Page 137

The old man steps forward. “Who are you?” he asks, positioning himself as leader, but I ignore him and look at the woman, recognizing a true leader when I see one. I don’t know what they were thinking trying to hide her from me. When I simply watch her, she huffs, throwing away the pretence.

The woman steps forward, her eyes running down me and ending on my dirty boots.

Her lips purse and her eyes tighten, the only sign of her displeasure.

“I was pulled from a meeting discussing the potential land grab…for her?” she snaps, looking at the men be hind her.

The old man steps forward and throws her a narrow-eyed look.

“Yes, she came with terms of war, she’s from the North,” he announces, and the woman throws her hands in the air.

“Most of these fucking savages are from the North! Do we just open the fucking doors to them whenever we feel like it? She’s one fucking woman!” she shrieks, her eyes twitching before she huffs and straightens her suit, and I start laughing.

“That’s what they all say, until I kill them.

” I shrug then and pull out a knife, making them stumble back and their guards swear, but I simply start to clean my nails.

“One woman, with three, wait, is it four armies? I can’t keep track, anyway, they are all waiting for you.

If I don’t come back, they will storm your little Cities here, and they will get in and then you will all be dead.

So, I suggest you sit the fuck down and listen for once in your life.

I’m betting you are used to giving orders, but if you want to be alive at the end of the day, you are going to start taking them,” I finish, wagging my knife at them.

None of them seem to know what to do, looking between each other instead, and I get bored. “Sit the fuck down,” I bark loudly.

They share looks, but slowly pull out chairs and sit down, all apart from the woman. “You’re in my seat,” she snarls, and I grin at her.

“So find a different fucking chair,” I reply, my blade glinting in the light.

When they are all seated, I pull down my feet and slip off my jacket, enjoying their gasps of shock at my extensive tattoos and scars.

Twisting in my chair, I drape my legs over the end of the table and look them over, making them shift with my intense gaze as I let them sweat it out like they tried to do to me.

“Right then. First things first, you have my men. I want them back or I am going to blow up this city building by building until I find them,” I say sweetly.

The two older brothers share looks. “Men?”

I ignore them, focusing on the woman. “Don’t play fucking dumb with me, sweetheart. You sent them North and when they didn’t return you took them back. They are mine. I want them, so go get them, or these negotiations go nowhere.”

“We don’t negotiate with savages,” she spits.

“Oh, you’re going to negotiate with me,” I purr. “Do I need to prove to you how serious I am? Which city do you like less?” I taunt, my face calm and cool.

“She’s bluffing,” the old man interjects.

“Maybe I am, but how will you know until it’s too late?

” I reply, letting my face go cold. “Now get me my fucking men. The longer you wait, the angrier I get, and you don’t want me angry.

I could kill you all without even breaking a sweat.

You have ten minutes,” I order, and then with that, I close my eyes again, showing them exactly how unconcerned with them I am.

They are silent before I hear them start to whisper among themselves, without looking, I interrupt them. “Nine minutes. Which one of you will die first?” I wonder out loud, and they start to argue then.

“Eight minutes. I bet at least one of you will faint at the sight of blood, maybe even piss yourself in fear. You ever seen that? I have, real stink, not as much as when you shit yourself when you are dying,” I tell them, my eyes still closed, and I hear one of them get up and whisper to the guards at the door before they come back.

“We are bringing them up,” she snaps and I hum out loud.

“Seven minutes. There was this one guy. I hunted him for two weeks, really slippery bastard, but when I found him…damn, that boy knew how to beg. Never seen anything like it, and as I was cutting strips of his skin away, he screamed, I still remember that sound. Then he lost control of his bladder. You see, everyone breaks eventually. I wonder what your breaking point will be?”

I let them ponder that, while I feel their assessing gazes. “What’s your name?” the old man asks.

“I have many, The Champion, Berserker Queen, but feel free to call me Worth. Easier to beg with such a shorter word,” I taunt then open my eyes. “Who will I be killing? I do like to have a name to a face.”

“I am Phineese, this is William and Derkin,” the old man introduces.

“And I am Regina Locost, appointed prime minister of our government and Cities.” She sniffs, looking down her nose at me.

“Woopity fucking doo, queen beats prime minister, bitch. Five minutes,” I respond, and then shut my eyes again to the outrage on her face.

“You vulgar idiot. Did you really think coming here and demanding was going to work? We will wipe you savages from the map!” she snarls.

“Four minutes,” is all I say, and then I hear the door open and shuffled footsteps.

I prepare myself, telling myself not to react if they are hurt or worse.

I can’t let this woman see how much they mean to me, or she will use them against me ruthlessly.

I compose myself and open my eyes, my heart racing and lungs wheezing for air, but my face is cold and calm, and when I look at my hand it isn’t shaking.

Sands below, thank fuck.

Only then do I raise my eyes and time seems to slow down. It has only been two weeks, two weeks without them, yet it felt like a lifetime. Every day dragging on, moving from one mess to another, fighting every minute not to race to their sides, and now I can see them again and all I want—

Where the fuck is Jax?

Rage surges through me, but so does terror.

I count them again. They are blindfolded, but I know the difference between Drax and Jax and the way they stand.

Their clothes are the same as when I was with them, but they are filthy and ripped, with blood covering some of it, and I note every cut and wound.

Maxen starts to struggle against his bindings, and only then do I realise they are gagged.

“These men?” she asks, and I look over at her, noting the way she is focused on me, so I lean back. “I think you will find they were my men before they were yours.” She sniffs and I grin.

“You wouldn’t know what to do with them, lose the gags and blindfolds,” I order, and she narrows her gaze. I feel my men react to my voice, but I focus on her.

“Do not push your luck, savage,” she snaps, but nods at the guards and I turn back in time to see them pushed to their knees as the gags and blindfolds are removed, their hands still bound behind their backs.

I meet everyone one of their eyes. Maxen’s widen in fear, but then settle on smouldering as he runs them over me.

Thorn’s are filled with relief and happiness, and my Drax’s gaze glints with amusement, but I see the flicker of fear there as well.

I spot cuts, bruises, and dried blood everywhere I look.

I can’t tell what is from injuries or worse, which will have to wait until I can inspect them later, but none of them look like they are about to die.

Once I am sure they have nothing life threatening, I look back at Regina.

“Where is Jax?” I growl.

“Jax?” she replies, pretending to look confused, even though her lips are curling into a smirk. “I don’t know who that is.”

I hear them start to struggle. “You fucking—” Drax starts, but one of the guards smacks him with his gun across the face, and I am across the room in an instant, slitting the guard’s throat and stepping back.

He falls to the floor, spurting blood everywhere as I grip the knife, ignoring the other guards who move towards me with guns out and shouts leaving their throats.

Stepping to the table, I stab the bloody knife in the middle and lean closer, letting Regina look in my eyes and see how close I am to killing them all.

“Where is he?” I enunciate every word slowly, leaning into her space until I am looking deep in her eyes.

“ Mi Alma ,” Maxen rumbles from behind me, making me almost shiver. Fuck, I’ve missed him. I want to turn around and jump him, fuck these stuck up rich people. I want them in my arms, but I’m the leader now, and that comes with responsibilities, so I keep my gaze on her.

She shivers, fear tinting her expression as she leans back from me.

“We don’t know, he escaped the second night they were here once we were.

..investigating where they had been,” she admits, and oh how it hurts her pride to share she lost him, but if he’s not here, he must be safe.

I just wish I knew where, but at least I know he is alive.

I lean back slightly. “Investigate?” I drawl slowly. “Is that rich people’s way of saying you tortured them for information?”

I go cold all over as she just smiles at me, this fucking bitch.

I grab the knife, ready to gut the bitch, but a soft touch lands on my shoulder, a touch I would know anywhere.

“ Mi Alma , it is not worth it, we are okay,” he murmurs quietly, just for me.

I lean back into his touch before turning to face them.

Drax winks at me, although blood drips down his hairline from the gun, but he still has a smirk on his lips, and Thorn gives me that smile that makes my knees weak, while Maxen takes me in from head to toe, not missing a single thing.

“You sure you are okay? ‘Cause I will kill them for you if you want?” I offer and Drax laughs.

“Fuck, I’ve missed you, babe.”

“Baby girl,” Thorn says fondly.

Maxen’s lips turn up as he cups my face.

“Not yet, we knew you would come for us.” And despite the seriousness of the situation, he kisses me in front of them, kissing me hard, and I lose myself in him almost crying from how much I’ve missed him, but he pulls back, his eyes filled with amusement and love as he nods and then steps back.

“You can fill us in later, for now, I’m betting if you are here instead of killing them all there is a reason. ”

My fucking men, always ready to trust me and have my back despite being tortured for two weeks.

Later, later I will check them over from head to toe and they will pay for hurting them, but Maxen is right.

Stick to the plan , I remind myself, and straighten again as I flip off the guards who are still hesitating, looking from the dead man to me.

I slip back around the table and into my seat. “It’s not a real meeting without at least one death.” I smirk and Drax laughs.

“Or more, if you are here,” he teases, and I wink at him and turn my attention back to Regina.

Then I lose all emotion, going into the mode I kill in, and let her see how much she has messed up.

She swallows, but tilts her head back. Defiant until the end.

Good, it will be more fun to break her. Maybe Ivar did pass on more than I thought, but right now, I couldn’t give two fucks.

“You came into my lands, you stole my men, killed my people, and then you tortured my men,” I say, and hold up my hand when she opens her mouth to speak. “Those are acts of war, prime minister ,” I tell her, saying the title sarcastically.

“They were from our Cities, our people—” She starts.

“Which you sent up north to steal our land and secrets and report back.” I slowly start to wipe the blood on my knife away on the napkins on the table. “Now, prime minister, tell me why I shouldn’t kill you all?”