Page 89 of The Magic of Revenge
"If you kill me, you'll never find her," Laurie gasped and I shook my head.
"She's in these woods, I will fucking find her."
"Not her, you fucker. Her sister." Laurie grinned maniacally and my brows furrowed.
"Red's sister? She doesn't have a sister," I gritted out, getting tired of these games.
Before either of us could say anything, a scream of pure agony pierced my ears. Red...
"I wasn't lying. About any of it. But you know who I did see tonight, Sloane?" Laurie smirked, her teeth red from her busted lip. A chill raced down my spine. "Bryce."
Fuck. Fuck. No.
"What's it gonna be, big scary fire mage? You going to kill me and eliminate any chance she has at finding her biological sister? Or are you going to run away right the fuck now and go save her from Bryce? He's quite... insistent when he wants something. Doesn't really seem to understand the word 'no', if you know what I mean. But he did his job and freed me, so he’s earned his reward."
"You are one sick fucking bitch. I'll be back." I pulled back and punched her right in the temple, knocking her ass out. It wouldn't keep her down long, but I had to try. Fuck... I had to try.
Taking off through the trees, each scream amped me up higher, sending my fury to heights I’d never known.Please, stars, don’t let him rape her. Let me make it in time. She doesn’t deserve this…
I heard Bryce’s deep voice as he shouted at her, and though I couldn’t make out the words, I did hear her screaming no over and over again. Fuck, I felt like I was going to puke. My nerve endings were on fire, the very blood in my body boiling with the purest form of rage I had ever known. The trees began to thin and what I saw in the distance… Oh gods. Bryce on top of my woman, her clothes in tatters and his bare ass…
Exhaling raggedly, I felt the heat of my breath dance across my lips as my entire body began itching worse than it had all week. Red was squirming beneath him and just as he pulled her hair back and whacked her head on the ground, I screamed my outrage. Finally, finally, I was close enough to do something.
One second I was running, pretty sure I was nothing but a flash of flames. The next, I opened my mouth to scream at him to get his hands off her and it was like my insides exploded. The noise I unleashed was what I’d imagine a dinosaur would be capable of making. Trees were knocked to the ground that were in my path. I don’t know how I knew, but I did.
I’m a motherfucking dragon.
My eyesight was sharpened immediately, like there was now a level of focus I had never dreamed possible. At the edges of my vision, I could see spiders and other insects scurrying over leaves and plants in their haste to escape. Bats flew overhead at a distance, an owl hooted from miles away, and this… this rapist was about to die.
Bryce and Red both looked over and she screamed when she took in my new appearance. She had no way of knowing it was me.Fuck. Maybe I can shift back. How had I shifted in the first place?
The fucker scrambled back, pulling his pants up quickly. I spied something between his legs that would soon be parted from his body. Stepping closer, I felt the ground shifting slightly beneath my weight. Red was still laying on the ground, her legs and elbows scraped and there was a deep gash on her forehead. The sight of her wounded twisted me up and I let out a pissed off snort that had fire shooting out of my nostrils.
My distraction ended abruptly when I felt a sting in my shoulder. Whipping my massive head toward Bryce, I saw him hurtling frozen spears in my direction. My body reacted without me directing it. A blast of fire sprayed from my mouth and melted any chance he had at injuring me further. Even the small wound on my shoulder was nothing more than an annoying irritation at best. It would be so easy to roast this motherfucker like a chicken, but I had plans.
The change came over me, my body knowing what to do even if my brain wasn't sure. I didn't have time to ponder it. The moment my feet hit the ground, all hell broke loose.
"Why am I not surprised?" Bryce laughed, shaking his head like we were old buddies. "Of course it'd be you."
I ignored him, looking at my woman who was staring at me with the widest green eyes, her face wet with fresh tears. "Red, are you okay?" It was a dumb question, but I had to ask. Her injuries looked superficial but that didn't mean she didn’t have ones I couldn't see.
She pushed herself into a sitting position, hugging her knees to her chest. My strong, beautiful, fiery redheaded goddess looked so small, so broken, so fucking scared... I could see her shaking from ten feet away.
"You're fucking dead. Fight me, bitch. Man to man. I don't need my magic to wipe your existence from the face of this realm," I growled and stepped closer to the blond bastard, thankful that my magic had made sure my clothing was left intact.
"That whore"—he pointed at Red—"isn't yours!" he screamed, looking utterly possessed.
"You're right," I replied and heard a soft whimper from Red. "I'm hers." And with that, I launched myself at him, tackling him and slamming him hard into the ground. My right hook found his cheek, the two connected with a glorious crack and a painful grunt. I enjoyed it for a split second before the air in my lungs was forced out when Bryce returned the hit with a punch straight to my chest.
He launched me backward but I easily rolled with it, doing a backward somersault and pushing myself to my feet. We circled each other. The rapid swelling over his cheekbone told me I'd probably shattered it. Even in the darkness, I could see the sinister glint in his eyes and I hoped he was able to see the same reflected in mine.
"You think you're special," he spat, literally. A mixture of spit and blood landed at my feet.
I laughed darkly. "I think you're a weak boy that doesn't know how to deal with the fact that nobody fucking likes you."
His eyes narrowed. "Did Saige ever tell you about our time together? Over two years, man... and I used her every. Fucking. Night." My back rippled, it was like I could feel the spikes of the dragon's spines beneath my flesh, begging to break out. "Oh yeah, have you even had her yet?” he mocked me. “Or does she keep you at an arm's length like everybody else? I found smacking her around always made her—"
I struck fast and without mercy, my fist jabbing him in the throat to get him to shut the fuck up. He choked, his hands flying to his neck, leaving his torso unguarded. My fists landed forceful blows in quick succession to his stomach and ribs. I was suddenly thankful for my extensive hand-to-hand combat training, especially when I’d found it to be such a waste of time at the academy. Why use fists when I could use fire?
