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The abrasion of my entire body slams against tin metal; it's hard enough to rattle my teeth, coursing an excruciating pain through me. I land flat on my belly with my leg bent.
I release an agonizing groan, my hand planting on the floor to make my way up, but I’m faltering, my arms shaking from the throw.
I can fight.
I glance up as he strides toward me. “You all thought you could come in here and—”
His words are nonexistent to me as I reach for the dagger connected to my hip, but it’s not there. Fuck. I glance around quickly to find it tossed to the side from when he threw me. It’s out of reach, which makes it impossible to get to it in time without him catching me mid run.
He grabs for me, snatching my hair, and wrapping my braid into a tight ball, then tossing me on my back like a rag doll.
He spits on my face as he talks. “Your whole team will die this time. You were already supposed to be dead.”
I squirm as the foul wetness from his mouth sprays onto my cheeks and lips. His large black eyes blare into mine as he wraps his meaty fingers around my throat, squeezing tightly, like I’m the worst thing that’s happened to him.
I am.
“Sorry about that,” I croak sarcastically through what’s left of my airway. The venom spreads through my blood, fuming into my bones. I scratch at his bare arms, digging with my life; he releases a pained growl from the abrasion, throwing his head back. I use that moment to ball my fist and punch him in his exposed throat, bringing my knee up and kicking him in his ass to push him over me. He lands on his back gasping for air, clutching his clogged neck.
I roll over with a shake of my head, gripping my chest to allow the air to flow properly, the lightheadedness washing over me from the knock against the wallandthe chokehold. That hurt like hell.
I wheeze, inhaling as much air through my nose to get my heart pumping. As I do, I spot my dagger. He continues huffing for air like a newborn baby coming out of the womb.
I get on my feet, stumbling, but rushing to my blade. My back’s now turned to him, until I hear another howl along with harsh thuds, the sound so loud I jump from the piercing scream and turn with my dagger ready to plunge into his chest.
My eyes widen as I watch Ronan throw him against the wall with a strength I’ve never seen before.
He came for me.
Ronan grips the man's throat while the other punches him hard in the face. The strikes are so harsh you can hear his bones breaking. His height matches the man’s but not the weight—the guy is bigger for sure—but there is no doubt Ronan would destroy him. He then chokes the man with both hands.
“Nobody touches her. Nobody.” I hear him seethe through his rage.
The man squirms and gurgles; his pale face now beet red, and his already large eyes bulge from his sockets. Ronan delivers another punch, then changes direction, going behind the man and choking him with his arm. It locks him in even tighter, causing the man's body to arch.
My eyes run wild over the brutal mayhem. I step closer. And closer. My dagger swirls in my hand, completely awed by the death coursing in Ronan's eyes. His face etched with an eerie, chilled smirk as he gazes at me, too.
The man punches at Ronan's arm and attempts to scratch at his eyes. Ronan only moves his face, shaking it away, the strands of his hair falling to his sweaty forehead, the darkness lurking around him. My heart melts, my throat constricting enough to seize the air.
The way he defends me.
Kills for me.
Cares for me.
Even looks at me. Like I’m all that he sees over the horror. His eyes dim sadistically. “Go ahead, little snake. He’s all yours.”
My eyes are on Ronan’s. I am stuck in a trance, drawn to him like a bee to its hive. I grin deviously before glaring at the man whose eyes are rolling back, his punches dying down.
I swing my arm up, plunging my dagger into his chest cavity. His eyes widened and crimson spills out of his mouth. My smile grows; I do it over and over again, his red liquid splashing on me and Ronan like paint. I don't bother wiping—the blood doesn't bother me. It drives the thrill to continue the attack, to achieve more, to pour out until he's drained from life. His bones break and crack between the metal steel as I fillet his flesh. A sick type of euphoria overtakes my mind, and I don’t stop until his chest is caved, and his body goes limp. My chest rises and falls with ease, a release of anger dissipated.
Ronan lets him go, his body tumbling to the ground like a boneless chicken.
Oureyes connect once he hits the floor. I half expect him to look at me like a freak with blood smeared across my face, a psycho that enjoys killing a man. There’s nothing but a hazy gaze. He mirrors my image because he is the shadow demon that dives into my being. Fiddling with the chaos to bring out the sweet carnage in me.
A rush of sparks zap throughout my body, big flutters surface in the pit of my belly.
He pushes off the wall with his shoulder then threads his fingers through his dark hair, looking sexy and evil as fuck with blood drenched on his black clothes, some droplets on his face and neck.