Page 22 of Into the Dawn (The Devil’s Claw #3)

22

BEN

A s soon as those vile words leave Chuck's mouth, I'm moving. I don't even know what I'm planning or how, just that I can't watch for a second longer.

My limbs feel sluggish and heavy, like I'm moving through quicksand. The drugs are making every movement a struggle. But all I know is I'm not going to stand here while my mate is spoken to like this.

Jed's guards grab my arms with a bruising grip. I'm in the middle of a tussle with them, trying to break free and get to Vanessa, when I hear John's voice. Even though it sounds muffled, like he's underwater, it's as clear as day what he's saying. His tone is strong and defiant despite his obvious disadvantage as the sole human surrounded by shifters.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her," he shouts. "What is wrong with you people? That you'd allow a man to treat a woman like this, and one of your own, too."

His appeals to the crowd go unanswered.

I feel, rather than see, Jed moving away from my side. Shaking my head to dislodge the brain fog clouding my mind, I attempt to veer in that direction.

Vanessa can defend herself, but John is completely vulnerable.

"Shut up, old man. And sit down," Jed's voice carries an edge of violence. He’s desperate to take his anger at being overlooked by his father out on someone else.

My fingers tingle, giving me a tiny surge of strength, as my beast tries to come to his aid. I growl, praying John does as he's told and stays quiet. But alas, a good man like John won't stand idly by and say nothing in the face of such evil.

I admire his bravery, but I fear for his life.

"I will not sit down. Someone has to say something to stop this madness."

He's speaking as though these people can think for themselves, but years of abuse and forced submission have beaten them down. They know better than to open their mouths and protest, unlike John.

"I warned you," Jed says, impatience clear in his tone as he stomps forward and grabs John by the arm.

Blinking hard, I yank myself from Jed’s guards and manage to get a few steps toward John when I hear a faint grunt and a shocked gasp from the gathered crowds.

All eyes are on Jed now, instead of Vanessa and Chuck.

My gaze flicks to my mate when I feel her panic. But in this drugged haze, I'm struggling to comprehend what's going on.

Vanessa stares, wide-eyed, to my right when her hand flutters to her face and covers her open mouth.

Slowly, I shrug off Jed's guards. Their grip on me loosens as they halt, stunned by the scene unfolding, and as they step to the side, I see John on his knees, one hand pressed to his side.

He pulls it away and stares, stunned, at the red liquid coating his fingers. The metallic scent of human blood hits my nostrils, making my dormant beast stir restlessly.

Jed waves a silver knife in the air before pointing it straight at Chuck. "Let's get this fucking over with. I'm sick of this bullshit." The weapon gleams in the moonlight, Jed’s cowardly weapon wielded by someone who just does whatever it takes to get their way.

His eyes land on Rusty, who looks at him with barely concealed contempt. Unfortunately, he won't call him out on his behavior in front of the entire clan. That would mean he’d have to admit that his son is a despicable person. Rusty may not say it, but I can see how much he dislikes Jed’s actions written all over his face.

Shifters don't use weapons, and they sure as hell don't use weapons like that against defenseless humans. There are a hundred other ways he could have dealt with John right then. Using knives and poison is akin to sucker-punching someone. There's no honour in it, and there's certainly no victory.

Even in my drugged state, I can smell the shame rolling off some of the older clan members. And the fact that the knife is made from silver tells me he has other plans for it.

Chuck narrows his eyes at Jed before spitting into the dirt, letting him know exactly what he thinks of him. Without words, he’s laying down a gauntlet. If he wins Rusty's approval, he'll be coming for Jed. The threat hangs in the smoky air.

Jed takes a step forward, but Rusty waves him down. "Calm down, Jed, for god's sake. Quit creating a fuss. If you can't handle an old man with a big mouth, how are you going to run a clan?"

He won't. That's the message I'm receiving, loud and clear, and so is everyone else here. The clan hierarchy shifts subtly with each interaction, and Jed's stock is falling rapidly.

Rusty looks toward the porch of Vanessa's house, where his wife stands with her hands on her hips, clearly disappointed at the scene before her. Rusty bristles, still caring somewhat about how his mate views him.

"Get him a bandage, will you? The stench of human blood is making me sick." With a dismissive wave of his hand, he turns away, not even waiting to see if his wife has gone to obey him. He knows that after years of breaking her spirit, she's already on her way to do his bidding. Not that I think she needed to be asked to help John. She doesn't agree with what Jed and Rusty are doing here. I suppose she still has some fire left in her.

I only realize that I'm still battling to get at Jed and rip his head off when one guard hits me with a nasty blow to the kidneys. With a grunt, I bend over to the side and drop my elbow to shield myself against further blows. The pain is sharp, cutting through my drug-induced haze.

"Sit the fuck down," Rusty says. "I'd hate to have to kill you before we even get to see you fight."

Chuck resumes his disgusting appraisal of my mate. Rubbing a dirty thumb across her cheekbone, he grazes it down against the edge of her mouth toward her chin. The sight of his hands on her is making my blood boil as my beast starts thrashing against his chemical chains.

Vanessa's eyes are wide and wild. She looks scared, but it's more than that.

I think this night is the realisation of all her worst fears, forced to accept that this is really what her family is. She's been hiding from the truth in the woods all these years but being forced to face it all, here and now, in high definition, there's no denying what these people are. I can tell from the way she struggles to avoid recoiling from his touch that she wants nothing to do with any of them.

Chuck gives Vanessa a smarmy smile and drops his pants, pointing one elbow out to the side in Jed's direction. "I've got to be better than that, sweetheart."

Jed growls, low and threatening, but we all know he won't challenge Chuck outright in a one-on-one battle. So Chuck continues on boldly. "You give me what I want, and at least you know I can protect you from that piece of shit."

He is just vile.

Chuck shoves his trousers down off his hips then hooks his thumb into the top of his graying, once-white, ill-shapen boxers.

From the way Vanessa's nose twitches and her head twists to the side, not only are they sagging and gross, but they also smell. Vanessa stares up at him, not fighting or arguing, with her hands folded primly together.

Somehow, I'm now on all fours, crawling, trying to drag myself through the dirt to get to my mate. Everybody else is more focused on what's about to happen in front of them, transfixed, as Chuck releases his half-limp cock from the confines of the cotton and holds it in his hand a mere foot away from my mate's face.

Vanessa’s chin drops as she turns her face away. She grimaces and takes in breaths through her mouth to avoid scenting whatever disgusting bodily odor Chuck's giving off.

He laughs like he knows exactly how repulsive he is and clearly enjoys seeing her discomfort.

The sound of his amusement sends another surge of rage through me. How dare he enjoy seeing her upset.

With my fingers buried in the soil, I feel another glimmer of something inside me spark to life as my beast starts banging at the door to my brain. He's somehow outraged enough to find the will to push forward as my claws lengthen and dig into the dirt. I suck in a deep breath, knowing I'm only going to get one shot at this. And I'm probably going to get myself killed, because I won't be able to hold form, but it'll be worth it.

I see the fingers on Vanessa's right hand flick, like she's telling me to go away, and not to do whatever I’ve got planned, but as Chuck lifts one foot, ready to step toward my mate with his gross dick extended in front of him, everything turns black.

My beast bursts from me and lunges forward, claws extended, heading straight toward Chuck's less-than-impressive appendage.

Vanessa falls back onto her heels with a shriek and scurries out of the way as I blast past her, swiping at his dick with one hand and shredding it, while the other plunges my claws deep into his groin and lower stomach, ripping at his flesh, tearing his intestines and his scrotum clean off.

The satisfaction of his cries appease my beast, who feels this man’s utter disrespect has been avenged to his liking.

A blood-curdling scream, worse than anything I've ever heard, comes from Chuck’s mouth as he staggers for a second before he keels over sideways. I've severed an artery.

An arc of blood sprays up into the air from Chuck's flayed limb. The scent of blood fills the air, and the sight of him rolling on the ground, guts exposed, is enough to make some of the watchers gag and vomit.

I hit the ground with a dull thud, all of my energy spent on that burst of aggression.

Rusty's eyes lock onto mine for a brief second before my ability to hold form disappears again, and my beast recedes, leaving me helpless on the ground once more. But there's a gleam of respect in his gaze now. He knows what I'm capable of, and that I’m a worthy opponent.

“For fucks’ sake,” he mutters, kicking Chuck’s boot with his toe and looking at the mess I’ve made of his clearing.

Vanessa scrambles toward me, face pale, and I tug her into my side. She's going into shock, and I don't blame her. Her heart pounds against my chest as she looks at the gruesome sight beside us, but her presence steadies me.

Everybody seems too terrified to move, so they just stare dumbly as I stagger to my feet, starting to feel a little less affected by the drugs that Jed gave me, but still not a hundred percent.

Jed shakes his head, not giving a fuck about the man's penis that now looks like minced meat but is more concerned with the fact that I'm regaining my strength rapidly. "What the fuck? That dose should have been strong enough to keep you down for an hour."

Rusty cuts him off. "This is why you don't rely on drugs, dipshit. It might be enough to knock you out, but you never know how strong somebody's beast is or how quickly they'll metabolize it.” He points a gnarled finger in my direction but continues to dress down his son in front of the entire clan. “This guy, just because he doesn't go around acting like the big man like his brother, has the same fucking genetics. You can hardly be surprised that his beast is a bit of a fucking animal, can you?"

Chuck stretches out a hand and grabs the leg of Rusty’s jeans.

Rusty kicks Chuck's arm away and tells him to stop wailing and shut the fuck up, but Chuck just mutters a few incoherent words before he passes out.

With a weary sigh, Rusty bends down and slices his neck open with an extended claw, putting him out of his misery. He looks around at the shell-shocked crowd. "There was no coming back from that. He was bleeding to death, and even if he wasn't, there's no life for a man like Chuck after the injury he sustained."

Maybe I should feel guilty for doing that to a fellow male of our species, but I don't. He asked for it. Some lines you don't cross, and he blew past all of them.

I stay quiet, watching Jed retch at the sight before him and how casually his father wipes his bloodied claw on his thigh to clean it. I’m biding my time as the fog clears from my brain. I can feel my strength returning, my beast stirring more strongly with every passing minute.

Let them fight amongst themselves while I continue to recover.

I reach a hand down to touch Vanessa's shoulder, to let her know that everything's going to be okay, even though I'm not certain it is.

But as long as we're both breathing, there's hope. And now that Chuck's dealt with, maybe the others will think twice before trying to claim what's mine.