Page 27 of Wings of Destruction

An animal’s howl rips out of her throat in one long call.

I send out a leg, pushing against her, trapping her with my knee before she beats me to the floor.

“Enough of this.” Easier to slap her. “Stop screaming.”

“Leave the children alone!”

I jolt to the side before the girl collides her skull with my chin. She’s got quick reflexes.

Mozi chuckles in my head. Then you better hold her down before she forces you on your knees.

“By all means, ask for help if you need it,” Tristan drawls.

I crowd the redhead against the wall of the cave to trap her and the world slows once she’s in my arms.

“I don’t need your help to hold her.” I force the girl to still and tamp down a groan when her claws dig into my skin.

I’ve got her wrists but she’s surprisingly flexible, and those nails are long enough for the tips to gouge and draw more blood.

“Let us go.” Her gaze darts to the mouth of the cave.

She’ll spring for it, if we’re not careful.

I lever all my weight against her before she knocks the air out of my lungs again. Dainty, yes, but it’s a façade.

“What do you think I’m going to do? Huh?” My voice isn’t entirely mine. “Hurt children? My cousin is more likely to do something, if you give him a reason.”

Her gaze holds recognition as she tilts her chin up to me, defiance in every line of her body. She tries to fight and her heart beats fists against her chest, strong enough to reach me.

Interesting. The intensity of her hatred as she glares at me churns my gut and her eyes go bright and sharp.

She’s surprisingly strong, much more than I gave her credit for being. I’m impressed. She’s got a fight in her.

How would I feel about myself if I’m the one responsible for snuffing it out?

“I think you’re both the types to crack their heads against stone to silence them rather than letting them live.”

I lean over her, my hold rough. “What do you know?”

She slumps. “I know brutality when I see it.”

A moment later, I see stars, blackness crowding the edges of my vision. There’s pain, and Tristan laughing. There are stars as I reel back from the powerful hit she managed against my chin.

Thick bone to go with her stubbornness.

I manage to recover before she darts underneath my arm, tripping the girl and sending her sprawling out on the cave floor. She catches herself on her palms.

Then shakes the entire mountainside with her full force screech as I drag her back. I haul her to her feet, reaching for her hair and dragging her up by it. Loose strands pool against her dark tunic like a halo of blood.

“Hurt her, cousin,” I hear Tristan say. “Show her the power of the Rysons.”

A cheer goes up from the men.

But my inhumanity is much farther away than my logic. I see my mother’s face in my head, the last time I’d looked at her, and the world threatens to slip away like the last of the retreating darkness.

The girl is on her feet, and I trap her against the wall a second time, much harder than intended.

A growl helps hide the desperation in my voice as I bend and drag the tip of my nose across her hair. The girl reeks of sweat and fear. There is nothing sweet or fresh about her.