“That’s right, Kaela. Suck your true master’s cock,” he said, his voice thick with sordid arousal. I gagged around him then and he reached down to tweak my nipple.
But I was done. Totally fucking done.
I wasn’t going to do what he said, and I wasn’t going to allow him to use me like this, ever again. He wasn’t going to break me by shoving his revolting dick down my throat. He wasn’t going to break me by causing me pain. I wasn’t made to be broken.
So, I bit him instead.
I gnashed down with my teeth, hard and I felt them break through the skin beneath. I tasted the coppery flavor of blood on my tongue then and I screamed with victory.
Nix shrieked, a high-pitched sound I wouldn’t have known he was capable of, and he staggered backwards, tripping over his pants as they tangled around his knees. He fell down to the ground, catching himself just barely with his arm, and curled up in the fetal position as he cupped himself.
A humiliating picture, but if there was ever a man who deserved it, he did.
I didn’t care though. I shoved away from the cement pole and started to run. He yelled for his guards, but he hadn’t come with any. He’d been overconfident and underestimated my resolve. Stupid fucker. I’d teach him.
I raced out into the parking garage, searching for an exit and finally finding one. I burst out onto the street and ran for my life, sprinting down alleyways, between buildings and vaulting over fences when I needed to.
The sun was setting, and it was beginning to approach nightfall. The moon hadn’t risen yet so the shadows were overtaking the city quickly. I was thankful for my luck and ducked into one of the darkest alleys I could find. I sprinted down it and put as much distance as possible between myself and Nix.
I ignored my exhaustion and used all the adrenaline I could possibly muster. I could feel my legs start to cramp, followed by a pain in my abs, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t focus on the fact that I was completely naked either. None of that mattered.
I’d die all the same if Nix caught me again.
I ran, and I ran hard. I didn’t stop for several hours until I was turning a corner and I sprinted straight into a hard body.
I pulled back, meaning to escape, but the figure grabbed my arms tight.
“Kaela?”
Chapter Nine
Tavik
Failure. Defeat. Loss.
We’d been quiet for some time, making our way through the outer limits of the city. None of us wanted to speak at all. We were mourning in silence. The battle had been rough, but the loss of our woman had pierced us to the very core.
I heard her footsteps before I saw anything. Bare feet slapping against pavement, the harsh breath of an exhausted human, all sounds of someone on the run. I turned and then I saw her. Her reddish hair shone under the light of the waning sun. Her pale curvy figure, although marred with dirt, grime, and blood, was as gorgeous as the time I’d first laid my eyes on her. She didn’t lift her head or acknowledge that she’d seen me, she just continued running. The breath left my throat in a sudden rush of relief. I’d thought I’d never see her again, and here she was, naked, beautiful, and all mine.
When Kaela crashed into me at a full-blown sprint, I’d hardly been prepared for it. I recovered quickly, catching her before she hurried past me. I took a step back, wrapping my arms around her and holding her tight. She struggled and kicked, trying to escape from my arms but I wouldn’t let her. Now that I had her back, I was never going to let her go. Ever.
“No, no! I won’t go back,” she screamed, panic in her voice. It was as though she wasn’t even seeing me. She didn’t know she was safe once more.
“Kaela?” I ventured softly, hoping that the sound of my voice would calm her.
“Tavik?” she whispered.
“Yes. I’m here,” I replied.
“And the rest of you?” she whimpered, not daring to lift her head and see for herself, likely scared that she’d lost us too. I could feel her arms quiver, her fear causing both her body and her voice to tremble. She hadn’t wanted to lose us either.
I squeezed her tighter, trying to calm her and give her hope, to let her know that everything was alright now that she was back with the four of us.
“They’re here with me,” I responded, and I felt her body sag with relief. She was naked, filthy, and desperately needed a bath, but I didn’t care. I had her back. She was in my arms and Nix hadn’t killed her. I took a step back, looking over her naked body for wounds. Her knees were very bruised and upon closer inspection, I found her lip had split and was scabbed over and her nose had been bloodied. Most of her injuries looked as though they were beginning to heal. My gorgeous girl was mostly unharmed. She was lucky to be alive.
I wanted to praise the stars for bring her back to me. With everything we’d been through these past few days, I’d thought she was lost to us.
Zane, Valdus, Caleb and I had been through hell. We’d fought like madmen back in that forest, using every single trick we had at our disposal, including our telepathic communication between the four of us, as well as our camouflage ability to its fullest and our wits.