Page 65

New Friends and Old Enemies

F eeling pleased with myself, we quickly head back to the cars and jump in. We have had enough distractions, we need to get back on the road and to The Summit before Dray goes mental. The assassin pops back up and slouches in his spot in the front of the car.

“Nice of you to help us,” I say, rolling my eyes. He doesn’t even bother looking at me as he answers.

“I was curious how you would handle it.”

Sands below, he’s a fucking asshat.

“I’ll admit, I can understand the fascination. You’re a good fighter, and an even better one for a woman, but you are sentimental and that makes you weak.” He yawns mid-sentence.

My eyes narrow on him and before he can react, I have a knife at his throat. “Do not ever mistake my kindness for weakness. I would just have soon slit their throats if they came at me or hurt my men. Just like I will do for you, Dray’s man or not,” I warn, my voice deadly.

Grinning at the shock in his eyes from me getting the drop on him, I lean back between Maxen and Thorn. “I will forget you said anything.”

“What, not going to run to Dray to say I was being mean?” he mocks, but I sense a genuine curiosity underneath.

“If I have a problem, I solve it myself. Same goes if I need to teach someone a lesson.”

He says nothing more but the tension in the car is high, and when I drop my hand on Maxen’s thigh I can feel the steel underneath and the anger radiating from his body, almost vibrating.

We spend the rest of the journey in silence and before I know it, I spot The Ring up ahead. I direct Doc to park and then sit for a moment to compose myself. Heaving a sigh, I slip from the car on Thorn’s heels. Maxen grabs my hand at the last minute and kisses my knuckles.

“You got this, Mi Alma, and we got your back.” He winks, and slips out his door. In shock, I turn my hand over to see he slipped me a tiny metal spike that looks decorative, but when I prick the end, blood wells on my finger. Smiling, I slip it into my hair and close the car door.

With my men spread out behind me, I stroll to The Ring like I have no care in the world.

Cars, bikes, and other transports litter the front entrance like a jigsaw puzzle, and the guards have doubled and it’s obvious they are nervous.

The tension rides the air with so many warriors and leaders in the house.

When I reach the gates, I look up and prepare myself for The Summit.

Sands below, I hope we don’t kill each other before we kill Ivar.

The guards let me in with no hesitation this time, but they do offer Doc and his men a wary look. They scream outsider and by their wide-eyed shocked looks, it is obvious they don’t belong here. Just another issue to add to my long list to deal with.

Walking through the gates like I own them, I let the guards and hangers from other clans see I am not afraid.

Weakness here would be fatal and used against me quicker than my knife.

Making my way through the zoo with my men, Dr. Perfect Face’s men, and not to mention the assassin in tow, creates quite the stir.

Scavs and roadies stop what they are doing to watch and when the assassin drops back a step to let me walk first, a sign of respect, some even openly gape.

When I look into his eyes, I see the calculation,and I know he didn’t step back out of actual respect for me, more respect for his leader.

Not that it bothers me, he just showed the whole Summit he fears me, which will make them hesitate, and coupled with my reputation it might mean we don’t get attacked. ..as much.

By the time we make it to the building––which holds Major’s office and the meeting rooms I am guessing The Summit will be held in––nearly every free scav/roadie or assassin is trailing us like some fucking puppies with nothing better to do.

At the top of the stairs are two of Major’s enforcers, blocking the doorway like fucking royalty is hiding inside.

I don’t let myself hesitate, telling myself I belong here, I stride up the stone steps and when they don’t stop me, I slip through the two big wooden doors.

My men follow me, and I let Dr Perfect Face and his men in before the doors shut behind me with a resounding bang.

“It’s about fucking time, it was starting to get boring,” comes a deep honeyed voice from behind me.

Turning, I meet the cold eyes of Dray, my soulmate as he told me.

He has his usual swords strapped across his chest and if possible, his scar on his face stands out more.

There’s always something so lethal, so predatory about him.

Like a wild animal ready to pounce, and if the lust and anger in his eyes are anything to go by, he actually might.

I don’t know what the fuck is going on between us, but even I can see he has come dressed to kill today and not in a fashion sense.

Nearly every inch of his body is covered in blades and he strokes them absentmindedly like you would a cock.

I stand stock still as he prowls towards me, but I do drop my legs wide just in case he decides to attack. Like I said, you never know. I don’t think he would kill me, not really, but I am probably the only person that he won’t kill.

“What took you so long?” he asks as he stops before me, ignoring everyone else like they don’t matter, and to him I guess they don’t.

Shrugging, I grin at him and play down what happened. “Ran into some trouble with pale faces.” The word slips out and I hear Vasilisy laugh behind me as Dr Perfect Face grunts.

“Do I need to kill any of these people?” He reaches out a scarred finger and runs it across my face in a caress like we are discussing what to eat, not who to kill.

“If I wanted them dead, I would kill them myself,” I remind him, as his finger stops at my lips.

I watch the anger in his eyes morph into bloodlust and I know he is thinking about the last time we were alone together.

I fight the need to fidget even as desire blooms in my chest, one day the two of us are going to implode, and I am not sure either of us would come out of that alive.

“True, why the Berserker? Keeping slaves?” He steps closer and whispers the last part to me as his bottom half pushes into mine. The cool steel of his blades seeps through my clothes and into my skin, even as I feel the proof of his need pushing against me.

“Not my style, he does serve a purpose though. Would it not be better if I am addressing the whole Summit rather than just you?” I ask, and blinking I realise my hand is against his bare chest. The steady thumping of his heart pulsating through my hand.

“Always so full of secrets, fine. The others have been waiting, though not patiently.”

“Dra–” The last of the sentence finishes in a muffled shout as Dray––who was in front of me one second basically eye fucking me–– disappears and suddenly has the man who dared talk pinned against the wall.

I can’t help but lick my lips at the display.

He is effortlessly holding the assassin by his throat meters above the ground.

The sight of his back bulging and the feral barely leashed violence thrumming through him turns me on in the strangest fucking way, I have just given up trying to fight it. Not that I will ever let him know that!

“Dr-dray,” the assassin manages to gasp out, I don’t see him struggle though, more like he is just trying to remind him of who he is.

Rolling my eyes, I decide to step in, really a mad move on my part but it’s not like we have a lot of time to play dick measuring games, even if those games do have me all hot and bothered, and imagining him pinning me to a wall like that.

Approaching him like I would a cannibal, I circle to the side, if I had bothered to touch his back he would have attacked me too, and rightly so. You never sneak up on a wild animal.

“Dray,” I demand. He ignores me, but I do see his lips twitch.

Leaning against the wall next to the dying assassin, I play bored and look at him. “Really? I came all this way and you are going to make me stand here as you kill this asshole?”

His cold eyes flick to mine, as he seems to forget about the assassin suffocating in his hands. “Am I boring you?” he asks, his voice even lower than normal and I see his wildness dancing in his eyes. I need to tread carefully.

“No, but it got your attention didn’t it? Now, as much as I would love to watch you choke him to death, and I mean really, I would. We have things to do and I don’t imagine you are going to let me walk into the lion’s den without you at my back, are you?”

With his eyes still on me, he drops the assassin to the floor where he crumbles gasping for air, his face turning back to a normal colour. I arch my eyebrow at Dray and he grins at me, that evil fucking smile. “He interrupted my time with you, he won’t do that again,” he says casually.

“Who tames the beast, shall walk with grace and bravery,” comes a loud booming voice from behind Dray, one that I recognise well, even if I didn’t recognise the crazy in it. Priest.

Stepping away from the wall, Dray falls into my side ready to protect me if necessary, although I am betting he would see what I chose to do first.

“Priest.” I nod at the man who is standing in the middle of the corridor. He looks small compared to all the big, crazed warriors in here, especially my men who, throughout Dray and I’s fight, have been quiet but now they step up to my back. Offering their support, and if I need it, their weapons .