Page 37

Ruugar

B eth’s muffled cry cut through the air like a blade. My heart seized. Before my mind caught up, I was already moving, tearing my way out of the tent and onto the dew-drenched grass. I wrenched on the pants I'd snagged as I passed them, and secured the fastening, staring around.

“Beth,” I hissed, then much louder. “Beth?”

Mary poked her head out of their cabin, her silver hair ruffled from sleep. A dim light shone behind her. “Ruugar? What’s going on?”

Beth. Where was she?

I forced myself to breathe, to keep my voice steady. “I’m looking for—” I stopped before her name escaped. “Ben.”

Mary frowned. “Maybe he went to the bathroom?”

“Maybe.” It was a weak answer, but it was the only one I could drag up. My stomach flipped over. Beth wouldn’t have gone off in the dark alone .

I turned, moving fast. The bathroom building stood a short distance behind the cabins, and its wooden door was closed. I rapped my fist against it. “Ben?” No answer. I yanked the door open and stepped inside. Empty.

Panic crawled across my skin. I hurried to the cooking gazebo. Coals from the firepit pulsed to my right, giving off faint heat. No Beth inside the cooking gazebo either.

Unease clawed at my insides. Something was wrong.

A scuffle echoed from the woods.

My head whipped toward the woods. The sound had come from there. The hair on my arms stood up as I sprinted in that direction, the muffled sounds growing clearer. Someone was being dragged through forest, their grunts shouting a struggle. They'd left a clear path for me to follow.

I tore through the thick undergrowth, branches slapping my skin as I ran. My lungs ached, my heart pounded, and when I reached an open area and saw my love, my mate, Beth, held by Bradley, my vision swam with red.

He and another male held her by her arms, but she was kicking. Two other males latched onto her limbs and tried to haul her toward waiting horses.

I stepped into the clearing. “Let. Her. Go.”

The men froze. Beth’s breath caught, and her teary gaze found mine.

Bradley turned, his face smug face, his lips twisted into a cruel pout. “You’re too late,” he sneered. “She belongs to me. Her father gave her to me. ”

Beth let out a muffled cry that barely broke through the cloth gagging her mouth.

A rage unlike anything I'd known before boiled up, hot and about to blast through the top of my head. My ears rang. My fists clenched.

I bolted forward, a force of nature, slamming into the nearest man, the one gripping Beth’s left leg.

A sickening crunch filled the air as we hit the ground in a tangle of limbs.

The other two launched themselves on top of me, but I was already swinging.

My knuckles met flesh and bone, and one fell back with a hoarse groan.

Bradley wrenched Beth upward, trying to wrestle her over and onto a horse. If her father was here, I didn’t see him. Hiding from the shame of what he’d done to his daughter.

Her panicked thrashing made me roar.

I threw the next man off me and lashed out with my foot, catching another square in the chest. He flew back, crashing hard against a tree.

Crumpling, he lay unmoving. The last man standing hesitated, his eyes darting between me and Bradley.

With a muffled groan, he turned and vaulted onto a horse, kicking it into a run, fleeing into the night.

Bradley growled a curse, and two more figures slunk from the trees, clubs gripped in their thick hands. From the way they slapped their palms, they knew how to use them.

More muscle.

They thought I’d go down easily .

They were about to discover how wrong they could be.

“The calvary is here!” Mary’s voice rang out in the clearing. Her snarl echoed as she lifted a cast-iron frying pan and rushed toward Bradley.

Pete raced next to her, wielding a spatula like a sword.

Joel hurried not far behind them, his eyes wide with determination as he pulled back a slingshot. A pebble flew, hitting Bradley square in the right cheek.

The yelp he let out would have been comical if I hadn’t been burning with fury.

Carol flung a rock, hitting one of the males attacking me in the head. He groaned and flopped to the side, rubbing his skull.

I flung the males off me and leaped to my feet.

Chaos erupted.

Mary’s nightgown flapped around her calves as she swung her pan through the air.

It smacked one of the males across the jaw, sending him staggering.

Pete jabbed his spatula at the other, his eyes bright with fire.

Shouting war cries, Joel pulled back the slingshot and released a stone, hitting one of the men between the legs.

The guy gasped, coiling forward, smacking his hand over the area.

His club tumbled to the ground, as did he.

Someone lunged for me, but I wrenched free, barreling toward Beth.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her from Bradley’s grasp, and whirled around, racing halfway across the clearing before I put her on her feet.

I carefully removed the gag from around her head, and her gasp was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.

She clung to me, her warmth burrowing into my chest.

Bradley scrambled backward, eyeing us with fear.

A growl roared up my throat. I gently eased Beth behind me and stomped toward the other male. “I challenge you to battle.”

His face paled. He darted behind one of the horses, his lips twisting in disgust. “Get rid of him,” he barked to his men.

“Choose your weapon,” I snarled. My slick smile grew. “I'm excellent with a sword.”

“I'm not fighting you. That's...primitive.”

My smile flashed wider. “That's me. Primitive. There isn't anything I won't do to protect my mate.”

“What's a mate?” Bradley huffed, his hands on the saddle horn. The horse skittered sideways, its wild eyes locked on me.

I lifted my hand for the world to see. “Mate mark. I've claimed her. You touch her again, and you won't make it back to Lonesome Creek.”

“How dare you threaten me?” he gasped. “I'll call the police.” He yanked his phone from his pocket and waved it in the air. “See if I don't.”

“My brother Dungar’s the local cop. Want to call him?”

“I think we should call him ourselves.” Beth stomped over to stand by my side, her face ruddy and her fists bristling. “I’m going to press charges for attempted kidnapping.”

Bradley flinched. “You're my bride. I own you.”

“I did not say I do, and I never will. You can't pry the words from my lips.” She took my hand, linking our fingers.

“Leave. Don't ever come back or I will press charges. See if I don't. Tell my father I'll call the press. Lonesome Creek has a PR person who went viral. She’ll be happy to shout out what you’ve done. I’ll tell the world my father tried to sell his own daughter to his business partner. See how long his clients or yours want to work with you after that.”

“You won't do it.” A dare came through in Bradley's voice.

She gave him a slick smile. “Watch me. There isn't anything I won't do to stay in Lonesome Creek with my mate.” When she lifted her arm, the matching symbol to mine blazed in the moonlight.

“Maybe you'd like to find out what the orc king thinks of humans trying to steal a mate.

I believe there's something in the treaty about that, right?” She looked up at me.

“Orc justice is laid out quite clearly,” I said. “We'll battle with swords, and I promise, you won't walk away.”

“I'm not doing anything like that,” Bradley blustered. “You can't make me.”

“The treaty states that you'll be confined and taken to the orc kingdom for the battle.” I grunted. “Want to be the first to test the treaty?”

His shoulders slumped, but he glared at Beth. “Why wouldn't you just cooperate?”

I took a step forward, my growl dripping with warning. “Leave. Now. Do not return to Lonesome Creek. I'll sense you're there, and I'll hunt you down.”

“I'm a civilized being.” He might be stiffening his spine, but his hands shook. “I'll leave, and trust me, you won't see me in this paltry, backwater town again.” With a huff, he tried to climb onto the horse, but he couldn't quite do it. One of the men wielding a club came over and shoved his ass.

Seated, Bradley lifted the reins and glared at his men. “We ride. Now.”

They climbed onto horses, and they whirled their mounts and raced into the woods along the path I knew would eventually take them back to town.

Our friends cheered and after making sure Beth was alright, they trooped back toward the campsite, congratulating each other on a mission well done.

Beth tumbled into my arms. I wrapped them around her and nudged my forehead against hers. “Mate. My precious mate.”

She shot me a grin. “I knew you'd come for me.”

“Always.”

I pulled back enough to drink her in, to make sure she truly was unharmed. Her cheeks were flushed, and they'd soiled her shirt and pants, but she looked alright otherwise.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered. “I don't want to get you into trouble. ”

I tipped her chin up, making her meet my gaze. “It's not your fault.”

She surged up, pressing her lips against mine.

The world flew away and all that remained was her warmth, her touch, everything this woman was. I kissed her back, pouring every ounce of love, protection, devotion into my touch.

When we finally pulled apart, her eyes gleamed with happiness. “It's over. Take me back to our tent.”

I didn't need to be asked twice. With one sweep, I scooped her into my arms, pressing her against my chest. “Hold on tight.”

She clung to my shoulders as I carried her away from the clearing, away from the horror of what had almost happened, and straight into the safety of our tent.

No one would ever take her from me again.