Page 58 of Flawed Revenge

Before he could connect with anyone and rip the breath right out of their chest, a body collided with his, taking him to the ground.

Inside his head, the beast howled, the sound deafening, bouncing about like a ball of fire, making him scream.

Hands held him down.

Lion fought against them.

The need to kill, to destroy, to satiate the beast so it left him alone, was all he could think about.

Snippets of words filtered through the howling pounding inside his head.

“Might need to kill him.”

“Anger is destroying him.”

“Losing control.”

“Needs Kate.”

Kate.

That word penetrated the haze, and he clung to it. It soothed the worst of the beast’s hold on him, calming him enough that when he spotted movement in the distance, he knew what he had to do.

There was enough clarity left in him, his mind not completely owned by fury, for him to know who was coming, what was about to happen, and that he might be the only one who could stop it.

With a howl that even to his own ears sounded more animal than human, Lion felt a surge of strength rush through him, and he dislodged the hands attempting to restrain him.

Then he moved, assessing threats as he went. Red hair and green eyes; safe. Brown hair and green eyes; safe. Blonde hair and blue eyes; safe. Brown hair and brown eyes; safe. Blonde hair and gray eyes; safe.

Guns pointed at him, but he ignored them.

He thought he heard someone yell not to shoot him, but he was already moving.

Threats.

Had to eliminate the threats.

Had to protect.

Had to save.

Kate.

Ariella.

Those two words were the only threads left keeping him chained to his humanity. Without them, he would have already succumbed.

Shots fired through the air, but they were nothing but dull cracks compared to the howl of his beast. It demanded blood. Demanded revenge, retribution for its creation.

The scream as he grabbed that first body, and began to slam his fists into it, was music to his ears. It was a balm to soul. And he needed more.

Would there ever be enough?

Screams echoed through the forest. They were beautiful, and he couldn’t get enough. Lion moved from person to person, vaguely aware that people were still shooting, but he didn't care about anything but his blood lust.

Each time he saw a heart stop beating, he dropped the body and searched for another. He had no idea how many he killed, only knew that he wouldn't stop until the only ones left with beating hearts were safe people.

But that choice was taken out of his hands.