Page 9 of Quietly Hux's
Blood ran in bright red lines down Hux’s arms, legs, and shone through jagged tears in the cut-off shirt he’d worn. With an angry motion, Hux gripped the front of it and tore it off completely. His chest heaved, glistening with sweat and blood. Balling up the bloody strips of cloth, Hux threw the scraps over the side of the cage and rolled his muscled shoulders, baring his fangs at Dormaunt with a snarl.
Dormaunt only smiled, his own elongated teeth ridiculously white in the overhead lights.
Lunging in to take another swipe, Dormaunt looked stunned when Hux’s arm shot out, blocking him. Hux went for a blow of his own, but Dormaunt recovered quickly, dancing back out of reach.
It was obvious that both were trained fighters in the way they circled each other, looking and testing for weaknesses. Hux was the bigger and stronger of the two, but Dormaunt seemed so much faster.
Sweat gathered on my hairline and slid down my back. Hux was still bleeding, his healing not keeping up with the amount of times Dormaunt found skin to shred.
After another brutal swipe to his stomach, Hux winced, and I couldn’t take it any longer. I pressed my hands flat on the bar and hoisted myself up and over. Three shouts went up behind me, but I hit the ground running.
I knew they’d try to stop me, and Hux would be furious, but I didn’t care. I was the only one who could put a stop to this. There was no way I was letting Hux die for me.
Shep wrapped his arms around me just as I reached the cage door, pinning my arms to my sides. I squirmed, face wet and heart thundering.
“Milo, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” Shep was saying, but I could barely hear him over the blood rushing in my ears.
“Hux.” It came out so softly that for a moment, I didn’t even realize it was me who’d spoken.
Hux turned sharply toward me, gaze snapping to mine. He glanced down at my mouth then back up to my eyes. A huge smile split his face.
Behind him, Dormaunt chose that moment to strike.
HUX
He’d spoken. Milo had spoken, and he’d said my name. I’d never heard anything sweeter in all my life.
Of course, Dormaunt tried to take advantage of my perceived distraction. Milo’s eyes widened when Dormaunt leapt at me, but I was done playing with this asshole. I’d let him take some flesh from me. Made sure his goons wouldn’t be able to cry foul when this was over, but if Milo was concerned enough, scared enough that it broke through the mental block silencing his voice? Then, this fight was over.
Faster than I’d moved since I stepped into the cage, I shot my arm out, catching Dormaunt by his throat. His eyes widened in shock, and he wheezed, claws digging into my forearm.
I squeezed the vulnerable flesh in my grip, snarling as I brought his face closer to me. “You’ll never hurt anyone again.” With a twist of my wrist, I snapped his neck and dropped his lifeless body with a dull thud.
Stunned silence filled the bar. I didn’t hear a single sound. Could only feel the fading vibration from Dormaunt’s body hitting the cage floor.
“Hux.”
Milo.
That was Milo’s voice. I turned, charging toward the cage door. Shep was standing behind Milo on the other side. He reached around my mate and pulled the door open.
Milo rushed in. We collided a step from the door. I swept him up, pulling him tight against me. He wrapped his arms and legs around me, burying his face in my neck.
It was done.
Epilogue
THREE MONTHS LATER
MILO
Somehow, Saturday had become my favorite day of the week. I knew most people enjoyed the weekends because it meant they didn’t have to work. But for me, it was the opposite, and I loved it.
“Hey, Milo!” Dave’s warm voice reached me over the sound of the deep-fryers cooking up another batch of wings. “Shep says he needs you behind the bar for a minute!”
I shot Dave a thumbs up and stepped away from my station, knowing Dave or Julio would pull the wings up if the timer went off before I returned.
Pulling off my apron, I hung it on the hook beside the kitchen door. It’d been three months since Hux had fought and killed Dormaunt to secure my freedom. He’d offered to take me anywhere in the world. I’d told him I’d be happy to go, but only if he were coming too. He was the only destination I was concerned with. We’d settled into his house, making it a home for both of us, and I had honestly never been happier.
