Page 44 of Knotted By the Triad

She drove her boot into the side of his bad knee. A cry escaped him as his leg buckled. I slammed my fist into his face and then twisted his wrist harder.

“Drop it!” I yelled.

Instead of dropping the blade, the bastard slammed his forehead into mine. Pain exploded across my face, forcing me to release him. He immediately slashed the dagger toward my stomach again.

With my face throbbing, I caught his forearm and shoved it aside before driving my knee between his legs. His entire body froze. The man made a strangled sound and bent forward. I could feel blood trickling from my nose.

My anger rose as I tasted blood on my lips. I was officially pissed off. If my alphas’ guards had allowed Allie to bring our weapons into their manor when I married in, I would be weaponed up right now.

Instead, I had to fight with my hands. That was fine too. Growing up in the orphanage, I’d learned to hold my own against kids who called me a motherless child. I punched the smuggler in the face again, loving the satisfying crack that filled the air.

Blood poured from his nose as Allie planted her boot firmly against his chest, sending him crashing onto his back. But he was fast. He swept Allie's legs from beneath her with one quick move. Allie hit the ground hard, gasping for air. The driver immediately went after her.

Oh, hell no.

I jumped onto his back and wrapped an arm around his neck. He grabbed me and staggered backward, slamming me into a tree hard enough to send pain shooting down my spine. When I didn’t let go, he did it again.

“Get off me, bitch,” he roared.

I didn’t want to let go. But the pain in my head and back was making me dizzy. My grip broke. I hit the ground. He spun around and grabbed the front of my shirt before I could get away.

He hauled me up until my boots left the ground and drew back his fist. Another punch would probably knock me out. I couldn't let him hit me. Lifting my arms, I shoved my thumbs toward his eyes.

He jerked his head back, but not fast enough. One thumb caught him directly in the eye, sinking into something warm, wet, and disgustingly soft. His scream ripped through the forest as I pushed harder, my thumb driving deeper into the socket.

For one sickening second, I felt the curve of his eye shift beneath my thumb. Then his eye slipped free. My stomach rolled at the horrible sight. I jerked my hands back in horror as the eyeball popped from its socket and dangled against his cheek, still attached by a bloody strand of tissue.

“Oh, God!” I screamed.

For half a second, I forgot the bastard was trying to kill me. I'd wanted to stop him from punching me, not pull his damn eye out. He screamed and dropped me, both hands flying toward his face.

I stumbled backward, staring at what I'd done. Then I looked down at my hands. My thumb had eye socket juice on it. Ew! Wiping my hands on my pants, I looked over at Allie, who was now standing beside me, gripping a thick branch in both hands.

“Damn, Princess,” she whispered, half in awe, half in disgust.

“I didn't mean to do that!”

The man roared and turned toward me with one eye still dangling against his cheek.

“I will kill you both for this,” he yelled.

I raised my fists again. But Allie stepped forward and cracked the branch across his shoulder. That’s it, Allie. Hit him again. When she swung again, he caught it, ripped it from her hands, and backhanded her hard enough to send her sprawling.

Fuck that! I charged forward and drove the heel of my boot into his injured ribs. He doubled over. I grabbed the back of his head and slammed my knee into his face. Blood sprayed across my pants.

I went to hit him again, but he caught my fist and squeezed. Pain shot through my hand. Allie slammed into him from behind and wrapped an arm around his neck. The second he released me to grab her, I kicked his injured knee.

His leg collapsed beneath him. Something slipped from inside his jacket as he fell. The envelope. It hit the ground and burst open, spilling a thick stack of money into the dirt. The smuggler slung Allie away from him and went after the money.

But Allie kicked his hand away as I dove forward and snatched the envelope, shoving the loose bills back inside. The smuggler started after me, but Allie had already risen to her feet and jumped onto his back.

I shoved the envelope into the hidden pocket Allie had sewn inside my fitted black shirt. She’d sewn a bunch of hidden pockets into our clothing to make it easier for us to carry the money.

With the money secure, I rushed forward to help Allie. The smuggler threw Allie away from him. She slammed into me, sending me stumbling back, but we both managed to stay on our feet.

We stood side by side, facing off with him. We'd done a number on him. Blood covered his face, his eye still dangled against his cheek, and he could barely put weight on one leg. His remaining eye dropped to where I’d slid the envelope into my shirt.

“Give me that back,” he roared.