Page 61 of Fortune Fae Academy
I didn’t know what he meant, but Rowan seemed to remember a piece of my past I had lost. “Touch her and I’ll rip your throat open with my teeth until you die,” he snarled.
Quite a threat from a Beta, because with blunt teeth like his, it would take some time and effort to saw through skin.
Rowan would make good on his threat if tested, though. He limped forward, but the flames around him kept the others from grabbing him. I noticed portions of his fire flickering out, like a candle extinguished in a dark room, leaving vulnerable, bruised skin behind.
He didn’t wear anything, only clothing himself in flames. Whatever magic he had unleashed burned through everything—except him. The damage was clearly made by claws or heavy blows.
He’d fought an entire den of Alphas… but what for?
Snarls sounded at my back and I picked up the familiar scents of Seifiek and Axel finally having caught up to me.
A fight broke out a minute later. Alphas weren’t very good with their big-boy words.
Ignoring the violence at my back, I trusted my Alphas to clear a path while I pulled Rowan out of this situation.
“I’ve come to retrieve my Beta,” I said, hoping to reason with the Alphas in my way.
One shot his hand through the dying flames and cinched his fingers around Rowan’s neck. “This pretty boy? I think we’ll be playing with him first. You can take him when we’re done demonstrating what happens to those who don’t know their place.” The Alpha squeezed, making Rowan claw at his fingers with his free hand. My Beta guarded something close to his chest with the other.
Anger swirled in my core, but I didn’t unleash it. I was playing Amell’s game now and it was no coincidence that we had returned at the same time Rowan had broken the rules.
Whatever punishment the Alphas gave out would be within their rights. This was their territory, and the utmost important law of Fortune Fae politics was that territory boundaries were to be protected. No matter how savage that protection might appear, it was a simple law that kept our society intact.
If borders were breached, the owner of that territory determined judgment. In this case, the Alphas rule the Alphas’ Ward. Amell would have no problem with them doing whatever they damn well pleased with my Beta.
But as an Omega Amell thought bound for Etu’s bed, I had certain privileges, and I had no problem using them.
“Why don’t you play with an Omega instead?” I offered sweetly, extending my hand to show the inside of my wrist. “As you said, everyone should know their place. I know mine. As an Omega, I belong to the strongest Alpha.” I twirled my delicate fingers, making the Web dance with my power in silver twines of ethereal thread. “Would that strong, powerful Alpha destined to have me be you?”
I didn’t know the name of the Alpha I was talking to, but he was the largest, most vicious-looking of the bunch. His chest was painted in Rowan’s blood and his silver irises were darker than I was used to, suggesting his transition wasn’t going very well, or was very new.
He didn’t have an Omega that he had claimed as his own. That was to be expected, as any mated Alpha wouldn’t have been in this ward, but he practically glowed with Dust. He fed frequently and thoroughly.
Which made him either desperate or savage. I would know the moment he touched me which path he had chosen.
And how quickly that path might end.
Already, the odds were not in his favor. He had hurt my Beta, and for that, he would pay.
His dark eyes reminded me of molten silver scored with iron. He glanced over my shoulder, his catlike pupils shrinking as he took in the brawl happening behind me.
The metallic scent of blood mixed with the charred aroma assaulting my senses. A loud crack sounded behind me, followed by a bellowing roar, but it was quickly silenced.
A grappling and fumbling sound came from my left just as something brushed my back, but I didn’t turn around. My mate-bond connection with my Alphas allowed me to feel what they felt, and neither of them was concerned about anyone touching me. Not even the asshole I was dealing with.
A sense of pride burned in my chest. Not only did my Alphas feel confident that they could take on the entire corridor at my back, but they also trusted me to handle myself while they cleared an escape.
The Alpha in front of me obviously didn’t pick up on the emotional exchanges going on through my mate-circle. His eyes glittered with hope as he seemed to feel that Seifiek and Axel were sufficiently occupied.
“You’re a little slut, aren’t you?” he asked. “I smell you on both of them. They just had your pussy…recently.” His gaze flicked over me. He ignored the blisters forming on his arm while he held Rowan aloft. Even though Rowan’s strange fire was dying out, he kept clawing, kept striking with all of his might, while his mismatched eyes of a broken Beta landed on me. The Alpha holding him captive was huge, though, and didn’t even seem to notice Rowan’s weakened efforts.
Efforts that would be more successful if he stopped trying to protect whatever it was he was holding.
I won’t let anyone touch you,he seemed to say. I knew he didn’t care if that was a vow he could keep or not—he would die trying.
And I suspected whatever he was gripping close to his heart had to do with me. The desperation humming through our bond seemed to hold an urgency to touch me. To give me something. No matter the cost.
All evidence that Rowan was worthy of me.
