Page 49

Give Them Hell

T horn and I spent another hour together before I forced myself to get up and dress.

He helped me, his hands gentle as he dropped kisses along the way, making my heart clench.

We check on Drax on the way back––when I poke my head around his door I see he’s still out––before I find myself alone in the room my father assigned me.

Staring around the plain white room, I spot a panel with a light flickering through a crack.

Curious, I walk over to it and run my fingers along the surface.

It pops open like a door, revealing a shiny steel bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink, and mirror.

Not even second-guessing myself, I strip and step into the shower.

I grab the shiny knob and pray to whoever is listening that the water will be warm.

When I turn and it sprays down on me in scalding hard waves, I almost come there and then.

Sex is good, amazing even, but have you ever gone so long without a hot shower and then finally have one? Yeah, you know the feeling.

I take my time, letting the warm water sluice over my sore muscles.

I unwrap the damp bandage while I’m in there, frowning at the black and blue bruising decorating the left side of my rib cage.

Shrugging, I drop the wet material to the floor and lean my hands against the wall, my head dropping forward as the water parts my hair, obscuring my face.

I don't let myself think, instead, I concentrate on feeling the water. Wanting to remember this when I have to go back to the real world with its cold showers.

Bottles line the edge of the wall and I search through them.

There are no labels, so I carefully lift one bottle and take a sniff.

My nose twitches at the cloying smell and I quickly replace the lid and try the next one.

Fuck, I almost groan again. It smells sweet, like strawberries and cream.

I dump a handful in my palm and lather my body up good, before letting the water rinse away the soap.

I wash my hair as well, using my sniff test to pick a bottle I like.

Looking through the bottles once again, I find a razor hidden behind them, a new unopened one. I look down, noticing my leg hair has grown since the last time I was able to find one. I look like a bloody yeti! I lather up the soap again, covering my legs, before going to town on the forest.

Half an hour later, I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around me. My legs are smooth and silky, my hair shiny and clean and I feel like a newborn. Is it weird to compare having a shower to being reborn?

When I get back into the room, I find a fresh pair of cargo trousers and a black tank top waiting for me.

I quickly dress, forgoing a bra and panties.

I pull on my borrowed army boots and tie them.

Lastly, I pop my blade in the edge of my trousers.

I really need to ask where the others are and about the Berserkers…

lists form in my head as I walk to the door and wait for it to slide open.

The hallway is empty, so I head in the direction I think was Drax’s room.

Hopefully I will find one of my men there, then I can go find my father and get answers.

I get lost a few times but I manage to find his room eventually.

The hallways are weirdly empty and it puts me on high alert, so when I find Jax sleeping at Drax’s bedside, I relax a little.

I don't want to disturb them, so I silently sneak in and drop a kiss on each of their heads before going back out to find someone else.

A guard in the same black uniform as the others hurries past and I chase after him.

“Hey, do you know where everyone is?” I ask, nicely for me.

He stops and shifts on his feet, his eyes darting to the hallway and back to me uncomfortably, the silence stretching.

“Okay. Let me rephrase. Take me to everyone,” I demand, crossing my arms.

“I don't know if I’m supposed to,” he squeaks out, making me narrow my eyes on him.

“Take me to them, before I decide to play target practise with you,” I growl.

He gulps and nods, watching me in fear as I walk by his side. He slows his steps, but once he realises I can easily keep up, he speeds back up again.

“Are you really from out there?” he asks eventually.

I don't even spare him a look as we walk, instead I concentrate on not palming my knife. I miss my fucking swords. I feel naked without them.

“What’s it like?” he gushes excitedly .

“Hot,” I mutter, looking around as the hallway we are walking in starts opening up. Cheering reaches us and the guard speeds up, his excitement palpable in the air.

We reach an open room, larger than anything I have ever seen and packed with bodies cheering and chanting as they circle around something.

“What is this?” I demand. The guard looks from me to the crowd.

“It's how we guards blow off steam.”

Not needing to hear anymore, I start to push through, elbowing those in my way until I can see the square mats raised in the middle of the room, where my men are currently fighting.

Thorn is just putting one guy to the ground as another charges him. Maxen is fighting hand to hand with three men, a smile on his beautiful face. I ache to jump in and help, but I know they aren’t in any trouble so I let them carry on.

I watch their muscles bunch and contract as they fight, the fierce expressions on their faces and their downright sexy strength.

I shuffle uncomfortably, trying to relieve some of the pressure building up in me.

Maxen spots me and throws me a wink before ducking a punch.

My lips twitch, but I keep a calm expression as people finally start to realise I am in their midst.

My men destroy their opponents, quickly ending the fight after they spot me.

The guards lay scattered on the floor as Maxen and Thorn stand in the centre, chests heaving from the fights.

Watching them fight side by side has me worked up and I bite my lip to stop myself from attacking them. Not that they would mind.

Thorn leaves the ring with a triumphant smile on his face, only making my arousal spiral higher. Watching them fight is like watching art, something beautiful and deadly, and seriously hot. My guys meet up in front of me and we turn without a word, all of us ready to be out of this crowd.

“Fucking brown bastard,” comes a sneer.

I stop, steel threading through my veins at the racial slur directed at my sweet Thorn, who looks back at me with a small sad head shake. Ignoring him, I turn to face the asshole. His friend is being dragged from the mats behind him, unconscious from where Thorn took him down effortlessly.

“What did you say?” I ask calmly, my voice cold and deadly like the silence engulfing me.

“You heard me, whore,” he scoffs, his face twisting in hate. I hear people start to mutter between themselves as they shift uncomfortably.

“You want to take this one, Mi Alma?” Maxen asks, as he steps up to my side. I tilt my head and watch the mouthy racist prick. My smile is slow, and if the fear that flames to life in the guard’s eyes is anything to go by, terrifying.

“You and me. In the ring. Now.” I stride past him to the open matted area in the raised middle.

I leap onto it and spread my legs in a hard stance.

I watch the man who thought he was so tough wilt before noticing he is the centre of attention.

He gathers some of his attitude and swaggers to me, jumping up and landing on the mat in front of me.

“Fine. I will wipe the floor with you, then make you suck my dick as your little brown bastard watches.” He laughs, a few of the guards chuckle nervously with him as I arch my eyebrow and look around at the crowd. Once my eyes run over them, they soon shut up.

Turning back to the guard, I grin at him. I pull the knife from my trousers. His eyes widen as I throw it to the edge where it embeds in the mat.

“You talk too much,” I say before rushing him.

I feign a punch and then sweep my leg so he goes down on the floor, hard.

I don't wait for him to get up as I drop on top of him and smash his head into the cushioned ground, holding him there. I’m not playing this time, I will destroy him before everyone so they never think they can talk about my men again.

“You ever come at my men like that, talk about them, even look at them in the wrong way again and I will kill you,” I warn.

I watch as he pales, realising I mean my threat and that I can follow through with it. I get up and he slowly gets to his feet. I go to turn, but at the last second, I spin and punch him square in the face.

I casually walk to the edge of the mat and retrieve my knife, sliding it into my pants.

The room is silent as I hop down and a path clears through the crowd, leading right to my men who are watching me hungrily.

We don't talk as we make our way through the crowd.

When we reach the hallway, Maxen turns and heaves me over his shoulder and takes off at a jog down the hall, Thorn right behind him.

“Maxen–” I warn. He smacks my ass but ignores me. I grumble and glare at a grinning Thorn.

We twist and turn around corners as I try to fight back the need to hurt Maxen for putting me in a weak position. The old me would have panicked and stabbed him, but I fight against it and remind myself that he would never hurt me.

I huff as I’m put gently on my feet. Looking around I realise we are in a bedroom. I look back to my two men and arch my eyebrow.

“Strip, Mi Alma,” Maxen demands, watching me. I notice he is shirtless again and my eyes get lost in the muscles of his chest.

“You first,” I say with a quick smile. My jaw drops when he keeps his eyes on me and strips out of his boots and pants, leaving him bare before me.