Page 107 of Worse Fates

Kai bolts up behind him, his own poker high. But this time Jace is prepared and clocks him in the jaw, sending Kai flying to the unforgiving ground.

“I’m fucking tired of this, Golden!” Jace snarls.

I run at him, aiming a punch but he dodges, so I bring my knee up, directed right for his fucking balls.

His forearm slams down, pushing me back. “You don’t think I know you’re tricks by—”

He doesn’t get to finish as I bring my forehead down to collide with his nose. It ruptures, blood spraying out all over me.

“ENOUGH!” Jace’s fist tightens, and the spear Kai is struggling to pull from Ramy suddenly sprouts vicious thorns,tearing through his insides and ripping a shriek of pure agony from his chest. Kai jerks back with a shout as if electrocuted, his hands sliced open.

“Stop it!” I wail. “Just fucking stop this, Jace! I don’t have your fucking pills what do you even want?!”

Jace backhands me so hard I taste iron. Then takes hold of my shirt and hulls me up.

“I want what I’m owed. So, you come with me now,” he growls. “Or I kill your friends—then you come with me, anyway.”

In the distance, the pounding of feet approaches us like a gathering storm.

Jace grabs my face, eyes shining with rage and something else…something that makes bile rise.

“Your. Choice.”

Chapter Thirty-Six - Lucero

I fight back the rough hands dragging me away from the window and my only view of Golden covered in blood.

Snarling, punching and kicking, I try to get back to where I can see my mate with the strength of a man gone mad.

How could I’ve let this happen? I shouldn’t have left him alone in the first place!

An enraged roar tries to gash out from between my fangs. Instead, a forearm smacks into my mouth.

“Fucking hell, brother!” Rurik slams me hard into a brick wall.

“Fuck sakes, will you be quiet!” Summer hisses low. “You’re going to draw attention to us.”

Rurik slams me against the wall again.

“Lucero.Stop. Apollo is in there too, okay? I. Fucking. Get. It! But calm, brother, and use your damn head.”

There’s a beat of silence, my ragged breathing filling the space and barely holding my fangs back from slicing into Rurik.

After a beat, and with great effort, I wrestle myself under enough control for Rurik to free me.

“We…” I clench my fists, and ground my molars. “We get in, we bequickand we slaughter every single filthy blood mage.”

“Sounds good to me,” Summer comments.

“None of the blood on your little mate is his, brother. Even from here I can smell that.”

I nod, once. Agitated and too stiff.

“We’re all good then, right?” Summer steps back, eyeing us both cautiously. “So, let’s get to planning. I can throw one of my shadow bombs that’ll take care of the little beasts at the front of the warehouse. Or…”

She levels us with a hard look.

“Or I can make something with a whole lot more punch, only problem is it takes time.”