Page 36 of Devour

Kase is behind him, frowning. His eyes are on the blood on my arm and neck, and his jaw is tight. “That fight wasn’t right.”

I hold his stare, letting him know I want him to shut the fuck up. “We’ll fucking talk about it later.”

Another Talon, Daniel, approaches and slaps my shoulder. “We all knew you had it bad for the bitch, but damn.”

“You don’t know fucking shit.” I swing around and punch him in his face. “Watch your fucking mouth when you talk about my girl.”

Priest and Kase lunge between us, making Daniel think better of coming at me. I spin around. I’m done with whatever bullshit the prick has to say. The platform where I’m supposed to join Crew and the others who have already won their right to the hunt is set up at the edge of the arena.

I go to the man with the needle waiting to pierce me. I wave off the naked woman who appears to clean my dick and snatch the cloth from her to clean myself. The man threads the barbell through, and I don’t flinch. This is my fifth piercing, and the fourth along my shaft. Pain is just a language the Ravens speak, and I’ve been fluent for four fucking years.

Dane Sinclair is standing at the edge of the platform. His mask is off and his arms are crossed. He’s looking at me like he’s deciding whether he’s proud of me or wants to fucking kill me. I do that to him a lot.

“That wasn’t supposed to be your fight.” He’s speaking through gritted teeth.

“No shit. But I still fucking won.”

He holds my stare. “I’ll find out who gave them weapons and drugged them.”

I keep my mouth shut. Telling Dane that Justin Carter tried to have me killed would start a war between the Carters and the Hollisters. Besides, I’m not a fucking snitch. I can handle my own shit.

“I have big plans for you.” He steps closer, and his voice drops so only I can hear it. “Don’t get yourself killed before then.”

I chuckle. “I’m about to get exactly what I fucking want, and I don’t plan on fucking dying.”

He nods once, then pats my shoulder and walks away.

I watch while a couple physicians press a towel to my arm and hold ice to my ribs. They clean the blood from my neck and arm and treat the wounds.

Justin’s fight is next. His mask glows red like mine, and he stands in the center and waits. He has to fight three men, but none have weapons.

A couple of them get a few good hits on him, but the fucker kills them all. Good. I’d rather deal with him myself. But it’s going to take time and planning. Right now, I only give a shit about one person in this room, and it’s not Justin Carter.

He rips his mask off, and his face is blank. He looks over to where Saylor is and waves to her, or maybe to Kynlee. My heathen and Kynlee both wave back. I grind my teeth, knowing that Saylor isn’t going to be happy with me when I beat the fuck out of her piece-of-shit brother.

I lick my lips, still tasting her kiss. Fuck. For now, it will have to be enough to know that I’m going to claim the one woman he doesn’t want me to. Because I’ve waited years for tonight, and that fuck isn’t going to ruin it.

Nothing is going to stop me from making her mine.

CHAPTER 15

AXL

The ancient horn sounds, and I’m off the platform before the sound fades. I left Crew behind me, sprinting into the woods to find my girl. The Doves got a fifteen-minute head start in bare feet before we were allowed outside. I don’t want any of these fucks finding her before I do.

The air is cold and the ground is soft under my boots. It’s all leaves and damp earth from the rain yesterday. The whole thing is designed to make them easy to catch. Everyone watching wants us to emerge from the woods and give them another show.

I move through the trees as quickly as I can, watching for the white of their dresses. My ribs ache from the fight, and the cut on my forearm throbs, but none of that matters. I just have to find my girl before any of these fucks touch her.

A flash of white moves behind a tree to my left. I sprint to it, and a woman I don’t recognize is crouched behind it. She gives me an almost hopeful look, but I just keep moving past her. There is only one woman leaving here as mine.

My pulse is pounding in my ears. Every second I don’t know where she is makes me angrier and more unhinged. I want to put my fist into every fucking tree I pass.

Then there’s a bloodcurdling scream, and another. Fuck. I know it’s fucking Saylor. Goddamn it.

I sprint in the direction of the sound. My heart races as I leap over downed logs in my path, desperate to get to her.

“Axl—help me! Please. Axl!” She screams for me, and my blood is boiling from rage, not knowing what is happening to her. “Don’t—please. Fuck you. Don’t fucking touch me.”