Page 90

Alexandra

Tangled

I tremble with rage as I glare at the massive red bore in disbelief.

He is such a rude prick!

Here I am, doing something I’ve never done before—opening up, being vulnerable, admitting that I like him—and for what? To be rejected? No, worse—ignored.

The fury in my chest boils over, searing my veins like lava. Just like with my father, just like every time I’ve let my guard down—when I finally let myself care about someone, reach out, feel something, anything—they turn away.

I’m fucking sick of it!

“Put me down, you asshole!” I shout, my voice trembling with raw emotion as I push against his rock-hard chest, scooting forward. His massive hand hesitates for just a moment before lowering me gently to the ground.

It only heightens my anger—that he lets go so easily. Of course. So quick to drop me, so quick to cast me aside.

I glare up at him through clenched teeth. Dracoth, in typical fashion, stands there like a giant red statue—no anger, no shock, no concern.

Nothing .

He doesn’t care; he never did. He just wants to use me. That’s fine. I was going to use him too, but I made the mistake of liking him. Stupid. So fucking stupid.

But this— this is his fault! He did this to me, with that strange heat he radiates, which I crave.

Luring me in like a drug addict. But no more.

I hate him—hate his stupid, cold, unreadable expression.

I wish I could hurt him, but I tried that before in the shower.

Physically, he’s untouchable, indestructible.

The only way to wound him is with words, and I know exactly what he is underneath all that size and muscle— a scared little boy .

“You know what you are, Dracoth?” I spit, every word dripping with venom. “A scared little bitch .” My voice rises, my chest heaving with fury. “You’re not man enough for someone like me.”

I step closer, fists clenched tight at my sides. “You think you’re so tough? All those big muscles and scary attitude. But you’re just frightened. You think you hide it so well, but I saw it, before the bond. You can’t hide who you are from me.”

Dracoth’s crimson eyes flash for just a moment, but he says nothing. He just stands there, as silent and unmoving as a mountain, unflinching under my attack. His complete lack of reaction only fans the flames of my rage.

I hate him so much!

“Nothing to say?” I scoff, jabbing a finger into his immense chest. “Just going to stand there like the giant fucking bore you are?”

Through the bond, I feel the faintest flicker of something—annoyance, perhaps—a tiny ripple of emotion, barely a reflection of the seething rage that’s consuming me. It’s infuriating!

Dracoth turns without a word, his massive clown feet sinking deep into the soft orange moss with each heavy step.

He stoops, calmly gathering fallen branches and twigs, completely ignoring me.

I watch, stunned, my mouth working soundlessly, wondering if I’ve somehow faded out of reality.

The rage swirling inside me sharpens, turning dangerous as my mind races, sifting through everything— anything —that I could use as a weapon to hurt him.

And then something comes to mind.

I smirk, feeling the dangerous thrill of it course through me. I don’t care what happens anymore, swallowed whole, carried away by my rage. It’s intoxicating and cathartic!

“My ex-boyfriends were real men. They knew how to treat a woman—they weren’t weak like you!”

The words echo through the darkening forest, and for the briefest moment, Dracoth freezes. I can see it—just the smallest flicker of recognition as his shoulders tense. But then, as if nothing happened, he resumes picking up wood, his back still to me.

Coward.

My heart slams against my chest, adrenaline shaking me with raw, unrestrained rage. I almost had him! He almost acknowledged me—almost cracked.

“Oops,” I say with fake innocence, covering my mouth in mock regret.

“I wasn’t supposed to mention my exes, was I?

” I let out a bitter, mocking laugh that reverberates through the towering trees like a wailing banshee.

“Silly me! I guess now you’ll be rushing off to.

.. what was it you said?” I pause, tapping a finger to my chin in false forgetfulness.

“Oh, right. Skin them alive, was it?” I shake my head with a loud sigh.

“But that was another one of your lies, wasn’t it?

Just like all that bullshit about you being the War Chieftain. ”

My fury blazes like molten mercury through the bond, and despite his continued inaction, I sense his rage simmering in that strange realm that links us. The realization sends a rush of manic laughter spilling from my lips—mocking, cruel, scorching the cool air.

“How odd. I remember in the shower, you said I reeked of lies.” I wave a lazy hand over my nose.

“But you? You’re rotten with them. A liar and a hypocrite.

How lovely.” The words slice through the air, sharp and venomous, but deep inside, I sense that I’ve pushed him to the edge. He’s close—so close to snapping.

And a dangerous idea flashes through my mind—the last twist to drive the knife into his stony heart. This might get me killed, but strangely, I don’t care. It only excites me more.

“What’s wrong?” I sneer, my breath coming in fast, heaving gasps. “Didn’t Mommy and Daddy teach you any better?”

The words hang in the air, heavy as a hangman’s noose, tightening with each passing second.

And then, it happens.

Dracoth whirls round, faster than I thought possible, his eyes blazing like molten coals in the dim, purple light.

His once bland expression twists into a snarling beast, a sneer curling his lips as his gaze locks onto me.

The force of his rage slams into me like a tidal wave, knocking the breath from my lungs.

Oh, fuck.

Terror surges through me, rooting me to the spot. I can feel the inferno burning through our bond, his rage a seething blood-red flame that licks at my mind, threatening to consume me whole.

I gasp as our flames collide, sending a torrent of power and boiling rage coursing through me—it’s Dracoth—his emotions, his fury, his intensity—flooding my mind like an unstoppable wave.

The marks of Arawnoth, scorched into my chest and neck, blaze hot, as if molten metal were seeping into my veins.

The world snaps into razor-sharp focus. Every leaf, every branch, the ripples of the pool, all painted in exquisite, agonizing detail.

Even Dracoth’s rage-twisted face seems to slow, as if caught in a dream—or nightmare.

It’s almost too much, his burning fury, his frustrations roaring through my mind like the flames from my dreams of Arawnoth.

“I warned you,” he growls, fangs bared, stalking toward me like a living wall of red murder.

Todd, the little traitor, wiggles out from under my clothes and scurries down my leg, vanishing into a nearby bush, his limbs twitching in a blur of motion. But I hardly notice, taking a step back, my feet feeling like wedges of concrete, heart racing, my breath catching.

“Wait!” I plead.

But he doesn’t wait, instead storming closer, eyes locked on mine, hard and lethal. And then, like a switch flicking inside me, my fear melts —replaced by the molten lava of his fury coursing through my veins. It fills me, fuels me. My fists clench, my eyes narrow.

“I said wait!” I sneer, summoning shimmering silver barriers, hurling them at Dracoth. He grunts as they smash into him with shocking force, pressing him from all sides.

The runic brand on my chest flares brighter and hotter as the thrill of my power surges through me.

I circle him, smirking, keeping my distance, remembering the cage of flames he trapped me in last time.

His pain pricks through our bond like needles against my skin, but I push it away— I won’t stop . Not this time.

Dracoth doesn’t struggle, merely watching me with crimson eyes glowing with a mist of red and silver, drifting away in the breeze. But I feel his fury within, his desperate desire to kill me—to fuck me.

I love it!

Laughter bursts from my lips as I continue to stalk him. “Too bad, Dracoth. You had your chance—”

Suddenly, a tremendous force explodes through my mind like a bus slamming into me. I fall to my knees as a blinding light bursts from the center of my barrier, glowing like the Earth’s sun.

My gaze snaps to Dracoth—a cruel smirk twisting his lips. I raise my hands, trying to project more of my will into the barrier, fortifying it further. But it’s like trying to hold a door shut against... well, Dracoth.

The sun-like orb expands, pressing harder until my barrier shatters, fading fragments of silver into the quiet night. Dracoth bursts through like a charging beast, and I scramble to my feet, instinctively throwing up more barriers in his path.

I watch in both fear and excitement as he extends his claws, the tips glowing with blinding orange light, slashing through my barriers as if they were made of paper.

His manic laughter booms, deep and resonant, following me as I sprint through the towering trees. Each thudding footstep of his is like a reflection of my own frantic heartbeat.

I glance over my shoulder, struggling to navigate the thick foliage in the dark, my breath ragged as I see him closing in. No matter how many barriers I throw up to slow him down, it’s useless— nothing stops him. And deep down, I don’t want him to stop. I need him to keep chasing me.

I want it.

My foot catches something hidden in the shadows, and I yell, bracing myself as the ground rushes toward me.

But before the impact, Dracoth’s massive hand wraps around me, catching me mid-fall.

I gasp as he whirls me around, lifting me as effortlessly as a doll.

His eyes blaze like molten silver and red coals, burning with a primal frenzy that steals my breath.

A desperate ache pulses between my legs, and I realize I’m completely at his mercy now.