Page 90 of The Magic of Revenge
Because sometimes you needed to kill a motherfucker with your bare hands. Sometimes you needed to feel the burn of your muscles, the connection of skin on skin, needed to be close enough to see the spray of blood and feel it splatter against your face. Which is exactly what happened when I headbutted Bryce and his nose burst in an epic pop of red.
He swayed on his feet and I grabbed him by his hair, looking back to Red. She hadn't moved. Not an inch. I wasn't even sure she was seeing what was happening right in front of her.
"Look away, Kitten," I told her gently, trying to keep my savage emotions under control so that I wouldn't scare her. She just sat there, blinking. I couldn't kill this man in front of her, not in her traumatized state. "I'll be right back, Red," I called out, not sure that she'd heard a word I'd said. Her eyes slowly lifted to look at me and her mouth opened, almost in slow motion. I still had a strong hold on Bryce's hair, but my instincts kicked in and I released him, hitting the ground on my hands in a push-up position. The air whipped as he swung a club made of ice right where my head had been moments before.
Flipping from my stomach to my back, I avoided the club a second time when it smashed into the ground, barely missing my face.
"Fuck... you..." Bryce panted, landing a hard kick to my ribs in the same place he'd punched me earlier. Shit, that hurt. I rolled, but another kick came, harder than the last and I cried out. I heard Red screaming, but I couldn't focus on her. That was my mistake before and I couldn't afford to make it again.
"I'm going to kill this worthless piece of shit, Saige! Cut his heart out..." Another kick. "Freeze it..." Another. "And then smash it into a thousand pieces!" Bryce dropped on top of me and my lungs screamed at the pain each breath caused. I saw the ice dagger as he raised it up, sparkling in the light of the moon, and I grabbed his forearm just as he slammed the deadly weapon down.
"GET OFF HIM!"
My heart almost stopped when I saw a flash, and then Bryce and I both grunted when something collided with him. Scraped and bruised arms wrapped around Bryce's neck, and he threw his head back, earning a howl of pain from my woman. Before I could buck him off, a sharp pain exploded in my side and the intensity of it stole my breath. Another stab, and another. My hands covered the wounds, my hot blood poured over my fingers and it took everything in me not to pass out from the severity of the injuries. I tried to sit up and to my horror, I realized I was stuck. The piece of shit had frozen me to the ground. Calling on my fire, it answered in a whisper when I needed a roar. Fuck, I was low on energy.
Bryce staggered as he stood up, grabbing Saige by her hair and dragging her across the rocky ground toward the cliff. Her wide eyes found mine and there was only one way this could end. Bryce was going to die. My vision started to blacken around the edges. I couldn’t pass out. I knew what he would do to her if I did. Finally, my body broke free from the freeze he’d hit me with.
Five seconds. I could give myself five seconds to get over the pain. I counted, rising to my feet. My knees shook and sweat dripped down my face.
One.He wasn't leaving here alive.Two.He was never going to put his hands on Red ever again.Three.I'm stronger than this.Four.I'd never let her down.Five.
Heat spread out over my side where I was rapidly losing blood. My fingertips felt around for the gaping punctures, but all I found now were three slightly raised bumps.
I am a motherfucking dragon and I'm done fucking around.
The pain in my scalp was unbearable as Bryce dragged me over rocks and sticks. I cried out when my knee slammed into a jagged boulder that was half buried in the ground. My eyes burned and my teeth wouldn't stop chattering. When Bryce had formed that dagger in his hand, I knew I couldn't sit there and not try to stop him. Sloane had come for me with all the power of the dragon he apparently was.
"Worthless, fat, disgusting, useless," Bryce growled under his breath and I squeezed my eyes shut. He was going to kill me. I knew it. And without my magic, I had no way to fight him.
I raked my fingernails down his arms and he roared in pain, but his grip only tightened further in my hair and I was seriously worried he was about to pull it out.
"Stop, stop, Bryce. Please!" I begged, but he didn't seem to hear me. If I could just get him to listen, maybe I could get him to stop and give Sloane a few moments to figure out a plan. The wind was starting to pick up and thunder rolled in the distance. I sent up a silent plea to the stars that they were able to put out the fire and that my friend and her daughter were safe.
"I'll go with you. STOP!" I screamed and Bryce abruptly stopped, breathing heavily. Looking up at him, I struggled to maintain my gaze on his face. He was covered in blood with a swollen face. Malice danced in his eyes as he took in my disheveled appearance. Thank the stars my underwear hadn’t been ripped, so at least I was partially covered from his leering eyes.
"Open my pants. Right now. I want you both to understand who you belong to." My stomach churned and I fought back the bile that was forcing its way up my throat. I didn't dare look back at Sloane, especially not when I heard him telling me not to do it. Didn't he see, though? I'd do anything for him. The absolute certainty of that slammed into me when I saw Bryce’s dagger pierce Sloane’s body. I’d never been so terrified in my life as I was in that moment, the viciousness in which he’d shanked him repeatedly, Sloane’s grunts… I’d never forget it. It was probably good my back was to him now because I couldn’t handle watching him bleed out or see the look on his face when I did what I had to do to save him. There wasn’t a chance that Bryce would actually let Sloane live, if by chance he didn’t succumb to his wounds. If I could just distract Bryce for a moment, maybe a miracle would happen.
With shaking hands, I reached for the button of Bryce's jeans, my body shaking so violently it was difficult to complete the simple act. Bryce got annoyed and slapped me so hard, I saw stars explode behind my eyelids. I heard the zipper and then I really did lose it. Bent over on my hands and knees, my stomach heaved as I emptied the contents. My hand caught on something sharp and I hissed, pulling it back and seeing a slice on my finger.
Bryce and Sloane were yelling at each other, so I took my chance and retrieved the sharp rock, holding it tightly in my fist. I straightened up and tried to back up when I saw Bryce's dick level with my face. He laughed, advancing toward me. Then everything kind of happened at once.
Bryce reached for me and I lunged, taking him by surprise. I put all the force I had left in me into swinging the sharp rock straight for his groin. I knew I'd connected by the inhuman scream that left his mouth. Sloane was sprinting in my direction, fire sparking to life all over his body. Bryce screamed at me, calling me a bitch or something similar. I wasn't hearing his words anymore. All I could hear was the pounding of my heart.
My world tipped when Bryce grabbed my ankle and yanked hard, sending me crashing onto my back. I desperately tried to dig my fingers into the ground or latch onto rocks, but nothing stuck. Sloane was coming for me—I looked up and saw his wild blue eyes framed by the red flames that surrounded his body.
"I'm sorry," I mouthed. He wasn't going to make it in time. Bryce was already lifting me.
Bryce grabbed my upper arm in a bruising grip and yanked me upright, pulling my back flush to the front of his body. His arm wrapped around my waist, trapping my arms. My eyes closed and I felt his breath against my ear. “You’re not worth the trouble, bitch. Your mom is a better lay, anyway.”
My eyes flew open and I tried to stomp on his feet. Anything to get free of this monster. I knew he was going to kill me. He laughed as I fought. I didn’t stand a chance.
"What'll it be, Sullivan?" Bryce screamed. "Her death, or mine?" He walked us to the edge of the cliff and abruptly released me. I didn’t even get a chance to try to dodge his foot before it landed against my stomach, knocking me back. My feet slid over the loose rocks and then there was nothing beneath my feet. My hands reached for the ledge, but all they grabbed was air.
With a scream, I fell.Oh stars, no. That was the only thought I had as I hurtled toward my death, there wasn't time to think of anything else. All of the air in my lungs left me with an oomph as another body collided with mine mid-air, and I sobbed loudly when I saw I was mere feet from crashing into a huge rock.
Blinking up, I froze when I realized I had no idea who this person—demon?—was. He was older, older than Khol. His white hair was long and wild, and piercing blue eyes peered down at me.
"Calm. You're safe," he said, his voice hoarse and raspy like someone who hadn't spoken in a while. It wasn't like I had much choice in the matter as he flew me back up to the top of the cliff. A horrible scream pierced the night as I was gently deposited on the ground. My jaw dropped when I saw Sloane with his left hand wrapped around Bryce's throat and his other hand...
