Blood, if you so much as whisper out of line I will hang you both from the castle dungeons and drain you dry for three days. Do you understand me?”
I nod. Dahlia grits her teeth and nods too. Mother turns to the Chief.
“I do apologise,” she says. As if apologising to the fucking chief of all the hunters is a common place courtesy. It takes even more self-control not to drop my jaw and pass out with shock. What the actual fuck is she playing at? I decide I’m going to pull Mother aside this evening and see if I can draw a confession from her.
“I believe it’s your draw,” the Chief says to Mother.
Cordelia steps forward and pulls a name. My heart is in my mouth.
“Lincoln Landry,” Mother says.
Lincoln stands a little taller. Red’s eyes bug wide, her face draining a little of colour.
I lean close to her. “Friend of yours?”
“One of my closest.”
The Chief reaches into the bowl and the action makes my chest tight. My breathing increases. This is it. Much as it would be awful for Red’s friend to be partnered with Dahlia, it would be so much worse if Dahlia was paired with her. She’d kill her just to spite me.
I swear the Chief is taking her sweet fucking time just to annoy me. Her fingers slide into the bowl and at last she tugs out a name.
“Dahlia St Clair.”
Thank fuck.Red’s gaze flickers between Lincoln and Dahlia. Lincoln nods and moves forward to follow the staffer herding us into place.
Dahlia’s eyes narrow, but a nasty sneer peels across her lips. She’s obviously delighted she got Lincoln as a partner.
And truth be told, so am I.
