Page 38 of Blood and Thorns

I was going to find her while adrenaline still pulsedthrough my veins, and then make her fucking beg for defying an order yet again.

My cock twitched at the thought.

I didn’t hold back my next hit, my right hook landing with such force that Reaper collapsed. Not bothering to check whether he stayed down, I jumped over the ropes to land in a slight crouch. The crowd scrambled to get out of my way, climbing over one another as I stormed towards the black doors that separated the clubs.

Caden appeared at my side, but I ignored him as I stalked forward. The door almost crumbled beneath my shove, and it wasn’t long before I was scanning every fucking person for familiar brunette hair.

Mia caught my eye, her chin gesturing towards the staff room with a slight guilty expression. She’d be dealt with later.

The back door was open, and stepping outside I froze as the wind whipped at my sweat-coated skin. Her voice called out, the cadence panicked, but also full of resilience as I turned the corner of the alley, and found her struggling with not one, but three men.

Blood seeped down her cheek, her skirt lifted to show off far too much skin while the man in front pressed a forearm against her throat. Her teeth were gritted, the men straining to keep her pressed against the wall as she fought.

I didn’t think, simply reacting to the rage that burned through me at the scene.

How dare they touch what was fucking mine.

Arabella’s eyes landed on me over his shoulder, her gasp a siren’s call as I reached the man on her left–the one with his fingers on her thighs–and promptly smashed his skull against the brick beside her.

His head split from the impact, and if he wasn’t deadalready, I made sure to slam my foot down on his throat just to be sure.

Arabella screamed, recoiling while also trying to fight against the other hands holding her down. A blade swiped across my chest, my bare skin unable to resist the sharp edge.

I sucked in a hiss, ignoring the burn as I reached the second man. Another blade, this time slicing across my arm. They weren’t deep, more like panicked swipes rather than lunges. I grabbed the second guy by the throat, his neck breaking so easily beneath my strength. The crack echoed around us, as did the sound of his body dropping like deadweight at my feet.

The last man faced me with the knife, the end tipped red. He wasn’t much bigger than Arabella, his arm shaking as he faced me.

Fucking pathetic.

He was the one who had his forearm pressed against her, and my rage darkened into something worse. It was like a haze, my instincts calling for me not only to kill but to maim. Destroy. The other two had died far too quickly to sate my cruelty, which had left me unsatisfied.

Another swipe of the knife, and rather than backing away I stepped into it, allowing my skin to split. For the sharp pain to register before embracing the heat of my blood against my cool skin. The man gasped, and I smirked, allowing my expression to take a more feral edge. His arm continued to shake, and as swift as a viper I snapped his wrist, catching the knife as it fell.

He screeched, cradling his arm to his chest while his wails echoed around us. I could easily finish this, but I wanted to drag it out a little longer. For him to fucking suffer.

“Stop!” A soft voice caused me to pause.

I lookedover at Arabella, my breathing coming in pants.

“Please don’t,” she whispered, her fingers nervously tugging at the hem of her ruined dress.

“You care so much about him?” I asked, my tone so dark she flinched.

The man whimpered, and before he could run, I grabbed him, sinking his own blade straight into the centre of his chest. I didn’t take my eyes off Arabella, her face so open with her expressions that I drowned in her emotions, the fear, shock, and then the horror at what I’d done.

I pulled at the knife, blood raining across us both in a splash of red. I wanted to paint with it, smear my canvas with the colour.

Dropping the body, I stepped over him and closed the distance between us.

She never looked away, which made that twisted fascination inside me burn hotter. As if she was unknowingly fanning the flames to my new fucking obsession.

Where others would’ve cowered, she watched me as if I was a wild animal. It was what fascinated me in the first place, when I had her father on his knees begging for his life. She was terrified, but she refused to look away. Refused to submit.

She was either stupid, or she didn’t think much of her own mortality.

“Take care of this,” I said, and it took her a moment to realise I’d spoken to Caden, who’d followed on my heel and waited on the side while I’d dealt with the situation.

Her eyes darted to my cousin until I reached up and gripped her chin, forcing her attention back to me. She shook, her face pale, made paler by the blood that dripped like an invitation down her cheek. Reaching out, I brushed it away with my thumb. She flinched but didn’t attempt to break my grip.