Chapter 24: Chapter 20

Zale

I slammed on the breaks when a herd of wolves jumped out from the woods and crowded the road. On instinct, I threw my arm out to keep Adira from flying forward.

“What the hell?” Adira cried out, bracing herself on the dashboard.

“This can’t be anything good.” I grumbled, struggling to keep my dragon in control.

“Let’s find out.” Adira said with a stubborn expression, undoing her seatbelt.

She looked over at me and I nodded curtly. We opened the car doors together and stepped out. I looked around, checking our surroundings for any more threats. One of the wolves shifted and, surprise, surprise, it was our old friend, Quarter.

“Thought you could run away from us, did you?” Quarter sneered, looking directly at Adira.

I didn’t like how his attention was on her, so I moved as close to my mate as I could get, defensively standing at her side.

“The Warrior pack and the Crown know that you’re coming for them.” Adira spoke coolly.

Quarter threw back his head and laughed at the sky.

“Good!” He cheered.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Adria snapped, looking at Quarter like he was nuts.

“Chaos is the name of the game, baby,” Quarter said and I snarled at him, my eyes flashing red, “Oh, relax, dragon boy. I’m not after your girl.”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.” I growled.

“Uhm, let’s see,” Quarter stroked his chin, “Because you can’t?”

“Enough of the games, Quarter.” Adira said, looking annoyed at the both of us.

“I agree,” Quarter nodded studiously, “Have you heard of a little group I’m a part of called, the Legion of Darkness?”

I practically felt the tension draw into Adira’s body as she stiffened and her face hardened, narrowing on Quarter. I, like most of the other leaders I’ve spoken to, have heard of the Legion, but didn’t take it very seriously. Something about Adira’s attitude told me that I should.

“Ah, yes, I thought you might,” Quarter snickered, “Perhaps a certain incident at the Vampire Kingdom draws your attention?”

I looked at Adira who seemed to know what he was talking about. I had no idea, but based on Adira’s reaction, I knew it wasn’t anything good.

“So, the Legion wants the Warrior pack out of the way?” Adira asked.

“Yes and no,” Quarter tilted his head from side to side for dramatic effect, “We would love the Warriors and the Archers out of the way, that’s true, but, I’m here for a much more specific target.”

I did not like where this was going.

“What target?” Adira asked, her hands twitching by her side like she was preparing for a battle.

“You.” Quarter replied ominously.

I felt fire burning in my belly and fear in my chest. My beast roared inside of me, itching and fighting to be set free so he could burn this rogue to the ground.

“Setting your goals high.” Adira mocked him, seeming much calmer than I was.

“Each Captain has a goal and that goal is to take out those we believe are the biggest threat to our cause,” Quarter said, his sights set on Adira, “We all agree that those members sit on your precious Table of the Realms.”

Something flashed in Adira’s expression, but it didn’t stick around long enough for me to name it.

“You can plan all you want, Quarter, but you won’t touch us.” She declared.

“We’ll see.” The humor left Quarter’s face and he stepped back, fading into his sea of rogues.

Adira shifted her weight and the bangle around her wrist came to life. Like a snake, it slithered down her arm and went limp at her fingertips, turning into a silver lasso. She glanced at me quickly and I knew what she saw, my fiery pupils and the beast that was shining through them. We shared a nod and then my hands ignited in dragonfire.

The rogues howled and the first one attacked. Adira snapped out the whip, wrapping it around the rogue’s leg, and tripping him. She hiked up her dress and pulled a dagger from her thigh holster, sinking it into the back of the wolf’s neck.

Despite the battle, despite the threat, I couldn’t help myself from gawking at her exposed thigh and how damn sexy she looked whipping a dagger out from under her evening gown. She kicked off her heels, tore a seam in her dress, and dove into battle. I lunged in after her.

Adira was at my back, but it was like I could sense every move she made. When she needed help, my beast automatically knew it and turned towards her. We moved around each other like we had fought together our entire lives, like fire and water, we were two equal forces working in unison.

I heard a whimper and I whipped around to see that Adira’s whip had hardened into a spear and it was sticking out of the shoulder of one of the rogues. She yanked the spear from his body and he crumpled to the ground in a puddle of blood. She sliced through another wolf in the same motion.

We were halfway through the pack of rogues when pain rippled through my chest. I ended the wolf who was attacking me quickly and looked frantically for Adria. She had backed herself against a tree and her face was contorted with pain. I ran to her side, quickly inspecting her for injuries.

“What’s wrong?” I shouted, keeping her at my back as I fended off the wolves coming for her.

“It’s Aidian,” She whined, “His pain. The pack’s pain.”

Not again.

“What happened?” I unleashed a wave of fire, taking out six wolves at a time.

“Marcy is gone, she’s been taken.” Adira said,

The remaining wolves backed off and Quarter appeared again with a stupid grin on his smug face.

“Distractions, distractions.” He sang.

“If you want me, why take Marcy?”Adira yelled at Quarter, fighting against her emotions.

“Why create more work for myself?” Quarter shrugged.

“I’ll get her back.” Adira promised and I worried about what she would do to retrieve her brother’s mate.

“I have no doubt that you’ll try,” Quarter said, “But, we have one distinct advantage. I don’t care if she lives or dies. The second you enter our territory, I’ll kill her.”

Adira shoved past me and I reached out, grabbing her arm and keeping her at my side. I knew exactly where this was going.

“You kill her and the only thing you accomplish is signing your death warrant.” She snarls dangerously.

“Yes, fine, but your brother’s mate is still dead.” Quarter said with a flourish of his hand.

“Then, what?” She snaps.

“You for her, I thought that was pretty obvious.” Quarter snickered.

“Don’t even think about it, Adira.” I growled in her ear.

She didn’t even spare me a glance.

“The hostage swap? That’s so overdone, I expected more from you.” She baited him.

“I’ll give you the day to think about it,” Quarter said, “I’ll bring the human Luna to the meeting space between your pod and pack. If you come with an army, she’ll die.”

“Adira isn’t a bargaining piece, she won’t be going anywhere with you.” I said, my tone furious.

“I’ll see you at daybreak.” Quarter continued on like I hadn’t spoken, shooing his rogues away and then following them into the darkness of the trees.

I looked at Adira who spared me a glance before turning her back on me and walking to the car.

“Adira, you can’t.” I said,

She stopped at the hood of the car and whipped around,

“She’s my brother’s mate!” She shouted at me, “He’ll die without her.”

“And you’re my mate.” I stated.

Her face fell a little.

“He won’t survive.” She repeated.

“And you think I would?” I raised my voice, stomping up to her, “You honestly think that I care for you any less than your brother cares for his mate? Do you really believe that you are worth less to me than she is to your brother? I will not survive without you, Adira. Not only that, the entire world won’t survive. I’ll burn it all down if I were to lose you.”

“Zale,”

I wouldn’t let her speak. I grabbed her face in my hands and claimed her lips with mine. She gasped, opening her mouth to me and allowing my tongue access to dive in. I slammed my entire body into hers, shoving her against the hood of the car and bending her over it. I warped her body to fit my needs, demanding that she understood that she was mine and mine alone.

Her arms wrapped around my neck and she clung to me, whether it was for support or out of need, I didn’t know and I didn’t care. Her lips moved against mine and she sighed, a noise I felt through to my very core. I released her face and maneuvered my hands down her body, touching every inch of her through the shredded gown.

My hands found her butt and I hoisted her up onto the hood of the car, laying her entire body down on it. She gasped in surprise and I released her lips, moving down her neck and sucking on the sensitive skin at the base of her throat. She cried out and tangled her hands in my hair, urging me forward.

I found the slit in her gown, the one that she created in order to access her thigh holster and fight off the rogues, and slipped my way up her leg. She instinctively wrapped her long legs around my waist and pulled me closer to her body, clutching my hips between her thighs.

I ran my fingers over the valleys of her hip bones, smirking as she squirmed under my touch. She moaned and her delicious sounds were music to my ears and her honey sweet scent clouded my senses. I moved my lips back up her neck and claimed her swollen mouth again, slowing the urgency down and moving with a purpose. When I pulled away, I rested my forehead against hers and took in her flushed expression.

“I won’t have you question my love for you, Kyrre, and if I have been unclear before that’s my fault and it stops now. You are mine, you belong to me and no one else. I won’t stop you from fighting, but I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself. You will give yourself to no one,” I buried my face in her neck, breathing in her scent to calm my beast, “If something were to happen to you, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from setting fire to the world.”